Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa

(1856-1926)

The great tertön Lerab Lingpa Trinlé Thayé Tsal, or Tertön

Sogyal, was the body emanation of Nanam Dorje Dudjom,
the speech emanation of Vajravarahi and the mind
emanation of Guru Padmasambhava.

In his previous incarnations he had appeared as numerous

great bodhisattvas and vidyadharas, including the
bodhisattva Vajragarbha who compiled the Dzogchen
teachings given by the Buddha Samantabhadra in
Akanishtha. Later he appeared as Buddha Shakyamuni’s
aunt and stepmother, Prajapati Gotami, the founder of the
order of nuns, and in Tibet he appeared as Nanam Dorje
Dudjom, Trophu Lotsawa[i] and the great Rigdzin
Gödemchen (1337-1408),[ii] founder of the Northern
Treasures (Changter) tradition.

He was born in the year of the Fire Dragon of the fourteenth

calendrical cycle (1856) in Upper Nyarong in Kham. His
father was Dargye from the Shyipa family and his mother
was Orgyen Drolma.

He quickly learned to read and write, and because he felt

revulsion for the ways of the world, he sought teachings from
Nyala Pema Duddul and from Patrul Rinpoche and Khenpo
Pema Vajra at Dzogchen Monastery. When he first went to
see Nyala Pema Duddul, while he was still very young, the
great master showed him some writing in the Lantsa script
and he recognized the letter ‘sa’ straightaway. Nyala Pema
Duddul interpreted this as a sign that there would be noone
greater than him on Earth.[iii] These masters recognized the
child as an incarnation of exceptional ability and requested
that he be sent to a monastery, but his father would not allow
his only son to leave home and insisted that he take up
worldly pursuits instead. Shortly thereafter, while he was out
hunting one day, he saw dakini script through the sights of
his rifle, and quickly fell ill. When he was cured of his
sickness, he felt overwhelmed by a weariness for all worldly
activity. His father again instructed him to go hunting again,
but he had a dream in which the mantra protectress Ekazati
appeared to him and pierced his heart with her single white
fang. After he had fallen sick once more, a divination was
performed indicating that he should practise the Dharma, so
his father finally relented.

He went to a remote hermitage where he discovered a mind

treasure (gong ter) for the practice of the lion-faced dakini
Senge Dongma and wrote it down. He received instruction
from Lama Sönam Thayé and undertook the preliminary
practices of Longsal Dorje Nyingpo under his guidance,
practising with great diligence.

From the age of 13 to 18, he stayed in retreat. During this

time he saw many things directly through the power of his
clairvoyance. For example, on one occasion he clearly saw a
traveller on horseback at a great distance from his hermitage
who was riding towards him. At one point the traveller
stopped in order to relieve himself and, as he dismounted,
his cup fell from his pocket. Much later, when the traveller
arrived at Tertön Sogyal’s place and went to take out his cup
for tea he realized it was missing. Tertön Sogyal told him
how and where he had lost it and the man later found it in
exactly that place. Whilst in retreat, he deciphered a terma in
the coded script of Yeshe Tsogyal.

After the retreat, he travelled to Kathok with Lama Sonam

Thayé and others and received empowerments from Tenpé
Gyaltsen and other transmissions from Kathok Getsé Tulku.
When he received instructions on the Guhyagarbha Tantra
the whole of appearance and existence arose as the display
of pure primordial wisdom.

He revealed and decoded the Vajrakilaya ter of Yang Sang

Tröpa and then spent five years practising it as indicated in
the prophetic guide (khabjang). Finally, he offered the terma
to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo on the 21st day of the eighth
month of the Wood Monkey Year (1884) as prophesied in
the terma text. Jamyang Khyentse declared Tertön Sogyal to
be an authentic tertön and gave him empowerments. When
they performed tsok practice together a treasure casket
appeared in the centre of the mandala. Later Tertön Sogyal
received many teachings from Jamyang Khyentse, including
instructions on the practice of Chetsun Nyingtik which he
wrote down.

Later he went to Dzahka Sangak Rabten Ling and received

instructions on the preliminaries and main practice of
Longsal Nyingpo from Choktrul Rinpoche Kunzang
Namgyal.[iv] Whilst there he deciphered a cycle of termas
related to Yangdak Heruka.

He then went to receive instruction on the Longchen Nyingtik

from Patrul Rinpoche’s disciple, Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpé
Nyima. After receiving instruction on the ngöndro practice he
memorized the texts of retreat instructions and put them into
practice. He gradually received all the instructions of the
Dzogchen Nyingtik and took them all to heart. He achieved
such success in the Dzogchen preliminary practice of
purifying the environment through the syllable HUNG that he
was able to shatter pots simply through the power of his
visualization. Throughout this time, he had no possessions
except for the white robes of a yogi and lived alone in the
forest, practising day and night.

