Lineage Shrine Room at Mindrolling
  • INTRODUCTION
    A short introduction to the Mindrolling family.
  • PART I
    Origins of the Mindrolling Lineage, Nyö Jachung Karpo, The Nyö Lineage, The Mindrolling Lineage
  • PART II
    Biographical accounts of Sangdag Thrinley Lhundrub, Yum Lhadzin Yanghcen Dolma, Chögyal Terdag Lingpa
  • PART III
    Biographical accounts of Gyalse Tenpa'i Nyima and Lochen Dharmashri
  • PART IV
    The Dzungar Mongol Invasion, Biographical account of Pema Gyurme Gyatso
  • PART V
    Jetsün Migyur Paldrön (Part 1) – Birth and Early Life
  • PART VI
    Jetsün Migyur Paldrön (Part 2) – The Dzungar Mongol Invasion and Exile from Tibet
  • PART VII
    Jetsün Migyur Paldrön – (Part 3) – The Return to Mindrolling
  • PART VIII
    Drinchen Rinchen Namgyal — the 3rd Mindrolling Trichen
  • PART IX
    Zhabdrung Gyurme Yidzhin Legdrub
  • PART X
    Gyurme Pema Tenzin — the 4th Mindrolling Trichen
  • PART XI
    Ögyen Tenzin Dorje — the 3rd Mindrolling Khenchen
  • PART XII
    Trichen Gyurme Trinley Namgyal — The 5th Mindrolling Trichen
  • PART XIII
    Sang Ngag Tenzin — the 4th Mindrolling Khenchen
  • PART XIV
    Trichen Gyurme Pema Wangyal — the 6th Mindrolling Trichen
  • PART XV
    Jetsün Trinley Chödrön
  • PART XVI
    Gyurme Ogyen Chöphel — The 5th Mindrolling Khenchen
  • PART XVII
    Gyurme Sangye Kunga — The 7th Mindrolling Trichen
  • PART XVIII
    Minling Rigzin Zangpo — The 6th Mindrolling Khenchen
  • PART XIX
    Gyurme Yidzhin Wangyal — The 8th Mindrolling Trichen

The History of Mindrolling: Part I

The Origin of the Mindrolling Lineage

The Mindrolling lineage as we know today is historically descended from the Nyö lineage of Tibet. It is said that the lineage of Mindrolling is twofold with one line that is recorded from the time of the establishment of the monastery of Mindrolling at Drachi (near Lhasa) and thereafter renowned as the Mindrolling familial lineage. This line was in fact much older in its history. The original family line of what later became more widely known as the Mindrolling lineage dates long before the Mindrolling Monastery was established. This family line is known as the lineage of Nyö and often referred to as the Glorious Nyö lineage. All the members of the Mindrolling familial lineage are therefore also known as descendents of the Nyö lineage.

Prior to the establishment of the Mindrolling Monastery in Drachi, the Nyö family lineage was based at Dargye Chöling in Dranang. It was founded by Tsele Natsog Rangdrol, the emanation of Tertön Ratna Lingpa. After Tsele Natsog Rangdrol, it became the seat of Tenzin Drakpa, the emanation of Tertön Pema Lingpa. It then became the seat of Nyö Khedrub Dongag Tenzin who was an emanation of Tsele Natsog Rangdrol and was one of the foremost masters of the time. After Khedrub Dongag Tenzin, his son, Sangdag Thrinley Lhundrub, who was an emanation of Nub Sangye Yeshe, assumed the seat at Dargye Choling. It was here that the King of Doctrine, Rigzin Terdag Lingpa, was born as the son of Sangdag Thrinley Lhundrub.

Nyö Jachung Karpo, Founder of the Nyö Clan

It is said that the reasons for study of the history of lineages is not in order to guard one's caste and birth like a Brahmin but so that one can accumulate immense merit through the reading of the lives of the great masters and be inspired by their activities.

