Changkya Rolpe Dorje
This charming lama is presented in his yogic aspect as an adept of the Chakrasamvara (Superbliss Machine) Mother Tantra, as signified by the standing khatvanga staff attached to his left shoulder, and perhaps the feminine connotation of the elaborate floral arrangement held in his right hand. If it is Rolpe Dorje (1717-86), it is an idealized form, not depicting the prominent facial lump that usually identifies his sculptures. (Otherwise, it might be one of the Panchen Lamas.) The large khatvanga standing next to his left arm signifies that he very well could be Rolpe Dorje, since it means that the lama is an adept of the Unexcelled Yoga of the Chakrasamvara Tantra.
The Changkya Hutuktu, Rolpe Dorje, was brought to Beijing by the Yongsheng Manchu emperor (1678-1735) in the early 18th century, since he had been the lama guru of the previous Kangxi emperor (1654-1722) and his incarnation lineage was highly respected by the people of that area of Mongolia now incorporated into China as "Inner" Mongolia. He was brought up by lama tutors, but also attended the palace school for imperial princes, becoming a schoolmate and friend of Prince Hongshi, who later became the Qianlong emperor. This enabled him to accomplish a great deal for Tibetan Buddhist institutions in China, Mongolia, and Tibet. He was a student of the Seventh Dalai Lama and a teacher of the Eighth. He was an important lineage holder in several adept traditions of both Father and Mother Tantras.
(extracted from "A Shrine for Tibet – The Alice S. Kandell Collection" by Marylin Rhie and Robert Thurman, page 132-133, published by Tibet House US)
The current day incarnation line of Changkya Rolpe Dorje is His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. Kyabje Pabongka is the undisputed incarnation of this Great Heruka Master. I quote this directly from Kensur Lobsang Tharchin's explanation from his book "Principal Teachings of Buddhism". Pabongka Rinpoche's previous incarnation as this master ushered in a golden age of Lama Tsongkapa's tradition to the Emperors of China, their court and to the nation. Changkya Rolpe Dorje's line of incarnation is very connected to China and the immense benefit he brought to the nation is beyond any measure of kindness.
Tsem Tulku
It is always interesting to learn about iconography of different statues, each significant tells a story. As we learn along the way, each inspires us to be just like them, holding the qualities of a Buddha.
What can I say except, thank you…
namaste
Tashi Delek Rinpoche!
Very interesting information!
May I humbly share here what have been learned from another Buddhist forum, that perhaps the term ‘Hutuktu’ is a Mongolian term for ‘Tulku’ and also as an official title for leaders of Mongolian and Tibetan Lamas during China’s last Qing Dynasty.
In Chinese characters and romanised pinyin, it would be ‘呼圖克圖’ & ‘hū tú kè tú’.
Source: http://dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1394
Rinpoche,
Is Changkya Rolpe Dorje related to HH the 4th Karmapa Rolpe Dorje the one who gave layman ordination to Lama Tsongkhapa when he was just 3years old in 1360?
I believe it was Emperor Kangxi’s son, Prince Yong that converted a palace into the grand Yong He Gong temple enshrining huge statues of Lama Tsongkhapa and Maitreya. Prince Yong was then enthroned as the succeeding Emperor Yongzheng. Got this from the wikipedia. I believe their Guru must have been Changkya Rolpe Dorje.
Also, it was because of the political atmosphere of that time, the incarnation of Changkya Rolpe Dorje was deemed too political to be recognised. The Chinese was already having a heavy hand in Tibetan politics and recognising the latest incarnation of Changkya would result in Chinese having further excuse to come into Tibetan politics. Hence, he was enthroned as the incarnation of a relatively unknown abbot of Pabongka monastery. So, he was then on known as Pabongka Rinpoche.
MK: I don’t think that the Karmapa and the Changkya line of incarnations are related as they are about 300-400 years apart and they are holders of separate lineages. Karmapa is Karma Kagyu and Changkya Rolpe Dorje is Gelug.
