Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ( 1820–1892) was a renowned teacher, scholar and terton. He was the founder of Rime movement. Jamyang Khyentse was born in Derge, he learnt to read at the age of four or five, and from an early age his intelligence grew so keen he was able to master reading, writing and other skills without any difficulty. At twelve, he was recognized  as the incarnation of the great khenpo  Jampa Name Chime,  and he was given the name Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo Kunga Tenpé Gyaltsen Palzangpo. At twenty-one, he received full ordination from Minling Khenchen Rigdzin Zangpo . In all, he had more than one hundred and fifty teachers, who were great masters from all four major schools, Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu and Nyingma. All that he himself had received of the sutras, tantras and pith instructions, he passed onto his disciples in accordance with their own inclinations and karmic fortune. By continuously giving empowerments, transmissions and teachings, he ensured that his followers were thoroughly grounded in the complete non-sectarian teachings of the Buddha. With the offerings he received from devoted disciples, he commissioned the crafting of around two thousand statues of the Buddha, made from gold and copper, as representations of the Buddha’s enlightened body. As representations of enlightened speech, he commissioned the carving of woodblocks for almost forty volumes of texts and was responsible for around two thousand volumes being copied out by hand. As representations of the Buddha’s enlightened mind, he commissioned the construction of more than a hundred stupas.

The most important of his many countless disciples who were holders of the teachings were Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso, Ju Mipham Rinpoche, Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima, Terchen Chokgyur Lingpa of the Nyingma school; the Sakya throneholder Tashi Rinchen, Zimok Rinpoche of Nalendra monastery of the Sakya tradition; the fourteenth and fifteenth Gyalwa Karmapas, the tenth and eleventh Situ Rinpoches, Taklungma Rinpoche and other holders of the Kagyü teachings; Könchok Tenpa Rabgyé, the great Nomihan of Drakyab, Lithang Khenchen Jampa Phuntsok, Horkhang Sar Gyalwa of the Riwo Gendenpa tradition.