Kalu Rinpoche (1905 – May 10, 1989) was a Buddhist lama, meditation master, scholar and teacher. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West.
Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu Rinpoche in 1987 at Kagyu Rintchen Tcheu Ling in Montpellier, France
Kalu Rinpoche was born in 1905 during the Female Wood Snake year of the Tibetan lunar calendar in the district of Treshö Gang chi Rawa in the Hor region of Kham, Eastern Tibet.
When Kalu Rinpoche was fifteen years old, he was sent to begin his higher studies at the monastery of Palpung, the foremost center of the Karma Kagyu school. He remained there for more than a decade, during which time he mastered the vast body of teaching that forms the philosophical basis of Buddhist practice, and completed two three-year retreats.
At about the age of twenty-five, Rinpoche left Palpung to pursue the life of a solitary yogi in the woods of the Khampa countryside. For nearly fifteen years, he strove to perfect his realization of all aspects of the teachings and he became renowned in the villages and among the nomads as a representative of the Bodhisattva path.
Teaching activity in Tibet
Kalu Rinpoche returned to Palpung to receive final teachings from Drupon Norbu Dondrup, who entrusted him with the rare transmission of the teaching of the Shangpa Kagyu. At the order of Situ Rinpoche, he was appointed Vajra Master of the great meditation hall of Palpung Monastery, where for many years he gave empowerments and teachings.
During the 1940s, Kalu Rinpoche visited central Tibet with the party of Situ Rinpoche, and there he taught extensively. His disciples included the Reting Rinpoche, regent of Tibet during the infancy of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
Returning to Kham, Kalu Rinpoche became the abbot of the meditation center associated with Palpung and the meditation teacher of the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa. He remained in that position until the situation in Tibet forced him into exile in India.
In exile
Kalu Rinpoche left Tibet for Bhutan in 1955, before establishing a monastery in Sonada, Darjeeling in 1965. The monastery was near Rumtek, the seat of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa.[1]
In the late 1960s Kalu Rinpoche began to attract Western disciples in India. By the 1970s, he was teaching extensively in the Americas and Europe, and during his three visits to the West he founded teaching centers in over a dozen countries. In France, he established the first retreat center to teach the traditional three-year retreats of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages to Western students.[2]
June Campbell, a former Kagyu nun who is a feministscholar, acted as Kalu Rinpoche's translator for several years. In her book Traveller in Space: Gender, Identity and Tibetan Buddhism,[3] she writes that she consented to participate in what she realised later was an abusive sexual relationship with him, which he told her was tantric spiritual practice. She raises the same theme in a number of interviews, including one with Tricycle magazine in 1996.[4] Since the book was published she has received "letters from women all over the world with similar and worse experiences" with other gurus.[5]
Second Kalu Rinpoche
At 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 10, 1989, Kalu Rinpoche died at his monastery in Sonada, the Darjeeling District in West Bengal, India. On September 17, 1990, Rinpoche's supposed Tulku was born in Darjeeling, India, to Lama Gyaltsen and his wife Drolkar. Lama Gyaltsen had served since his youth as his secretary.
The former Kalu Rinpoche supposedly chose the vessel for his reincarnation. The Tai SitupaPema Tönyö Nyinje officially recognized Kalu Rinpoche's yangsi (young reincarnation) on March 25, 1992, explaining that he had received definite signs from Kalu Rinpoche himself. Situ Rinpoche sent a letter of recognition with Lama Gyaltsen to the 14th Dalai Lama, who immediately confirmed the recognition.[6]
On February 28, 1993, Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche was enthroned at Samdrup Tarjayling. The Tai Situpa and Goshir Gyaltsap presided over the ceremony, assisted by Kalu Rinpoche's heart-son, Bokar Tulku Rinpoche. The Tai Situpa performed the hair-cutting ceremony and bestowed on the young tulku the name Karma Ngedön Tenpay Gyaltsen — Victory Banner of the Teachings of the True Meaning. He is now known as the Second Kalu Rinpoche. (In the USA Kagyu organization, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, recognizes Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche (1990 to present) as the third Kalu Rinpoche; and Kalu Rinpoche is listed as the second Kalu Rinpoche.[7])
In the fall of 2011, Kalu Yangsi gave a talk at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.[8] At the end of the talk, a student in the audience asked for his perspective on the sexual abuse and sexualisation of children in the west. Kalu disclosed he was abused, paused then broke down, revealing for the first time that he had been sexually abused at the age of 12 by older monks[9] from the monastery he attended. Shortly after that he posted a video on YouTube[10] so that the story would not become unsubstantiated gossip.
