“Kyabje Phabongka had such vast qualities that it is difficult to comprehend them” ~ Kyabje Zong Rinpoche

About Zong Rinpoche
“(Zong) Rinpoche was born in Kham in 1905. He went to Lhasa when he was eleven years old to study at Shartse. He studied effortlessly and became renowned as a powerful and irrefutable debater. A learned geshe at that time said that ‘even if Shri Dharmakirti had been present, he would not have been able to debate better than that.’

After graduating as a high ranking Lharampa geshe at the age of twenty-five he moved on to the Tantric College of Gyuto. In 1937 he was appointed abbot of Shartse, a position he held for nine years.

Rinpoche was known as a strong, detached and wrathful lama. He had impeccable knowledge of all rituals, art and science, and he never hesitated to give reasons to others why this action or that painting was wrong.

He was renowned for his ‘many actions of powerful magic,’ as a result of which ‘the most marvellous, indescribable signs occurred.’”

From: Wisdom: Magazine of the FPMT, Number 2, 1984.

“In 1916 ( Zong Rinpoche) went to Lhasa to study the dharma at Shartse college (of Gaden Monastery), where he studied the sutras of the Prajnaparamita, Madhyamika, the Abidharma and the Vinaya. He quickly became famous as a sharp analyst and master of philosophical debate. In 1929 he successfully completed his geshe examinations and was awarded with the highest degree, the Geshe Lharampa title …. in 1937 he became abbot of the Shartse college.

So his name spread all over the country of being a powerful tantrika and he gave many empowerments and teachings on those subjects with a special emphasis on the tantras of Heruka, Hayagriva, Yamantaka, Gyelchen Shugden, Guhyasamaja, Vajrayogini, Green Tara, Mahakali, White Tara, Vaishravani and others. …

He was one of the last teachers of the old generation with the aura of authority and a kind of aristrocratic touch or vajra pride. In his teachings he followed very strictly the original texts. But, concerning his age, he was very open and patient to us Westerners, always kind, polite and helpful to answer our many questions concerning detailed tantra explanations.”

From the Biography of Zong Rinpoche by Hans Taeger

Zong Rinpoche On Je Pabongka
From: Chod in the Ganden Tradition The Oral Instructions of Kyabje Zong Rinpoche

Zong Rinpoche was one of the foremost

Lamas of his generation, and a life-long

Dorje Shugden practitioner besides…

Vast qualities
Kyabje Pabongka had such vast qualities that it is difficult to comprehend them. Sincere and pure practitioners should consult the birth stories of this high lama. Je Pabongka was an emanation of Krishnapada. Krishnapada was a great mahasiddha, a scholar and realized being …

An actual bodhisattva
…When he was young, he received lamrim teachings from Dagpo Lama Jampel Lhundrub, and when the customary ritual for generation of bodhichitta was held at the end of the teachings, he actually generated bodhichitta. When this happened, Jampel Lhundrub ordered a throne to be set up for the young Pabongka. On hearing the Sevenfold Cause-and-Effect instructions for the first time, his mind was greatly moved, and he wept.

Je Pabongka was Heruka himself
Kyabje Pabongka was also an emanation of Heruka Chakrasamvara, but degeneration of the times and jealousy of ordinary beings have made it difficult to become aware of his tremendous qualities. There are many biographies of Kyabje Pabongka that make his realized qualities very clear.

A Dalai Lama acknowledges a great teacher
The thirteenth Dalai Lama requested Kyabje Pabongka to give the yearly lamrim teachings in 1925, instead of asking the Gaden throneholder, as was customary. Usually these teachings lasted seven days, but these lasted for eleven days. These were my first teachings from Kyabje Pabongka. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang was also present at these teachings.

“Once, returning from Chamdo, Kyabje Pabongka taught at a “dzong,” a fortified monastery. A member of his audience had a vision of Kyabje Phabongka with four arms.

On another occasion, teaching at Lhasa, thirty-two incarnate lamas attended his lamrim discourses. Tapu Dorje Chang traveled from Kham to Lhasa specifically to receive Dharma teachings from Kyabje Pabongka. Tapu Dorje Chang could hear statues of Avalokiteshvara andTara speak, and saw visions of multi-armed yidams. Kyabje Pabongka was Tapu Dorje Chang’s disciple also.

Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche

Once Kyabje Pabongka invoked the wisdom beings of Heruka’s mandala to enter into a statue of Heruka Chakrasamvara. Heruka then offered nectar to Kyabje Phabongka, and prophesied that seven generations of his disciples would be protected by the body mandala of Heruka. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang is cared for by Heruka Chakrasamvara, as are his disciples.

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche were tutors to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They taught His Holiness everything from basic teachings to advanced levels.

Kyabje Pabongka passed all of his lineages to Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang. He often said this in discourses. The purpose of this detailed exposition is to affirm the power of the lineage.

"If we lose faith in the lineage, we are lost." ~ Kyabje Zong Rinpoche

We should remember the biographies of past and present teachers. We should never develop negative thoughts towards our root and lineage gurus. If we do not keep the commitments after having received teachings, this is a great downfall. After giving teachings, the guru should act in accordance with the capacities of disciples and their requests. If the disciples see the guru’s actions as pure, this is proper practice. The guru should not act in contradictory ways.”

Source: February 22, 2009 by truthaboutshugden