Longchenpa or Longchen Rabjampa (1308 - 1364 possibly 1369) was an important teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Along with Sakya Pandita and Je Tsongkhapa, he is commonly recognised as one of the three main manifestations of Manjushri to have taught in Central Tibet. His major work is the Seven Treasures, which encapsulates the previous 600 years of Buddhist thought in Tibet. Longchenpa was a critical link in the transmission of the Dzogchen teachings. He was abbot of Samye, one of Tibet’s most important monasteries, but spent most of his life travelling or in retreat.
Longchenpa was first ordained at the age of 11 and studied extensively with the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. He received not only the Nyingma transmissions as passed down in his family, but also studied with many of the great teachers of his day without regard to sect. At the age of 19, Longchenpa entered the famous shedra (monastic college) Sangpu Neutok, where he acquired great scholarly wisdom. He later chose to practise in the solitude of the mountains.
In his late twenties two decisively important events occurred in his intellectual and spiritual development. One was a vision of Guru Padmasambhava and his consort Yeshe Tsogyel, and the other was his meeting in the mountains, with his teacher, the great mystic Rigdzin Kumaradza. Together with Rangjung Dorje, Longchenpa accompanied them for two years, during which time he received all of Rigdzin Kumaradza’s transmissions. Through the efforts of these three, the diverse streams of the “Innermost Essence” (nying thig) teachings of Dzogchen were brought together and codified into one of the common grounds between the Nyingma and Karma Kagyu traditions.
After several years in retreat, Longchenpa attracted more and more students, even though he had spent nearly all of his life in mountain caves. During a stay in Bhutan, Longchenpa fathered a daughter and a son, of which the latter, Trugpa Odzer (born 1356), also became a holder of the Nyingtig lineage.
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