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Ngak'chang
Rinpoche
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Ngak'chang Chö-ying Gyamtso Ögyen Togden Rinpoche was born in Germany in 1952 as the great grand nephew of Franz Schubert the composer.He was brought up in the south of England where he developed an interest in Tibetan Buddhism at the age of thirteen. He became an outstanding art student and teacher, with a particular interest in thangka painting (tantric iconography). At the age of 19 he went to the Himalayas of India and Nepal, at a time when it was still possible to meet and study intimately with many of the greatest living tantric Buddhist teachers, including members of the older generation now largely deceased. Ngak'chang Rinpoche sought teachings from literally scores of Lamas from all the Tibetan schools, in a completely non-sectarian manner. In particular he received teachings from many of the most revered teachers of the Nyingma school, especially HH Dudjom Rinpoche, HH Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoche, Kyabjé Künzang Dorje Rinpoche, Könchog Rinpoche, and others. He has accomplished all the traditional practices and received every necessary empowerment of a Nyingma Lama, and completed four years of solitary retreat in caves. With the encouragement of his teachers, he began to teach in the West in 1979. In 1989 he was awarded a doctorate in Tibetan Tantric Psychology, from the University of West Bengal (Shantiniketan) by one of his main teachers, the great gTértön and Speech incarnation of Padmasambhava, Kyabjé Khordong gTérchen Tulku Chhi-'mèd Rig'dzin Rinpoche (‘Kyabjé Rinpoche’). |
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 Khyungchen Aro Lingma |
Ngak’chang Rinpoche was recognised as the
incarnation of Aro Yeshé, a siddha from the first half of this century, by HH Dilgo
Khyentsé Rinpoche. Aro Yeshé was the son of the extraordinary female visionary of the
present century, Khyungchen Aro Lingma . In this life Ngak'chang Rinpoche, together with
his wife Khandro Déchen, are the holders of the lineage of ‘treasure-teachings’
given in vision to Aro Lingma by Yeshé Tsogyel, the enlightened consort of the tantric
Buddha Padmasambhava. Ngak'chang Rinpoche was also recognized by Kyabjé Rinpoche as the re-birth of 'a-Shul Pema Legden (the predecessor of Aro Yeshé). 'a-Shul Lama was a yogi, visionary artist, gTér-scribe and spiritual son of the mahasiddha and great Khalding Lingpa, prior incarnation of Kyabjé Rinpoche himself. |
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In amongst Ngak'chang Rinpoche‘s constant travelling and teaching as a Lama, he has given keynote presentations at international psychology conferences for the British Psychological Society, and the Association of Transpersonal Psychology. He has been a lecturer at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in California and has contributed articles to several books, journals, and magazines on the subject of Tantric Psychology and its interface with therapy. He is a qualified teacher, counselor, Tibetan calligrapher, poet, thangka painter, multi-talented Tantric craftsman, and exponent of Tantric song and Lama-dance. He and his wife Khandro Déchen are the spiritual directors of the sanghas of the Aro tradition in Britain, Europe and North America. They recently became parents, and they make a priority in their teaching activities, as a couple, to help couples to view their relationships and family lives as spiritual practice, and to help women in particular to become spiritual practitioners and teachers.
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Khandro Déchen Tsédrup Yeshé was born in 1960 and took refuge in the vajra sangha of the Aro gTér lineage at the age of 21. She became the sang-yum (spiritual consort) of Ngak'chang Rinpoche in 1993, and they married in April 1995. They have a son named Robert who was born in July 1996. (Robert was named ‘Aro Jung-né’ by Ngak'chang Rinpoche; ‘Wangdrak Dorje’ by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche; and ‘Düd-dül Dorje’ by Kyabjé Künzang Dorje Rinpoche. ) As a Lama representing a family lineage of the Nyingma gö-kar-chang-lo'i-dé, Khandro Déchen approaches motherhood as a central aspect of her life as a lineage holder. Before assuming the shared pastoral care of apprentices and disciples as part of a ‘teaching couple’, she was a hospice home care nurse advising on symptom control and counseling. She is known for her warmth, gentleness, and the humour of her approach with individuals. Khandro Déchen is a uniquely gifted thangka painter & painting teacher who is recognized as having an extraordinary capacity for giving life to the images of the Aro gTér lineage Lamas. She paints the major references for practice within the Confederate Sanghas of Aro, and provides all the paintings and line drawings for Aro publications. Her thangkas and line drawings can be seen on the Aro website. Her life’s work is dedicated to painting the entire Aro gTér cycle of one hundred and eleven awareness-beings, and disciples train as thangka painters under her direct supervision. She regards awareness-imagery as her major means of teaching and influence. Khandro Déchen extends her rôle as a thangka painter into the dimension of sacred movement through the performance of gar ’chams – Tantric dance. The performance of Aro gar ’chams is also a means through which she teaches and gives transmission. Khandro Déchen is revered as an example of what it is to ‘live the view’, and Ngak’chang Rinpoche regards her as his most important teacher in this respect. She inspires people through her radiance and surprising simplicity rather than through giving public teachings. When accompanying Ngak'chang Rinpoche on teaching events, Khandro Déchen’s style is to make short sporadic interjections rather than to give discourses. She prefers to speak personally with individuals rather than to address groups, and teaches primarily through 'personality-display'. She is known for her Mirror-transmission which can only be given by female Lamas of the Aro gTér lineage. She is currently writing a book with Ngak’chang Rinpoche on vajra-romance, entitled ‘Entering the Heart of the Sun and Moon’. This book is a commentary of Aro Lingma's Khandro Pawo Nyi-da Mélong Gyüd' - the mirror which reflects the sun and moon of the khandros and pawos. |
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Ngakpa Lama Rig'dzin Taklung Rolpa'i Dorje has engaged in intensive study and practice under the guidance of his Root Teachers, Ngak'chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen , and other high Lamas, who have encouraged him to teach and give Transmissions. Ngala Rig'dzin has considerable experience in the practice of Mantra, and is known for his power of voice in the Inner practice of Tantric Song and Awareness-spell. He also practices the unique Aro gTér system of elemental pulse diagnosis and the empowerment of medicines for the relief of various ailments. Ngala Rig'dzin was born in London in 1954. He has received all the necessary Empowerments and Transmissions of Inner Tantra, and has completed numerous solitary retreats. He has also made pilgrimages to the sacred places of Padmasambhava and Yeshé Tsogyel in the Himalayas. He divides his very full international teaching schedule between seminars open to all and private events with his personal Apprentices. In addition, he is a founder-member of the UK charity Sang-ngak-chö-dzong, and spiritual director of its sister-organizations Aro Gesellschaft (Austria) and Aro Gemeinschaft (Germany), all dedicated to supporting the Ngak'phang Sangha. He also devotes time to the UK Network of Buddhist Organizations; the European Buddhist Union; the publisher Aro Books; and the UK Buddhist Counseling and Support Group, of which he is the founder. He lives in London with his wife Tsal gyür Wangmo and son.
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Ngakma Nor'dzin Pamo and her husband Ngakpa 'ö-Dzin Tridral are a
teaching couple within the Aro gTér tradition of the Nyingma School of
Tibetan Buddhism. They amalgamate practice, teaching, and the pastoral care
of their apprentices with professional and family life.
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