Rangjung Dorje () (1284–1339) was the third

Karmapa The Karmapa (honorific title ''His Holiness the Gyalwa'' ��ྒྱལ་བ་, Victorious One''Karmapa'', more formally as ''Gyalwang'' ��ྒྱལ་དབང་ཀརྨ་པ་, King of Victorious Ones''Karmapa'', and informally as the '' ...

(head of the

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, ...

, the largest sub-school of the

Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...

) and an important figure in the history of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

, who helped to spread Buddha-nature teachings in Tibetan Buddhism.

Biography

Rangjung Dorje visited

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, where the emperor Toghon Temur became his disciple. Upon his death, Rangjung Dorje's face is said to have appeared in the moon there. As a group, the Karmapa Lamas were among the earliest recognized Tulku, or lamas reincarnated as deities or lineage of deceased teachers. The first Karmapas were influential in the Yuan and

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

courts as well as the Tangut

Western Xia The Western Xia or the Xi Xia (), officially the Great Xia (), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as ''Mi-nyak''Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China tha ...

Kingdom.

Lineage

Born to a

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and trans ...

family, Rangjung Dorje was a lineage-holder in both the Kagyu and the Nyingma (Dzogchen):

Teachings and influence

Buddha-nature and shentong

In 1321 the famous scholar

Dolpopa Dölpopa Shérap Gyeltsen () (1292–1361), known simply as Dölpopa, was a Tibetan Buddhist master. Known as "The Buddha from Dölpo," a region in modern Nepal, he was the principal exponent of the shentong teachings, and an influential me ...

(1292-1361) visited

Tsurphu Tsurphu Monastery ( or Tölung Tsurphu (, "Tsurphu of Tölong") is a gompa which serves as the traditional seat of the Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It is located in Gurum in Doilungdêqên District, Tibet A ...

Monastery for the first time and had extensive discussions with Rangjung Dorje about doctrinal issues. It appears that Rangjung Dorje almost certainly influenced the development of some of Dolpopa's theories, possibly including his Zhentong (''gzhan stong'') method. According to Karma phrin las, ''Dri lan yid'', 91-92, his teacher, Chödrak Gyatso, the Seventh Karmapa, interpreted the nature of Zhentong (''gzhan stong'') accepted by Rangjung Dorje.

Chod

Schaeffer (1995: p.15) conveys that the Third Karmapa was a systematizer of the

Chöd Chöd ( lit. 'to sever') is a spiritual practice found primarily in the Yundrung Bön tradition as well as in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism (where it is classed as Anuttarayoga Tantra). Also known as "cutting through the ego, ...

developed by

Machig Labdrön Machig Labdrön (, sometimes referred to as Ahdrön Chödron, ), or "Singular Mother Torch from Lab", 1055-1149) was a female Tibetan Buddhist monk believed to be a reincarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal, and the renowned 11th-century Tibetan tantric ...

and lists a number of his works on Chod consisting of redactions, outlines and commentaries.

Dzogchen

Yungtön Dorjepel Yungtön Dorjepel () was born at Gorma (or Gurmo) near Shalu Monastery in the province of Tsang in 1284 CE into the family of a tantric priest of the Len clan. During his youth he went to China on the command of the Emperor where he caused rai ...

(1284-1365), (the previous incarnation of the First

Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high lamas, ...

Khedrup Je Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, 1st Panchen Lama (1385–1438 CE) – better known as Khedrup Je – was one of the main disciples of Je Tsongkhapa, whose reforms to Atiśa's Kadam tradition are considered the beginnings of the Gelug ...

), studied the

Great Perfection Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...

due to the great inspiration of Rangjung Dorje.

Writings

Rangjung Dorje was a noted scholar who composed many significant texts, the most famous of which is the '' Profound Inner Meaning'' (Wylie: ''zab mo nang don''), which concern the

Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

inner yoga practices. Other important texts of his include: * the ''Aspiration Prayer of Mahamudra'' (Wylie: nge don phyag rgya chen po'i smon lam gyi 'grel pa grub pa mchog gi zhal lung), * the ''Prayer to the Lineage of Chö'', * the thirty-six verse

doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

(Sanskrit) ''Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom'' (Wylie: rnam shes ye shes ‘byed pa), * ''Instructions on Sahajayoga Mahamudra '', * ''A Treatise on Buddha Nature'' (Wylie: de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po gtan la dbab pa; or, de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po bstan pa).Schaeffer, Kurtis R. (1995). ''The Englightened Heart of Buddhahood: A Study and Translation of the Third Karma pa Rang byung rdo rje's Work on Tathagatagarbha''. (Wylie: de bzhin pa'i snying po gtan la dbab pa). University of Washington. p.1.

Notes

References

Sources

* Lama Kunsang, Lama Pemo, Marie Aubèle (2012). ''History of the Karmapas: The Odyssey of the Tibetan Masters with the Black Crown''. Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York. . *

External links

;Biography * ;Texts * Rangjung Dorje (root text); Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (commentary); Peter Roberts (translator) (2001)
''Transcending Ego - Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom
(Wylie: rnam shes ye shes ‘byed pa).'' * Rangjung Dorje (root text); Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (commentary); John Rockwell (translator)

* Rangjung Dorje (root text); Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (commentary); Peter Roberts (translator) (1990)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorje, Rangjung, 3rd Karmapa Lama 1284 births 1339 deaths Nyingma lamas 3 Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet 13th-century Tibetan people 14th-century Tibetan people 14th-century lamas