The Drukpa Lineage
The lineage acquired the name Drukpa in the twelfth
century when, assuming the human form, Avalokiteshvara - the Great Lord of
Universal Compassion - manifested in Tibet as the outstanding disciple of
Mahasiddha Lingchen Repa. This sublime being was called Drogon Tsangpa Gyare,
the meaning being: Drogon - the Protector of Beings; Tsang - born in the land of
Tsang; Gya - from the noble clan of Chinese (Gya) origin; Re - a cotton-clad
yogi.
"Druk" in Tibetan means "Dragon" and it also refers to
the sound of thunder. In 1206, exactly 800 years ago, Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje
saw nine dragons flew up into the sky from the ground of Namdruk, and he named
his lineage "Drukpa" or "lineage of the Dragons" after this auspicious event. In
this way, Tsangpa Gyare became the founder of the lineage and was known as the
First Gyalwang Drukpa.
Tsangpa Gyare was prophesized in many Sutras and Tantras and was recognized as the indisputable emanation of Naropa (1016-1100). In the Fundamental Tantra of Manjushri (Toh. 543), Buddha Shakyamuni spoke of the coming of Tsangpa Gyare:
Three thousands years after my nirvana,
Sonam Nyingpo will
appear,
in his future incarnation in the land of snows.
He will be born in
the Hwashang (Chinese) race
and given the name Gelong Yeshe Dorje.
He will
renounce worldly existence
and voluntarily embrace the essential
meaning.
He will establish sentient beings in liberation,
and while
abiding in the essence free from the two extremes,
he will flourish my
doctrine.
Tsangpa Gyare's great great grandfather was one of the two strong
Chinese men who were selected to pull the royal chariot that carried the
precious statue of Jowo Shakyamuni to Tibet when Chinese Princess Wencheng of
the T'ang Dynasty married the famous Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (617-650). In
the early part of his life, Tsangpa Gyare was called 'Gyaton' which literally
means 'Chinese teacher'.
In his life, Tsangpa Gyare unveiled many treasures of holy teachings
and objects in Southern Tibet, and he also discovered Tsari, a very
famous, holy and powerful place in Tibet. Because of his spiritual
attainments, Tsangpa Gyare became popular as Druk Tamchay Khyenpa, the
Omniscient Dragon, and reverentially called 'Je Drukpa' (Lord Dragon
master). He was a famous teacher whose teachings were sometimes
attended by as many as 50,000 people at any one time. It was recorded
that he had 88,000 eminent followers, of whom 28,000 were enlightened
yogis. His order became famous for the purity, simplicity and
asceticism of its adherents and the profundity of its spiritual
teachings. He wrote a renowned commentary on the Tantra of
Chakrasamvara and taught widely.
When
Tsangpa Gyare passed away in 1211, on the cremation day, a rainbow
canopy appeared and showers of flowers fell. Many could hear celestial
music and smell a beautiful aroma in the atmosphere. When his body was
cremated, his heart, tongue and eyes remained intact. His skull bore
the images of Arya Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Vajrapani; the
twenty-one joints of his backbone turned into twenty-one mini statues
of Avalokiteshvara. Many of these relics are still available in various
Drukpa monasteries for reverence and these are proofs of Tsangpa
Gyare's spiritual attainments.
The Kingdom of Bhutan, considered as one of the few remaining Buddhist kingdoms in this world and a pure land in the Himalayas, also takes the name of "Druk" or "Druk Yul", meaning "the Land of the Thunder Dragons" and its people are also known as "Drukpa". This is because in the 17th century, one of Tsangpa Gyare's fourth incarnations, Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651), united the warring regions in Bhutan and became the political and religious leader there. During his reign he was responsible for the construction of many fortress palaces and monasteries as well as devising many of Bhutan's customs, traditions and ceremonies. This forged a unique cultural identity distinct from Tibet.
