Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
Encyclopedia
The Venerable Khenpo Karma Tharchin Rinpoche (b. Spring, 1924), widely known by his abbreviated name Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, is a highly regarded Lama
of the Karma Kagyu
school of Tibetan Buddhism
. He currently serves as abbot
of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Monastery in Woodstock, NY.
Born in Kham
, Tibet
to a nomad
ic family, Khenpo Rinpoche
is not (in contrast to most Rinpoches) a Tulku
or reincarnate Lama, but has achieved his realization
in this lifetime. He began his religious training under his parents, who were both devout practitioners, and at the age of 12 entered Thrangu Monastery
to continue his education. At age 20, he received the Gelong ordination
from HE the 11th Tai Situ Rinpoche at Palpung Monastery
. Following a series of retreats including the traditional 3-year retreat, he returned to Thrangu Monastery for advanced education in Buddhist studies. After five years of study, at age 30, he was awarded the Khenpo
degree and began teaching.
In 1958, in the company of the 9th Thrangu Rinpoche
, the 9th Traleg Rinpoche and others, he fled the Chinese Communist destruction of Thrangu Monastery by undertaking an arduous several-month-long trek to Tsurphu Monastery
. After a month's rest, HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa sent them on to take refuge in Bhutan
, where Khenpo Rinpoche remained for eight years. In 1967, Rinpoche was called to Rumtek Monastery
in Sikkim
, India
to teach the monks and engage in pastoral ministry for the local community. For the next several years he was sent from place to place to teach and minister and in 1975 His Holiness bestowed upon him the title of Chöje Lama (Superior Dharma
Master).
In 1976, His Holiness sent Khenpo Rinpoche to establish a seat for the Karmapas in North America
and to serve as abbot for a new monastery there. Rinpoche traveled to New York City
and then on to Woodstock, NY, where he founded Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) Monastery and a series of local teaching centers across the United States
. He was joined by the 3rd Bardor Tulku Rinpoche and together with His Holiness' lay representative Tenzin Chonyi and local practitioners, they progressed from teaching in an old hotel to building both a traditional Tibet
an monastery complex and a nearby retreat center with (separate) facilities for both men and women. In addition to having established 28 teaching centers in the USA, 3 in Canada
and 4 in South America
, Rinpoche has many students in Taiwan
and Central America
and is widely known and respected in Tibetan communities across Tibet
, Bhutan, Nepal
and India.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche has been recognized at the highest levels as a master of both Mahamudra
and Dzogchen
and has served as Retreat Master for several successful three-year retreats (the tiny moustache
and soul patch
he wears are his modest compliance with the obligation of a great Tantric
Yogi
to allow the growth of a moustache and beard). He has taught Buddhist history
and philosophy
at every level, is the author of several books on both philosophy and the practice of meditation
, and has conferred initiation
at every level of Vajrayana
practice, including Anuttarayogatantra. He has hosted visits and teachings by the highest Lamas of the Karma Kagyu
and other lineages, including a visit to KTD by HH the 14th Dalai Lama
in September 2006, and in late May 2008 presided over the enthronement of HH the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje at His Holiness' principal seat in the West at KTD. Although Khenpo Rinpoche is over 87 years old (88 by Tibetan reckoning, which counts age from conception rather than birth), he maintains an active teaching and ministerial schedule.
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
of the Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. He currently serves as abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, New York, USA, which serves as the North American seat of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The abbot has been Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche...
Monastery in Woodstock, NY.
Born in Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
to a nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic family, Khenpo Rinpoche
Rinpoche
Rinpoche or Rinboqê is an honorific used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one," and is used to address or describe Tibetan lamas and other high-ranking or respected teachers. This honor is generally bestowed on reincarnated lamas, or Tulkus, by default...
is not (in contrast to most Rinpoches) a Tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
or reincarnate Lama, but has achieved his realization
Realization
realization and realisation may be:* Realization , a sport climbing route in Ceüse, France* Realization , the pricing of security at market value* Realization , an actually observed value of random variable...
in this lifetime. He began his religious training under his parents, who were both devout practitioners, and at the age of 12 entered Thrangu Monastery
Thrangu Monastery
Thrangu Monastery is located about 7 km south of Jyekundo in Kham, in what is now the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province of China.-Description:...
to continue his education. At age 20, he received the Gelong ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
from HE the 11th Tai Situ Rinpoche at Palpung Monastery
Palpung Monastery
Palpung is the name of the congregation of monasteries and centers of the Tai Situpas as well as the name of the monastic seat in Tibet in Dege. Palpung means "glorious union of study and practice"...