After his stay with Nyoshul Lungtok, he returned to Dzahka

and deciphered a Hayagriva sadhana. One day he travelled
to the treasure site of White Rock (Drakkar) knowing that
there was a ter to be found there. At sunrise he saw a door
in the opposite side of the rock, but he was unable to open it
using a stone or a phurba, so he found a suitable resting
place and went to sleep. He was awoken some time later by
a loud noise and found that the rock had split open by itself,
leaving a hole just large enough for his hand to fit inside. By
putting his hand through and pulling, he was able to open
the door and reveal a vast inner cave within which lay a
large iron casket. Inside the casket he discovered Nanam
Dorje Dudjom’s hat, black cloak, vajra and bell, a yabdar
with golden writing on it, phurba, and two diagrams (dpe ris).

Following this, he received detailed teachings on the

Guhyagarbha Tantra from Mipham Rinpoche for a period of
several months.

In the Iron Dragon Year (1880) he deciphered a text called

Yangjang Nekyi Demik and travelled to Dzogchen. Upon his
arrival he told Khenpo Pema Vajra that he was there to
reveal the Tsa Sum Pema Nyingtik and related to him the
history of the teachings which Guru Rinpoche had entrusted
to Nanam Dorje Dudjom at Samye on the tenth day of the
Male Water Monkey year. Khenpo was very pleased and
said, ‘You must reveal this terma. And you must take me
with you when you do it.’ The tertön and the khenpo travelled
together to Rudam Pema Thang where they performed a
Rigdzin Düpa tsok together and then went to a cave in front
of Mount Palchen Drubpa. They arrived at the treasure site
but found there was a serpent coiled around the entrance.
Tertön Sogyal recognized the serpent as the terma protector
Lutsen Yutrapchen and forced him to unravel himself,
allowing them access to the site. There were three caskets
inside, but Tertön Sogyal took only the one containing the
Tsa Sum Pema Nyingtik.

On account of their past aspirations Khenpo Pema Vajra and

Tertön Sogyal became united in their wisdom minds. On one
occasion, Khenpo suggested they perform a medicine puja
(mendrup) together. They lacked a particular type of
medicine called arura (i.e., myrobalan), so Tertön Sogyal
said that he would go and find some. Khenpo went with him.
They came to some bushes near Shri Singha and found a
serpent with yellow stripes and noticed a strong scent of
arura. They unearthed the medicine as a treasure and then
sealed the treasure door once again by covering it with the
thorny bushes. Khenpo said to Tertön Sogyal, ‘That you are
able to accomplish whatever you wish like this is amazing. It
is surely an indication that you have attained complete
mastery over all that appears and exists.’

Later Rashar Khenpo Kunzang Sonam praised Tertön

Sogyal’s understanding of Madhyamika after giving him
teachings on the ninth chapter of the Bodhicharyavatara.

On one occasion, Tertön Sogyal became very sick. Tertön

Rangrik Dorje and Dzahka Choktrul visited him and
performed long life empowerments and offered medicines.
Due to their kindness and the long life empowerments which
were given by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo at Dzongsar in
the year of the Dog (1886) he recovered and remained in
Garjé Hermitage for several months.

At the age of thirty-three, he travelled to Konjo with Atrin

Demchok and there, on the twenty-fifth day of the second
month of the Male Earth Mouse year (1888), he revealed
several termas including a cycle of Avalokiteshvara
teachings and a small statue (kutsab) of Avalokiteshvara in
the form known as Khasarpani.

That same year, His Holiness Gyalwa Thubten Gyatso, the

Thirteenth Dalai Lama, issued several requests for Tertön
Sogyal to come to Lhasa for the benefit of Tibet in general,
and the teachings in particular; and predicted that if he came
and made copies of the terma scrolls of his recently
discovered Avalokiteshvara terma cycle in Lhasa’s great
Temple and in the Potala, it would bring great benefit to the
teachings and to living beings everywhere. Added to this,
Tertön Sogyal knew that the time had come to reveal several
new termas in the treasure sites along the way to Lhasa and
in Central Tibet; and so, he set off for Lhasa together with
Tharchin and a few others. As predicted, he discovered
several termas in the course of the journey.

After arriving in Lhasa during the ninth month, he performed

numerous tsok feast offerings in conjunction with the festival
of Buddha’s descent from heaven (Lha Bab Düchen). Then
he took up residence in the Rasa Trulnang Temple, and
deciphered part of the Avalokiteshvara cycle taken from
Konjo and the termas he took from the Secret Dakini lake on
his way to Lhasa. Parts of the inner and secret sections of
the Avalokiteshvara cycle were deciphered in the Potala.

