The 4th Jamgon Kongtrul, Migyur Drakpa Senge, was born on December 17, 1995, in the Kathmandu Valley as the son of Beru Khyentse Rinpoche.
From the age of five, Jamgon Yangsi began reading books and memorized the rituals and practices of his own spiritual tradition. He received numerous Vajrayana empowerments — primarily within the Karma Kagyu lineage — as well as various transmissions related to guru yoga meditation. Furthermore, he received teachings, transmissions, and oral instructions in the practice of Mahamudra.
Let us begin with homage: Namo guna sagaraya
After having fully comprehended all the profound and conceivable ways of practice, he perfectly summarized them in the Five Great Treasuries. He was a supporter of lineages that emphasized practice. With deep reverence, I bow at the feet of Guru Jamgon.
The noble being who was repeatedly prophesied by the Buddha in numerous sutras and tantras appeared in human form as an emanation of the noble Manjushri.
In the time of the Buddha, he was the noble Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant.
In the land of Uddiyana, he was King Indrabodhi.
In the region of Shambhala, he was born as Chandrabhadra, a noble son of a virtuous family.
In Tibet, he appeared as the great scholar Thonmi Sambhota, and later as Vairotsana, the translator.
Furthermore, he is considered to be the incarnation of many great masters of both the new and ancient Vajrayana traditions, as well as of the non-sectarian movement’s prominent figures. His name became known far and wide as Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, also known as Karma Ngawang Yönten Gyatso.
This individual—renowned as the sun and moon—dedicated himself to ensuring the flourishing of those eight great practice lineages which had not yet declined, and to reviving those that had fallen into decline.
He was born in 1813 and passed into nirvana in 1899, at the age of eighty-seven.
Gyalse Chokdup Gyalpo, one of the original thirteen tertons (treasure revealers).
The Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Palden Tse Özer, was born in 1902 as the son of His Holiness the 15th Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje.
Under the close guidance of his father, the Karmapa, he diligently trained and mastered the Ten Fields of Knowledge under the supervision of numerous teachers.
He received the teachings of both the New and Ancient Mantra Traditions, with particular emphasis on the complete transmission of the Eight Great Practice Lineages—like a vase filled to the brim. His noble father, the glorious Gyalwa Karmapa, bestowed upon him all the oral instructions, making him a vital link in the Golden Rosary of the Kagyu Lineage.
Moreover, from the eminent masters of the non-sectarian tradition, he received the empowerments, reading transmissions, and teachings of all major philosophical systems.
He, in turn, transmitted the teachings of both the New and Ancient Mantra Traditions—especially the Five Great Treasuries and the oral instructions of the Four Yogas Lineage—to those disciples whose minds were ready to be tamed.
He passed away in 1952, at the age of fifty-one.
According to the prophecy of the previous Jamgon Kongtrul, his next incarnation would be born into a family from Lhaden, in Central Tibet, and the 16th Karmapa would reveal the exact names of the parents and their place of residence. In accordance with this prediction, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa recognized the incarnation and wrote the official letter of recognition.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje, jointly affirmed that he was the reincarnation of Jamgon Tulku.
At the age of six, His Holiness the Karmapa ordained the young Jamgon at the old Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. As in his previous incarnation, he continued the noble activities of study, receiving empowerments, reading transmissions, and instructions.
He became the heart-son of the Karmapa, just as Ananda had been for the Buddha. The sublime 16th Karmapa was regarded by him as a living Buddha; thus, whatever the Karmapa spoke or did, he accepted as true and perfectly correct. Their minds became one.
Approximately three thousand disciples from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Tibet, and from countries across the East and West, received novice and monastic vows from Rinpoche.
After establishing numerous monasteries filled with renunciate monks clad in saffron robes, he became a peerless guardian of the Vinaya. In 1992, at the age of thirty-nine, due to life-threatening obstacles—which also hindered the spread of the Dharma—and the limited merit of sentient beings, his consciousness merged into the Dharmadhatu.
However, when bodhisattvas give rise to the mind of enlightenment, since they are untainted by karmic obscurations, they are able to return through deliberate rebirth. Without doubt, he perfectly fulfilled both the general teachings of the Buddha and the doctrines of the Karma Kagyu school.
The Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul (Karma Migyur Drakpa Senge) is the son of Beru Khyentse Rinpoche. He was born as the son of the eminent Beru Khyentse Choekyi Wangpo Rinpoche in 1995, at dawn on the anniversary of Je Tsongkhapa (the 25th day of the 10th month in the Tibetan calendar), during an auspicious planetary alignment.
On the day prior to his birth, the 18th Sakya Trichen, in the presence of many lamas and tulkus, proclaimed:
“In accordance with the prophecy, Jamgon Rinpoche has arrived today from the residence of the Great Manjushri Temple.”
That day also marked the birthday of the King of Nepal, and a long-life ceremony was performed in his honor.
In 1996, when the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, arrived in Bodhgaya, he met the young tulku for the first time. Without hesitation, he declared:
“He is truly the reincarnation, the Jamgon Yangsi!”
Following this recognition, he composed the letter of confirmation and bestowed a name upon him. Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche agreed with this recognition and formally accepted him as the incarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul. His Holiness also composed a long-life prayer for him.
In 1998, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Bodhgaya, he personally received the young tulku and Beru Khyentse Rinpoche. During their meeting, His Holiness performed the hair-cutting ceremony and reviewed the recognition letter.
In 2000, the great master of the Early Translation tradition, Drubwang Pema Norbu (Penor Rinpoche), was invited to Bodhgaya, to the Karma Monastery, where he performed the vast and profound enthronement ceremony of Jamgon Kongtrul. The ceremony was attended by many lamas, tulkus, and monastics from non-sectarian lineages. The Tibetan Government-in-Exile and the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama officially authorized the enthronement, and the Supreme Drubwang Penor Rinpoche fully endorsed and supported it.
From the age of five, he began reading scriptures and memorizing the rituals and practices of his tradition. At the age of fourteen, he entered the Sakya College, where he studied profound texts. He began with the Bodhisattvacharyavatara, then continued with the Madhyamaka and Pramanavarttika, especially focusing on logic and valid cognition. He consistently achieved excellent results in his examinations.
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