H.E. Trungram Gyaltrul Rinpoche, PhD
The Present Incarnation of H.E. Trungram Gyaltrul Rinpoche
Rinpoche was born on July 12, 1968 in India to a Sherpa family from Nepal. His father is a devoted Vajrayana practitioner. While in his mother's womb, his parent had dreams that pointed to a child of highly unusual qualities. His birthplace reinforced these portents. The baby was born below a cave of Guru Padmasambhava, one of the great Buddhist masters, on the sacred mountain of Tsari.
Remarkably, the skin of his abdomen was clear and transparent and shifted location from time to time. Doctors were unable to explain it and so his parents took him to Nepal at the age of 18 months to seek out His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, who recognized the child at once:
"You must relinquish this child to me.", Karmapa told the parents. "He does not have any health problems, and he will be of great benefit to all sentient beings and the Dharma. He is the reincarnation of a great Kagyu master. This master is like Milarepa, showing great accomplishment. Your child is the reincarnation of Trungram Gyaltrul Rinpoche."
The Karmapa, explained Rinpoche's transparent abdomen as a symbol of his realization, and said that if they so desired, his abdomen could return to normal, since it had already served its purpose in proving the realization of his Mahamudra practice. Karmapa gave the baby a vajra band, performed the bathing ceremony and conducted a puja to purify disasters and obstacles for him And the transparency slowly disappeared over the following three weeks.
Later at Dalsang, Rinpoche's temple in Boudhanath, Karmapa cut some of Rinpoche's hair, gave him a monk's robe and the Dharma name Gyaltrul Karma Tenpai Gyaltsen Trinley Kunkhyab Pal Zangpo. The Karmapa also composed a long life prayer for Rinpoche.
It is in the oral tradition that the previous Trungram Gyaltrul Rinpoche stated he would adopt vegetarianism in the next life. From birth, Rinpoche has been a vegetarian.
Rinpoche was enthroned at the age of four in Sikkim where Karmapa resided. He thus took on the role of a reincarnate master with great responsibilities in this lifetime. Rinpoche's education subsequently began at Rumtek Monastery.
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