From their first meeting, during which Tertön Sogyal gave

the Dalai Lama all the teachings and empowerments related
to these termas, the wisdom minds of these two great
masters merged as one.

Travelling to Yarlung Sheldrak, Tertön Sogyal discovered the

terma scrolls of Lama Kundü Ngödrup Gyatso, which were in
the handwriting of Yeshe Tsogyal. When he offered these to
His Holiness at Norbulingka, His Holiness himself
deciphered the Kusum Rigdü Tukdrup Yishyin Terdzö and
instructed Sakya Dakchen Dorje Chang to decipher the
remaining scrolls. Once this was done, Tertön Sogyal gave
the empowerments and instructions to both His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and Sakya Dakchen.

He also took the scrolls for the terma cycle of Tukdrub Trinlé
Yangnying Yishyin Norbu from beneath the Hayagriva statue
in the great temple of Rasa Trulnang, and performed
numerous tsok feasts and offerings at the major pilgrimage
sites in Central Tibet and benefitted many fortunate
disciples.

Following his return from Lhasa, he stayed at Trom Chögar

where he received the empowerments and transmissions for
the Nyingma Kama from Lama Lungtok.

In the Iron Hare year (1891), His Holiness learned through

the Nechung Oracle that Tertön Sogyal had revealed a small
image (kutsab) of Guru Rinpoche called ‘The Wish-fulfilling
Jewel which liberates upon Sight’ (Thongdrol Yishyin Norbu)
and that there was a prophecy stating that it should be kept
in Lhasa. Tertön Sogyal was requested to take it to Lhasa
and the Nechung Oracle met him en route at a place called
Gashok. There they performed tsok feast offerings and
consecration practices (rabné) together.

They arrived in Lhasa during the ninth month. Then, on the

twenty second, on the day of the festival commemorating the
Buddha’s descent from the heaven of Tushita, the kutshab
was brought to the main temple where it was greeted by
many fortunate men and women amidst clouds of incense.
The consecration ceremonies of rabné and trüsöl were
performed and a tsok offering was made in the presence of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Nechung Oracle, Minling
Trichen, Dzogchen Rinpoche and a great assembly of
monks.

On the first day of the first month of the Water Dragon Year
(1892) Tertön Sogyal took the scrolls of Khandro Sangwa
Yeshe Zabtik from a cave called the “Secret Cave of the
Great Compassionate Dakini” in Dzongrong.

The Vajrakilaya terma of The Razor of the Innermost

Essence (Yang Nying Pudri), consisting of a cycle of terma
teachings and material ter, was entrusted to five of Guru
Rinpoche’s disciples: Kharchen Palgyi Wangchuk, Langchen
Palgyi Senge, Nubchen Sangye Yeshe, Dorje Dudjom and
Shübu Palgyi Senge, but circumstances decreed that Tertön
Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, the emanation of Nanam Dorje
Dudjom, would be the one to actually reveal the terma.

In the autumn of 1895 Tertön Sogyal travelled with Jamgön

Kongtrul (then aged 82) to the “Cave that Delights the
Awesome Heruka” in the hills above Tsadra Rinchen Drak.
As Tertön Sogyal approached the cave, the outline of the
terma door stood out clearly in the rock face. When he saw
this, he appeared excited and threw at stone at it.
Immediately the earth shook with a great crashing sound as
if the whole mountain was subsiding. An opening appeared
in the rock, and an exquisite fragrance filled the air. Tertön
Sogyal plunged his hand into the rock and withdrew a kutsab
image in a striding posture and gripping a vajra and phurba,
and along with it, the casket containing Yang Nying Pudri.
Wrapping them carefully in silk so that no one might see, he
placed them in the terma chest held by his consort. The
terma trove in the rock was also full of amrita, but he said it
was not his to take and he would not remove it. However, his
consort pleaded with him insistently, and to avoid
disappointing her, he took some of this amrita, which
liberates when tasted, and left the remaining treasure just as
he had found it. He offered a substitute for the terma, and
closed the door and sealed it well. Then Jamgön Kongtrul
joined them and they performed torma offerings to the terma
protectors and recited verses of dedication and prayers of
auspiciousness.

In the Fire Monkey year (1896) it was time for Tertön Sogyal
to travel to Lhasa and pass on more of his terma teachings
to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as prophesied by the
Nechung Oracle. So together with Pema Sherab and Shayul
Tulku he set out on his third visit to Lhasa.

