FOUNDER OF BUDDHA DORDENMA IMAGE FOUNDATION KINGDOM OF BHUTAN

His Eminence Trizin Tsering Rimpoche is the mastermind for all the activities of the MCT as well as the founder of the BDIF.

Rimpoche (meaning precious), Lam (meaning master/root/his holiness/rimpoche), and His Eminence are the way how people call His Eminence Trizin Tsering Rimpoche. Rimpoche’s name is Tsering Wangdi while the name Trizin Tsering, meaning Precious Chairman, has been conferred after his being enthroned as the chairman of the MCT. An introductory certificate of Rimpoche by His Holiness of Bhutan can be found at http://www.buddhadordenma.org. His chronological biography is as follows:

1955 – 1964 (0-9 years old)
Rimpoche was born in Khendaksa Goenpa, Bhutan in 1955. As a child he had displayed an extraordinary level of wisdom that his father, an accomplished yogi, intentionally exposed him to Dharma teachings since he was five.

His father prided on the inherent determination of Rimpoche to devote life in the Buddha’s Dharma in that Rimpoche entered the Drukpa Kargyu monastery in Bhutan at a tender age of nine. and studied under His Holiness Je Yishi Sengay of the Drukpa Kargyu lineage.

1964 – 1986 (9-31 years old)
Rimpoche studied under five major masters from the Drukpa Kargyu, Nyingma, Dzokchen, Tekcho Tersar Treasures, Shangpa Kargyu and Karma Kargyud lineages:

His Holiness Je Yishi Sengay in 1964;
His Holiness the 16^th Karmapa in 1969;
His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in 1974;
His Holiness Dujum Rinpoche in 1975;
His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche in 1982.

1976 (21 years old)
Rimpoche successfully completed a one-year-long Wisdom Manjushri retreat followed by another four-month-long Padmasambhava retreat.
Rimpoche outstandingly passed the Buddhist Philosophy examination, based on his understanding of relinquishing samsara. He also began his three-year-three-month-three-day-long retreat in the late November to December.

1986 (31 years old)
Although the name of the retreat indicates an approximate of three years long, the actual period is three and a half years. Rimpoche also learned the Six Yogas of Naropa and Niguma under his root guru, His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche and therefore he is qualified to teach the practice of the Marpa Kagyu, the Shangpa Kagyud and the Nyingma Dzokchen lineage.

Moreover, Rimpoche has received transmissions and empowerments of the Rinchen Terzok (Over Thousands Traditional Treasures lineage of Main Point), Dujum Tersar (All Treasures), Buddha Shakyamuni Spiritual Kangyur (145 volumes) and Padmasambawa Spiritual Nyingma Gyubuum (100 volume sutras).

As soon as Rimpoche completed the retreat, he decided to spend his entire life on spiritual practice in caves. However his root guru, His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche, counseled him otherwise to share the benefits of Buddha’s Dharma with all beings and that was when Rimpoche began the Buddha’s Dharma activities.

1988 (33 years old)
The Building of a 110-foot-tall Dharmakaya Stupa in West Bengal With the intention of benefiting beings that were inflicted in mass killings, His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche gave instructions to Rimpoche to build a 110-foot-tall Dharmakaya stupa in West Bengal. When the stupa was midway completed, His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche passed on to parinirvana. This is the first stupa built by Rimpoche of which its building took one year to

complete.

1990 (35 years old)
The Building of the Eight Holy Stupas of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni The eight Holy Stupas of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni were built by Rimpoche along the Northen India border, they comprised of: the Siddharta Lotus Stupa, the Enlightenment Stupa, the Dharma Wheel Stupa, the Miracle Stupa, the Reconciliation Stupa, the God Realm Stupa, the Long-Life Blessing Stupa and the Nirvana Stupa. Approximately 500 smaller stupas were built in between

these eight stupas.

1990 (35 years old) – Present
Rimpoche has been actively teaching the Buddha’s Dharma in many countries apart from Bhutan including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Canada, USA, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The ultimate aim of Rimpoche is to propagate the timeless principles of the Buddha’s Teachings impartially to worldwide Buddhist followers so as to unite them in one single faith of Buddha’s Dharma regardless of any differences.

Whatever offerings made to Rimpoche have always been dedicated by him to Buddha’s activities. Even ordinary stones that are the only precious jewels that can be offered by a person, as long as one is fully devoted to Buddhas, Rimpoche invariably keeps them safe with him. Instead of rejecting, Rimpoche incessantly tries to bridge all beings with the path to enlightenment. When the time has come, the offered stones are subsequently placed into the construction of holy objects, such as monasteries, stupas and the Buddha statues.