The origin of the Nyö lineage dates back to a very long time ago in Tibet much before the spread of Buddhism there. It is said that at a time when Tibet had just been settled, one dawn on the mountain of Jomo Kharag in Tsang, people saw a handsome, young man in white descend. Possessing all the qualities of a deva, he radiated with light and had a very peaceful aspect. No one knew him or had seen him before, no one understood his language, but because of his radiant and wondrous appearance, they bore him on their shoulders and revered him as a celestial being.

The humans called him Jachung Karpo or White Garuda. This was because he was very majestic and beautiful to look upon and had flown down to earth. He was a deva from the deva realms but due to the close proximity with humans who were enthralled with him and kept him surrounded at all times, this devaputra (son of devas) became tainted by mi grib or drib of humans and couldn't return back to his deva realm. He is described as having been slightly "intoxicated" by human defilements and thus the descendants born from Ja Chung Karpo (the White Garuda of Nyö) were called Nyö. The Tibetan word smyos is derived from the original word myos. The word myos literally means intoxicated and smyos means crazy in the literal sense. Since then many members of the Nyö lineage have also been described as demonstrating crazy wisdom and many mahasiddhalike activities and have therefore added to the multi layered meaning and organ of the word Nyö (smyos) in the name of the lineage.

Nyö Jachung Karpo married the princess of rmu, Ding Mo Tsün Shö (rmu lcam ding mo btsun bshos), who was herself a wisdom dakini and their descendents were called the Nyö and the lineage was thereafter known as Palden Nyörig or the Glorious Nyö lineage.

The Nyö Lineage

The lineage of the Nyö descendants is as follows:

  • Nyö Jachung Karpo (smyos bya khyung dkar po) married Mü Cam Ding Mo Tsün Shö
  • Nyö Je Tsenpo (smyos rje btsan po) married Dongza Karmo
  • Nyö Senge Shakya (seng ge shakya) married Mü Za Menmo Tsün Shö (rmu gza' sman mo btsun bshos) and had four sons- Dra Khar Je, Je Phen, Yag Je and Gur Je
  • Nyö Dra Khar Je (smyos gra mkhar rje) had two sons- Thug Je and Zhang Nge
  • Nyö Zhang Nge (zhang nge)
  • Nyö Dri De (smyos 'bri lde) - son of Zhang Nge
  • Nyö Dri Chung (smyos 'bri chung)
  • Nyö Palgyi Yönten (smyos dpal gyi yon tan)
  • Nyö Lopön Tshulyon (smyos slob dpon tshul yon)
  • Nyö Guru (smyos guru)
  • Nyö Lhaphen (smyos lha phan)
  • Nyö Thugyal (smyos mthu rgyal)
  • Nyö Lo Yönten Drag (smyos lo yon tan grags)
  • Nyö Tsang Dorje Lama (smyos gtsang rdo rje blama)
  • Nyö Palgyi Senge (myos dpal gyi seng ge)
  • Nyö Nag Dragpa Pal (smyos nag grags pa dpal)- emanation of Dharma King Ashoka
  • Nyö Gyalwa Lha Nangpa (smyos rgyal ba lha nang pa)
  • Nyö Tashi Wangchug (smyos bkra shis dbang phyugs)
  • Nyö Dragpa Dorje (smyos zhig chen po grags pa rdor je)
  • Nyö Padma Dorje (smyos sgom chen po pad ma rdo rje)
  • Nyö Tön A Mi Kirti (smyos ston aa mi kirti)
  • Nyö Tön Dragpa Tashi (smyos ston grags pa bkra shis)
  • Nyö Tön Dragpa Rinchen (smyos ston grags pa rin chen)
  • Nyö Dragpa Özer (smyos grags pa 'od zer) and Nyö Dragpa Gyaltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan)
  • Nyo Jö Bum Pal ('jo bum dpal) - son of Nyö Dragpa Gyaltsen
  • Nyö Phagpa Pal (smyos 'phags pa dpal)
  • Nyö Sonam Dragpa (smyos bsod nams grags pa)
  • Nyö Döndrub Namgyal (smyos don 'grub rnam rgyal)
  • Nyö Gönpo Tsewang (smyos mgon po tshe dbang)
  • Nyö Namgyal Lhündrub (smyos rnam rgyal lhun grub)
  • Nyö Tön Tsewang Dorje (smyos ston tshe dbang rdo rje) and Yum Tsering Buga (tshe ring bu dga')
  • Nyö Künkhyen Dongag Tenzin (kun mkhyen mdo sngags bstan 'dzin) married Yum Je Rig Gö Dzom (rje rigs dgos 'dzoms)
  • Nyö Sangdag Thrinley Lhündrub (gsang bdag 'phrin las lhun grub) married Yum Lhadzin (lha 'dzin)