He offered His Holiness the scroll for the ter of Phurba Yang
Zab Nyingpo. The Nechung oracle prophesied that before
deciphering it Tertön Sogyal would need to perform vast
offerings before the Jowo Rinpoche statue and offer tsok in
the presence of the Orgyen Thongdrol (“Liberation Upon
Seeing”) statue. After deciphering the Phurba Yang Zab
Nyingpo cycle, Tertön Sogyal offered His Holiness the
related empowerments and instructions as indicated in the
Themyik Dön Sal.

That year, Tertön Sogyal took the terma of Tamdrin Dorje

Tröpa Dechen Barwa from the Rasa Trulnang temple and
deciphered it at Sangwé Drupkyil near the Palace of
Norbulingka. As indicated in the Nejang Zabmo of the
Phurba Yang Zab Nyingpo, he spent one month in retreat in
Yamalung doing the outer long life practice of Tsedrup
Sangdü and then a further month in Chuwori doing the inner
practice. He then offered a long life empowerment to His
Holiness. He also revealed two Tara practices, one at
Yarlung Sheldrak and one at Chakpori, before returning to
Kham.

He arrived back in Kham at the end of the Fire Monkey year,

and then in the year of the Fire Bird (1897) he offered
Kongtrul Rinpoche the empowerments and instructions
related to Phurba Yang Zab Nyingpo.

Shortly afterwards he discovered the Chögyal Laphur of

Trisong Deutsen. Then, recognizing the need to return to
Lhasa, he set out once again as soon as he had revealed
another kutsab of Guru Rinpoche. He deciphered the
Ngöntok and some other texts of the Yang Nying Pudri cycle
at Thadul in the Kongpo region with Jamgön Kongtrul’s
attendant Losal Sangak Tendzin acting as his scribe.

When he arrived back in Lhasa, he offered the Guru

Rinpoche kutsab, the Chögyal Laphur, and instructions on
Yang Nying Pudri to His Holiness, who experienced a very
vivid dream the next morning, which is recorded in his
biography. The Dalai Lama dreamt that he found himself
before the palace of Guru Rinpoche, where two celestial
beings met him, singing prophetic verses referring to the
Yang Nying Pudri practice. In one verse they promised:

Within the charnel ground of the vast display of wrath,

By entering the mandala of the supreme secret of
The great awesome Kilaya, and by keeping the samaya
and vows,
Siddhis will be swiftly attained: this is guaranteed!

In time, this Vajrakilaya practice became one of the regular

practices of the Dalai Lama’s own monastery, Namgyal, and
His Holiness composed a manual for practising it as a
drupchen.
Tertön Sogyal undertook various terma practices (terdrup) at
Yerpa, Chimphu and Sheldrak. On the fourteenth day of the
first month of the Earth Pig (1899) he began a recitation
retreat of Vajrakilaya at the Potala. On the first night he
dreamt of a woman who looked just like his actual mother
and who gave him a knotted silk thread. The next day in the
early morning session he saw Ekazati directly and she gave
him a prophetic message and disappeared.

He travelled to Tsari with Atrin and Adzin Rinpoche and took

a casket from a lake. He took several scrolls and a lock of
Yeshe Tsogyal’s hair from Nering Senge Dzongphuk. He
then spent one month in retreat in Thangyal practising for
the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

At this time, a medicine puja (mendrup) of Vajrakilaya was

performed in conjunction with the Great Prayer festival, or
Mönlam Chenmo, in Lhasa and wood-blocks were made for
the Yang Nying Pudri. Tertön Sogyal went to Kongpo and
revealed a Wangchen terma from the Vajravarahi cave at
Nyangpo Drakkar Lhachu and then returned to Lhasa. He
stayed for one month in retreat at Yerpa.

He deciphered the Phurba Marnag Rakta with the

Vajrakilaya yogi Trinley as scribe and then went to Samye
where he remained for a while with a camp of followers and
revealed a kutsab of Orgyen Heruka and another of Four-
Armed Avalokiteshvara. He completed a one month retreat
at Chimphu and then undertook another retreat at Yarlung
Sheldrak. At Tsang Silma Thang he revealed some long-life
pills as ter. He went to Sakya where he exchanged
empowerments and instructions with the great Sakya throne-
holder. He took a Manjushri kutsab from a cave near the
Sakya monastery, which he was later to offer to Mipham
Rinpoche, and he visited sacred places in Tsang and took
the Laglen Rinchen Demik from Yardok Yutso. He met the
fifteenth Karmapa Khakhyab Dorje (1871-1922) at Tsurphu
and offered him some of his termas for the sake of tendrel.
He went to Ushü Jowo, Gangri Thökar and other places and
returned to Lhasa where he deciphered the Wangchen
terma in the Potala.

