Kyabje Khensur Kangurwa Lobsang Thubten Rinpoche | |
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Born | 25 December 1925 Rinda, Kham, Tibet |
Died | 22 January 2014 India |
Burial place | Sera Monastery |
Nationality | Tibetan, Australian |
Education | Sera Jey Monastery |
Occupation | Buddhist Lama |
Known for | Oral Transmission of the Complete Works of the Teachings of the Buddha;
Tibetan Sponsorship Scheme; Re-establishment of Sera Je School; Founder of Tibetan Buddhist Institute and sponsorship scheme |
Title | Rinpoche |
Website | http://tibetanbuddhistinstitute.org/ http://tibetansponsorship.org/ |
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Kyabje Khensur Kangurwa Lobsang Thubten Rinpoche (25 December 1925 – 22 January 2014), was a Buddhist monk, Abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, and the founder of Tibetan Buddhist Institute[1] (Adelaide). Khensur means "former abbot" and Rinpoche means "precious teacher."
Former Abbot of Sera Je monastery, Holder of the transmission lineage of the Kangyur, considered widely as the greatest scholar of Abhidharma of his age and, perhaps, the foremost Vajrayogini practitioner, Kyabje Khensur Kangyur Rinpoche was one of the last great practitioners and scholars largely trained in Tibet. He was known at Sera Je as one of the "Three Greats."
Rinpoche taught all over the world including India,[2][3] Australia, USA, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. Because of his extremely high qualifications, advanced knowledge and spiritual insights so rarely found in Lama's today, Rinpoche was often requested to teach at Sera monastery, where thousands of monks flocked to hear him speak.[2]
His administrative achievements include his election first as the Sera Je disciplinarian and then, in 1982, his appointment as the monastery's abbot. His charitable achievements include the reestablishment of Sera Je School and founding of the Tibetan Sponsorship scheme.
He was born to a farming family in a mountainous valley of eastern Tibet (Kham) in what is now the Kartse (Ganzi) Prefecture of Western Sichuan. This area was the birthplace of many great lamas of contemporary times, including Khensur Rinpoche Urgyen Tseten, the late Geshe Ngawang Dhargye and the late Geshe Rabten, teacher of many leading western scholars of Tibetan Buddhism.
Rinpoche was not a recognised reincarnation (tulku). However, at a very early age, he displayed signs that he very likely was the reincarnation of someone of great spiritual attainment. Among these were an affinity for religious ceremonies such as pujas.