Jigten Sumgön
| Jigten Sumgön | |
|---|---|
Jigten Sumgön
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| Lineage | Founder of the Drikung Kagyu |
| Temple | Densatil; Drikung Monastery |
| Other names | Jigten Gonpo; Welbar Tar (dbal 'bar thar); later changed to Tsunpa Kyab (btsun pa skyabs), and later on Dorje Pel (rdo rje dpal); Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl, Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Gonpo; Drikungpa Rinchen Pel; Kyobpa Jikten Gonpo; Rinchen Pel; Kyobpa Rinpoche (Wylie: ‘Bri-gung sKyob-pa ‘Jig-rten dgon-po rin-chen dpal), |
| Monastic name | Rinchen Pel |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1143 Tsungu (tsu ngu), Kham |
| Died | 1217 |
| Resting place | "Body-Essence, Ornament of the World" stupa |
| Senior posting | |
| Successor | Gurawa Tsultrim Dorje (gu ra ba) |
| Religious career | |
| Teacher | Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo, Tsilungpa (tsi lung pa), Lama Menyag (bla ma me nyag) |
| Post | Drigung Monastery |
Jigten Sumgön (1143-1217), was the founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage and main disciple of Phakmo Drüpa. He founded Drikung Thil Monastery in 1179.
Jigten Gonpo and the Drikung lineage are best known for the set of teachings known as The Five Profound Paths of Mahāmudrā (phyag chen lnga ldan). Some of Jigten Sumgön's sayings were collected by Sherab Jungne into what is known as "Gongchik - The Single Intention" (dgongs gcig), a profound philosophical compendium that further developed in commentarial works written in the following generation. Some of Jigten Gonpo's teachings were collected by another disciple into what is known as the Heart of the Great Vehicle's Teachings (theg chen bstan pa'i snying po).
His great-grandmother was Achi Chokyi Drolma, who prophesied his birth and vowed to protect his lineage. His father was Naljorpa Dorje, a practitioner of Yamantaka, and his mother was Rakyisa Tsunma. Jigten Sumgön born in to a famous clan called the Kyura (skyu ra) in the Kham region of Tibet by the name of Tsungu, in 1143. His father was a devote Vajrayana practitioner, but died when, Jigten Sumgön’s was still a boy. At that time, Jigten Sumgön started to support his family by reciting scriptures. When he was only eight years old, it is said that he understood that all phenomena was like a reflection in a mirror.
The meaning of Jigten Sumgön is "The Lord of the Triple Words". Jigten Sumgön is known under various names: Drikung Kyobpa Jigten Gonpo Rinpoche, Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl, Lord Jigten Sumgön, Kyobpa Rinpoche, and many others.
Because his mother had a connection with Bon tradition, upon his birth Jigten Sumgön was initially given a Bon name, Welbar Tar (dbal 'bar thar).
Lord Jigten Sumgön was one of the most notable masters of Tibetan Buddhism, and his teachings had wide-reaching influence for centuries to come, and up to 130,000 monks and practitioners came to his teaching at one time.
The 8th Karmapa referred to Jigten Sumgön philosophical text Gongchik as “siddhanta of the Kagyupas", suggesting he considered it to be the definite text outlining the philosophical tenets of all Kagyu schools. Seven centuries later, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche quotes Jigten Sumgön on something else he emphasized, the significance of the preliminary practices (Ngöndro):
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