The older family history records seem to mention only the male members who succeeded in heading the clan during their generation.

The Mindrolling Lineage

The second of the twofold lineage of Mindrolling is the lineage that begins with the establishment of the seat of Mindrolling in the form of the Mindrolling Monastery in Drachi. This lineage is still the lineage of the Nyö descendents but following the establishment of the Mindrolling Monastery, was thereafter known as the Mindrolling lineage. The Mindrolling lineage enumerates successively the Trichens. The term Trichen literally means great throneholder and the throneholder of the Mindrolling Monastery is known as the Mindrolling Trichen.

The lineage of Trichens is counted in two ways. According to Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje's History of Dharma, Terdag Lingpa, the son of Sangdag Thrinley Lhundrub, is counted as the first Mindrolling Trichen (written as Tri for short). His younger son Tri Rinchen Namgyal is counted as the second Mindrolling Trichen. In this way, the lineage is counted as follows:

  1. Tri Chögyal Terdag Lingpa
  2. Tri Rinchen Namgyal
  3. Tri Gyurme Pema Tenzin
  4. Tri Gyurme Thrinley Namgyal
  5. Tri Gyurme Pema Wangyal
  6. Tri Gyurme Sangye Künga
  7. Tri Gyurme Yidzhin Wangyal
  8. Tri Gyurme Dechen Chogdrub

The sons' lineage ended with the 8th Mindrolling Trichen- Tri Gyurme Dechen Chogdrub. During the time of Tri Gyurme Dechen Chogdrub, there were only daughters and no sons to carry on the family lineage. It was then that the daughter of Tri Gyurme Dechen Chogdrub, Mindrolling Jetsün Chimed Donden Dolma, married the son of the great treasure master-Tertön Rangrig who was an emanation of Terdag Lingpa. His son, Pema Wangchen, married into the family of Mindrolling and became the Tritsab or regent. In this way of enumerating the Trichens of Mindrolling, Tri Pema Wangchen is counted as the 9th Mindrolling Trichen. The son from his marriage to Jetsün Chimed Donden Dolma became the 10th Trichen, Tri Dondub Wangyal who was the father of His Holiness Kyabje Mindrolling Trichen, our root Guru.

  1. Tri Pema Wangchen
  2. Tri Dondrub Wangyal
  3. Mindrolling Trichen Gyurme Kunzang Wangyal

However, according to the more widely acknowledged way of enumerating the Trichens, we consider Terdag Lingpa's eldest son Pema Gyurme Gyatso, the 2nd Trichen. Due to the forces of degenerate times and obstacles, he was killed at a young age by the Dzungar Mongol army. However, he did hold the throne for the short period between the parinirvana of Terdag Lingpa and his own passing.

His younger brother Drinchen Rinchen Namgyal thus became the 3rd to be enthroned as Mindrolling Trichen. Thus, in this way of enumeration, Pema Gyurme Gyatso is the second Trichen in the Trichen lineage. Tritsab Pema Wangchen, although greatly revered as the regent of Mindrolling who kept the profound tradition of Mindrolling entirely intact through a very delicate period in the history of Mindrolling, is not counted amongst the Trichens of Mindrolling in this enumeration of Trichens. Tri Gyurme Dechen Chogdrub is counted as the 9th Trichen and His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen Gyurme Kunzang Wangyal's father, Tri Dondub Wangyal, is counted as the 10th Mindrolling Trichen and Rinpoche himself the 11th Throne holder of Mindrolling.