The Life Story of the 1st Shangpa Rinpoche: Part I

I started to write a blog some time ago and it seems that I am now able to communicate with you all reasonably well. So from now onwards, I will write something about my life. It may not interest everybody as they have their own interesting life story. Maybe, mine is just one of them.

Before telling much about my current life, I just want to tell you about my past life as Shangpa Rinpoche; as he was very well known in Tibet and Nepal due to his selfless love and compassion to everyone. People in the Himalaya region to this day still praise his every qualities. Even parents who met him at that time told their children all about him and continue talking about him. Unfortunately, no one managed to write his biography; otherwise we could learn a lot from his life.

I was recognized as his incarnation by His Holiness 16th Karmapa but I have a long way to go to attain the qualities of the previous Shangpa Rinpoche. I also do not remember my past life at this time. Even memories of my current childhood are fading away due to too much exposure to my present life style. I can’t therefore write a precise life story of Shangpa Rinpoche but maybe just 20 percent of his life based on whatever I have heard from his disciples and people of his home town.

When the 1st Shangpa Rinpoche became very famous in Tibet and Nepal, some high Lamas even told him that he was the manifestation of Yudra Nyingpo and after many life times, he was born as Tadru Ugyen Tenzin, a famous Yogi of east Tibet. This yogi came to Tichu Rong in Nepal to meditate and his rebirths date from Guru Rinpoche’s time. He accomplished realization of the Great Perfection and hid some text, medicinal herbs and treasures in two different places in the Dolpo which was later discovered by the 1st Shangpa Rinpoche during his stay at Dolpo. These treasures are already lost because no one was responsible for caring for them. Many Lamas says he has the same mind stream of a great Yogi who is well known as the manifestation of Yudra Nyingpo during Guru Rinpoche’s time.

I did not wish to disclose this to anyone at first but then when I started writing his life story, I realized I should be telling whatever has been heard from his disciples and others without hiding anything. I myself still consider Shangpa Rinpoche as the first Lama and me as the second one. The past master who was a great practitioner and attained realization had an ocean of compassion and wisdom. I hardly have one drop of those qualities in me and it would be an insult to past masters to say that I am such and such. Yet, as His Holiness had recognized me to be him, let it be that I am Shangpa Rinpoche the Second.

1. The Photo above are 1st Shangpa Rinpoche taken by one David Snelgrove a british professor who visit Mustang and Manang. He took this photo at Manang Pi Monastery.

2. The art of one Lama is the Tadru Ugyen Tenzin famous Yogi who came from Kham and stay mostly at Tichu Rong and Dolpo Nepal.



In the next blog entry, I will write more about the 1st Shangpa Rinpoche in his early years.