Karma Rangjung Künkhyab Thrinle

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Kalu Rinpoche, Montpellier 1987

The 2nd Kalu Rinpoche Karma Rangjung Künkhyab Thrinle ( Tib . : Kar-lu rin-po-che Kar-ma rang-byung kun-khyab phrin-las ; * 1905 in Kham ; † May 10, 1989 in Kham) was a Tibetan Lama , author and lineage holder of the Shangpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism .

The 2nd Kalu Rinpoche played a prominent role in the spread of Buddhism outside Tibet that began after 1960. His work as the initiator of a major translation project should be emphasized.

Origin and education

Karma Rangjung Künkhyab Thrinle was born in 1905 as the son of Karma Legshe Drayang (Tib .: Kar-ma legs-bshad sgra-dbyangs ), known as 13th Ratak Pelsang Trülku , and his wife Drölkar Chung Chung (Tib .: sGrol-dkar chung- chung ) born. His parents were students of Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye , Khyentse Wangpos and Mipham Rinpoches . At the age of eleven he received the ordination of the eleventh Tai Situpa and the name Karma Rangjung Künkhyab . At the age of 16, Kalu Rinpoche began a three-year retreat in the meditation monastery Dechen Ösel Ling (tib .: bDechen 'od-gsal gling ) founded by Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye in 1842 , which was the original hermitage of the great Pelpung monastery (tib .: dPal -spungs ) was assigned. There he received the complete teachings of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu schools. At the age of 25, Kalu Rinpoche went to the mountains of the Dêgê region and lived there as an ascetic for about 12 to 15 years.

Teaching and exile

When asked by the eleventh Tai Situpa to return and teach, he gave up being a dispossessed wanderer and became a retreat master for three-year retreats in two side monasteries of Pelpung Monastery.

In the 1940s, Karma Rangjung Künkhyab Thrinle made a pilgrimage to numerous monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism. In doing so, he essentially gave teachings on the so-called "Five Golden Teachings" of the Shangpa Kagyu School. At that time, his work brought him, together with the eleventh Tai Situpa, to Lhasa , where he had the opportunity to teach the fifth Radreng Rinpoche, who was appointed regent of the 14th Dalai Lama Tendzin Gyatsho, who was still under age .

Salugara Stupa near Shiliguri

In 1955 he visited the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje in Tshurphu . In view of the political situation, the 16th Karmapa asked him to leave Tibet and go to India and Bhutan to prepare for the foreseeable exile.

After Karma Rangjung Künkhyab Thrinle left Tibet, he became abbot of the Changchub Choling Monastery in the Kurtoe Gewog , Lhuntse District in Bhutan in 1957 . In 1965, after he had moved to India, he founded his first monastery Samdrup Thargye Ling in Darjeeling .

At the request of the 16th Karmapa, in 1973 he taught the clergy known as the “Four Regents of the Karma Kagyu”, namely the 14th Shamarpa Mipham Chökyi Lodrö , the twelfth Tai Situpa Pema Dönyö Nyinche , the twelfth Tshurphu Gyeltshab Dragpa Tenpe Yarphel and the third Jamgön Kongtrül Karma Lodrö Chökyi Sengge. Following a similar request from the 14th Dalai Lama, he also taught in the Namgyel Tratsang , the personal monastery of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala (India).

Spread of Buddhism outside of Tibet

Between 1971 and 1989, Kalu Rinpoche traveled extensively to Europe , the United States , Canada and Southeast Asia . He founded more than 70 Dharma centers, 20 retreat centers and 20 stupas worldwide . In 1988 he began building the large Salugara Stupa near Shiliguri .

Translation activity

In 1986 he founded a large translation committee for the writings of Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye. Translators of different nationalities and from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism were involved.

The second Kalu Rinpoche died in 1989 at the age of 84.

Web links

Monasteries founded by Kalu Rinpoche:

personal data
SURNAME Karma Rangjung Künkhyab Thrinle
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Tibetan lama, author and lineage holder of the Shangpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
DATE OF BIRTH 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Kham
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 1989
Place of death Kham