For those steeped in the assumptions of rationality, these events are enigmatic, raising questions that cannot be readily answered. Are these accounts mere legends and folktales? Are they recounted as metaphors or teaching stories whose details or veracity are less important than the point they make? Did some of these seemingly impossible events actually occur only in the mind of those who tell of them? Or could it be they partake of a range of experience beyond the everyday “trance” created by our thoughts and fantasies, memories and daydreams?
Each of us will have to decide for ourselves. But all of us stand to benefit richly in expanding the horizons of our own spiritual aspirations.
A note to readers:
I would urge the serious reader to take the time to go through the endnotes as you read along. Much rich context, detail and explanation will be found in the notes and the glossary, which in themselves could stand as a partial tutorial in the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. Reading the notes will make the narrative itself much richer. And for those new to this perspective, the notes offer an essential background, bringing clarity where otherwise there could be some confusion.
Mendocino, California
November, 2004
This is not a traditional narrative of an enlightened master’s life in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. In fact, Tulku Urgyen rarely if ever spoke much about himself or his accomplishments. At most he occasionally might tell a ‘teaching story’ from his past in order to convey a specific point to a particular person at a particular time. He would only mention details about his life when urged, and so this memoir results from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche telling us stories about his life at our request, over a period of fourteen years.
From these tales we’ve strung a storyline, piecing together vignettes he told at different times, much like beads on a rosary. The resulting mosaic offers a rich narrative of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s tradition and ancestors, tales of masters he knew or heard about, and many details of his life. We cannot claim that Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche wrote this, as he did not set out to narrate an autobiography. He simply responded to our requests by telling these stories, and he did so only after I promised that the main emphasis would be not on himself, but on the remarkable people he met or was connected to through other masters.
When I asked him about the contents, he replied: “Just stick to the stories. Don’t fill it with photos of me. In Kham we call that self-aggrandizement. Include many photos of realized lamas, but there’s no need to include common people. Sacred places are very good too. It is beneficial for people to see sacred places like Bodhgaya if they haven’t been there themselves.”
He also gave a suggestion for a title: “Devotional summary of the life-examples of sublime masters.”
I feel we have stayed true to that spirit.
In the course of looking for the thread that tied everything together one theme became paramount and that is the vital continuity of lineage. As the reader will see, the New Treasures—the revelations of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s great-grandfather—and the transmission from one generation to the next play an important role in this book. And in the end all streams of transmission converge in the ocean of the supreme incarnation.1 The teller of these tales was such an incarnation. “Blazing Splendor” is a mystical adventure story, a journey into eras, places, and situations unlike anything most of us have experienced. At the same time, it is a down-to-earth, human story, vividly told and, at times, heart-wrenching.
Tulku Urgyen’s narrative tells of remarkable accomplishments of the human spirit, supported at times by divine intervention. It is no fairy tale, yet it is replete with magic and epic triumphs of wondrous magnitude. It describes spiritual achievement at its best—and human folly at its worst. Tibetans will find this biography unlike most others in their traditional genre, for it fails to mention almost any of the important details of this master’s life, his miraculous feats and his extraordinary level of realization. Western readers may find that many of the stories seem to be sheer fiction or at least demand the suspension of their critical attitude. Yet what is presented, though at times challenging to normal conventions and perceptions, is for the most part verifiable.
Nobody could tell an anecdote like Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Not only could he perfectly recall tales told him as a child long ago and repeat them verbatim; he could invite you into his memory’s landscape and describe exactly what took place in vivid detail, as if casting a spell. He offers events and conversations with a captivating emotional depth that transports us into his experience.
Still, in an odd way, this memoir is not really about Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, his incredible works or his legendary special teaching style, which could ignite the listener’s hidden potential for attaining liberation and complete enlightenment. Rather, it shares with the reader what he witnessed and, perhaps most profound, how he perceived his world.
And what a world Tibet was before the communist invasion! In that world, sacred exploits were the yardstick of success. Love and appreciation of the great gift of the Buddha’s teachings and for the masters who upheld those teachings were paramount. That was a legacy even the communists could not destroy; it was carried far and wide in the hearts of those who escaped the wanton destruction and devastation of their culture. Blazing Splendor recounts their fortitude—a victory of the strength of mind in the face of overwhelming odds.
The main themes that permeate Tulku Urgyen’s story are the depth of veneration of the Buddhist teachings, their preservation and dissemination through unbroken lines of transmission, unfaltering courage in following one’s teacher’s commands, the unparalleled respect that masters had for one another, and the inescapable impermanence of any situation.
The inconceivable damage that took place in Tibet cannot be denied or ignored. History bears witness to what happened. Yet, out of that devastation many precious masters and teachings survived. And the fact that these teachers were forced into exile has meant that those of us born into materialistic cultures can meet with this extraordinary tradition.
So, we invite you to enter a world that once was and glean the atmosphere. Let your heart open and connect with the sublime. Don’t get lost in the details of place and time; just experience the spiritual ambiance. And, to be sure, deep meaning interweaves these pages—heart advice and spiritual teachings that just might set you on your own personal spiritual quest.
We offer this all to you with unimpeded love and devotion for our amazing teacher and with the heartfelt aspiration that you will be greatly benefited in both the short and the long term.
In telling his story, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche placed the greatest emphasis on a landscape of people rather than physical places. Those people who inspired him most emerged as the main focus for this book. We have used the sequence of his spiritual ancestry and his life as the thread for these wonderful stories, each a jewel of timeless value strung together by Rinpoche’s memory. We present this garland of tales here for you to savor.
Erik Pema Kunsang & Marcia Binder Schmidt
Nagi Gompa, 2005
Since you have asked so many times, I will tell a bit about my life. In our Tibetan tradition, we begin a life story by tracing back one’s family to its origins. My family name is Tsangsar. My other name, as I am considered a reincarnation of a yogi, is Chöwang Tulku.
I was born in Central Tibet, taken to Kham, then went back and forth between the two several times.2 I fled the communists to Sikkim and finally moved to Nepal, where I am now living as an old man. That’s