H.H. The Penor Rinpoche
Question: What is the difference between Dharma and worldly life?
Reply: In order to practice Dharma we need to obtain a human rebirth. This is extremely difficult because one needs to obtain the two causes of human birth: the practice of pure morality and the making of many pure. Aspiration prayers to receive a human rebirth. These two causes bring about a change in the human Birth. Without them, we do not obtain a human body. Birth as a human being depends upon these two causes and, in order really to accomplish the Dharma, one must have a human body.
Within cyclic existence, there are many levels, from the peak of existence to the lower realm of hell the varieties of the bodies of the sentient. Beings who are born in these realms of cyclic existence are innumerable. For example, some are huge and some are minute. As a result, we can never define the characteristics of the bodies in cyclic existence. Of these myriads of different bodies produced in cyclic Existence, the one most specially suited for Dharma practice is the human body. The reason for this is that once one has a human body one has the opportunity to hear the Buddhist teachings, especially the teachings on the Vows of sutra and on the vows of secret mantra. When one knows how to keep Vows of sutra and mantra as purely as possible this means that one won’t have to take an ordinary non-human rebirth in cyclic existence. One shall be able to take a human body and use it as the vehicle through which One can eventually achieve the perfect state of Enlightenment.
That which is referred to as cyclic existence is, by nature, a state of suffering. There is no limit or end to it. If we were to try to make a limit to cyclic existence, it would be impossible. If we were to try to define the number of beings who are wandering in cyclic existence, we would have to say that there are more of them than there are atomic particles in the world. As we now have this human body and we now know that it is the vehicle with which we can accomplish Dharma, if we were to ask, “Is it something that we can easily obtain again?” the answer is that it is something that is very difficult to obtain again. Though it is difficult for us to imagine these, most sentient beings who are humans now will probably not be humans in their next lifetime. If you were to then ask, “Where will they take rebirth?” for the most part they will take rebirth in the three lower realms as hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals.
Knowing the ways in which sentient beings suffer within cyclic existence as well as the causes of their suffering, and feeling great compassion for sentient beings who suffer in these ways, the Buddha taught the Dharma as the means whereby sentient beings could achieve liberation from cyclic existence. He taught the Dharma that would enable sentient beings to understand the causes of suffering—namely, non-virtuous activity—and the way to abandon these causes. He taught that if they wanted to be free from cyclic existence, they had to produce the causes for achieving the state beyond sorrow, nirvana, which comes about by practicing virtue, the opposite of non-virtue. Having heard these teachings on Dharma, if we practice in accordance with them, we can become liberated from cyclic existence and achieve the state of permanent freedom and happiness. The Dharma that the Buddha taught is not to be practiced for the benefit of the Buddha; its purpose is solely that each individual who hears and practices it can free themselves from suffering. That is why we need Dharma. We can then say that the definition of Dharma and its purpose is that it is the method for freeing oneself from suffering. This is the meaning of Dharma.
As for worldly activities, they can bring the accomplishment of worldly wealth, happiness, and fame, and other such mundane aims in this current life. However, among those who attempt to accomplish these goals by engaging in worldliness, there are those who can accomplish them and there are those who cannot. Even those who manage to accomplish them do so only temporarily. They too will experience suffering because they cannot possibly achieve ultimate happiness through worldly efforts or activities. The reason for this is that worldly activity is mingled with the five poisons. Anything that is mingled with the five poisons is considered, in the end, to be non-virtuous. If it is thus really non-virtuous, it is only going to end up being the cause for more wandering in cyclic existence and nothing more than that. At the time of the reign of King Songsten Gampo of Tibet, for the benefit of his people he established the ten virtues that are the Dharma of deities and the sixteen purities that are the Dharma of human beings. This meant that their worldly activities would be rendered virtuous if the people abide by these laws. However, unfortunately, most people in cyclic existence are accustomed to the negative habits and are fixated upon what is familiar to them, namely, their ordinary non-virtuous deeds. So it was and is very difficult for them to perform the sixteen purities that are the Dharma of human beings. If they were able to do this, they would have more happiness in this life and, after death, they would definitely take rebirth as human beings or gods.