Bibliography
Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism, Snow Lion Publications, 2004, ISBN1-55939-212-6
Luminous Mind : Fundamentals of Spiritual Practice, Wisdom Publications, 1996, ISBN0-86171-118-1
Gently Whispered: Oral Teachings by the Very Venerable Kalu Rinpoche, Station Hill Press, 1995, ISBN0-88268-153-2
Excellent Buddhism: An Exemplary Life, Clearpoint Press, 1995, ISBN0-9630371-4-5
Profound Buddhism: From Hinayana to Vajrayana, Clearpoint Press, 1995, ISBN0-9630371-5-3
^Nydahl, Ole, "Entering the Diamond Way." 1999 p. 140
^Bausch, Gerd, "Radiant Compassion, The Life of the 16th Gyalway Karmapa, Volume 1." 2018 pp. 166-167
^Campbell, June (1996). Traveler in Space: In Search of Female Identity in Tibetan Buddhism. New York: George Braziller. ISBN0-485-11494-1. For a review of the book, see Lang, Karen (1997). . Journal of Buddhist Ethics. ISSN 1076-9005. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
^The Emperor's Tantric Robes: An Interview with June Campbell on Codes of Secrecy and Silence
^Vallely, Paul (10 February 1999). "I was a Tantric sex slave". The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media Limited. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
^. Archived from the original on 2010-05-02. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
When two masters meet Kalu Rinpoche of Tibet and the Korean Zen master Seung Sahn
International Shangpa Kagyu Network
Monasteries and centers founded by Kalu Rinpoche
Kagyu Tekchen Choling, Argentina
Kagyu Pende Gyamtso, Brazil
Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling, BC Canada
Kagyu Thubten Chöling Monastery, Wappingers Falls, NY, USA
Kagyu Droden Kunchab, CA, USA
Dashang Kagyu Ling, France
Karma Ling Institute, France
Centro Milarepa, Italy
Kagyu Changchub Chuling, Portland, Oregon, USA
Dag Shang Kagyu, Spain
Kagyu Shenpen Kunchab, Santa Fe, NM USA
January 26, 2023
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kalu Rinpoche news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message Kalu Rinpoche 1905 May 10 1989 was a Buddhist lama meditation master scholar and teacher He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West Kalu RinpocheKalu Rinpoche in 1987 at Kagyu Rintchen Tcheu Ling in Montpellier FrancePersonalBornc 1905Kham Eastern TibetDiedMay 10 1989 age 84 Sonada Monastery Darjeeling West Bengal IndiaReligionTibetan BuddhismNationalityTibetanSchoolKagyuLineageShangpa Kagyu Karma KagyuOccupationLamaSenior postingStudents Bokar Tulku Rinpoche Reting Rinpoche 16th Gyalwang Karmapa Contents 1 Early life and teachers 2 Teaching activity in Tibet 3 In exile 4 Controversy 5 Second Kalu Rinpoche 6 Bibliography 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksEarly life and teachers EditKalu Rinpoche was born in 1905 during the Female Wood Snake year of the Tibetan lunar calendar in the district of Tresho Gang chi Rawa in the Hor region of Kham Eastern Tibet When Kalu Rinpoche was fifteen years old he was sent to begin his higher studies at the monastery of Palpung the foremost center of the Karma Kagyu school He remained there for more than a decade during which time he mastered the vast body of teaching that forms the philosophical basis of Buddhist practice and completed two three year retreats At about the age of twenty five Rinpoche left Palpung to pursue the life of a solitary yogi in the woods of the Khampa countryside For nearly fifteen years he strove to perfect his realization of all aspects of the teachings and he became renowned in the villages and among the nomads as a representative of the Bodhisattva path Teaching activity in Tibet EditKalu Rinpoche returned to Palpung to receive final teachings from Drupon Norbu Dondrup who entrusted him with the rare transmission of the teaching of the Shangpa Kagyu At the order of Situ Rinpoche he was appointed Vajra Master of the great meditation hall of Palpung Monastery where for many years he gave empowerments and teachings During the 1940s Kalu Rinpoche visited central Tibet with the party of Situ Rinpoche and there he taught extensively His disciples included the Reting Rinpoche regent of Tibet during the infancy of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Returning to Kham Kalu Rinpoche became the abbot of the meditation center associated with Palpung and the meditation teacher of the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa He remained in that position until the situation in Tibet forced him into exile in India In exile EditKalu Rinpoche left Tibet for Bhutan in 1955 before establishing a monastery in Sonada Darjeeling in 1965 The monastery was near Rumtek the seat of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje 16th Karmapa 1 In the late 1960s Kalu Rinpoche began to attract Western disciples in India By the 1970s he was teaching extensively in the Americas and Europe and during his three visits to the West he founded teaching centers in over a dozen countries In France he established the first retreat center to teach the traditional three year retreats of the Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages to Western students 2 Controversy Edit His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche and His Eminence Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche Wallingford Seattle Washington USA in 1978 June Campbell a former Kagyu nun who is a feminist scholar acted as Kalu Rinpoche s translator for several years In her book Traveller in Space Gender Identity