Brief Biography of His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche
Until his passing in 2007, His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, chief patron of Jamchen Buddhist Centre, was the head of the Tsarpa branch of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Tsarpa was founded by Tsarchen Losal Gyatso more than five hundred years ago. Rinpoche was a member of the blessed Che family and his ancestors were among the disciples of Guru Padmasambhava who first brought Buddhism to Tibet. Down through the ages the Che family as holders of the practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism have produced countless fully accomplished Buddhist masters His Eminence was also the 26th patriarch of Nalendra monastery, one of the main monasteries of Tsarpa.
His Eminence was born in central Tibet in 1919. At the age of nine he was recognised as the 18th Chogye Trichen by the 13th Dalai Lama, who later also ordained Rinpoche as a novice monk. During his childhood, His Eminence studied under such great masters as Zhenphen Nyingpo, Zimwock Rinpoche and Ngaglo Rinpoche, a close disciple of the previous Chogye Trichen. Until the age of 39 His Eminence remained at Nalendra monastery where he mastered all the monastic disciplines, as well as all the major practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, completing meditation retreats on all the major deities of the four classes of Buddhist tantra. Rinpoche also pursued extensive studies of literature, history and metaphysics and was an accomplished master of traditional Tibetan poetry. His Eminence received rare and precious “whispered instructions” from some of the great masters of modern times.
After the communist invasion of Tibet in 1959, His Eminence and his guru Zimwock Rinpoche escaped to Mustang in Nepal. Rinpoche eventually established the monasteries Tashi Rabten Ling, at Lumbini the birth place of the Buddha and Jamchen Lhakhang, at the famous Bhoudanath stupa in Kathmandu. During his time in exile His Eminence worked tirelessly to preserve the teachings and practices passed down to him from his teachers. As well as his major building projects and continuously giving teachings and initiations, Rinpoche worked as General Secretary of the Council of Religious Affairs for the Tibetan Government in Exile for seven years. Rinpoche also organised a series of three–year retreats of Hevajra under his personal guidance and observation and has given major empowerments and teachings around the world. Lama Choedak Rinpoche is a graduate of the first of these retreats.
Considered by many as one of the greatest Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, His Eminence was a renowned Tantric yogi, an outstanding scholar, an eloquent poet and an unsurpassed Buddhist practitioner. Rinpoche was a respected teacher of both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Sakya Trizin. After many decades of devoted service to the Buddhadharma, His Eminence passed away at his hermitage in the foothills of Kathmandu. He sat in meditative samadhi for many days, and his passing was accompanied by auspicious signs of his great meditative attainments. His many enlightened activities still reverberate in the Buddhist world as living jewels of the Tibetan tradition.
