Today, on the holy 10th day of the 5th month acc.to the lunar Tibetan calender, is the birthday of Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche – one of the greatest ever living yogi and teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Today he turns 100 years old - amazingly unbelievable, but true! Quietly staying currently in his humble residence at Pharping, Nepal, he is still living a simple life of a Dharma practitioner, completely uninterested in the temptations of the world around. He was, and will continue to be an venerable, inspiring, unique and a soul-touching Guru to the many of people in Tibet, Nepal, India and around the world…
Born in the Eastern Tibet to the parents of a simple nomad family, in 1913, on same day, when Guru Padmasambhava took a form of Guru Dorje Drolo in Bhutan many years ago, he was instantly recognized by the high lamas to be a special wrathful manifestation of Guru Rinpoche’s mind. As a child Chatral Rinpoche left his parental home to wander around Tibet and practice with the yogis of local region. Later on he got chance to become the closest disciple of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, Khyentse Chokyi Lodro and other important teachers of the Longchen Nyinthig lineage. He has received in total the teachings from more than 100 high lamas of different traditions. The renowned figure in Nyingma school – Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche has announced Chatral Rinpoche to become his closest ever disciple and a regent/holder of his collective Dudjom Tersar tradition.
In the end of 1950-s His Holiness has left Tibet to travel extensively along Bhutan, India and Nepal establishing and restorating on the way mainly meditational retreat centres and Buddhist stupas. His Holiness settled finally in Pharping, building a first Buddhist monastery of its time in the Yangleshod, where once Guru Padmasambhava himself has done the meditational practices. Chatral Rinpoche has spent more than half of his life in solitary practices and retreats, rejecting hundreds of proposals to visit the Western countries, preferring to remain unattached to the worldly activities. He is famed for his unique behavior – combination of wrathful purity of mind with a deepest compassion and an expansive wisdom, short cut and down to earth extremely clear speech, surprisingly humble way of living and unpretentious Dharma activities, added to the ability of foreseeing, forecasting and much more, clearly manifesting the similar to Guru Padmasambhava himself qualities. It is known to all, that is extremely difficult to get chance to meet His Holiness, more ever – get transmissions from him or teachings, since Rinpoche prefers to avoid the crowds, and chooses only the very deserved to become his disciples, subjecting them preliminary to series of difficult tests. However, the thousands of people of the Himalayan Region consider His Holiness to be their Root Guru.
On this special occasion day, while being the blessed students of this unparalleled Guru, we pray for the long life, perfect health of His Holiness Chatral Rinpoche! May the blessings of all times’ Buddhas will remain with him, may Rinpoches’ all prayers and wishes will swiftly fulfill, and may we will have the opportunity to possess a karma connection with our dear Teacher in all the coming births ahead!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BELOVED GURU!!!