and Tibetan Buddhism 3 she writes that she consented to participate in what she realised later was an abusive sexual relationship with him which he told her was tantric spiritual practice She raises the same theme in a number of interviews including one with Tricycle magazine in 1996 4 Since the book was published she has received letters from women all over the world with similar and worse experiences with other gurus 5 Second Kalu Rinpoche EditAt 3 00 p m Wednesday May 10 1989 Kalu Rinpoche died at his monastery in Sonada the Darjeeling District in West Bengal India On September 17 1990 Rinpoche s supposed Tulku was born in Darjeeling India to Lama Gyaltsen and his wife Drolkar Lama Gyaltsen had served since his youth as his secretary The former Kalu Rinpoche supposedly chose the vessel for his reincarnation The Tai Situpa Pema Tonyo Nyinje officially recognized Kalu Rinpoche s yangsi young reincarnation on March 25 1992 explaining that he had received definite signs from Kalu Rinpoche himself Situ Rinpoche sent a letter of recognition with Lama Gyaltsen to the 14th Dalai Lama who immediately confirmed the recognition 6 On February 28 1993 Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche was enthroned at Samdrup Tarjayling The Tai Situpa and Goshir Gyaltsap presided over the ceremony assisted by Kalu Rinpoche s heart son Bokar Tulku Rinpoche The Tai Situpa performed the hair cutting ceremony and bestowed on the young tulku the name Karma Ngedon Tenpay Gyaltsen Victory Banner of the Teachings of the True Meaning He is now known as the Second Kalu Rinpoche In the USA Kagyu organization Karma Triyana Dharmachakra recognizes Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche 1990 to present as the third Kalu Rinpoche and Kalu Rinpoche is listed as the second Kalu Rinpoche 7 In the fall of 2011 Kalu Yangsi gave a talk at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver 8 At the end of the talk a student in the audience asked for his perspective on the sexual abuse and sexualisation of children in the west Kalu disclosed he was abused paused then broke down revealing for the first time that he had been sexually abused at the age of 12 by older monks 9 from the monastery he attended Shortly after that he posted a video on YouTube 10 so that the story would not become unsubstantiated gossip Bibliography EditFoundations of Tibetan Buddhism Snow Lion Publications 2004 ISBN 1 55939 212 6 Luminous Mind Fundamentals of Spiritual Practice Wisdom Publications 1996 ISBN 0 86171 118 1 Gently Whispered Oral Teachings by the Very Venerable Kalu Rinpoche Station Hill Press 1995 ISBN 0 88268 153 2 Excellent Buddhism An Exemplary Life Clearpoint Press 1995 ISBN 0 9630371 4 5 Profound Buddhism From Hinayana to Vajrayana Clearpoint Press 1995 ISBN 0 9630371 5 3 Secret Buddhism Vajrayana Practices Clearpoint Press 2002 ISBN 0 9630371 6 1 The Dharma That Illuminates All Beings Like the Light of the Sun and the Moon State University of New York Press 1986 ISBN 0 88706 157 5 The Gem Ornament of Manifold Oral Instructions Which Benefits Each and Everyone Appropriately Snow Lion 1987 ISBN 0 937938 59 9See also EditBuddhism in America Salugara MonasteryNotes Edit Nydahl Ole Entering the Diamond Way 1999 p 140 Bausch Gerd Radiant Compassion The Life of the 16th Gyalway Karmapa Volume 1 2018 pp 166 167 Campbell June 1996 Traveler in Space In Search of Female Identity in Tibetan Buddhism New York George Braziller ISBN 0 485 11494 1 For a review of the book see Lang Karen 1997 A Review of Traveler in Space In Search of Female Identity in Tibetan Buddhism Journal of Buddhist Ethics ISSN 1076 9005 Archived from the original on 7 September 2008 Retrieved 29 November 2011 The Emperor s Tantric Robes An Interview with June Campbell on Codes of Secrecy and Silence Vallely Paul 10 February 1999 I was a Tantric sex slave The Independent Independent Digital News and Media Limited Retrieved 18 April 2014 His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche Archived from the original on 2010 05 02 Retrieved 2010 09 04 Kagyu Lineage Teachers Archived 2012 01 17 at the Wayback Machine Program of Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche visit in Vancouver Archived 2012 01 24 at the Wayback Machine Mary Finnigan The YouTube confessional sending shockwaves through the Buddhist world guardian co uk 9 March 2012 Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche Confession on YouTubeReferences EditSurya Das Lama 1998 Awakening the Buddha Within Lark Books ISBN 0 7679 0157 6 External links EditPeer Reviewed Biography of Kalu Rinpoche on The Treasury of Lives Biography of H E Kalu Rinpoche at the Wayback Machine archived February 6 2006 When two masters meet Kalu Rinpoche of Tibet and the Korean Zen master Seung Sahn International Shangpa Kagyu NetworkMonasteries and centers founded by Kalu RinpocheKagyu Tekchen Choling Argentina Kagyu Pende Gyamtso Brazil Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling BC Canada Kagyu Thubten Choling Monastery Wappingers Falls NY USA Kagyu Dzamling Kunchab New York NY USA Kagyu Droden Kunchab CA USA Dashang Kagyu Ling France Karma Ling Institute France Centro Milarepa Italy Kagyu Changchub Chuling Portland Oregon USA Kagyu Tenjay Choling Vermont usa Karma Rimay O Sal Ling Maui HI USA Dag Shang Kagyu Spain Kagyu Shenpen Kunchab Santa Fe NM USA Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kalu Rinpoche amp oldid 1087772833, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
