Jigme Lingpa - Career

Career

Prefiguring Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye's creation of the Five Collections, Jigme Lingpa gathered Nyingma texts that had become rare, starting with Nyingma tantras held in the manuscript collection of the Mindrolling Monastery. This collection of the Nyingma tantras led to the amassing of the 'Collection of Nyingma Tantras', the Nyingma Gyübum (Wylie: rNying-ma rgyud-'bum) for which Getse Mahapandita wrote the catalogue, proofread and arranged for its printing by soliciting the expensive and labour intensive project of carving the wood blocks for the block printing. The wood block carving was forded through the patronage of the 'Derge' (Wylie: sDe-dge) Royal Family of Kham who favoured and honoured Jigme Lingpa. Getse Mahapandita also arranged for the printing of texts by Jigme Lingpa and Longchenpa. Getse Mahapandita proof read these works of Jigme Lingpa, Longchenpa and the Nyingma Gyübum.

Jigme also wrote a nine-volume history of the Nyingma Vajrayana and other works. His non-sectarian presentation of Madhyamika (Middle Way view) follows Tsongkhapa's system.

A major precursor of the Rime (Tib. ris med) movement, Jigme Lingpa had many distinguished disciples in all four lineages. The first Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Dodrupchen Jigme Trinle Ozer, became his main lineage-holder. Among those held by tradition to be Jigme Lingpa's reincarnations are Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje (mdo mkhyen brtse ye shes rdo rje) (his mind-emanation), Patrul Rinpoche (speech-emanation) and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (body-emanation). In Bhutan his tradition is held by successive incarnation of Padtselling Trulku and Yongla Jigme Kuendrel. Both First Padtselling Truku Drupthob Namgyal Lhendup. (1718-1786) and Second Padtselling Trulku Jigme Tenpai Gyaltshen. (1788-1850) were student of Jigme Lingpa.

Jigme Lingpa, rendered in English by Sam van Schaik, states how his learnings commenced and he mentions grammar, Samye Chimpu, vajra, Longchenpa:

I began with the study of grammar, and whatever vajra topics I came across, such as the Conqueror’s scriptures and the treatises which clarify their intention, texts on conventional definitions and instructions on the true nature. Although I seized on them with veneration, apart from a few good imprints which inspired me to study in the brightness of day and under lamplight, I had no opportunity to increase my knowledge in a relationship with a teacher, even for a single day. Then in dPal-gyi bSam-yas mChims-phu, I met three times with the wisdom-body of Klong-chen-pa, and through being blessed with various auspicious symbols, my karmic connections were awakened from out of The Great Perfection.

Gyatso (1998: p. 140) in mentioning Kumararaja, Ganachakra, Gurkha war, beer and black magic states that:

Jigme Lingpa's Nyingma affiliations led sometimes to his participation in the sort of tantric activities that have long been criticized by more conservative Buddhists. He was himself ambivalent about some of these activities:...he regretted the black magic he performed during the Gurkha war. Jigme Lingpa even admits that the ancient ordinance of Lha Lama Shiwa O and Changchub O, which famously censured the indulgences of Nyingma practitioners, might have been merited. And yet he reports with a certain pleasure taking part in a drunken communal feast (gaṇacakra) or being given beer at the house of the Nyingma master Kumārarāja (1266-1343) and doing "a dance of bliss-emptiness integrated."