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Previous Changling Reincarnations

Rigdzin Godem

Since the fifteenth century, the line of Changling Rinpoches have practiced and maintained the Northern Treasures lineage of Buddhist teachings. The Northern Treasures were the last teachings given by Padmasambhava before he left Tibet. After giving them, he hid them for a future generation.

In the late 14th century C.E., Tulku Zangpo Drakpa found the famous Prayer in Seven Chapters. This he gave to Rigdzin Godem for whom they were the key to finding the main body of teachings. Later branches were recovered by Tennyi Lingpa (15th c.) and Garwang Dorje (17th c). Among its many famous teachings is the Gonpa Sangtal, one of the most sublime works on The Great Perfection among Padmasambhava's vast teachings.

Dudjom Rinpoche wrote in his History of the Nyingma School that as the Northern Treasures were given to help the king and his descendants they subsequently served all Tibetans like a faithful minister.

Decades ago, when the Chinese sought to occupy Tibet, many fled their homeland. These precious Treasures were dispersed and dwindled.

Until now, the Northern Treasures Buddhist Fellowship is a newly created nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and practice of the treasures. The texts are being collected and translated. The oral teachings are being gathered, preserved and offered as courses.

Brief History of the Changling Lineage

Changling Rinpoche

There are two main Kagyu lineages: the Marpa and Shangpa Kagyu. In the Marpa Kagyu, there exist two lineages: the Dagpo Kagyu from Gampopa and the Rechung Kagyu from Rechungpa.

Rechungpa purposely took rebirth to collect the life stories and songs of Milarepa and restore the teachings of the formless dakinis. As Marpa could only translate two of the eight chapters of the eight dharmas of these teachings, he told Milarepa that one of Milarepa' disciples would gather these teachings. Later, Milarepa said to Rechungpa that since he had a prophecy from his master that one of his students would go to India, he, Rechungpa, should go to India and get the rest of the formless dakini teachings.

Rechungpa went to India and met Tipupa who was none other than Marpa's first son Dharma Dode who was intended to be the blood lineage holder of Marpa's oral instructions. Dharma Dode was given the exceptional and secret phowa empowerment and pith instructions to transfer consciousness into the recently expired body of an ordinary human being. Dharma Dode was wounded in, and later died from, an horrific riding accident. As Dharma Dode lay dying, Marpa gave him the pith instructions on the exceptional transference of consciousness.

No appropriate recently deceased human corpse could be found, so Dharma Dode transferred his consciousness into a newly deceased pigeon with the direct pith instructions from Marpa. Marpa's other students present saw many miraculous signs and all saw Dharma Dode in the form Hevajra. Marpa sent the pigeon to India to a charnel ground where the recently deceased body of a 16-year-old boy was to be burned. Dharma Dode transferred his consciousness from the pigeon into the boy's dead body and that boy appeared to come to life again. "Tipu" means pigeon. This phowa lineage was thus temporarily lost as the lineage could only be given once orally from guru to student and it had already been given the once to Dharma Dode.

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