Changky Rolpe Dorje and Karmapa are two completely seperate beings. Nothing to do with eachother.
i say have to say thank you to rinpoche and james to help and guide me to know more of tsongkhapa which i really appreciate and love this pretty home precious set….
once more Thank You …..
No matter what’s being done or not done, recognized or not..even banning the entire lineage will not prevent these high beings from returning and continue to benefit many. I enjoyed reading this post very much as reading about great masters can be so uplifting and inspirational. Thank you Rinpoche for posting this article.
Wow…
This makes me contemplate on how the intricate connections between the skillful enlightened gelug masters works. They are making Dharma flourish in the minds of many, many, many…
How rejoycing!
Thierry
I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to China a few years ago and visit several prominent Gelug Buddhist sites in China, including Yong He Gung (founded by Emperor Qian Long, as explained above by David) and many, many incredible, old monasteries in Wu Tai Shan (known as Manjushri’s abode).
There are still many old temples and stupas dedicated to Changkya Rolpa Dorje. Some of the stupas even contain his relics within – just such special places! It is also amazing proof of just how prevalent and widespread Gelugpa Buddhism and Gelug Lamas’ influence was within China.
It was by Lamas like Changkya Rolpa Dorje that Tibetan Buddhist lineages (especially gelug) grew so strongly and became the main religion of the country.
It’s so super simple to travel to China now – do try to go visit these sites and see a big part of Gelug history xxx
Thank you very much Rinpoche for sharing with us the rare image and the lineage of H.H. Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche.
Love always,
Henry Ooi
Rinpoche, thank you very much for providing this clear, comprehensive and easy to understand information about Changkya Rolpe Dorje, which is really not easy to come by. Although the Internet is so rich in information, it is not always easy to filter out inaccurate information and compile all relative information regarding a Dharma subject. Rinpoche has made it very easy for all of us! Thank you again Rinpoche.
On another point, it is very sad that politics has once again tainted and twisted the purity of Dharma: creating a misunderstanding of Dharma. Thank goodness great masters like Tsem Rinpoche are so compassionate to return lifetime after lifetime with the clear motivation to teach pure Dharma. May the information and teachings provided on Tsem Rinpoche through this blog furnish Dharma practitioners with valuable information to clear misunderstandings and develop Dharma knowledge.
Thank you for this lovely post. HH Pabonkha Rinpoche (1878–1941) was the root guru of both HH Ling Rinpoche and HH Trijang Rinpoche, the two tutors of the 14th Dalai Lama. He was also the teacher of most of the Gelug Lamas of that time. In 1921, he gave his famous 24-day exposition on the Lamrim, which was published as “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” edited by his student HH Trijang Rinpoche. A prolific author, he also wrote fifteen large volumes and cover every aspect of Buddhism. These texts provide explanations on sadhanas, chanting, how to make tormas and many other subjects.
These achievements show that no matter how politics try to play down an attained Master and even by removing the name of his previous incarnations, the attainments always shine through.
Ok..so who is this Pabongkha and how does he relate to us?
As Rinpoche mentioned, His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s incarnation ushered in a golden age of Lama Tsongkapa’s tradition to the Emperors of China, their court and to the nation! How many do we have in China today? It’s growing so fast that I rather refer you to this cool website to check out live statistics http://www.chinability.com/China%20population%20clock.htm
I doubt there are any debates over China’s growing economic strengths and influence in our world today. Well and good for the country…but do you think people can live and find happiness SOLELY on acquiring and building stronger financial status? Many may eventually realize that this alone is not enough and will look for lasting happiness. Pabongkha has already long brought Buddhism to China and may many come across these golden teachings.
Well, guess what we are learning here in Kechara?!
The text, LAMRIM or The Stages On The Path To Enlightenment is being studied in the great monasteries Gaden, Sera and Drepung which has produced hundreds of eminent masters. How so? Because these text is the complete guideline of the path the Enlightenment! And yes, be it you believe or not, these text has produced many emanate masters and enlightened beings.
