Pabongka Rinpoche

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Pabongka Rinpoche (Tibetan: ཕ་བོང་ཁ་; Wylie: Pha-bong-kha; also spelt Phabongkha), Jampa Tenzin Trinlay Gyatso, (1878-1941) was one of the great Gelug lamas of the modern era of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the root lama of both Ling Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche, the two tutors of the present Dalai Lama.

1 Early life
2 Teaching
- 2.1 Controversies
3 Books
4 Related
5 External links

[edit] Early life

Pabongka Rinpoche was born north of Lhasa, Tibet. His root guru was Dagpo Lama Rinpoche (sometimes spelt Tagpo or Thagpo).

[edit] Teaching

In 1921 at Chuzang Hermitage near Lhasa, Pabongka Rinpoche gave a historic 24-day exposition on the Lam Rim, or "stages of the path," that was attended by many thousands of clergy and laypeople. These teachings were translated into English and published as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. He was the first Gelug teacher who taught lay persons outside the monasteries and became very influential.

[edit] Controversies

Pabongka Rinpoche was at times at odds with the 13th Dalai Lama over Pabongka's antagonism toward the Nyingma lineage, which arose from a bout of serious illness he believed stemmed from his adoption of Nyingma practices as a young man. His related advocacy of the Dorje Shugden protector practice was also a divisive issue in the Tibetan Buddhist world.