Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, also called Tulku Ugyen Topgyal, is a

Tibetan Buddhist 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 ...

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hig ...

who was born in

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham ...

in Eastern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

in 1951, living in exile in India.

Life

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, born in 1951 in

Riwoche Riwoche Monastery, or Riwoche Tsukla Khang Tragyelma (Tib. ''ri-bo-che'';Dorje and Kapstein (1991), p. 475. Ch. ''Leiwuqi Si'') is a Taklung Kagyu monastery of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1276 by Sangye On, and is one ...

, Eastern Tibet is the eldest son of the 3rd Neten Chokling Rinpoche. He has 3 younger brothers: Jamyang Gyaltsen, Khyentse Yeshe Rinpoche, and

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche (b. 23 Oct 1964) is the title of a tulku lineage of Tibetan Buddhist lamas. They originate with Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, one of the most illustrious lamas of recent history, known for his central role in the rimé o ...

and one sister. By 1959, he left Tibet with his parents and oldest brother and went to

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Sil ...

, where they lived for few years. In 1967, his father, the 3rd Neten Chokling Rinpoche began the construction of a Tibetan settlement in

Bir, Himachal Pradesh Bir is a rural village located in the west of Joginder Nagar Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. It's the paragliding capital of India and the location of the Bir Tibetan Colony, founded in the early 1960s as a settleme ...

, North East India, and died in India in 1973 right after a car accident. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche then took over the care of the monastery in Bir. His father's reincarnation, Neten Chokling was born August 10, 1973 in a modest family in Wandipodzong, in

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

, and was recognized by the

16th Karmapa The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (; August 14, 1924 – November 5, 1981) was the spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Followers believed him to be part of the oldest line of reincarnate lamas in Vajra ...

as well as by

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Tashi Paljor, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 198 ...

. At the age of 7, he was taken to the monastery of his predecessor in Bir. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche was one of the teachers of the young reincarnation of his father, and in 2004 he passed over the full responsibility of the monastery to Neten Chokling. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche received transmissions of Buddhist teachings from

Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (c. 1893 – 1959) was a Tibetan lama, a master of many lineages, and a teacher of many of the major figures in 20th-century Tibetan Buddhism. Though he died in 1959 in Sikkim, and is not so well known in the We ...

and from

, with whom he went to the West. He first taught in

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named ...

, France, at Chanteloube, which is the centre of the six sons and daughters of Kangyur Rinpoche. Between 2004 and 2006 Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche visited Tibet twice to rebuild Neten Gön, the monastery of his father Neten Chokling. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche was a Member of the

Tibetan Parliament This article lists the modern political leaders of Tibet within the China, People's Republic of China. The transition from Lamaist rule in Tibet started in 1951 with the Seventeen Point Agreement between the Central People's Government of the Pe ...

for the region of

from 1994 to 1996 and was reelected in 2001 and 2006 to the 13th and the 14th Parliament in exile.of the 14th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (2006 - 2011)
/ref> He is also an actor, and played the role of ''Geko'' (master of discipline of the monastery) in

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (, born June 18, 1961),Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

's film '' The Cup'' (1999). He also played the role of yogi / teacher to Milarepa in '' Life of Milarepa - Part I'', a film directed by Neten Chokling, and was the artistic director for this movie.

References

External links

Orgyen Tobgyal Series on Lotsawa House
* The Life of Chokgyur Lingpa, by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Rangjung Yeshe Publications
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobgyal, Orgyen Nyingma Buddhists Tibetan people Lamas Tibetan Buddhism writers Tulkus Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet Rinpoches Living people Members of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration Bhutanese male actors Year of birth missing (living people) Tibetan emigrants to India Tibetan refugees Tibetan Buddhists from India