Having our roots in Gaden Monastery (http://www.kechara.com/publications/audio-visual/dvds/journey-to-gaden/) where Tsem Rinpoche comes from, teachings here in kechara is from “The Stages On The Path To Enlightenment.” http://www.kechara.com/kechara-house/education/english/lamrim-class/
The reference text used in Kechara House is ‘Liberation in the Palm of your Hand’ by non other than H.H. Kyabje Pabongkha Rinpoche!
It always never fails to amaze me that Enlightened Beings would go through so much, life after time, to return again and again just to help us all and give us the Dharma. They could choose to return as a monk, a King, a scholar, a thief, or anything at all – but their motivation and purpose always remain the same, and that is to liberate us. I have just started reading about the great Pabongka Rinpoche. Like Li Kheng said, it is hard to find more information on these great Masters. Thank you so much, Rinpoche for posting and sharing this.
Thank you for the information on the spiritual lineage of Pabongka Rinpoche. I enjoyed reading about the contribution of Changkya Rolpe Dorje to the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in China. He was the guru of the Manchu emperor Kangxi who was said to be an emanation of Manjushri. I was also struck by the fact that Rolpe Dorje was also connected to the 7th and the 8th Dalai Lamas. Today, the incarnation of this great Tibetan master is back. Out of compassion, enlightened beings take rebirth again and again to liberate sentient beings. It would be interesting to follow the progress of the young Pabongka Rinpoche because he comes from a very famous lineage.
Even the Kagyu Lamas recognized Changkya Rolpe Dorje as an extraordinary learned and realized Gelugpa teacher who lived in the eighteenth century.
Thrangu Rinpoche has commentary in his song, “Recognizing my Mother”, the “mother” he refers to is the nature of one’s mind. His song makes a clear distinction between recognizing and not recognizing the nature of mind. With engaging imagery, he characterizes our failure to recognize our own mind as being like a small child sitting in his mother’s lap who forgets where he is and looks for his mother everywhere else.
Rinpoche, Thank you so much for sharing this clear and concise information about Changkya Rolpe Dorje, which is rare to know about. I have always held HH Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche in high esteem and respect for writing the Lamrim (Liberation in the Palm of your hand) and now to know that he is the reincarnation of Changkya Rolpe Dorje is most inspiring. History also tells us the connection between great masters and sages in spreading Buddhist teachings to China and yet we see disturbing trends in the relationship between modern China and Tibet today. I wonder if it has something to do with karmic influence.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this information about Changkya Rolpe Dorje. Kyabke Pabongka Dorje Chang is definitely an illustrious living Buddha of our time, and we are so lucky to have him back walking and teaching Dharma again! And this history about his line of incarnation is invaluable as it gives us more faith in these great masters, who are our lineage lamas. Definitely they are living Buddhas that we owe so much for giving us the Dharma during these degenerate times.
It is amazing that how the dots are slowly being connected and Changkya Rolpe Dorje played pivotal role in ushering Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings to China. That is how till today we can see the huge Lama Tsongkhapa statue in the Yong He Gong Temple and all over Wu Tai San. This information shows that Tibetan Buddhism especially the Gelug lineage spread very strongly in China and wow, this is some history lesson even my grand-parents would not have known.
Thank you Rinpoche for this short but powerful info.
The first time I last visited Beijing in 1999, I was shown many temples and some of them had very Tibetan décor and some extremely like the Mahayana ones like I used to see in Taiwan. I was a little confused as to what “type of Buddhism” was being practiced in China. This ignorance of mine has now been erased a little with the learning of the history of Changkya Rolpe Dorje.
It is wonderful to know that Buddhism is same with great masters reincarnating over and over again to benefit people.
The study of Buddhism is extremely interesting and the scope of knowledge is wide and encompassing, and I am glad soon with the guidance of Rinpoche we will have an institute of Learning based on Buddhist doctrine in Malaysia.
