Akong Rinpoche facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche |
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Akong Rinpoche at his 65th Birthday celebration in 2005
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| Religion | Tibetan Buddhism |
| School | Kagyu |
| Lineage | Karma Kagyu |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | British |
| Born | Shetrup Akong Tarap 25 December 1939 Dharak Village, Riwoche, Kham, Tibet |
| Died | 8 October 2013 (aged 73) Chengdu, China |
| Religious career | |
| Teacher |
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| Reincarnation | Akong Lama |
| Website | [1] |
Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche (Tibetan: ཆོས་རྗེ་ཨ་དཀོན་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, born December 25, 1939 – died October 8, 2013) was an important tulku (a recognized reincarnated teacher) in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. He helped start the Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland. This was the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West. He also founded Tara Rokpa Therapy and the ROKPA International Charity, which helps people around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Journey
Akong Tulku Rinpoche was born in 1939 in a village called Dharak in Eastern Tibet. When he was just two years old, he was recognized as the new incarnation of the first Akong, who was the head of Dolma Lhakang Monastery. This was a special event because the monastery had not had a reincarnated leader before.
At age four, Akong Rinpoche went to Dolma Lhakang Monastery. There, he began his traditional training as a tulku. He also studied Tibetan medicine, as his previous incarnation was a skilled doctor. While still a teenager, he took charge of the monastery. He led religious ceremonies and treated sick people in the large, remote area around the monastery.
He later studied at Shechen Monastery. There, he learned from important teachers like Kongtrul Rinpoche of Shechen. His main teacher was the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The Karmapa encouraged Akong Rinpoche to teach Buddhism and authorized him to teach Tibetan medicine.
In 1959, when he was 20, Akong Rinpoche had to leave Tibet. This was after the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion. He traveled to India with the 11th Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his younger brother, who later became known as Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche. Their journey was very difficult. Out of 300 people, only 13 made it to India. They ran out of food and had to boil leather shoes and bags to survive.
After spending time in refugee camps, Akong Rinpoche and Trungpa Rinpoche were helped by Freda Bedi. She later became a Buddhist nun. She took them into her home and helped them run the Young Lamas Home School in Dalhousie. In 1963, a friend helped them go to Oxford, England. Trungpa Rinpoche studied at the university. Akong Rinpoche worked at a hospital to support himself and his friends.
Akong Rinpoche's Activities
Akong Rinpoche did many different things around the world. His work focused on three main areas: Buddhist teachings (Dharma), healing (including Tibetan Medicine and therapy), and charity.
Buddhist Teachings
In 1967, Akong Rinpoche and Trungpa Rinpoche started Samye Ling in Scotland. It was the first Buddhist monastery in the West. It was named after the first monastery in Tibet, built by Guru Rinpoche in the 8th century. Today, Samye Ling is one of Europe's biggest Buddhist monasteries.
Akong Rinpoche preferred to invite great Tibetan Buddhist teachers to Samye Ling. He also helped rebuild and support monasteries in Tibet. He built large statues and sponsored the rebuilding of important religious structures. He also worked to save and print rare Buddhist and medical texts. Many of these texts were almost lost during the Cultural Revolution.
In 1974, the 16th Karmapa gave Akong Rinpoche the title Chöjé. This means "Lord of Dharma," recognizing his special qualities.
In 1992, Akong Rinpoche was given an important task. He had to find the new incarnation of the Karmapa, Urgyen Drodul Trinley Dorje. He used a special letter found by Kentin Tai Situ Rinpoche to help in this search. Akong Rinpoche helped bring the Karmapa to Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet. He also organized the Karmapa's official enthronement ceremony. This was the first time such a big event was allowed by authorities in modern Tibet. Akong Rinpoche's ability to work with different groups made this possible.
Healing and Therapy
Akong Rinpoche was a leader in bringing Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) to Western countries. He also created a new type of therapy called Tara Rokpa Therapy.