1995 – 2000 (40-45 years old)
The Dharmakaya Stupa Scripture Translation and The Stupa-Building Rimpoche managed to translate the Dharmakaya Stupa Scripture from the Gubta Nagara Dharma language to English with the assistance of an American professor, Mr. Ives Waldo. The scripture was published in 1998 and as many as two thousand copies were shipped to Ohio, USA. The

proceeds were then allocated to build a 19-foot-tall Dharmakaya Stupa in Ohio in 2000.

To attain the supreme enlightenment, all beings must accumulate both virtues and wisdom. This reason gave rise to the building of the Dharmakaya stupa which is a manifestation of the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. Its visual presentation can be viewed on our website, http://www.dordenma.org/dharmakayastupa.html. It encompasses the Perfect Teaching which shows the Path that leads all beings to liberation.

1995 – 2004 (40-49 years old)
The Mani Kabum Scripture Translation
The near-two-thousand-page-long Mani Kabum Volume I & II expound on the prophecies and teachings of the Great Compassion Chenrezig (Guanyinpusa). Rimpoche had been meticulously working hard to translate them from the Gubta Nagara Dharma language to English in America, assisted by the same American professor Mr. Ives Waldo. The Mani Kabum Volume I & II have been completely edited. The proceeds have been planned to be allocated in the Buddha Dordenma

Image Foundation (www.manikabum.com).

Rimpoche gave an eighty-four Mahasiddhas empowerment, attended by more than 100,000
people in Bhutan.
During the same year, Rimpoche provided financial support for the building of 108
Jangchub Chortens in Autsho, Lhuentse, paving the way for the fulfillment of prophecies by renowned Buddhist masters: Terton Dorje Lingpa, Terton Pema Lingpa, Terton Samten Lingpa, and Lam Sonam Zangpo.
Furthermore, a three-story-tall monastery, the Kunphen Ösel Dzong, with a capacity to accommodate 100 monks has been built in traditional architecture style by the local people in Bhutan. To date, it is still under construction. Rimpoche, along with His Holiness of Bhutan, was in charge of providing the financial support. The construction of a seven-kilometer-long road leading to the proposed monastery site began on 24 April 2001 after His Holiness the Je Khenpo performed the Sa Choe Jhin Gi Laap consecration ceremony at the crossroads of Kurichu.

2002 (47 years old) - Present
Rimpoche has built a 1000-armed Chenrezig Temple with a cost of around US$1m. It is located at Potala Lhakang, Tshanghka Trashiling, Trongsar District, Central Bhutan. The exact location of the temple was pointed out by Longchenpa, a Dzogchen master. The 31-foot-tall standing Chenrezig will have been applied gold leaf by end of May 2007.

2003 (48 years old) - Present
The Sutra Reprinting Project & the Enthronement as Chairman of MCT Being aware of the paramount importance of the Kangyur Sutra (consisting of the teachings of Theravada, Mahayana, & Vajrayana Buddhism), Rimpoche has been actively seeking support to reprint it. To date, as much as Nu4,7m has been fundraised by the MCT for the Sutra Reprinting Project. In November 2003, a complete set of printing machines were shipped to Bhutan by a sponsor. Subsequently in April 2004, the Monastic Printing Press was inaugurated by His Holiness. By reprinting these holy scriptures, they are made available to all temples and monasteries in Bhutan for annual recitation, thus invoking blessing, healing, natural happiness

and world peace.

Rimpoche has been enthroned as the chairman of Menjong Chöthün Tshogpa and conferred the title His Eminence Trizin by His Holiness Trulku Jigme Chöda Rinpoche 70th Jekhenpo of Bhutan since June 2003.
Video can be seen at http://www.dordenma.org/Rinpoche-enthronement.wmv.

2004 (49 years old) - Present
The Buddha Dordenma Image Foundation has been established for the construction of a 169-foottall Buddha Shakyamuni at Changri Kuensel Phodrang, Thimphu, Bhutan. Upon its completion by the end of year 2008, it will be a major pilgrimage center and a focal point for worldwide Buddhists to converge, practice, meditate and hold spiritual retreats. Primarily it serves as a karma-restructuring means to all beings.

September 2006 - June 2007 Compiled by: Duetsi Khadro, a disciple of Rimpoche Updates available: http://www.buddhadordenma.org