It always never fails to amaze me that Enlightened Beings would go through so much, life after time, to return again and again just to help us all and give us the Dharma. They could choose to return as a monk, a King, a scholar, a thief, or anything at all – but their motivation and purpose always remain the same, and that is to liberate us. I have just started reading about the great Pabongka Rinpoche. Like Li Kheng said, it is hard to find more information on these great Masters. Thank you so much, Rinpoche for posting and sharing this. It helps me to think about how very little that I do and feel incredibly grateful to all these Masters of the past for doing what they do and for upholding the Dharma so well. We are the true beneficiaries of their heroic selfless deeds.
I totally agree with Sharon. Highly attained masters like Changkya Rolpe Dorje is beyond worldly conventions. Banning their line of incarnation cannot prevent them from coming back to benefit people. There are other examples in history such as the Sharmapas etc. Although the line of incarnations of the Sharmapas were banned in the past due to political reasons, their incarnation continue to return and were being recognized unofficially within their lineage until they were officially reinstated by the Dalai Lama. Thanks to Rinpoche for posting the illustrious history of Changkya Rolpe Dorje. Knowing his accomplishments as the lama guru of the great emperor of China, Kangxi himself, it is not surprising that his more current incarnation include the great HH Pabongka Rinpoche.
I thank Rinpoche for this article. I am privileged to learn such important information presented in such a concise manner.
Realizing what an important role Changkya Rolpe Dorje played in bringing Tibetian Buddhism to China, Mongolia and Tibet, it is disheartening and sad that his reincarnation was not given the rightful recognition due to political sentiments and adversity. As David commented “the reincarnation was enthroned as a relatively unknown Abbot of Pabongka monastery”, Pabongka Rinpoche. Of course this did not stop nor belittle the greatness of Pabongka Rinpoche.
I have heard a lot about Yong He Gung temple and read a book about the amazing Tsongkhapa statue. I would love to travel China and visit these many temples.
His Holiness Kyabjye Pabongka Rinpoche is undisputed teacher of many Gelug Lamas. Pabongka Rinpoche was very well known for his exposition of the Lam Rim and during his past incarnation he would refrain from giving a lot of initiations but focused solely on teaching the Lam Rim. He was called the Lam Rim Lama as a put down by certain quarters that could not perceive his supreme qualities by focusing on teaching the Lam Rim as opposed to granting many initiations.
The prototype of the Lam Rim, the ‘Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’ by Lama Atisha was only ever entrusted over by Lama Atisha to his student Dromtonpa and no one else. That was how high in regard Lama Atisha considered this particular teaching. Dromtonpa was regarded to be Lama Atisha’s main heir to his teachings.
Without a good grounding in the Lam Rim, one’s foundations in Buddhism will not be very strong. The Lam Rim serves to educate people about the various stages towards enlightenment. It also helps to understand the roles of other Buddhist traditions apart from Vajrayana. One will get a clear understanding about the various traditions and how it is differentiated by the practitioner’s motivation.
I really admire Pabongka Rinpoche who gave us the “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand”, it is truly a treasure that I rely on constantly.
It is amazing how all these enlightened masters work hand in hand together to help spread Buddhism in China. Changkya Rolpe Dorje, who is the lama guru of Emperor Kangxi, known to be the enmanation of Manjushri, his son , prince Yong converted a palace into the grand Yong He Gong temple that up till today, still enshrining the huge statues of Lama Tsongkhapa and Maitreya. No wonder the golden era of Buddhism, especially the Gelug sect of the Tibetan buddhism florished monumentously during the Qianlong Emperior, as Changkya Rolpe Dorje also attended the palace shcool of imperial princes and became a very close friend of Prince Hongshi, who later became Qianlong emperor. This enabled Changkya Rolpe Dorje to accomplish a great deal for Tibetan Buddhist institutions in China, Mongolia, and Tibet.
Although due to political reason, Changkya Rolpa Dorje was recognised as a relatively unknown abbot of Pabongka Monastery, but this does not stop these highly attained lamas from reincarnating back again and again to benefit beings.
