Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche (1955–2012) was the ninth incarnation of the Traleg tulku line, a line of high lamas in 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 Buddhism, Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. ...

lineage of

Vajrayana ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...

. He was a pioneer in bringing

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Biography

Traleg Rinpoche was born in 1955 in

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibet, Tibetan regions, the others being Domey also known as Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The official name of this Tibetan region/province is Dotoe (). The original residents of ...

(Eastern Tibet), and two years later was recognized by HH 16th Gyalwa Karmapa as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg Tulkus and enthroned as the Abbot of the

Thrangu Monastery Thrangu (or Trangu) Monastery is located about 7 km south of Jyekundo in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai province, China, or the traditional Tibetan cultural region of Kham. Description Prior to the huge earthquake on 1 ...

. He was taken to safety in India during the 1959

Chinese Communist The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil W ...

s invasion of Tibet. There he was given a traditional ''

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibet ...

'' education, supplemented by five years of schooling at Sanskrit University in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He lived and studied for several years at

Rumtek Monastery Rumtek Monastery (), also called the Dharma Chakra Centre, is a gompa located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok. It is the seat in exile of the Gyalwang Karmapa, inaugurated in 1966 by the 16th Karmapa. It is also a focal ...

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

, the main seat in exile of the Kagyu Lineage. He died on July 24, 2012, in Melbourne, Australia.

Teaching in the West

In 1980 Rinpoche transmitted the

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

in Australia where he established Kagyu E-vam Buddhist Institute in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. He relinquished his

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

vows, became a lay teacher and married. He earned a master's degree in Comparative

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

from

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

. In 1989, he taught extensively at

Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, New York, United States, which serves as the North American seat of the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely pra ...

, visiting the North American affiliates of HH Gyalwa Karmapa. In 2004 he established the Evam Institute in New York in Chatham, NY. He also taught extensively in the Karma Thegsum Choling network of the Karmapa's centers and at Shambhala Buddhist centers. His wife, Felicity Lodro, is also an active dharma teacher.

Bibliography

*''Luminous Bliss: self realisation through meditation'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Lothian Books (2003), *''The Benevolent Mind'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Zhi-sil Cho-kyi Gha-Tsal Publications (2003), *''The Essence of Buddhism'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2001), *''Mind at Ease'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2004), *''The Practice of Lojong'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2007), *''The Influence of Yogacara on Mahamudra'', by Traleg Kyabgon, KTD Publications (2010), *''The Ninth Karmapa, Wanchuk Dorje’s Ocean of Certainty'', by Traleg Kyabgon, KTD Publications (2011), *''The Essence of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its Philosophy and Practice'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala; Reissue edition (2014), *''Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters'', by Traleg Kyabgon, Shambhala (2015), *''Moonbeams of Mahamudra: The Classic Meditation Manual'', Traleg Kyabgon (translator), Shogam Publications (2016),

References

External links

Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche HomepageThe Evam Institute in New York homepageThe Kagyu E-Vam Institute in MelbourneAn introduction by Khenpo Karthar RinpocheAn Australian Buddhist magazine established by Traleg Rinpoche
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche Lamas Buddhism in Australia Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet Rinpoches 1955 births 2012 deaths Chinese emigrants to Australia 20th-century lamas 21st-century lamas Australian people of Tibetan descent Tibetan emigrants to India Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya alumni Scholars from Sikkim

Biography

Teaching in the West

See also

Bibliography

References

External links