When he had returned to Kham, he deciphered two of the

practices taken from the Vajravarahi cave at the Jotön
Lhakhang in Chamdo. He then went to Dzahka where, in the
Iron Mouse year (1900), he deciphered more of the ter from
the Vajravarahi cave before travelling to receive retreat
instructions from Lungtok Rinpoche.[v]

He travelled to Dzahka and received the transmission for the

one hundred and eight volumes of the Kangyur from
Choktrul Rinpoche, together with the empowerments and
transmission of Sangye Lingpa’s Lama Gongdü. He also
deciphered a Vajrapani terma.

On the tenth day of the seventh month, Guru Rinpoche

appeared to Tertön Sogyal in a dream, surrounded by
dakinis of the five families and gave him the complete
empowerments and instructions of Dispelling Flaws in
Interdependence (Tendrel Nyesel) before dissolving into
light. Each of the dakinis then took turns to deliver their own
prophecies. On the twenty-fifth, during a tsok feast of
Khandro Sangwa Kundü, Tertön Sogyal became clear as to
the site of Tendrel Nyesel. He didn’t say anything, but wrote
a note which he showed to Dzahka Choktrul who was very
pleased. For the sake of auspiciousness , they offered a tsok
together according to Rigdzin Longsal’s terma arranged by
Vajravarahi herself. Tertön Sogyal made aspiration prayers
that there be no obstacles to the discovery of Tendrel Nyesel
and for its revelation to bring a great wave of benefit. When
he was actually given the terma casket by the protector on
the twenty-seventh, Tertön Sogyal said he felt happier than
when revealing any of his other termas.

On the evening of the twenty-eighth, Guru Rinpoche

appeared to Tertön Sogyal riding a tiger and made a
prophecy concerning the deciphering of Tendrel Nyesel. On
the third day of the eighth month, Tertön Sogyal revealed a
casket containing amrita. From the tenth until the twelfth, in
just two days, he deciphered the entire practice text of
Tendrel Nyesel and then made vast aspiration prayers with
one-pointed concentration. He felt very joyful.

In the Iron Ox year (1901) Tertön Sogyal returned to Lhasa

with a few students and monks and deciphered the Padmé
Trengwa from the root ter of Wangchen at the red palace.
He met Gönpo Mahakala in a vision and then deciphered a
Mahakala sadhana and tsok offering. He offered the
empowerments and transmissions of Tendrel Nyesel to His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, who composed a prayer of offering
to the protectors of the teaching.

In the Water Tiger year (1902) he took a Black Hayagriva

sadhana and sadhana of Mengak Nyingpo from Samye.

On the twenty-fifth of the first month of the Water Hare

(1903) year he deciphered the Thukdrup Zabdön Nyingpo
which had been taken from the Vajravarahi cave at Drakkar
Lhachu four years earlier.

Later during the same year, Lerab Lingpa travelled to a

treasure site accompanied by His Holiness and revealed a
terma. He took out three termas, but kept only one of them
and reconcealed the other two together with prayers of
aspiration. Later, when he came to copy out the terma, the
coded script could not be fully deciphered, so he saw that it
was not yet the time for its revelation.

He revealed the terma practice of Guru Raksha Tötreng Tsal

at Bhendhe Chakkar Dongring. On the twenty-first of the
third month of the Wood Dragon Year (1904) he saw Dorje
Me Öbar Tsal in a dream vision and received a prophecy. He
then deciphered the Black Hayagriva ter.

In the year of the Fire Horse (1906) Tertön Sogyal turned

fifty-one. Although his own termas and statements made by
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and others had indicated that
he would live for only fifty years, his lifespan had been
extended because of positive circumstances and would now
exceed all predictions.

During that year he took a treasure casket from Marong as

indicated in the Sengdongma Themyik and prophetic guide.
On the twenty-fourth of the third month he experienced eight
remarkable visions in succession. He discovered the
Tsedrup Yishyin Norbu and twenty-one long life pills. He also
revealed Tsogyal’s Heart Advice and Guru Dechen Gyalpo
Shyidrak in secret. By practising the terdrup ,the long life
pills multiplied to four hundred. He revealed the medium
length Kagyé Sangwa Düpa cycle on the twentieth of the
eleventh month and deciphered it at Tsabtsa Monastery.