Now we know that H.H. Pabongka Rinpoche is a reincarnation of Changkya Rolpe Dorje. It is of ulmost interest to see what the late reincarnation of Pabongka Rinpoche will be doing.
Looks like the Tibetan and Chinese people are very closely linked karmicaly.
The Tibetans excel in spirituality while the Chinese in economics. How wonderful if these two qualities could be balanced in both societies.
We have a very precious lineage teachings which was clearly taught by the Founder , Lama Tsongkhapa and later by the great Pabongkha Rinpoche.
Rinpoche , with his great compassion, always wishes to benefit as many people as possible.It is with this motivation that the first Tsongkhapa comic book in Chinese was conceived (http://www.kechara.com/publications/publications/) and later based on this comic book, the first live performance on the life story of Tsongkhapa was staged.
I believe bodhichitta cannot be stopped by politics . Out of altruistic motivation even though his previous incarnation as Changkya Rolpe Dorje was banned, the bodhi mind took birth as Pabongkha Rinpoche accepting humiliation willingly for the benefit of all others.
Reading this made me realize how close Tibetan Buddhism has been with China, although the Vajrayana Lineage in China died during the Tang dyansty when an anti Buddhist king executed all of the masters of that time. It is amazing that Chankya Rolpa Dorje was able to introduce Vajrayana again to the land of China, albeit only to royalty and to high ranking officials close to the emperor. Perhaps it is through this way that the Dharma can be preserved properly in China and help it survive the cultural revolution.
However one of the most interesting byproducts from this intercultural exchange are Chinese thangkas of Yamantaka and Heruka, but with the Chinese general Guan Gong riding a horse as the Dharma protector. Guan Gong was famous for his righteousness and was initiated into the pathenon of chinese gods by the taoists after his death and later, by Buddhist sages of that time as a Dharma protector of the Chinese Mahayana along with Wei-to. To see him in a thangka shows how versatile and adaptive Vajrayana is to other cultures, as long as it benefits those who practice it.
Thank you for more information on Changkya Rolpe Dorje. He was brought up by by lama tutors, but also attended the palace school for imperial princes, becoming a schoolmate and friend of Prince Hongshi, who later became the Qianlong emperor. This enabled him to accomplish a great deal for Tibetan Buddhist institutions in China, Mongolia, and Tibet. He was a student of the Seventh Dalai Lama and a teacher of the Eighth. He was an important lineage holder in several adept traditions of both Father and Mother Tantras. That is my favourite part.
I like the picture of the statue. It reminds me of Padmasabhava without his hat and facial hair.
This is history in action, it is dynamic, it is relevant, it is happening today.
The re-incarnations of Changkya Rolpe Dorje, more famously Pabongka Rinpoche all have the same motivation: to help all beings be free of suffering and its causes. And we are talking here about suffering in all its senses, from the suffering of pain, to the more subtle suffering of fooling ourselves in distracting “pleasurable” experiences, and to the suffering that is pervasive, the very condition for our experience of suffering.
When enlightened beings show compassion, great compassion, it is based upon the clear understanding of these three types of suffering, and then their compassion applies unconditionally (regardless of what beings have done or can do –good or bad) and with equanimity (helped equally regardless of which form they are, with no favoritisme, carelessness or neglect).
Such things as enlightened masters and great compassion is a nice topic to contemplate on, it is a beautiful subject to study. But here, I think it is helpful to see it with our present mind and in our present time, and not only as a history lesson. Let’s think dynamically.
To be efficient, to reach out, enlightened beings must make the teachings relevant and available when perceived from the eyes of un-enlightened human beings like us.
So how are enlightened beings making themselves relevant and available in our world today, a world of technology, of fierce economical competition, of full-time entertainement, of world politics… How?
By sitting in caves, teaching a few hermits and maybe writing a book or two?
The efficiency (in terms of reaching out) of such method would be rather limited in today’s world.
