Precious Teacher Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche in Kyiv, August 2018

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is a Drikung Kagyu Lama who was known in the thirteenth century as the Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon, the founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In ancient India, he had incarnated as Mahasiddha Aryadeva, the lotus-born disciple of the great Nagarjuna. In the seventh century, he was known as Lonpo Gar, the minister of the Tibetan Dharma King Songsten Gampo.

Garchen Rinpoche is known for his vast realization, as well as for his great kindness. He is greatly respected and renowned as the great yogi of the modern times.

This time Garchen Rinpoche’s teachings will be dedicated to Jetsun Milarepa. Jetsun Milarepa was a tantric master and a major figure in the history of the Kagyü schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He is said to be one of the greatest yogis who carried on Marpa’s transmission lineage of mahamudra and moreover to be the greatest poet of Tibet. His “hundred thousand songs” which express his life story as well as the tantric teachings in verses are renowned.

When Milarepa practiced black magic, he brought deaths upon many people. His teacher Marpa caused him to remove this accumulated bad karma by working hard. Only after the consequences of Milarepa’s negative deeds were removed, Marpa granted him the special tantric teachings, that he himself had received from Naropa and other masters. Milarepa’s most famous disciples were Gampopa and Rechungpa.