‘Ordinary’ Living Buddha offers salvation
Print Edition
ON paper, Zhabdrung Rinpoche is like any other man of 18: he studies, debates, loves music, plays basketball, microblogs, and learns English. He will not be seen at nightclubs, however, nor do his aspirations feature the trappings of an individualistic lifestyle, such as flashy cars or great riches. His motivation in life is to deliver all living creatures from torment.
Zhabdrung Rinpoche is a Living Buddha.
Born on June 28, 1997, in Lhari County, Nagqu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, Zhabdrung Rinpoche is the son of a Tibetan doctor and a teacher. He was known as Sonam Dondrup until 2001.
He was identified as the reincarnation of the 22nd Zhabdrung Living Buddha when he was three years old and lived under the guidance of senior monks from this age. He remains in contact with his parents and still calls them two or three times a week.
His formative years were average, and he attended kindergarten and primary school. When he was around 12, he realized he was not like his peers.
“My responsibility is heavier than a mountain,” he said. “Being a living buddha, I should offer salvation to sentient beings.”
Tibetan Buddhism has four main schools — Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Geluk. Zhabdrung Rinpoche belongs to Taklung Kagyu, a sub-school of Kagyu.
The Kagyu School introduced the reincarnation ritual in the 13th Century. The Geluk School adopted it in mid-16th Century. Panchen and Dalai are lineage disciples of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Geluk School.
Today reincarnation is the most widely accepted inheritance right among various schools in Tibet. There are currently 358 Living Buddhas in Tibet.
Taklung Kagyu followers are harsh disciplinarians. After graduating from primary school, Zhabdrung Rinpoche began his full-time religious education under Khenpo Phuntsog Choying.
Zhabdrung Rinpoche continued his studies at Drepung Monastery.
His traditional seat is Taklung Monastery in Lhundrup County, about 140 kilometers northeast of Lhasa. Built in 1180, it is the ancestral temple of Taklung Kagyu and home to around 80 monks.
“I seldom go back since I am so busy with my studies,” Zhabdrung Rinpoche explained.
There used to be three Living Buddhas in Taklung Monastery, but Zhabdrung Rinpoche is the only one remaining after one moved overseas and the other died in 2006.
The 835-year-old temple is undergoing renovation and expansion. Traditionally a Living Buddha is in charge of temple affairs, and Zhabdrung Rinpoche is no exception, even though he was only 15 when the project broke ground.
“I hope it will provide a place for monks to study Buddhism scriptures and learn about Tibet,” the Living Buddha explained. “It will also offer music, poetry, and English lessons.”
Most of Zhabdrung Rinpoche’s followers are from farm and pastoral areas in northern Tibet. When he returns to Taklung Monastery, as many as 20,000 people attend his dharma assembly, hoping that he will bless them by touching their heads or breathing on them.
When follower Tsering Drolma, a woman of 67 years, heard that the Living Buddha was back, she was keen to receive a blessing from him. In her eyes, the Living Buddha can “predict everything.” Supported by her granddaughter, she hobbled to meet Zhabdrung Rinpoche and pray for peace and happiness.
Sonam Tsomo, her granddaughter, said that although they are the same age, she idolizes the Living Buddha. To her, he is someone she can “pour out her heart” to.
“I cannot imagine my life without the Living Buddha,” she said.
Ngawang Sherab, a teenage monk in Taklung Monastery, feels “nervous” when he is in the presence of the Living Buddha because he is so “sharp and dignified”.
Although he has a busy schedule, Zhabdrung Rinpoche has free time to explore his other interests.
When he was younger he loved reading the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. He is now interested in poetry, especially works by Kahlil Gibran and Rabindranath Tagore.
Driven by his love for poems and essays, he started to pen his own. “I enjoy writing about nature and people’s feelings in both Tibetan and Mandarin,” he said.
Every fortnight, there is a basketball match in Drepung Monastery. Zhabdrung Rinpoche will join
whenever he is free. “I’m the only Living Buddha who plays.”
Last year, he visited Shanghai and Zhejiang Province in east China as a member of the Tibet youth league. He said that he was most impressed by the huge, towering buildings that blanket the city.
When he was walking around Shanghai in his red robe, one passer-by called him “a man in skirt.”
“It’s true,” he said, smiling without the slightest sign of annoyance. Experiences like this strengthen his resolve to share the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, as he believes it to be the perfect education.
“Tibetan Buddhism can cure the anxiety of modern life,” he said.
Zhabdrung Rinpoche studies traditional Tibetan medicine as well. He will continue studying for the next three to five years to obtain the geshe, the equivalent of a doctoral degree in Tibetan Buddhism. After that he will study the Buddhist scripture of his school, followed by five years, five months, and five days of meditation in a cave.
“Only by doing so, can I lead fellow monks to enlightenment,” he said.
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