I was told today to explain briefly the life of the 37th throne holder of Drikung Kagyu lineage, who is the representative of Lord Jigten Sumgon on the great Drikungpa birthday. For the purpose of ordinary people to understand this noble being, I refer to him as His Holiness, the Konchok Tenzin Kunsang Thinley Lhundup.
Due to my old age, my mind is not as sharp as before, therefore I may not be able to explain the following in an organised and perfect way. Still I feel great fortune to have this opportunity to share briefly with you all the activities of my root guru on the occasion of his birthday.
How can we identify His Holiness as a great noble being through his activities and the hardship he has endured? He wears an amour of great tolerance no matter how hard the situation is.
At the age of 31, he fled from Tibet to India. I think he travelled by truck from Lhasa to Nyalam. From there he continued on foot to Kathmandu through the Solokhumbu pass. From Kathmandu he carried on to India.
Finally, he reached Dharamsala in India, where he had an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness was pleased with his steady mind, that ensured he kept his monk’s vow even during the challenges under Chinese rule. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was very happy about this.
His main objective was to uphold the Drikung Kagyu lineage; in a way, to preserve and develop the Drikung Kagyu lineage. Because at that time the Drikung Kagyu lineage was in critical danger of eroding.
He thought he would have clinging and attachment to life in America and decided to return to India and serve the Drikung Kagyu lineage.
After he returned to India, he retook the vow of a monk from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and became a great flower of the Buddha.
Generally, noble beings are not contented only with hearing, pondering and practise. Therefore he has also received teachings from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhist living masters, such as the 16th Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, Taglung Zhabtrung Rinpoche and many khenpos and other great masters.
Later on, he established the Drikung Kagyu Institute at Dehradun in India. The monastery was inaugurated in 1992.
After he established the monastery, he started to recruit students, while also facilitating their education. Sometimes His Holiness himself acts as the teacher and leads the classes.
Tibetan culture and religion has been degenerating over time. Therefore, to preserve Tibetan culture and religion he has established Songtsen Library. The design of the library is similar to Yumbu Lhakhang in Tibet. The library contains a statue of Dharma King Songtsen Gampo. So he really took a great responsibility to preserve Tibetan culture and religion. Besides this, he also compiled a history of Tibet, called A History of the Tibetan Empire. The book was based on old scripts known as Dunhuang manuscripts. He also managed to borrow old documents from the library in the West. There is no better book on Tibetan history than A History of the Tibetan Empire. Many historians have also said there is no more an authentic history of Tibet than A History of the Tibetan Empire. Many scholars have admired this book. so we know that he has done extraordinary work on Tibetan culture.
He has traveled to Ladakh, Limi and Lapchi Snow Mountain. When he was in Lapchi he was not provided special or privileged accommodation.
For several days he had to travel by foot. So what is the situation like in Lapchi? We all know there is a river, mountain and rocks on the journey and that one would almost be risking one’s life on this journey. He has borne all the difficulties on the journey. He handles the difficulties on this journey as an example to the others.
When he reached his destination there was no special accommodation for the Holiness’s retreat. He has been meditating and practicing in the same kind of caves as Lord Milarepa had meditated. Even when you think about his practice, he has taken a great hardship.
Likewise, he also initiated the environmental movement in Ladakh, by planting many trees and working on farms. So, when you think of his project to protect the environment it is a good practical way to benefit the earth. He really cares for our planet.
Likewise, he has also established the great Sharavasti Buddhist Culture Assembly. When you think about this initiative it is truly extraordinary. When you think about the history of the Sharavasti, the Sharavasti was the place where Buddha Shakyamuni spent most of in his life. This holy place has been neglected for a long time and nobody has paid attention to the place. But His Holiness paid attention to the Sharavasti holy place.
If I were to tell you every detail of His Holiness’ life there would not be enough time and I have not prepared to do so. Hence, I cannot recall everything. What I can remember I have shared with you.