Tulku Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche was born in the village of Kyidu Ruma,
Tromthar District, Kham, in the water horse year of 1942. When Tulku
Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche was born, rainbows were seen over his family's
nomadic tent. A Lama named Tatse was called to see the newborn.
Lama Tatse advised Tulku Nyima's parents that Tulku Nyima would become a
highly realized Lama and had to be kept clean. Lama Tatse also gave Tulku
Nyima's parents blessed pills. At the time of his birth, Tulku Nyima had
one tooth and hair.
In order to ascertain Tulku Nyima’s actual status, his father went to
Gyatso Monastery for guidance. A senior monk at Gyatso Monastery put
Tulku Nyima’s cap under his pillow that night. During his sleep, the
senior monk dreamt of Khenpo Ngagchung. This was the first indication of
Tulku Nyima’s prior incarnation. The great Jamyang Khyentse Choki Lodro
recognized him as the voice reincarnation of Khenpo Ngagchung when he was
just a small child. At the age of 12, Tulku Nyima went to Nyoshul Monastery
and trained under many masters, including Arik Rinpoche—his root teacher—
Orgyen Rigdzin, Khenpo Munsel, and Choktrul Pema Gyurme. During this time
he studied and meditated on the classic works of the Sakya and Nyingma
traditions.
Tulku Nyima entered the Changchub Jonpalung shedra at Nyoshul Monastery and
was able to master subjects under Lungtrul Rinpoche Lodro Shedrup Tenpai
Nyima, Khenpo Munsel of Golok and Arik Rinpoche, receiving the earlier and
later cycles of the Nyingtik teachings, The Four Higher Collections of the
Heart Drop and Yeshe Lama, and two editions of the source texts for The Heart
Drop of Longchempa. While at Nyoshul, for extended periods, Tulku Nyima ate
only lunch and fasted the remainder of the day. Tulku Nyima embarked on
studies of the Thirteen Buddhist doctrines. During this period, Tulku Nyima
had a vision of White Manjushri, in which Manjushri instructed Tulku Nyima to
study and pray from two specific pages in The Guide to the Words of My
Perfect Teacher. Tulku Nyima followed Manjushri’s instructions and
consistently prayed from these pages. As a result of his studies and
prayers, Tulku Nyima aroused his wisdom mind and was able to learn the
Thirteen Buddhist doctrines and other matters with almost no study. Tulku
Nyima learned so much material, that it would take forty days for someone
to recite it all. Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche wrote of Tulku Nyima in A Marvelous
Garland of Rare Gems, he “is a teacher of such extraordinary capabilities
that he can teach works like the thirteen great source texts and Mipham’s
Entrance to the Ways of the Wise from memory.”
Tulku Nyima has been the abbot of many different monasteries in Tibet since
1985 and has taught in universities both in Tibet, China and in America. He
has many disciples, among them lamas and tulkus from many regions including
Central Tibet, Kham, Amdo, and Inner Mongolia. In 2003, on his first visit
to the United States, he met His Holiness Sakya Trinzin who recognized him
as a 'genuine reincarnate lama of the Sakya tradition.' His Holiness also
described him as "well accomplished." He also met His Eminence Garchen
Rinpoche of the Drikung Kagyu tradition who publicly encouraged his
students to receive teachings from him. In addition, Tulku Nyima is
recognized as one of the five emanations of Khenpo Ngakchung, one of
the greatest Nyingma masters of the previous century and a prophesied
emanation of Vimalamitra and Longchenpa.
Since 2002 he has been the abbot of the Dokho Monastery in Derge,
Eastern Tibet. In 2003, he taught at the University of Virginia and
several Buddhist centres on the East and West coasts of the United
States. That same year he announced his intention to establish his
first centre in the West and named it Sakya Dokho Choling; it is located in
Germantown, Maryland.
(Adapted from
www.sakyadokhocholing.org/Biography/Main.html)