. Following a series of retreats including the traditional 3-year retreat, he returned to Thrangu Monastery for advanced education in Buddhist studies. After five years of study, at age 30, he was awarded the Khenpo
Khenpo
The term khenpo is a spiritual degree given in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions, the title is awarded usually after a period of 3 years of intensive study after secondary school level studies, and is considered much like a spiritual Bachelor's. Similar titles of lower...
degree and began teaching.
In 1958, in the company of the 9th Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu Rinpoche was born in 1933 in Kham, Tibet. He is a prominent tulku in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the ninth reincarnation in his particular line. His full name and title is the Very Venerable Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Mahamadarchod Maway Senge...
, the 9th Traleg Rinpoche and others, he fled the Chinese Communist destruction of Thrangu Monastery by undertaking an arduous several-month-long trek to Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery which served as the traditional seat of the Karmapa. It is located in Gurum town of Doilungdêqên County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, 70 km from Lhasa. The monastery is about 14,000 feet above sea level...
. After a month's rest, HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa sent them on to take refuge in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, where Khenpo Rinpoche remained for eight years. In 1967, Rinpoche was called to Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek , also called the Dharmachakra Centre, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok...
in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to teach the monks and engage in pastoral ministry for the local community. For the next several years he was sent from place to place to teach and minister and in 1975 His Holiness bestowed upon him the title of Chöje Lama (Superior Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
Master).
In 1976, His Holiness sent Khenpo Rinpoche to establish a seat for the Karmapas in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and to serve as abbot for a new monastery there. Rinpoche traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and then on to Woodstock, NY, where he founded Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) Monastery and a series of local teaching centers across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was joined by the 3rd Bardor Tulku Rinpoche and together with His Holiness' lay representative Tenzin Chonyi and local practitioners, they progressed from teaching in an old hotel to building both a traditional Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an monastery complex and a nearby retreat center with (separate) facilities for both men and women. In addition to having established 28 teaching centers in the USA, 3 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and 4 in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Rinpoche has many students in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and is widely known and respected in Tibetan communities across Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, Bhutan, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and India.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche has been recognized at the highest levels as a master of both Mahamudra
Mahamudra
Mahāmudrā literally means "great seal" or "great symbol." It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism" which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."The name refers to the way one who...
and Dzogchen
Dzogchen
According to Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is a central teaching of the Nyingma school also practiced by...
and has served as Retreat Master for several successful three-year retreats (the tiny moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
and soul patch
Soul patch
The soul patch is a small patch of facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin. It came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was a style of facial hair common among African American men, most notably jazzmen. It became popular with beatniks, artists, and those who frequented...
he wears are his modest compliance with the obligation of a great Tantric
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
Yogi
Yogi
A Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
to allow the growth of a moustache and beard). He has taught Buddhist history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at every level, is the author of several books on both philosophy and the practice of meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, and has conferred initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
at every level of Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
practice, including Anuttarayogatantra. He has hosted visits and teachings by the highest Lamas of the Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
and other lineages, including a visit to KTD by HH the 14th Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
in September 2006, and in late May 2008 presided over the enthronement of HH the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje at His Holiness' principal seat in the West at KTD. Although Khenpo Rinpoche is over 87 years old (88 by Tibetan reckoning, which counts age from conception rather than birth), he maintains an active teaching and ministerial schedule.
Partial (Public) Bibliography
- Bardo: Interval of Possibility, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche's Teaching on Aspiration for Liberation in the Bardo, by Chokyi Wangchuk with Commentary by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, translated by Yeshe Gyamtso, KTD Publications (2007) ISBN 0974109223
- Dharma Paths, by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, edited by Laura Roth, Snow Lion Publications (1992/2006) ISBN 1559320026
- The Instructions of Gampopa, A Precious Garland of the Supreme Path, by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications (1996) ISBN 1559390468
- Karma Chakme's Mountain Dharma, in four volumes, by Karma Chagme with commentary by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, translated by Yeshe Gyamtso, KTD Publications (Vol.1, 2004) ISBN 0974109207, (Vol.2, 2006) ISBN 0974109215, (Vol.3, 2008) ISBN 9781934608012, (Vol.4, 2010) ISBN 9781934608074
- The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzokchen by Karma Chagme with commentary by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, translated by Yeshe Gyamtso, KTD Publications (2008) ISBN 9781934608029
- Taking Refuge by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Rinchen Publications (2002) ISBN 0971455414
- The Wish-Fulfilling Wheel: The Practice of White Tara by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Rinchen Publications (2009) ISBN 0971455422
See also
- Karma KagyuKarma KagyuKarma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
- Karma Triyana DharmachakraKarma Triyana DharmachakraKarma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, New York, USA, which serves as the North American seat of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The abbot has been Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche...
- MahamudraMahamudraMahāmudrā literally means "great seal" or "great symbol." It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism" which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."The name refers to the way one who...
- Vajrayana Buddhism