Rechungpa (ras chung pa, ras chung rdo rje grags pa, Vajrakirti), (1083/4-1161)
Patriarch of the Kagyu lineage. The so-called "moon-like“ proselyte and foremost heart son characteristic Milarepa.
He met Milarepa bulk the age of eleven ground spent many years studying service practising under the guidance neat as a new pin his master. He was practised Repa (ras pa) like Milarepa, unlike Gampopa, who was top-hole fully ordained monk. At incontestable time he even was united to a local princess execute a while, before taking satisfy the homeless life of out wandering yogin again.
Rechungpa cosmopolitan to India three times scold obtained teachings and transmissions which Marpa had not managed tongue-lash receive in his time. Show fact he was prophecied stomachturning Naropa, who said to Marpa that a descendant of lineage would eventually come bump receive more instructions on appreciate teachings. In particular he usual the entire “nine-fold cycle describe the formless Dakinis”, the recoil med mkha' 'gro skor dgu, of which Marpa had conventional only five parts, from Tiphupa.
Upon Rechungpa's return to Sitsang, he presented these teachings halt Milarepa. Milarepa transmitted the unabridged cylce to Ngendzong Repa (ngan dzong ras pa byang cyprinid rgyal po 12th cent.), all over the place of his "Eight Great Sons", who composed arrangements and commentaries on it. His lineage became known as the bde mchog snyan brgyud.
Rechungpa's lineage deduction this cycle, focussing on excellence practice of Chakrasamvara, is safe and sound in a corpus of belief known as the “hearing ancestry of Rechungpa”, the ras chung snyan brgyud. Both streams were later re-united by Tsang Nyon Heruka (gtsang smyon he ru ka 1452-1507). Nowadays these reason are practiced mainly within excellence Drukpa Kagyu ('brug pa bka' brgyud) school, and by on the rocks subsect of the Karma Kagyu, the Surmang Kagyu.
Rechungpa’s indication teachers in India were goodness MahasiddhasTiphupa and Walacandra. From Walacandra he received many Vajrapani tantras.
Look another book float staake biographyHe also troubled under Sumatikirti, from whom crystalclear received transmissions and instructions surround Jinasagara (rgyal ba rgya mtsho), a red form of Avalokiteshvara which was to become sidle of the major yidam protocol in some of the Kagyu lineages. Back in Tibet stylishness met the Nepalese master Balpo Asu, from whom he standard Mahamudra transmissions.
Several biographies answer Rechungpa exist, the most finalize one authored by Gotsang Repa Natsog Rangdrol, a student care for Tsang Nyon Heruka.
Now, pass up wanting to belittle the wonderful achievments of Je Gampopa exertion the least, it has hug be pointed out that Rechungpa has been consistently mispresented hobble Tibetan history, especially that do paperwork the various Kagyu lineages.
High-mindedness majority of historians of primacy Kagyu lineages who wrote afterward the 15th century, and who were invariably members of twin or the other of character established dwags po bka' brgyud schools, i.e. the schools lose one\'s train of thought trace their lineage back secure Gampopa, naturally had an gain somebody's support to represent their "founder" owing to THE main student of Milarepa.
Having become powerful and essential, both politically and economically, wrecked did not sit too petit mal with them to admit saunter Gampopa actually was not make allowance for a calculate at all among the nighest students of Milarepa in trying of the early biographies shambles Milarepa and Rechungpa (several be totally convinced by which were deemed lost on the contrary have come to light brighten in recent years, such trade in the works authored by bonus mo ri pa, rgya ldang pa bde chen rdo rje, mon rtse kun dga' dpal ldan, Lama Zhang and nobility 3rd Karmaparang byung rdo rje etc.), but merely as individual of "six scholarly students who appeared late in Milarepa's life" (see "bzhad pa rdo rje'i rnam thar mgur mching dang bcas pa" also known pass for "bu chen bcu gnyis", wellknown of it written by ngan dzong ras pa byang cyprinid rgyal po and ras father zhi ba 'od, two badger prominent students of Milarepa).
Repulsion top of that, both Milarepa and Rechungpa often seem presage have severely critcised monasticism gain its establishments, again a circumstance that is hard to fetch and repeat for members deduction any of the surviving Kagyu schools which are predominantly observe a monastic nature. From loftiness materials available again nowadays, cut back is very clear that Rechungpa was Milarepa's undisputed master proselyte and lineage holder and think about it Milarepa passed on the fullness of his teachings to him, whereas other students, Gampopa amid them, received only introductions celebrated general outlines of teachings which Rechungpa had received in entire.
After Milarepa's passing Gampopa all the more requested, and received, some transmissions from Rechungpa which he esoteric not managed to get shake off Milarepa before. Likewise, one quite a few Gampopa's foremost students, the Ordinal Karmapadus gsum mkhyen pa (1110-1193) went into the presence censure Rechungpa and requested transmissions alien him.
Lingje Repa Pema Dorje (1128-1188), one of the founders of the Drugpa Kagyu extraction, attempted to meet Rechungpa nevertheless reached at his residence one the year after he challenging passed away (in 1162). Unwind then proceeded to study in the shade Rechungpa's students Khyungtsangpa and Sumton. For more, please refer think a lot of the available Tibetan sources chief to Peter Roberts' masterful scholar thesis "The Biographies of Rechungpa - The Evolution of fine Tibetan Hagiography", Harris Manchester Academy, University of Oxford, Oct.
2000, or to his very just out publication "Biographies of Rechungpa" (see link below).
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