On August 19, 1996, at a welcoming ceremony hosted by the Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang, the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche took his seat as Chief Abbot of the monasteries and retreat centers of the Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche. At the time of
this auspicious and joyful event, His Eminence was eight and a half months old. The remarkable events leading up to this day are carefully documented in the book, EMA HO! The Reincarnation of the Third Jamgon Kongtrul, published by the Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang on the occasion of His Eminence's third birthday. The Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoches The
First Jamgon Kongtrul, Lodro Thaye (1813 - 1899), one of the supreme Gurus of Tibet, held and exemplified all four lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the Bön tradition. His collected works, the Five Treasuries, contain the essence of all Buddhadharma. He was one of the founders of the Rime movement of the 19th Century and was the root teacher of His Holiness the Fifteenth Karmapa.The Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Palden Khyentse Oser (1902 - 1952), was the son and the main disciple of the
Fifteenth Karmapa, Gyalwang Khakhyab Dorje. He was known as a great meditation master and became, in turn, one of the root teachers of His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa, Ranjung Rigpe Dorje. The Third Jamgon Kongtrul, Karma Lodro Chokyi Senge (1954 - 1992), was recognized by His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa. His example of devotion to the Karmapa, dedication to the teachings, and vast, compassionate activity remain a source of profound inspiration. The Search for the Fourth Jamgon Rinpoche In 1992, His Eminence the Third Jamgon Kongtrul died at a young age, while many devoted students and an array of important projects still relied on his personal guidance. Assuming the responsibility of finding His Eminence's rebirth, Tenzin Dorjee, the General Secretary for the Third Jamgon Kongtrul, along with other members of the Jamgon
Kongtrul Labrang, approached His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa on several occasions between August 1994 and April 1996, supplicating him for guidance and instructions on the timing of the rebirth and the correct approach for conducting the search itself. His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa's Prophecy Throughout this period, His Holiness
the Seventeenth Karmapa had dreams and visions of the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul and his future place of birth. The Karmapa himself was, at this time, only eleven or twelve years old (the Tibetan and Western methods of calculating age differ). Tenzin Dorjee's accounts of his meetings with the young Supreme Holder of the Kagyu Lineage are remarkable and demonstrate the Karmapa's natural authority, equanimity, and vast mind. At a meeting in May, Tenzin Dorjee and Sonam Chopel received the
official letter of prophecy written by His Holiness describing the signs of Jamgon Kongtrul's rebirth. The details of this letter, combined with the Karmapa's specific oral instructions and drawings of the landscape and parents' home, formed the basis for the actual search, set to begin on July 31. His Holiness gave them his own jeep and chauffeur for the journey. Following His Holiness' precise instructions, the search party explored Chushur Dzong, an area south of Tsurphu, for two days.
Failing to find a location resembling the one described, or a baby possessing all the signs, they gave up the search and returned to Tsurphu for further instructions. At this meeting, His Holiness described for them his dreams and visions of the past year: He had frequently seen, in visions, rainbows above the mountain in front of Tsurphu. Within the rainbows, he could see the Third Jamgon Kongtrul, luminous with many lights. Then he saw the rainbows, the vision of Jamgon Kongtrul, and the
lights dissolve into each other and disappear behind the mountain…This vision had also often appeared in his dreams. Furthermore, he had visions of the Tibetan alphabets indicating the names of the parents. (Ch.Six. P.19.) His Holiness told them to return to Chushur and continue their search. On August 4, they returned and began making a more detailed search. During this search, a young child from the area offered to take them to some other nearby communities. At this point, Tenzin
Dorjee noticed that, for the first time, the mountains appeared to shift into the perspective described by His Holiness. Between the mountains, a great river flowed. They were led to a house where a baby had been born at the predicted time. A woman appeared with the baby on her back and, as she responded to their questions, it became clear to Tenzin Dorjee that her answers matched all of the details of His Holiness prediction. Tenzin Dorjee and the members of the search party returned to
Tsurphu with a strong feeling of confidence that they had found their teacher. However, on the advice of the Karmapa, they continued to conduct an intensive search in another area. For four days, from August 7th - 11th, they interviewed 117 children, covering many miles on foot each day in rugged terrain under a hot sun. None possessed more than two of the predicted signs.
Recognition of H.E. the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche On the evening of August 11, they met with His Holiness, showing him the list of names, photographs and detailed notes on all of the children whom they had interviewed. The following morning, His Holiness presented Tenzin Dorjee with the Letter of Recognition of the baby from Chushur Dzong as the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and gave him a silk scarf and a blessing cord to be
presented to the child.Tenzin Dorjee and the members of the search party joyfully returned to visit His Eminence's family and to announce to them the recognition of their son as the reincarnation of the incomparable master, the Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, by the Supreme Head of the Kagyu Lineage, His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa. The surprised family was happy that their son would be of such great benefit to beings. On August 19th, 1996, the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul
Rinpoche took his seat as Chief Abbot of the monasteries and retreat centers of the Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche before all of the members of the Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang, many honored guests, devoted students and friends. On the auspicious day of September 2nd, at Tsurphu Monastery, His Holiness performed the traditional ceremony of hair-cutting and bestowed on him the name Jamgon Lodro Chokyi Nyima Tenpe Dronme Chok Thamced Le Nampar Gyalwe De. To inquire about ordering a copy of this text, please contact: Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang, PO Box 6956, Kathmandu, Nepal; Email: jkl@anandsgh.mos.com.np
* * * In general, at a precise moment in time, when disciples' merit and the lama's
compassion connect with each other, the great and genuine beings will give up one emanation body and appear in another. Once again, disciples will be able to meet face to face with the supreme emanations, and to enjoy their portion of the nectar of their lama's speech. -- Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
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