Ngak'chang Rinpoche

biographic notes
. . . to appreciate is to be continually delighted
Ngakchang Rinpoche (sNgags chang chos dByings o rGyan
rTogs lDan rin po che) as born in !anno"er# Ger$any in %&'(
o) an *nglish )ather and Ger$an $other. !is $aternal
grand$other as +lara ,chubert (niece o) the i)e o) the
co$poser -ran. ,chubert).
!is childhood as spent in the ,outh o) *ngland. /t the age o)
ele"en# he de"eloped an interest in 0a1rayana Buddhis$
through a book o) Tibetan art and culture he disco"ered in the
school library. !e ent on to beco$e an outstanding art student
(gaining a )irst class honors degree and teaching 2uali)ication)
ith a particular interest in thangka painting30a1rayana
aareness4i$agery.
5n the early %&67s he tra"eled to the !i$alayas o) 5ndia# Nepal#
,ikki$# and 8adakh. Ngakchang Rinpoche sought teachings in
a non4sectarian $anner )ro$ 8a$as o) all schools. 5n particular
he recei"ed teachings )ro$ $any o) the $ost re"ered teachers
o) the Nying$a school. !is )i"e $ain 8a$as are 9yab1:
D;d1o$ Rinpoche# 9yab1: Dilgo 9hyents: Rinpoche# 9yab1:
9;n.ang Dor1e Rinpoche# 9hordong gT:rtr;l +hi$<d
Rigd.in Rinpoche# and 8a$a 9ha$tr;l =esh: Dor1e Rinpoche.
!e also studied ith 9>nchog Rinpoche# the abbot o) the
Nying$a Go$pa in Tso ?e$a. This as a ti$e hen it as still
possible to $eet and study inti$ately ith $any o) the greatest
li"ing 0a1rayana Buddhist teachers. ,adly# $ost o) these 8a$as
are no deceased.
Ngakchang Rinpoche has acco$plished all the traditional
practices and recei"ed all the necessary e$poer$ents and
trans$issions o) a Nying$a 8a$a. !e co$pleted )our years o)
solitary retreat in ca"es and tsa$4khangs in the !i$alayas. !e
undertook $any pilgri$ages to the sacred places o)
?ad$asa$bha"a and =esh: Tsogyel and underent
considerable pri"ation in the course o) his tra"els. ,ince
Ngakchang Rinpoche did not co$e )ro$ a ealthy )a$ily he
subsidised his lengthy so1ourns in 5ndia and Nepal entirely
through )actory ork and $anual labour in Britain beteen his
tra"els. During this period he spent as $uch ti$e as he could
studying and practising in the *ast3e"en though it $eant
li"ing in e@tre$ely basic conditions o)ten ith little to eat.
Aith the encourage$ent o) his Root 8a$as to begin his third
8a$a khorlo (b8a $a khor lo3turning the heel o) teaching
and e$poer$ent)# he returned to Britain in %&6&. 5t as not
clear to Ngakchang Rinpoche ho he should begin to teach as
he had no connections in the British 5sles in ter$s o) 0a1rayana
3but ad"entitiously he as in"ited to teach at the Tibetan
+entre in Raglan by a Aestern nun called Tsultri$ Bang$o.
Great interest as shon in this )irst e"ening talk and
Ngakchang Rinpoche as re2uested to return to gi"e a )ull
eekend o) teaching. 5t as )ro$ that eekend that his )irst
students e$erged and )ro$ that point on a sangha as
established. These students ere Ngala Nord.in and Ngala >4
D.in. 5t as here also that Ngakchang Rinpoche $et his ,ang4
yu$# 9handro D:chen Ts:dr;p Rolpai =eshe .
5n %&C&# he as aarded a doctorate in Tibetan Tantric
?sychology )ro$ the Dni"ersity o) Aest Bengal (,hantiniketan)
through one o) his $ain teachers# the great gT:rt>n and ,peech
5ncarnation o) ?ad$asa$bha"a39yab1: 9hordong gT:rchen
Tulku +hhi$<d Rigd.in Rinpoche.
Beteen %&6& and %&CC Ngakchang Rinpoche $ade se"eral
short "isits to his 8a$as in beteen orking as a te$porary on4
call truck dri"er. E) this Ngakchang Rinpoche co$$entsF 5t
(
has been e@tre$ely "aluable to $e to ha"e orked )or a li"ing
in the areas here people ha"e )eer choices. Ganual labor is
not the $ost co$$on background )or those in the )ield o)
con"eying 0a1rayana to Aestern people3and 5 appreciate the
insight it has gi"en $e into the pre"alent hu$an condition. 5
kno hat it is like to endure night shi)ts# alternating three4shi)t
ork# and to co$e ho$e tired )ro$ ork that is not "i"idly
creati"e or )ul)illing. 5 also kno hat it is like to ha"e the
)reedo$ o) ha"ing no career and no co$prehensible direction
other than 0a1rayana. 9hordong gT:rchen Tulku +hhi$<d
Rigd.in Rinpoche once said to $e that i) 5 placed $y trust
entirely in the teachings o) the gT:r$as 5 ould alays sur"i"e#
and that thought has sustained $e though e"ery di))iculty.
!a"ing said that# 5 regard $ysel) as ha"ing had a relati"ely easy
li)e in co$parison to hat is possible. 5) any o) this e@perience
has "alue H 5 ould say that it is Iappreciation H hate"er 5
$ay lack as a 8a$a# 5 ha"e learned that to appreciate is to be
continually delighted.
