Item: Teacher (Lama) - Kunga Rinchen Gyatso

Gyaltsab Kunga Rinchen Gyatso (b. 17th century [P2448] rgyal tshab rin chen rgya mtsho).

The sculpture likely belongs to a set depicting teachers of the Jonang lineage, or of the Kalachakra initiation lineage.

Jeff Watt, 9-2023

He met Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575-1634) when he was a young man and received both novice and complete ordination from him. He also received many teachings of both sutra and tantra, and is said to have mastered the meaning of them all. In particular, he received from Tāranātha the complete Kālacakra initiation, the Kālacakra Tantra, and the esoteric instructions of the six-branch yoga. He is said to have gained deep experience and realization from the practice of the six-branch yoga. Rinchen Gyatso was extremely intelligent and said to have been able to memorize about eighteen folios (i.e. thirty-six pages) of Tibetan text every day.

When Tāranātha's successor, Sanggye Gyatso (sangs rgyas rgya mtsho), passed away in 1635, Rinchen Gyatso came to Tāranātha's monastery of Takden Damcho Ling (rtag brtan dam chos gling), and was enthroned on the monastic seat. He led the Jonang tradition for the next fifteen years. During this period he maintained the ancient Jonang traditions of explication and practice without decline.

In the mid-seventeenth century the monastery was converted from the Jonang to the Geluk tradition by order of the Tibetan government of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682), and Rinchen Gyatso fled.

In later life he lived at the monastery of Sangngak Riwo Dechen (gsang sngags ri wo bde chen), where he alternately taught and did meditation retreats. Two of his main disciples were Lodro Namgyel (blo gros rnam rgyal, 1618-1683) and Drokge Kunga Pelzang ('brog dge kun dga' dpal bzang, 1629-1686).

Cyrus Stearns is a scholar based in Washington State, USA. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1996. Published August 2008. [Extracted from The Treasury of Lives, Tibetan lineages website. Formatted for inclusion on the Himalayan Art Resources website].