Dorje Lingpa

Dorje Lingpa (rdo rje gling pa, 1346-1405) was born in 1346 in Dranang Valley (grwa
nang dben rtsa) in Tibet, into a family of yogis, and was given the name Orgyen
Zangpo (o rgyan bzang po). His father's name was Kuton Sonam Gyeltsen (khu ston
bsod nams rgyal mtshan) and his mother was named Karmagyen (kar+ma rgyan).
As both parents died when he was still very young he was raised by an aunt. At the
age of eight he was given novice vows at Lharika (lha ri kha)

At thirteen he revealed his first treasure, from the imperial temple of Traduk (kra
'brug lha khang). Among the manuscripts he found there were the inventories
(byang bu), to treasure concealed in other places.

At fifteen, he disclosed a large number of treasures at Namchagdrag (gnam lcags

brag). Among these was the Tawa Longyang (lta ba klong yangs), a father tantra
Dzogchen cycle is considered one of his more controversial and innovative
teachings. Also included were the Lama Kadu (bla ma bka' 'dus) and the Yidam Kadu
(yi dam bka' 'dus). These flourished in Kongpo and Kham, but ultimately died out,
before being revived in the nineteenth century by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam
dbyang mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1813-1892). Both survived in Bhutan, however,
and the Lama Kadu is the ritual component of the annual festivals in several places
in Bhutan today.

By the age of twenty Dorje Lingpa had revealed so many treasure teachings, on
diverse subjects such as medicine, astrology, Bon, and various ritual practices, that
Sokdogpa Lodro Gyaltsen (sog zlog pa blo gros rgyal mtshan) described him as a
madman. Already at this point he was known by his treasure name, Dorje Lingpa.

Dorje Lingpa considered himself an incarnation of Vairochana, the eighth century

Tibetan adept who is considered to have concealed both Buddhist and Bon
treasures and figures prominently in the Dzogchen lineage of both traditions. In
1369 Dorje Lingpa was staying in the hermitage of Chuwori (cho bo ri) in the upper
Yarlung Valley, where he obtained a second inventory to additional treasure, this
one specifically tied to treasure concealed by Vairochana. In a dream a monk, whom
he took to be Vairochana, gave him a bell and a vajra and, pointing with his finger
toward the south, he said "O! your wealth portion and your would-be converts are
down there, that way!"

Believing the dream to be a prophecy indicating treasure to be revealed in the

region that is today Bhutan, he headed south, arriving in Paro in 1370 and began

revealing treasure there. He continued on to Kotang Samten Rinchenling (mkho

thang bsam gtan rin chen gling), known today as Kotangka, in Shar, one of the eight
temples established by Longchenpa. He revealed further treasure in Namtang
Langdrag (gnam thang glang brag) in Tang.

Around this time Dorje Lingpa originated the practice known as 'public revelation'
(khrom gter), in which an audience is invited to witness the extraction of the
treasure object. In 1371, with three hundred people in attendance, he revealed
treasure at Orgyen Yiblung Dekyiling (O rgyan yib lung bde skyi gling), and again at
Pungtang (spungs thang).

In Bumthang several years later, he continued revealing treasure, building a

residence that is said to exist today. He spent three years in Bumthang, revealing
treasure, sitting retreats, and giving teachings based on his revelations.

In 1376 Dorje Lingpa returned to Tibet. Stories are told of the welcome he received
in Tibet, following his sojourn in the reputedly barbaric regions of the south. For
example, when visiting Barawa Gyaltsen Palzang ('ba' ra ba rgyal mtshan dpal
bzang) in the Shang valley, he was asked to please dress the part of a respectable
lama, for fear that the clerics who were gathering to welcome him would loose faith.
Dorje Lingpa arrived in a procession with women in tiger and leopard masks, and
proceeded to sing a song of realization the topic of which was the tantric erasure of
conventional dualistic thinking.

Such songs are a hallmark of Dorje Lingpa's teaching, and many of them are
preserved, written by multiple hands, in his collected works. For the next three
decades he continued to teach, training numerous students including the Fourth
Karmapa, Rolpai Dorje (kar ma pa 04 rol pa'i rdo rje, 1340-1383). He passed away at
the age of sixty, and his corpse is said to have remained without decomposing for
three years. His family lineage, through is son Choyingpa (chos dbying pa),
continues in Bhutan.