In the Fire Sheep year (1907) he went to Dzogchen

Monastery and requested the empowerments of Rinchen
Terdzö from the Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche Thubten Chökyi
Dorje and the associated transmissions and instructions
from Gemang Choktrul. He received them together with his
son, his consort and many monks. During the
empowerments he had a series of visions.
On the fifteenth day of the tenth month he met Ekazati in a
dream and transcribed a ter. He revealed the scroll for the
medium length cycle of Gongdü Zabdön Nyingpo. On the
twenty-ninth day of the tenth month of the Earth Bird year
(1909), the dakini Pal Dökham Dakmo appeared to him and
gave him some advice. On the twenty-fifth day of the sixth
month of the Iron Dog year (1910) Ekazati appeared and
entrusted him with the Secret Words of Advice from the
Dakinis entitled The Three Nails. From the seventh to the
ninth days of the seventh month, Tertön Sogyal took many
kutsab made by Tsogyal’s own hand from Lhachu Drak. He
then revealed the themyik of Yongdzok Düpa and went to
see the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Jikmé Tenpé Nyima,
before going to Magyal Pomra and revealing several termas.

In the year of the Water Mouse (1912) he took out more

termas from Magyal Pomra, decoded them and then spent
several months there in retreat doing the terdrup, while
monks performed tsok offerings and so on. He returned to
Dodrupchen Rinpoche and on the fifteenth day of the tenth
month he deciphered the sadhana of Deshek Chegye,
Zungchok, the profound empowerment of Guru Menla, and
the supreme accomplishment of Guru Menla, with Dodrup
Rinpoche acting as his scribe. Whilst he was staying at
Dodrupchen’s, on the twenty-eighth day of the tenth month,
a dakini appeared to him in a dream and prophesied more
terma revelations. On the eighth day of the eleventh month
in the late afternoon session his ordinary perception ceased
and Guru Rinpoche Nangsi Zilnön appeared to him and
delivered a ‘Wondrous Three-fold Prophecy.’

On the first of the second month of the year of the Water Ox

(1913) Tertön Sogyal, his son Rigdzin Namgyal, Atrin and a
guide called Aba went to Latsedrung in order to reveal
termas. The same year, Tertön Sogyal recognized Amdo
Gurung’s son as a tulku of Mipham Rinpoche. During the
fifth month he went to Zilingkhar with a few students.[vi]

He revealed the Khabjang of Jampal Shinje Dongdruk and

the profound practice of the peaceful and wrathful deities of
the five families. The terma protector Tipatsa appeared to
him on the first of the eighth month at Mount Megyal. On the
twentieth of the second month of the Wood Tiger year
(1914), a dakini prophesied the discovery of Raksha
Thötreng Tsal Ubum.

It was at this time that he moved to Golok in order to be

close to Dodrupchen Rinpoche for the rest of his life. He
started to build a monastery at Khemar in upper Do valley,
but eventually left it for others to finish.

In the Wood Hare year (1915), he went to Shukjung Gonpa

and gave the empowerments of Shinjé Tsedak and Rigdzin
Dungdrup from the Northern Treasures tradition as well as
those of the outer practice of Thukchen and Jikpa Gyekyob
from his own revelations. In the second month he offered the
empowerments and transmissions for all his profound terma
teachings to Dodrupchen Rinpoche. In the third month, he
gave his student Tsultrim Zangpo all the empowerments for
his termas at Dodrup Monastery. In the fourth month he
granted several empowerments at Raktrom Jampa Ling and
then also at Shyichen Monastery. He deciphered some more
termas at Dodrup Monastery, and Phadampa Sangye
appeared to him in a vision and gave advice. During the
tenth month, whilst staying in his residence near
Dodrupchen’s, he had a dream in which he met a lama
whom he didn’t recognize seated on a high throne inside a
magnificent house on the top of a great mountain. He felt
great devotion for the lama, who then transformed into Guru
Rinpoche Nangsi Zilnön.
In the Fire Dragon year (1916), at the age of sixty-one, he
gave teachings on the Words of My Perfect Teacher
(Kunzang Lama’i Shyalung) based on Nyoshul Lungtok’s
teachings and other extensive teachings to his various
Dharma heirs. Also that year he deciphered the scrolls for
the Wisdom Mind Phurba of the Guru cycle, which he had
had for twenty-one years. In the summer, he went to Dodrup
Rinpoche and requested him to compose his famous
commentary on the Guhyagarbha Tantra, The Key to the
Precious Treasury, and he himself acted as the scribe. At
the time of the drupchen of Ratling Phurba at Domé
Monastery he had a dream which led to the composition of a
tsok offering to the Karmapa.

In the Earth Horse year (1918) he went to Setong to oversee

the printing of the collection of his termas (terchö). When
Dodrup Rinpoche fell sick Tertön Sogyal travelled to perform
practices for his long life.