Ngakchang Rinpoche as recogni.ed as the /ro Tulku (/ ro
s?rul sku)# the incarnation o) /ro =esh: (a siddha )ro$ the )irst
hal) o) the tentieth century) by 9yab1: Dilgo 9hyents:
Rinpoche. /ro =esh: as the son o) the e@traordinary tentieth
century )e$ale "isionary 9hyungchen /ro 8ing$a3ho as
hersel) the incarnation o) Jo$o Gen$o. Jo$o Gen$o as in
turn the incarnation o) Ga4gKig 8abdr>n3ho as the
incarnation o) =esh: Tsogyel (see 8ineage 5n"ocation o) the
/ro gT:r).
Ngakchang Rinpoche as then recognised as the incarnation o)
a4,hul ?e$a 8egden by +hhi$<d Rigd.in Rinpoche# a4,hul
8a$a as a yogi# a "isionary artist# gT:r4scribe# and a spiritual
son o) the $ahasiddha 9halden 8ingpa (the prior incarnation o)
Bil4ng>n 8ingpa H +hhi$<d Rigd.in Rinpoche).
L
5n this li)e Ngakchang Rinpoche# together ith 9handro
D:chen (/ ye s?rul s9u $9ha gro bDe chen tshe grub rol
pai ye shes)# are the Gind 8ineage !olders o) the /ro gT:r3
the ?ure 0ision gT:r$a +ycle o) 9hyungchen /ro 8ing$a#
recei"ed by her directly )ro$ =esh: Tsogyel (the enlightened
consort o) the Tantric Buddha ?ad$asa$bha"a).
Ngakchang Rinpoche is the author o)F
Rainbo o) 8iberated *nergy (*le$ent Books# %&CM)
Journey into 0astness (*le$ent Books# %&CC)
Aearing the Body o) 0isions (/ro Books#%&&')
,pectru$ o) *cstasy (/ro Books# %&&6N ,ha$bhala
?ublications# (77L)
Roaring ,ilence (,ha$bhala ?ublications# (77()
*ntering the !eart o) the ,un and Goon (/ro Books# to be
published in (77M)
5n the $id3%&&7s Ngakchang Rinpoche ga"e se"eral keynote
presentations at international psychology con)erences )or the
British ?sychological ,ociety# and the /ssociation o)
Transpersonal ?sychology in the D,/. !e has been a "isiting
lecturer at the 5nstitute o) Transpersonal ?sychology in
+ali)ornia and has contributed articles to se"eral books#
1ournals# and $aga.ines on the sub1ect o) 0a1rayana
?sychology. ,ince the turn o) the century# hoe"er# he has
retired )ro$ this area o) endea"or to concentrate on gi"ing
pri"ate retreats )or his personal students# training teachers#
riting books# and co$posing practice $aterials. !e
ne"ertheless $aintains a co$$it$ent to gi"ing to public
retreats a year in Britain and the D,/. !e also occasionally
)ul)ils teaching re2uests )ro$ Buddhist organisations such as
the ,ha$bhala +enters H particularly in ,an -rancisco.
Ngakchang Rinpoche is a 0a1rayana calligrapher# poet#
thangka painter# $ulti4talented 0a1rayana cra)ts$an# e@ponent
O
o) =ogic ,ong# and 8a$a4dance. !e and his ,ang4yu$
9handro D:chen are the spiritual directors o) the +on)ederate
,anghas o) /ro in Britain# North /$erica# *urope# and
,candina"ia. They ha"e encouraged the )ounding o) three other
sanghas through their disciples Ngala Rigd.in Dor1e# Ngala
Nord.in and Ngala >4D.in# and Ngak$a ,hardr>l Du4nya$
Aang$o. Ngala Rigd.in Dor1e teaches and guides his sangha
in +ontinental *urope and ,candina"iaN Ngala Nord.in and
Ngala >4D.in teach and guide their sangha in BritainN and
Ngak$a ,hardr>l teaches and guides her sangha in the D,/.
Ngakchang Rinpoche and 9handro D:chenPs sangha are )ound
in Britain and the D,/. They teach tice a year in the D,/# in
Ne =ork and +ali)ornia.
Ngakchang Rinpoche and 9handro D:chen are the parents o)
to children. Their son D;dd;l Dor1e as born in %&&M and
their daughter 9;n.ang Tsodr>n as born in (77L. Both
children ere na$ed by 9yab1: 9;n.ang Dor1e Rinpoche and
Jo$o ,a$phel. Ngakchang Rinpoche and 9handro D:chen
continue to tra"el to Nepal to "isit 9yab1: 9;n.ang Dor1e
Rinpoche and Jo$o ,a$phel and recei"e the trans$ission o)
their three displays (the D.ogchen $ode o) b8a $ai rNal
byorF presence display# personality display# and li)e4
circu$stances display).
Ngakchang Rinpoche and 9handro D:chen $ake it a priority
in their teaching acti"ities3as a couple3to help students to
"ie their relationships and )a$ily li"es as spiritual practice. /s
representati"es o) a lineage )ounded by a o$an# they are keen
to help o$en beco$e spiritual practitioners and teachers. To
date Ngala Nord.in ?a$o and Ngak$a ,hardr>l Du4nya$
Aang$o ha"e undertaken teacher training and ha"e e$erged as
8a$as ith their on sanghas o) apprentices.
Ngakchang Rinpoche is knon particularly )or his presentation
o) D.ogchen se$4d: (rD.ogs chen se$s sDe) and the 9handro
'
?ao Nyi4da G:long Gy;d ($9ha gro d?a bo nyi .8a $e
long rGyud) H although he specialises in D.ogchen long4d: and
D.ogchen $en4ngag4d: ith his personal students. Both
Ngakchang Rinpoche and 9handro D:chen teach $ainly
ithin the ethos o) D.ogchen and en1oy cordial in)or$al
teaching scenarios ith their apprentices in Britain and the
D,/.
M