From the point of view of Dharma, there are many different vehicles or stages on the path. Among all of them, the best is considered to be the secret mantra vehicle of the Great Perfection, which is the peak of all vehicles. If one is able to practice according to the Great Perfection vehicle just as it should be, then in this very lifetime, in this very body, one can achieve the state of Buddhahood and stop the process of wandering in cyclic existence. The secret mantra practice of the Great Perfection can bring enlightenment in one lifetime, in one’s current body. Whether this happens or not is up to the individual’s ability to practice purely. In general, the Dharma is excellent, but an individual’s practice needs to match the Dharma in its excellence. So you can’t be liberated just through Dharma; you have to liberate yourself through your practice. Therefore, if there is a combination of pure Dharma and pure practice, then through the power of this combination, one can be liberated from samsara and achieve the final state of permanent freedom.
Also, in terms of worldly activity, no matter what the activity is in which one is engaged, it cannot possibly endure. It can continue for some ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty years maximum and then it will decline because the individual will lose the ability to sustain it. No matter who the individual is and no matter what they do for the sake of gaining wealth, fame, or pleasure in this world, they will all reach the time of their death without exception. Maybe after fifty or sixty years of worldly involvement they will die. This means they will have to leave behind everything that they worked so hard to gain. This is why it is said that striving only to acquire material wealth and pleasure is just another form of non-virtue and will therefore bring only harm and suffering in future lifetimes. This is especially the case if one engages in activities solely for the pursuit of profit and fame for just oneself and one’s family because it is based on biased attachment to one’s own personal needs and concerns. Even though it may seem to bring some temporary benefit, this is very slight in comparison to the great harm that eventually results from it. This will not bring about permanent happiness and peace. This is why it is only Dharma that has the capacity to truly benefit us in this lifetime, as well as in all future lifetimes. Nothing in cyclic existence has this capacity. It is in this way that we should clearly understand and appreciate the real difference between Dharma and worldly life.
Question: Can you please explain to us who you are and what makes you special?
Reply: I have no great qualities to speak of but I was recognized by both Khenpo Ngaga and the fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche Thupten Chokyi Dorje as the incarnation of the second Pema Norbu Rinpoche, who was the pure awareness holder Palchen Dupa. Though these two lamas who recognized me lived in different areas the details they gave for discovering me as the reincarnation of the second Pema Norbu Rinpoche were exactly the same. They both spoke of the place where I would be born, who my parents were, their names, what the year and element of my birth would be, and giving clear and precise details. Based on this, when I was only two years old, I was invited to come to the mother Palyul monastery and assume the responsibilities of my predecessor, Palchen Dupa. I was then taken from the place of my birth in Powo near Lhasa to Palyul monastery where I was enthroned as Palyul Pema Norbu Rinpoche. I thus became the head of the Palyul tradition, which includes the root Palyul mother monastery, which is one of the six great monasteries of the Nyingma tradition in Tibet, together with its 400 or so branch monasteries. This meant that everyone in the entire Palyul tradition carried out the activities I initiated. They adhered to whatever I said and assisted me in however I strove to establish and spread the doctrine. While I was able to stay in Tibet my activities were readily carried out in this way.
During my time in Tibet I tried my very best to undergo all the training necessary for fulfilling my responsibilities as head of the Palyul lineage, especially with respect to the empowerment and transmissions of both the Kama and Terma lineages of Palyul. I received all these lineages and applied myself to all of the important practices related to them. From the time of the awareness holder Kunzang Sherab who was the founder of the Palyul tradition, the lineages of this tradition have been passed down an undiminished manner until the present time. Thus because I was responsible for upholding them, I tried my best to accomplish them so that they would continue without decline. This is what I continue to do.
Unfortunately I did not have a long time in Tibet as my time there was cut short. Suddenly there were changes in Tibet and I was forced to leave. So I and many others went to India. There were many hardships in our mass exodus all the way from the province of Kham in eastern Tibet to India. After we arrived in India, things went well for me because of the efforts of the Indian government and the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Generally there were many difficulties, but it was my responsibility to serve as the head of the Palyul lineage, and with the help of my patrons and disciples, I was able to rebuild our Palyul monastery in south India. Eventually we reestablished the other institutions that are necessary for upholding the tradition such as three-year retreat centers for advanced practice and scholastic colleges for higher studies. We refunded all of these institutions. From the past until now I have tried my best to uphold every single responsibility that lies on my shoulders and I will continue to do so. It is my intention to spend the remaining duration of my lifetime dedicated to the spreading of the Dharma in the vastest way possible so as to benefit as many beings as can be reached.
