Lhatsun Namkha Jigme 

 

Born in 1597 AD, Lhatsun Namkha Jigme was a Tibetan yogic practitioner and scholar who was an incarnation of both Vimalamitra and Longchenpa. They say, at birth, the

seed-syllable AH was visible between his eyebrows, on the tip of his nose, and on his tongue. These are often visible in pictoral depictions of him, and he is often seen holding

a ‘kapala’ (skull-cup) and a ‘kangling’ (thigh-bone trumpet.’

In our often esoteric Nyingma tradition, Lhatsun Namkha Jigme was considered a ‘terton’ (a treasure revealer) whose numerous ‘discoveries’ have had a profound impact

that have inspired generations of practitioners. Unlike many ‘tertons,’ Lhatsun Namkha Jigme was also a scholar who excelled in grammar, writing, and poetry. These two traits have infused his writings with a deep and poetic eloquence, and a use of vivid imagery rarely seen elsewhere that moves the practitioner and stirs devotion.

 

He writes:

“And when at last the great ocean of samsara is emptied,

May all beings attain Buddhahood

in the lotus net of Akanistha!”

 

More than two hundred of Lhatsun Namkha Jigme’s writings have survived, but very few have been translated into English, and many more absorbed typing mistakes through repeated reprinting in the Tibetan editions (These are currently being edited in a three- year project under the patronage of the Chogyal).

 

In Sikkim, Lhatsun Namkha Jigme’s higher teachings of ‘dzogchen’ have gained particular renown, and amongst his most well-known works is the ‘discovery’ of Guru

Rinpoche’s ‘Tsa Sum Rigdzin Sogdrup’ (The Attainment of the Lifeforce of the Vidyadharas), from which the famed ‘Riwo Sangcho’ (Mountain Smoke Offering originates.

Through his practice of ‘Riwo Sangcho,’ Lhatsun Namkha Jigme was able to remove all obstacles to the dharma in Sikkim, opening it as one of Guru Rinpoche’s ‘hidden land’ of teachings. This ‘Riwo Sangcho’ practice has gained increasing popularity over the years and is widely practiced by Buddhist practitioners of other lineages, cycles, and countries. It is because of both the history as well as the continued power and vibrancy of his teachings that his lineage has come to be refered to colloquially as ‘Sikkimese dzogchen.’

 

Lhatsun Namkha Jigme has particular importance for Sikkim, and for all the people of Sikkim, as his advent here was the fulfillment of a prophecy of Guru Rinpoche that also included the identification and coronation of Sikkim’s first ‘Chogyal’ (Dharma King).

 

Under the guidance of Jatson Nyingpo, a great Tibetan teacher, and led by his visions of Guru Rinpoche and his prophecies, Lhatsun Namkha Jigme, Kathok Kuntuzangpo, and Ngadak Sempa Chenpo met in Sikkim in 1642 AD, and installed Phuntsok Namgyal (a lay descendent of Tibetan Prince Khye Bumsa from Gangtok) as ‘Chogyal’ to rule righteously, to protect the ‘hidden land,’ and to uphold the dharma.

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In this way, his legacy and that of the Namgyal dynasty are intertwined, and similarly the culture of Sikkim has its roots deep within Lhatsun’s writing and wisdom.

Lhatsun Namkha Jigme’s second incarnation was known as Jigme Pawo who continued the work of establishing this lineage of Buddhism in Sikkim.

 

His later incarnations include the great Khyentse lineage: Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro—one of the most accomplished old masters of our time, an activity incarnation of the great ‘terton’ Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and the heart of the ‘Rimé’ (non-sectarian) movement—wrote in his personal diarybook of the numerous clear memories he had of his past life as Lhatsun Namkha Jigme. After traveling from Tibet to Bodhgaya in 1956 for the Buddha Jayanti, Jamyang

Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Rinpoche was invited to stay at The Tsuklakhang (Royal Chapel) by Crown Prince Palden Thondup Namgyal’s Tibetan wife, Princess Sangyay

Dekyi Samdrophodrang. Her family had been his Lhasa-based hosts and patrons formany years, and while the political situation in Tibet continued to deteriorate, he stayedin Sikkim, blessing it with his presence until his passing in 1959.