The Gyalwang Drukpa

As prophesized by Dzogchen Thubten Chokyi Dorje, Zhichen Ontrul Rinpoche was born in Amdo of Eastern Tibet. He was recognized as a manifestation of one of the greatest yogis of Tibet, Thangtong Gyalpo. His immediate past life was one of the head masters of the Nyingma Kathok lineage and he was residing at Zhichen monastery, the same monastery as my father.

After accomplishing his common monastic education until the age of 18, he was in charge of looking after the welfare of the various branch monasteries of Zhichen. He took the responsibility of searching for the reincarnation of Zhichen Vairochana in Derge and Dzongsar, and discovered my father with the help of the late Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. Later on, he enthroned my father in the Zhichen monastery.

Then he realized that taking responsibility of the monasteries and looking after the administrative activities were similar to mundane affairs, so he wanted to go into retreat and follow the genuine masters so as to learn the uncommon path of spirituality. But he was requested by his people not to leave his monastic responsibilities. He decided to fall sick and he told his subjects, "If you don't allow me to follow the uncommon spiritual path, there is no point for me to live and carry on this way. It is your choice to let me go or stay."

Like many of those enlightened masters, I think Ontrul Rinpoche somehow knew that the situation of Tibet was getting dangerous and there would not be any reason to develop monasteries materially, so he preferred to go on searching for a spiritual path which would be beneficial to others in a spiritual way, rather than the monastic way.

His people had to let him go eventually according to his wishes. So my father took the responsibility of taking care of the monasteries.

Ontrul Rinpoche's first destination was Baney Retreat, where he followed the master Choktrul, from whom he received the spiritual teachings of Changthir tradition of Nyingmapa. After staying at the Baney Retreat for a number of years, he heard about the reputation Shugchung Tsullo, one of the greatest masters in the late 19th century, and he went to follow his teachings.

From Shugchung Tsullo, Ontrul Rinpoche thus received the uncommon Dzogchen practice as well as the common teachings of three yanas of Buddhism continuously for 18 years. Right at the end of an uncommon introduction to the Great View of Dzogchen, Shugchung Tsullo qualified him as a lineage master, and asked him not to hesitate to teach whoever approached him. But Ontrul Rinpoche did not leave the retreat place of Shugchung until his guru passed away.

Shugchung Tsullo was one of the important lineage holders of the Do Drupchen lineage as well as the Changthir lineage. He was not only a learned scholar, but also a realized Dzogchen master; secretly, he was also a terton, although externally he was mostly reserved about his qualities. Ontrul Rinpoche recalled the day before Shugchung Tsullo passed away, there had been a domestic dispute between his niece and his young monks, when he was told of the problem, he felt, "I have been teaching for more than 30 over years and yet my teachings have not helped those people, even my own people are not able to live harmoniously, so there is no point to live on." Therefore, Shugchung Tsullo 'caught' a flu the same evening of the dispute, and he passed away peacefully in meditation posture the following day. After that he was in meditative state for six weeks and the wondrous smell of his body permeated equally in about 1km radius. As soon as he was out of his meditative state, all the followers requested Ontrul Rinpoche to take the responsibility of cremation.