In the Earth Sheep (1919) he completed the deciphering of

the Yongdzok Düpa cycle. On the eleventh of the eighth
month he revealed the terma of The Twenty-Seven White
Long-life Dakinis. On the fifteenth he deciphered several
long-life practices connected with Mandarava, White Tara
and Vajravarahi. In the summer, Amdo Geshe[vii] came to
Tertön Sogyal to receive the empowerment of Vajrakilaya.
Also at this time, Tertön Sogyal gave Tsultrim Zangpo
teachings on Dodrupchen’s Guhyagarbha commentary.

On the eighth day of the third month of the Iron Monkey year
(1920), the Names of the Thousand and Two Buddhas
appeared to him as a mind terma whilst he was staying at
the treasure site of Marong.
In the following year of the Iron Bird (1921), he took a casket
from Lake Karma. He also took a sacred ‘life stone’ (bla rdo)
from the Black Lake near Tsangme Senge Gonpa. While
staying at Tsangme Senge, he was requested by dakinis to
decipher two termas and did so by lamplight. Later he
received a prophecy in a dream concerning the three
different versions of Tendrel Nyesel: the long, medium and
short-length versions.

In the Water Dog year (1922) he went to Dzogchen

Monastery and deciphered the empowerment text of the
Vajrakilaya practice known as Phurba Gyachen Rolpa at
Gemang Rinpoche’s residence in Shri Singha hermitage. He
first gave the empowerment of Gyachen Rolpa to Gemang
Rinpoche and then gave it to Dzogchen Rinpoche and many
monks at the main temple of Dzogchen Monastery. As
prophesied the previous year, he also deciphered the
intermediate and brief versions of Tendrel Nyesel as well as
a tsok practice. He also deciphered some mind treasures
related to the great warrior Gesar. Soon afterwards he
granted the empowerments and transmissions of Yongdzok
Düpa, Phurba Gyachen Rolpa, and the brief and medium
versions of Tendrel Nyesel to Tsultrim Zangpo, Atrin, his
consort and his son.

It was around this time that Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

met Tertön Sogyal and received teachings from him. Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche’s biography of Jamyang Khyentse
states:

On the way, he went to visit the great Tertön Lerab

Lingpa. Even before he met the great treasure revealer
merely hearing his name caused him to feel deep and
uncontrived devotion. In the course of many meetings
which followed, he received empowerments,
 instructions and reading transmissions for the
Vajrakilaya cycle of Yang Nying Pudri, which was to
have been a profound terma revelation of the great
Jamgön Lodrö Thaye but by necessity was transmitted
to the great tertön himself, and, of Lerab Lingpa’s own
terma teachings, he received the Vajrakilaya practices
of Dorje Köpa and Gyacher Rolpa, the long and
medium-length versions of Tendrel Nyesel, and the
mind terma cycle of Gesar practices. He also received
permission to transmit the entire collection of Tertön
Sogyal’s terma revelations. He received many other
profound transmissions from him too, such as the
empowerments and textual transmission for the Drolthik
Gongpa Rangdrol, the empowerment for The Great
Chetsün’s Profound Essence of Vimala, and its
annotated commentary, the peerless words of the all-
seeing Khyentse Wangpo himself. He said that it was
because even hearing the name of the great tertön
Lerab Lingpa caused him to feel such intense and
natural devotion that he requested the deciphering of
the short version of Tendrel Nyesel from the yellow
scrolls.[viii] He would say that [Tertön Sogyal] was truly
amazing in terms of both his learning[ix] and his
accomplishment.

In the year of the Wood Mouse (1924) he deciphered some

Hayagriva and Dorje Drolö termas. He then offered the
remainder of his termas to Dodrup Rinpoche. At the end of
their meeting the two masters exchanged white scarves,
something they had never done before, and then each said,
“I will see you again in the pure land.” That same year Tertön
Sogyal also gave more empowerments to Amdo Geshe.

During the Wood Ox (1925), he re-concealed all those

termas which remained incomplete and made aspirations to
meet with them again in future. Finally, the great tertön
displayed the signs of passing into nirvana on the tenth day
of the first month of the year of the Fire Tiger (1926).

He was one of the most prolific tertöns in history, his

collected terma revelations filling almost twenty volumes.
Several of his original written works, most notably his
commentary on the Chetsun Nyingtik, have also survived.

His numerous lineage holders, many of whom were also his

own teachers, included the Thirteenth Dalai Lama Thubten
Gyatso, Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche, the Fifth Dzogchen
Rinpoche, Dzogchen Khenpo Pema Vajra, Mipham
Rinpoche, Nyoshul Lungtok, Dzahka Choktrul Rinpoche,
Tertön Drimé[x], Kathok Situ, Minyak Khenpo Kunzang
Sonam (also known as Thubten Chökyi Drakpa),
Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima, Demo Rinpoche, Dorje
Drak Rigdzin Nyamnyi Dorje (1886-1932/5), Minling Trichen
Rinpoche, Sakya Trichen, the Fifteenth Karmapa Khakhyab
Dorje and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.

