archaeography

I had an extraordinary meeting today at our MetaMedia Lab with the Very Venerable 7th Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

He is the seventh incarnation of the seventeenth century Yongey Mingyur Dorje.

An extraordinary presence.

The basis from which the successive incarnations of Mingyur Rinpoche have emanated is Vajrapani, the Lord of Secrets, the embodiment of the power, strength, and ability of all buddhas in the pure realm of Changlochen. In a previous lifetime, Mingyur Rinpoche was the noble being Niruddha, who among all the disciples of Buddha Shakyamuni demonstrated the great miraculous powers at the Vajra Throne of Bodh Gaya. In the snowy ranges of Tibet, he was reborn in the eighth century C.E. as Prince Mutri Tsenpo (the eldest son of King Trisong Deutsen), one of the twenty-five disciples of Guru Padmasambhava. The prince's successive incarnations appeared in Tibet to spread the Buddha teachings as emissaries of Padmasambhava.

Among these were five treasure revealers (tert?ns) with the title Lingpa, whose natures were those of the five buddha families. The great Rigdzin G?kyi Demtruchen (1337-1409) was a regent of Padmasambhava who appeared in the central part of Tibet. Terchen Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405) was associated with the east, Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) with the west, and Shikpo Lingpa (1524-1583) with the intermediate directions. Mingyur Rinpoche's previous incarnations also included the great Drigung tert?n Rinchen Phuntsok (1509-1557), Rigdzin Jats?n Nyingpo (1585-1656), Namch? Mingyur Dorje (1645-1667), and twenty-one major tert?ns with the name Nuden, among whom was the seventeenth-century incarnation Yongey Mingyur Dorje.

We talked about personal history and everyday routines, directly linked in his life with meditation and argument.