Jigme Phuntsok on Trungpa Rinpoche, Shambhala and the 25th Rigden

Now it is Your Responsibility

2055

Transcript

All of you who are disciples of one who in the beginning was Guru Dorje Trollo, and who now is Gesar of Ling, and who in the future will be the Twenty-Fifth Rigden of Shambhala, Rigden Chokyi Korlo Chen, understand that his intentions, before now, and in the future, always have been, and always will be to propagate the doctrine, to uphold the doctrine, and to maintain the doctrine, and so this is also what you must do as well. You are responsible as followers of him and upholders of his lineage that you will also engage in these activities.

In fact Guru Rinpoche was one who came to Tibet at a time when the name of the Buddha’s doctrine was not there, and not only did he bring the doctrine into Tibet at a time when there were many obstacles, and the country was predominantly ruled by haughty and negative spirits and entities, he was able to establish the doctrine in Tibet at that time. He was able to overcome these profound obstacles.

And then Ling Gesar came into this world also at a time when it was difficult for the doctrine to be propagated. And he actually brought the buddhadharma into 25 different countries. He established the doctrine for the first time, and increased the doctrine in these countries, and not only that, he renewed the power of the spiritual community, the sangha, the ordained sangha and was responsible for the maintenance and the, once again, the renaissance of the doctrine during his time.

And so it will come to pass in the future during the time of the reign of Rigden Chokyi Korlo Chen, the Twenty-Fifth Rigden of Shambhala, that when he takes his place on the throne of the kingdom, this will also be a time when the doctrine is almost lost in this world. And so, first of all he will perform the wrathful activity of annihilating all of those who have desecrated the doctrine and then he will introduce the Kalachakra teachings into this world again, and he will see to the increase of these teachings for many thousands of years.

So you see, now it is your responsibility as disciples of this great master Trungpa Rinpoche, who was the one who was responsible for introducing the precious Buddha doctrine into America and into Canada, and at a time when it did not exist. Because of his kindness, we have the teachings that we are able to practice today. And so, you are responsible for increasing his work, and in terms of the Shambhala Training, this is something that actually protects the presence of the doctrine, so you are responsible for maintaining the Shambhala Training so that the doctrine can always be protected. And these are the activities that you must now be responsible for.

So, if we were to condense it into three points that are necessary for the doctrine to exist, first of all, there is the initial establishment of the doctrine, and then there is the maintenance of the doctrine, and then there is the ability to protect the doctrine. These three points are what you must always ensure are very healthy and secure. And also in order to benefit sentient beings … the happiness of sentient beings, the true peace and happiness that sentient beings can come to know is dependent only on the doctrine of Lord Buddha and on the establishment, the maintenance and the protection of the doctrine. It is only through this that beings can truly know what is happiness.

So, when you perform the Shambhala Training, then the Dorje Kasung, the Dorje Kudrung  they are like an excellent iron fence surrounding, and those of you who practice the inner training of Shambhala, then you are like the garden within this excellent iron fence. So please consider then that this type of training brings you temporary happiness, and that the practices that belong to Buddhism, the doctrine of Lord Buddha and those practices are what bring you permanent, ultimate absolute peace and happiness for self and all sentient beings.

From Jigme Phuntsok’s closing Remarks at Dorje Denma Ling (near Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia) 22 August 1993. Thank you to Rinpoche’s interpreter, Sangye Khandro, for her permission to use her interpretation here, and thank you to Alan Kelly, for trancribing this talk.
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Jigme Phuntsok, 1933-2004, was a renowned dharma teacher who spent much of his life traveling throughout Tibet establishing a series of retreats, the most well known of which was Larung Gar in a remote region of eastern Tibet known as Sertar. Jigme Phuntsok was one of the most influential lama of the Nyingma tradition in contemporary Tibet. He played an important role in revitalizing the teaching of Buddhism following the liberalization of religious practice in 1980. Jigme Phuntsok was also an extraordinary Terton (treasure revealer), uncovering many treasures texts in Tibet, China, and India.