Tai Situpa (; from ) is one of the oldest lineages of

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

s (reincarnated lamas) in the Kagyu school 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 ...

History of the Tai Situpas
/ref> In Tibetan Buddhism tradition, Kenting Tai Situpa is considered as emanation of Bodhisattva Maitreya and

Guru Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...

(

Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...

) and who has been incarnated numerous times as

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n and

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, Taman ...

yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...

s since the time of the historical Buddha.

History

The Tai Situpa is one of the highest-ranking lamas 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, ...

lineage. Chokyi Gyaltsen was the first to bear the title "Grand Situ" (), conferred upon him in 1407 by the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

of Ming China. He was a close disciple of Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama, who appointed him

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

of Karma Goen, the Karmapa's principal

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

at the time. The full title bestowed was ''Kenting Naya Tang Nyontse Geshetse Tai Situpa'' which is shortened to ''Kenting Tai Situ''. The full title means "far reaching, unshakable, great master, holder of the command". The 9th Karmapa bestowed the 5th Kenting Tai Situpa a Red Vajra Crown of Radiant Gold, which mirrored the Karmapa's own Black Vajra Crown. The Red Crown symbolizes the inseparability of the Karmapa and Kenting Tai Situpa. Through seeing the Red Crown, which is presented in a ceremony even today by the Kenting Tai Situpa, one is instantly and irreversibly set onto the path of enlightenment and receives the blessing of the Bodhisattva Maitreya. The current, 12th Tai Situpa,

Pema Tönyö Nyinje Pema Dönyö Nyinje , born 1954 is the 12th Tai Situpa, a tulku in Tibetan Buddhism, and one of the leading figures of the Karma Kagyu school. He is the head of Palpung Monastery. Life Pema Tönyö Nyinje was born in 1954 in the village of Palm ...

, was born in a farming family named Liyultsang in 1954 in the village of Palmey, which is part of Palyul () or

Baiyü County Baiyü County ( or Pelyül) () is a county in far western Sichuan, China on the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is under the administration of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Administrative divisions * Jianshe Town (� ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, China that was formerly part of the

Kingdom of Derge The Kingdom of Derge was an important kingdom in Kham from the 15th to the 19th century. It was a center of industry, religion and politics, with the seat of its kingdom in the town of Degé. The kings of Derge followed a 1300-year lineage. A ...

. The Palpung Thupten Chokhorling monastery in Derge was founded by the 8th Tai Situpa "

Situ Panchen Situ Panchen (full name Situ Panchen Chögyi Jungney) (1700–1774), also known as the 8th Tai Situ Rinpoche, was an influential Tibetan painter, writer and medical innovator as well as a notable figure in the histories of Karma Kagyu and the ...

" in 1727, where presently all the traditional Buddhist teachings are taught to the monks and has preserved traditional printing centre for the Buddhist teaching scrolls. At the age of twenty-two, the 12th Tai Situpa founded his own new monastic seat,

Palpung Sherabling Monastery Palpung Monastery () is the name of the congregation of monasteries and centers of the Tai Situpa lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the name of the Tai Situ's monastic seat in Babang, Kham (modern Sichuan). Palpung mea ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

, in

Northeast India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

providing traditional Buddhist teachings, astronomy, traditional Tibetan medicine curriculum, higher Tibetan Buddhist university teaching (Shedra), primary teachings to young students, sports facility for students for physical fitness, traditional Tibetan herbs medicine garden, medical clinic , old age home and has accommodations for students. Palpung Sherabling Monastery currently has approximately 1000 monks; 250 are enrolled in the monastic university curriculum on the premises. Palpung Yeshe Rabgyeling Nun Monastery is located near the city of Manali, in the Bunthar town has about 200 nuns. The Monastery also offers the traditional Kagyu three-year retreat for both monks and nuns on the compound. The Palpung congregation 0consists of monasteries and temples throughout some Chinese and Tibetan districts. Palpung Congregation also has branch institutions in Europe, USA, Canada Oceania and Asia. The 12th Tai Situpa traveled widely, making his first visit to the West in 1981 to

Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre is a Tibetan Buddhist complex associated with the Karma Kagyu school located at Eskdalemuir, Scotland. History Before the present Temple complex was built, Samye Ling centred on just one building, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

.Biography of 12th Tai Situpa
/ref> The 12th Tai Situpa was instrumental in recognizing

Ogyen Trinley Dorje Ogyen Trinley Dorje (, ; born 26 June 1985), also written as Urgyen Trinley Dorje () is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Do ...

, the 17th

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 '' ...

, whom he enthroned at the

Tsurphu Monastery 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 Aut ...

the traditional ancient seat of the

outside

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhas ...

in August 1992. He also recognized

Choseng Trungpa Choseng Trungpa Rinpoche is the 12th and current Trungpa tülku. He was born on February 6, 1989, in Pawo village, in Derge, eastern Tibet. He was recognized by Tai Situ Rinpoche in 1991, and enthroned a year later at Surmang Monastery at a ce ...

, born on February 6, 1989 in Chamdo County,

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of � ...

, as the reincarnation of

Chögyam Trungpa Chögyam Trungpa ( Wylie: ''Chos rgyam Drung pa''; March 5, 1939 – April 4, 1987) was a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, the 11th of the Trungpa tülkus, a tertön, sup ...

Lineage of the Tai Situpas

# Chokyi Gyaltsen (1377–1448) # Tashi Namgyal (1450–1497) # Tashi Paljor (1498–1541) # Mitrug Gocha (1542–1585) # Chokyi Gyaltsen Gelek Palzang (1586–1657) # Mipham Trinlay Rabten (1658–1682) # Lekshe Mawe Nyima (1683–1698) #

(1700–1774) # Pema Nyingche Wangpo (1774–1853) # Pema Kunzang Chogyal (1854–1885) # Pema Wangchok Gyalpo (1886–1952) #

(1954- )

References

External links

Trikaya del Lama Kunsal Kassapa

Lineage of H. E. Palpung Chamgon Kuanding Tai Situ Rinpoche

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20040830084420/http://www.personal.u-net.com/~samye/taisitu.htm Short biography of all 12 Tai Situpas by Ken Holmes
news and images of the 12 Tai Situpas by Karma Kagyu Cyber World

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai Situpa Chinese-language titles, Situ Tibetan Buddhist titles Karma Kagyu lamas Palpung Tai Situ tulkus