Tara Rokpa Therapy combines his spiritual and medical knowledge with the skills of doctors and therapists. This therapy helps people understand their suffering and heal through relaxation, meditation, and self-knowledge. Akong Rinpoche wrote a book with his students called Taming the Tiger: Tibetan Teachings for Improving Daily Life.
In 1989, Akong Rinpoche opened Lothlorien. This was a special home for people with serious mental health issues. It helped those who found regular spiritual training too difficult.
He also promoted Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) in Tibet and Europe. In 2004, he helped start The British Association of Traditional Tibetan Medicine (BATTM). This group works to protect and share Tibetan medicine. He brought a famous Tibetan doctor, Khenpo Troru Tsenam, to teach TTM at Samye Ling. Clinics were opened, and Tibetan medicine was recognized as a "herbal medicine" in the UK.
In Tibet, through his charity ROKPA, he opened TTM clinics. He trained over 600 TTM doctors, many of whom were orphans. These doctors promised to serve in their home villages for at least six years. He also started a program to protect the herbs used in Tibetan medicine. He even sent young doctors to the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh to study how to grow these plants.
Charity Work
In 1980, Akong Rinpoche co-founded ROKPA International with Lea Wyler and her father, Dr. Viet Wyler. "ROKPA" means "help" or "friend" in Tibetan. Its motto is "Helping where help is needed." This international charity works mainly in Tibet, Nepal, and Zimbabwe.
ROKPA's goals are to promote Buddhism, encourage understanding between religions, provide medical care, offer education, and help reduce poverty. Many of the projects mentioned earlier, like the TTM clinics and orphan schools, were started through ROKPA. The charity also worked on large environmental projects and helped preserve Tibetan language and culture.
In Nepal, ROKPA focused on feeding homeless people. It also provided homes, education, and job training for street children. In Zimbabwe and South Africa, ROKPA offered food, job training, and therapy. This work helped people affected by the HIV Aids crisis and political problems.
In 2011, Akong Rinpoche attended events in Lhasa, Tibet, at the invitation of the Chinese government. He later said this was the hardest thing he ever had to do. While some people disagreed with his decision, his students felt he was willing to make personal sacrifices to help others.
Written Works
- Taming the Tiger: Tibetan Teachings for Improving Daily Life (2nd edition published in 1994 by Rider)
Awards and Advisory Roles
In 2011, Akong Tulku Rinpoche received a special award called "60 years, 6 people." The British Home Secretary honored him as a former refugee who made an inspiring contribution to Britain.
He also served as an advisor for several important organizations. In 1993, he advised The School for Disabled Minorities in Lhasa. In 2008, he became a Religious Advisor to the Buddhist Society of Satham, Yunnan. In 2009, he was appointed Advisor to the Medical College of Qinghai University. He also worked as a consultant for the National Museum of Scotland.
Passing Away
Akong Rinpoche sadly passed away on October 8, 2013, in Chengdu, China. Two other monks, including his nephew, and his driver also died. Police arrested three Tibetan men who admitted to the killings. Samye Ling stated that the killers intended to rob Akong Rinpoche of money meant for ROKPA projects.
His body was taken to the Tibetan Autonomous Region for a traditional cremation ceremony at Dolma Lhakang. Samye Ling confirmed that one of the suspected killers was named Tudeng Gusha, also known as Thubten Kunsal. He had spent time in the UK and made religious statues at Samye Ling. Thubten Kunsal's trial was held in August 2014.
In May 2014, a conference was held at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, to remember Akong Rinpoche's life and achievements. Speakers shared stories about his diverse work, much of which was unknown even to his close students. A book was created from the conference, titled "Only The Impossible is Worth Doing."
Akong Rinpoche's younger brother, Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, took over his spiritual duties as the Abbot of Samye Ling. Although ROKPA's work in Tibetan areas of China was stopped, other parts of Akong Rinpoche's activities continue to thrive. Before his death, Akong Rinpoche asked the Gyalwang Karmapa Urgyen Trinley Dorje to recognize his next incarnation. The Karmapa has promised to do so.
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