His Holiness the twelfth Gangri Karma Rinpoche is currently the thirty-eighth generation lineage holder of the Martsang Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, having received the teachings in a direct unbroken line from the founder, Choje Marpa (1135-1203).. His Holiness is an exceptional Dharma practitioner and Buddhist scholar having extensively studied the four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness’ second life was recognised as Drogon Rinchen who was a great Mahasidda skilled in Tibetan medicine, and founded Tsmodo monastery. Owing to his promulgation, the Martsang Kagyu lineage teachings and practices became renowned in Tibet, and Tsmodo monastery gave rise to many great siddhas and scholars. His Holiness’s previous life is recognized as the reincarnation of the 11th Gangri Karma Rinpoche, by H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama and His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin.
H.H. the twelfth Gangri Karma Rinpoche, Trinley Gyatso, was born in Yukpo village in Markham. His father was Pema Gyatso, a disciple of the eleventh Gangri Karma Rinpoche, who he first met as a young boy at Yangri Dolma Mountain, before becoming a dedicated student. A year before the birth of his son, he saw the great sage Padmasambhava in a dream, who told him that he would have a child who he must raise with exceptional care.
When his son was three years old, Pema took him on an overnight trip to a nearby mountain. The next morning as they walked home, they reached a fork in the path, with one side leading back to their village. However, his son insisted that they take the other path, so he led his father towards some prayer flags in the distance. Pema immediately realized that this was in the direction of the retreat hut of his old teacher, the eleventh Gangri Karma Rinpoche. With a sense of curiosity, he asked his son, “Where is your home? Can you take me there?” And with that, the boy led his father by the hand towards the hut. Pema asked, “Who lives in such a place without a window or curtains?” His young son responded “A bird without wings, like me.” The boy then offered his father tea and when Pema said that there was no water, his son led him outside the hut to a natural spring and said “Father, the water is here.” At that moment Pema firmly identified his son as the reincarnation of his teacher, H.H. the twelfth Gangri Karma Rinpoche.
At this time, the ruling communist party forbade religious and cultural beliefs in Tibet, but Pema was determined that his son should have a formal education and so one night, at midnight, he quietly took him to meet Chodrak Gyamtso. It was as though Chodrak had been expecting them, as he had spent the day cleaning the house and had burned incense and offered his guests a red carpet welcome with fine yak butter and tea. Fulfilling the wishes of his teacher, Chodrak transmitted the Martsang Kagyu teachings to His Holiness before he passed away.
When His Holiness was twelve, his father took him to the mountainous area of Kawagarbo, a sacred area where the famous sages, Padmasambhava and Milarepa were said to have practiced. In this area there is a renowned mountain shrine, next to a dried-up spring, where the water is only said to run when bodhisattvas visit. When His Holiness arrived, water began to flow from the spring and the local village elder came out to pay homage, saying that he had dreamt of His Holiness’s arrival.
In 1982, His Holiness repeated the pattern of his previous life and went in search of a formal teaching of the Dharma. He took the arduous journey across the Himalayas into India, initially to study at the Ganden Monastery, a famous Gelupa university that was destroyed in Tibet in 1958 and later rebuilt in India, and then at the Drepung Monastery, where he studied Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism under Geshe Lo-San-Chia-Tso. At Drepung, His Holiness was ordained as a monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He then completed the Sakya lineage from His Holiness Sakya Trizin, under the guidance of Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk. This was followed by a retreat in which he practiced extraordinary longevity practices. After completing the retreat, His Holiness gave numerous lectures to foreign students on Buddhism and the interface with modern science.
In 1993, following the completion of his studies, to the delight of his parents and with the blessing of the Dalai Lama, His Holiness returned home to Tibet. Despite the freezing temperatures, when His Holiness returned to Markham, almost one hundred monks and villagers came out to greet him with incense, butter, milk and fruit. His Holiness successfully established a Scientific Buddhist School and a Tibetan Medical School and orphanage in his home county. These were the first new Buddhist institutions built in Markham for over one hundred years and provided education, medicine and support to the local communities.
Since leaving Tibet, His Holiness has travelled and taught in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan and Taiwan, raising money for disadvantaged families and teaching the Dharma. In 2007, His Holiness settled in England, where he continues to translating ancient sutras and tantras as well as the practical oral scriptures from his lineage, and teaching and writing and and is actively engaged in researching, restoring, and preserving the Martsang Kagyu lineage and its precious teachings.
Currently, His Holiness is applying his knowledge and skill to re-evaluate many classic Buddhist texts to update and modernise the Martsang Lam Rim text entitled: ‘’Martsang Great Lam Rim; A torch illuminating the mind'’. The text presents teachings on the stages of the path to enlightenment and accompanies the Lam Rim teachings His Holiness gives to Western students. When published it will also be available to the public as an additional resource for those studying Tibetan Buddhism, which will benefit all lineages of Buddhism and ensure that the Martsang Lam Rim is available to future generations.
The dedication, and practice of earlier Indian pandits and Tibetan masters made certain the Buddha’s teachings were passed down through the generations of masters and teachers including those of the Martsang Kagyu lineage where they continue to be communicated. That all these teachings and such a highly qualified master are now available to us here in the UK is a blessing. As the current lineage holder of the Martsang Kagyu tradition, His Holiness is dedicated to ensuring the protection and continuation of these extraordinary and precious teachings.
