Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Parinirvana of Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa
Rigpa
Body incarnation of nanam Dorje Dudjom,
Blessed by the Speech of Vajravarahi
Playful manifestation of Padmasambhava’s mind
The vidyadhara who opened the doors of profound termas
And tamed sentient beings—Lerab Lingpa to you I pray— Prayer to Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, quoted by Kyabjé Khenchen Jigme Puntsok Rinpoche, Lerab Ling 24th August 1993
Tertön Sogyal, Lerab Lingpa
Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa (Image courtesy Shechen Monastery)
Revered for his extraordinary learning and accomplishment, Lerab Lingpa (1856–1926) was a prolific revealer of the terma treasures concealed by Guru Padmasambhava.
His entire life was filled with timely spiritual revelations, prophecies and visions of Guru Rinpoche, and he played a large part in ensuring the spiritual and physical security of Tibet and safeguarding the life of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö would say that Lerab Lingpa was “truly amazing in terms of both his learning and his accomplishment”.
One of the most widely practised of his treasures is the Tendrel Nyesel, “Eliminating Flaws in Interdependent Circumstances”, a practice that is seen as having a profound relevance for today’s world. This year marks the centenary of his parinirvana in 1926.
The Life of Lerab Lingpa
Tertön Sogyal’s masters
Lerab Lingpa was born in Upper Nyarong in Kham in 1856. As a child his exceptional qualities were detected by Nyala Pema Dudul, the great yogin who would attain the rainbow body. Repeated sickness and prophetic dreams indicated that he was to dedicate his life to the Dharma, and going into retreat, he began to reveal the first of his termas. He came to be recognized as the emanation of Nanam Dorje Dudjom, one of Padmasambhava’s twenty-five close disciples. Lerab Lingpa received teachings from some of the greatest masters: Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Patrul Rinpoche, Jamgön Kongtrul, Khenpo Pema Vajra and especially Nyoshul Lungtok, from whom he received the Longchen Nyingtik instructions and practised them in retreat.
He continued to reveal mind termas and earth termas, and in 1888 His Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama asked him to come to Lhasa for the benefit of Tibet and of the teachings. In Lhasa he performed many practices and discovered further termas, collaborating with the Dalai Lama, who would occasionally take part in the decipherment of the treasures.
Tertön Sogyal would continue to travel between Kham and Central Tibet for many years. A number of his termas would feature Vajrakilaya, for example the Phurba Yang Nying Pudri, which was discovered along with Jamgön Kongtrul, and proved so important for the Dalai Lamas and Tibet that it became a regular practice at the Dalai Lama’s Namgyal monastery.
Revealing the terma of Tendrel Nyesel
Visionary experiences, dreams and further terma revelations continued, along with many long-life practices for the Dalai Lama, and Lerab Lingpa travelled widely to places like Samye, Sakya, Tsurphu, and Gangri Tokar. His biography records how in 1900, on the tenth day of the seventh Tibetan month, Guru Rinpoche appeared to Tertön Sogyal in a dream, surrounded by dakinis of the five families and gave him the complete empowerments and instructions of Eliminating Flaws in Interdependent Circumstances — Tendrel Nyesel. Each of the dakinis took turns to deliver a prophecy. On the twenty-fifth day, during a dakini tsok feast, Lerab Lingpa saw the discovery site of Tendrel Nyesel very clearly. He made aspiration prayers that there be no obstacles to the finding of the Tendrel Nyesel, and for its revelation to bring a great wave of benefit. At the moment when he was actually given the terma casket by the protector on the twenty-seventh day, Tertön Sogyal said he felt happier than when revealing any of his other termas.
The following evening, Guru Rinpoche appeared to Tertön Sogyal riding a tiger and made a prophecy about the deciphering of Tendrel Nyesel. Beginning on the tenth day of the next month, in just two days, he deciphered the entire practice text of Tendrel Nyesel and then made vast single-pointed aspiration prayers. He felt very joyful. The following year, Lerab Lingpa offered the empowerments and transmissions of Tendrel Nyesel to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Lhasa.
It was around 1922 that Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö met Lerab Lingpa. He said that even before meeting the great treasure revealer, merely hearing his name had caused him to feel deep and uncontrived devotion. In a number of meetings, he received many empowerments, instructions and reading transmissions, including the long and medium-length termas of Tendrel Nyesel. He felt such devotion that he requested Lerab Lingpa to decipher the brief Tendrel Nyesel from the yellow scrolls. He also received permission to transmit the entire collection of Tertön Sogyal’s terma revelations.
In the latter part of his life, Lerab Lingpa moved to Golok to be nearer Dodrupchen Jikme Tenpé Nyima, eventually offering him the empowerments of all his termas. He also taught The Words of My Perfect Teacher, based on Nyoshul Lungtok’s instructions, and he requested Dodrupchen Rinpoche to give his commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra, for which he served as the scribe. In 1924 they exchanged white scarves, something they had never done before, and each one said: “I will see you again in the pure land.” Lerab Lingpa displayed the signs of passing into parinirvana early in 1926. He had many lineage holders, and was said to have had several incarnations, including Khenchen Jigmé Phuntsok Rinpoche and Sogyal Rinpoche.
One of Lerab Lingpa’s closest disciples, Choktrul Pema Gyaltsen, told Nyoshul Khenpo that Lerab Lingpa had said to him that in his next life, his teachings would spread widely outside of Tibet:
“My incarnation will not just come to Tibet, but to the western world, and continue my teaching.”
—Tertön Sogyal
More about Tertön Sogyal
▶️ Watch a rare precious teaching from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche on the life of Tertön Sogyal on Rigpa’s online platform, Prajna.
Read more about the life of the great Tertön Sogyal:
Find teachings by Tertön Sogyal on Lotsawa House