Arjia Lobsang Thubten Rinpoche Tibetan Center for Compassion and Wisdom Arjia Rinpoche is the Abbot of Kumbum Monastery in Amdo, one of the six great centers of Buddhism in Tibet. Born to Mongolian nomads in Eastern Tibet, he is the reincarnation of the father of Je Lama Tsong-kha-pa, the founder of the Gelupa (Yellow Hat) Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche (Gegeen in Mongolian) is one of the most important religious leaders to leave Tibet since the Dalai Lama fled into exile in 1959. He is fluent in Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian, and since 1998, when he moved to California, he has become quite adept at English as well.
Since he was a young boy, Rinpoche has devoted his life to Buddhist studies. He has worked with more than ten lineage teachers, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the late Panchen Lama. At a very young age, he received many initiations and empowerments in sutric and tantric traditions from these masters.
During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Rinpoche was forced to work as a farmer in the fields, yet he still managed to continue his Buddhist practices in secrecy. Fortunately, two of his most important teachers; Jayak Rinpoche (tutor to Panchen Lama) and Tsultrim Lhaksem (tutor to the elder brother of his Holiness the Dalai Lama) were in his commune, which made it easier for him to receive teaching. When the political situation eased a little during the 1980's, Rinpoche furthered his spiritual practice through postgraduate Buddhist studies at Qinghai University, where he followed the high Gelupa teacher, Shar-dong Rinpoche. He then became a research fellow in the Tibetan Department at Chinese Buddhism College at Beijing, where he studied with the late Panchen Lama. During this period, he was elected President of the Regional Buddhist Association, and Deputy President of the National Buddhist Association.
As Abbott of Kumbum Monastery, he established a new order of Buddhist monks, and worked with hundreds of students. To improve the education of Tibetans throughout his country, he established new schools in the villages. And to improve health conditions and provide disaster relief throughout Tibet, he established charitable foundations like the Kumbum Red Cross.
In 1998, due to political and religious pressures, Rinpoche left China to settle in the United States. Since his residence in California, he has been devoted to his spiritual practice and has continued efforts for Tibetan Buddhists around the world. He joined His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Tibetan ceremonies in Indiana and Washington, D.C., where he presented His Holiness with a Kalachakra Mandala for world peace. The mandala is now a possession of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., where it represents Tibetan culture to people in the West.
As a Tibetan Artist, Architect, and Designer Rinpoche excels in Tibetan Buddhist arts and crafts, an important part of Buddhist culture. In Tibet, he worked diligently to teach and promote traditional arts such as mandala design, Thangka painting, butter sculpturing, and Buddhist embroidery. He developed museum exhibitions in cities throughout China, and his book on Tibetan Buddhist Art received a 1988 Chinese Best Book of the Year Award. His most recent mandala - presented to His Holiness and the Smithsonian Institute - was an extraordinary masterwork, which the Rinpoche and his assistants spent nine months designing and building.
As Abbot of Kumbum Monastery, Rinpoche oversaw the renovation of the Monastery, one of the oldest and largest in Tibet, encompassing more than a hundred buildings over six hundred acres. In the renovation process, he was able to employ his expertise in Tibetan Buddhist art and architecture. As part of the project, he designed and built the largest three-dimensional Kalachakra mandala in the world, and restored Lama Tsong-kha-pa's Stupa. In Santa Cruz, California, he has been contracted by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to design the Land of Medicine Buddha Temple. The Tibetan Center for Compassion and Wisdom Rinpoche aspires to preserve Tibetan Buddhist art, culture, and philosophy, in Tibet and for Tibetans throughout the world. Recently, Arjia Rinpoche established a Buddhist center in the West that will embrace Tibetan, Mongolian, Chinese, and English speaking people. The center is called Kumbum Pande Ling (The Tibetan Center for Compassion and Wisdom) and it is located in the Oakland downtown, CA. Rinpoche teaches Je Lama Tsong-kha-pa's LamRim (Stage of the Path) in Chinese with English translation at the center. Arjia Rinpoche's recent teachings:
Arjia Rinpoche's recent activities:
Arjia Rinpoche in other web sites:
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2001, 2002 (C) Copyright by Sh.Baatar , The International Mongolian Tsahim Ortoo Community.
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