Pabongka Rinpoche

Pabongka Rinpoche Relic Pabongka Rinpoche was born north of Lhasa, Tibet in 1878. When he finished his monastic studies he visited his guru, Dagpo Lama Rinpoche, and was sent to do retreat on the lam rim (stages of the path). Each day his guru would teach a topic of the lam rim and Pabongka Rinpoche would go away and meditate on it.

Later he would return and explain to his guru what he understood and if he were able to demonstrate some realisation then his guru would teach some more. Again, Pabongka Rinpoche would go away and meditate on the new teaching. This went on for ten years.

In 1921 at Chuzang Hermitage near Lhasa, Pabongka Rinpoche gave an exceptionally important teaching on the stages of the path that lasted 24 days. These teachings were based on Lama Atisha's seminal text, "Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment". The renowned book "Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand" is the English translation of those teachings.

Whenever he visited his guru's monastery Pabongka Rinpoche would dismount as soon as it appeared in view and prostrate all the way to the door. When he left he would walk backwards until it was out of sight.

Bodhicitta is the aspiration to achieve enlightenment in order to free all living beings from their suffering. It is the core practice of Mahayana Buddhists. Venerable Ribur Rinpoche recalls about his teacher, Pabongka Rinpoche:

"He never got angry; any anger had been completely pacified by his bodhicitta. Many times there would be long lines of people waiting for his blessings but Rinpoche would ask each one individually how they were and tap them on the head. Sometimes he dispensed medicine. He was always gentle. All this made him very special."

Pabongka Rinpoche urged his students, "Practice whatever you can so that my teachings will not have been in vain. But above all, make bodhicitta your main practice. You must pursue any of the other meditation subjects in the knowledge that they will assist your bodhicitta."

Relic and Source

Pabongka Rinpoche's body rests in a stupa in Tibet. The stupa was destroyed during Communist China's invasion, but this bone relic was retrieved by Venerable Ribur Rinpoche, who later offered it to Lama Zopa Rinpoche.