His main consort, known simply as Pumo (meaning ‘girl’),

from the noble Khangsar family in Konjo, lived to a very old
age, spending her later years in caves and hermitages high
up in the mountains of Nyarong. She became famous for her
clairvoyance and her ability to avert frost or bring rain.
Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, who met her in his youth,
remembers that whenever anyone fell sick, they would go to
her and she would recommend a particular prayer or
practice to be done. As well as this, she would also give
them a protection cord. It was noticed that if she gave one of
these, it meant the person would live, but if she gave them
amrita nectar, it meant that their illness was fatal. She would
never admit that she had the power of knowing whether a
person was going to live or die, but when people examined
the statistics and checked, they found that this was actually
the pattern. This was a sign that she had attained an
omniscient or clairvoyant state of realization, and she was
held to be the same as Dorje Pakmo (Vajravarahi). She was
also a great practitioner of Vajrakilaya and recited his mantra
three hundred million times; through the practice of
Vajrakilaya, she attained full realization.

He had several incarnations as indicated in the texts of his

terma discoveries and in predictions made to his disciples,
including Sogyal Rinpoche, who was recognized by
Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, and the late Khenpo
Jikmé Phuntsok (1932-2004), who received all the
transmissions of Tertön Sogyal from Lama Gendun Dargye,
a direct disciple of the tertön. The lineage also continued
with his sons[xi] and passed on to his grandson, Tromgé
Tulku Dechen Dorjé, who lives at the Tromgé encampment
in eastern Tibet.

This biography is based primarily on the secret biography of

Lerab Lingpa composed in 1942 by Tulku Tsultrim Zangpo
(also known as Tulku Tsullo).[xii]

[i] Trophu Lotsawa Jampa Pal born in the 12th century.

[ii] Both Rigdzin Gödem and Tertön Sogyal lived into their
seventies. It is unusual for tertöns to live so long.
[iii] The Tibetan letter ‘sa’ is also the word for Earth. The
Lantsa script is often used to write Sanskrit, especially on
the covers of books and in temple inscriptions.
[iv] Kunzang Namgyal, also known as Dzahka Choktrul, was
one of Tertön Sogyal’s main teachers. He was a student of
Jamgön Kongtrul, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Nyala Pema
Duddul and many other great nineteenth century teachers.
[v] The biography of Khenpo Ngakchung mentions that
Nyoshul Lungtok gave detailed teachings on the
preliminaries to Tertön Sogyal at around this time. Khenpo
Ngakchung himself was present and took the notes which
were to become his famous zindri. See Khenpo Ngawang
Pelzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher,
Shambhala Publications, 2004.
[vi] Some say it was at this time that the only known
photograph of Tertön Sogyal was taken.
[vii] Amdo Geshe Jampal Rolwé Lodrö was also one of the
main Gelugpa teachers of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.
[viii] Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche also refers to this episode in
his guide to the empowerment ritual of Tendrel Nyesel
written for HH the Dalai Lama. Jamyang Khyentse initially
received the transmissions for only the long and intermediate
versions, because at that time the shorter version had not
yet been deciphered from the terma yellow scrolls. But
Jamyang Khyentse requested Tertön Sogyal to decipher it in
order that he might receive it. Tertön Sogyal did so and then
asked Jamyang Khyentse to spread it widely since he had
received all three versions. Jamyang Khyentse passed the
transmission to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who passed it on
to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
[ix] Khenpo Ngakchung mentions in his autobiography how
Mipham Rinpoche told him that after Nyoshul Lungtok the
most learned masters of the Nyingma tradition were Tertön
Sogyal and Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima.
[x] Also known as Pema Drodul Sangak Lingpa (1881-1924),
one of the sons of Dudjom Lingpa and the brother of
Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima.
[xi] Among his sons, the two main holders of his terma
lineage were Rigdzin Namgyal and Chöpel Gyatso.
[xii] This biography is an initial attempt to compile some of
the available material on Tertön Sogyal. It is hoped that this
will help open the door to further research in the future.
There is no shortage of material: the biography by Tsultrim
Zangpo alone is more than 700 pages long, and there are
also several lengthy passages in the official biography of the
Thirteenth Dalai Lama which refer to Tertön Sogyal, as well
as numerous other written sources, including the colophons
to his termas and the biographies of his contemporaries.
There are also the oral accounts of lamas such as Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, Khenpo Jikme Phuntsok Rinpoche,
Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche and Khamtrul Rinpoche, many of
which have fortunately been preserved.