For the last 400 years in the Nyingma tradition there have been six great traditions associated with six main monasteries: two in the upper region of Tibet known as Dorje Trak and Mindroling, two in the middle region of Tibet known as Shechen and Dzokchen, and two in the lower region known as Kadok and Palyul. Each of these lineages has a mother monastery with 300 to 400 branch monasteries. At present, Penor Rinpoche is the supreme head of the Palyul tradition including all of its branch monasteries. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was recognized by the great renowned Khenpo Ngaga Rinpoche to be an emanation of Vajrapani, who is known as the Lord of the Secrets. He was also recognized as an emanation of the great scholar Vimalamitra, and also as an emanation of both Dodrup Kunzung Shenpen and Dodrup Puntsok Jungnay. He is the third Penor Rinpoche, as he was recognized as the immediate incarnation of the second Pema Norbu Palchen Dupa by Khenpo Ngaga and the fifth Dzokchen Rinpoche, Thupten Choki Dorje. The extensive story of his life has been presented in an English translation in the book entitled “A Garland of Immortal Wish-fulfilling Trees: The Palyul Tradition of Nyingmapa.” If you would like to know the entire story, you can read it there.
In Tibet there was no tradition of having a supreme head of the Nyingma lineage. It was generally the case, however, that there were many highly qualified, highly realized Nyingma teachers who were both great scholars and highly accomplished practitioners. Any number of them would have been qualified to serve as the head of the Nyingma tradition but there was no tradition of selecting such a head in Tibet. Rather, everyone would receive Dharma transmissions from such teachers and follow what they were asked to do. Thus, there was a tradition of receiving teachings and abiding by the disciplines laid out by the different great teachers.
After 1959, when the Tibetan lamas came to India as refuges, His Holiness the Dalai Lama continued to serve as the supreme head of all the religious traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, as he had been in Tibet. He continued to act in this capacity, but he decided that it would be good if each of the main lineages were to select a supreme head to govern their own religious affairs and to take care of various other responsibilities. As refugees in India, the Nyingmapas selected His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche as the supreme head of the Nyingma School. After his passing away His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was selected. Then after he passed away there were many highly qualified Nyingma teachers in India and Nepal who were both great scholars and highly accomplished practitioners. Each and every one of them was totally worthy of becoming the head of the Nyingma lineage. For example, there were Minling Trichen Rinpoche, Pema Norbu Rinpoche, Dodrup Chen Rinpoche, Trulshik Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche, and Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche. It should be made clear then that each one of these teachers was absolutely worthy of being the supreme head of the Nyingma lineage, each one being just as important as the next. Finally, representatives of the different Nyingma monasteries decided to select His Holiness Penor Rinpoche from among these teachers to become the next head. He was selected because of his ability to create harmony among all the monasteries of the Nyingma School,
Everyone agreed to his selection, which was then presented to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who acknowledged and personally confirmed his selection. In this way His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was authorized to take the position of the supreme head of the Nyingma tradition. All of this took place on the sacred ground of Bodhgaya at the time of the annual great prayer festival of the Nyingma. After that, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche began assuming the responsibilities of the supreme head of the Nyingma School. In different ways he took on the responsibility of caring for the many different Nyingma monasteries. For example he established colleges for advanced study, making sure that lamas were trained to become Khenpos (scholars), especially at the college he founded at his main Palyul monastery in India. He then placed these trained khenpos in the colleges of other monasteries. He has also given and continues to give financial help to monasteries that have had financial difficulties.
More broadly, after becoming the head of the Nyingma tradition, his overall intention has been to create harmony and cooperation among all the religious traditions of Tibetan Buddhism so as to bring about the greatest benefit to all sentient beings. Specifically, he is responsible for bringing all the lineages of the Nyingma tradition together, not only the Palyul tradition, but also all the lineages of the Nyingma school of Vajrayana Buddhism without bias or partiality. He has continually given such support to all the Nyingma traditions in the past and will continue to be responsible for their propagation in the future. This is his principal responsibility. With this intention he continually engages in many profound and extensive deeds with as vast a plan as possible so as to bring the most benefit to all beings. What I have said of Penor Rinpoche is true; it accords with his activity and you may place your confidence in these words of mine.
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