Through history, they have used our delusions to help us, they are working WITH us, at our level (and above of course).
What would that look like in today’s world?
What would Changkya Rolpe Dorje do in today’s world?
Thank you so much Rinpoche for sharing facts and stories of a great lama of the past. There is an interesting fact that, Pabongka Rinpoche actually transmitted all the knowledge and teachings to Trijang Rinpoche, the private tutor of the current 14th Dalai Lama.. How auspicious and special is the bond is? I love and respect the Dalai Lama to the core and we can see there is a direct link in between. Pabongka Rinpoche, Geshe Lobsang Tarchin, a direct disciple. One of the Tsem Rinpoche’s guru Geshe Lobsang Tarchin and this show the direct lineage of Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings. Malaysia certainly is of great fortune that having Tsem Rinpoche to stay here and spread the Dharma.. Once again I should mention again, may I have sufficient good karma, to meet Tsem Rinpoche personally, certainly there is a lot a lot of teachings to learn from.
Thank you for more information on Changkya Rolpe Dorje. He was brought up by by lama tutors, but also attended the palace school for imperial princes, becoming a schoolmate and friend of Prince Hongshi, who later became the Qianlong emperor. This enabled him to accomplish a great deal for Tibetan Buddhist institutions in China, Mongolia, and Tibet. He was a student of the Seventh Dalai Lama and a teacher of the Eighth. He was an important lineage holder in several adept traditions of both Father and Mother Tantras. That is my favourite part.
I like the picture of the statue. It reminds me of Padmasabhava without his hat and facial hair.
Terima Kasih Rinpoche!
Reading further gave me goosebumps to think of how august Pabongka Rinponche is and his lineage deeds and yet I have read on some online Buddhist Forums, in their Vajrayana forum, how they simply disparage this great Rinpoche and link him to the Shall-Not-Be-Named-Controversy and to the extent of banning the very mention of his name or his signature teaching of ‘Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand’. Such is samsara…
Joey’s comments are interesting:
From my previous reading/learning from online Buddhist Forums and one Shingon priest I met online:
1. Yes the Vajrayana lineage that went into China from India did died out due to the great persecution but it survived in Japan thanks to ‘Kobo Daishi’ (known to the Chinese as ‘Hong Fa Da Shi’) or also known as ‘Kukai’ who went to Tang China with Saicho, the founder of Tendai to learn Vajrayana from Indian and Chinese Vajrayana Masters and went back to establish it on Mt Koya in Japan (although Saicho parted ways with Kukai) hence the name ‘Koyasan’ and known as ‘Shingon’ or ‘Zhen Yan’ in Chinese (True Word), commonly known as Japanese Vajrayana.
2. Today’s Chinese Vajrayana takes back the lineage from Japan and the only one I know of is known as Tang Mi (Tang Esotericism- Tang as in Tang Dynasty and Esotericism-Vajrayana) and they can be found online as well). So today, one can have 3 choices of Vajrayana practice: the Tibetan lineage or Shingon or Tangmi.
3. ‘Guan Gong’ is also known as ‘Jie Lan Sheng Zhong Pu Sa’ or ‘Sangharama Bodhisattva’ was said to have taken refuge under a prominent Tien Tai Master, who taught him the Dharma and hence became Chinese Mahayana’s prominent Dharma Protector alongside the other one who has Indian Buddhist origins, ‘Wei Tuo Pu Sa’, ‘Skanda Bodhisattva’. It would be interesting to see a link on that Yamantaka and Heruka thangka with Guan Gong…
How ironic that China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama are at odds, when in actual fact, the religious belief that the Dalai Lama represents was so deeply rooted in China already. It is fascinating to read about how the Emperors of ancient China studied and even proliferated the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa, so much so that monuments to the Yellow Hat Teachings such as Yong He Gong temple in Beijing still stand today. China is even featured in many of the scriptural texts such the Five-Peaked Mountain (Wu Tai Shan), which is considered one of the sacred locations of Manjushri.
However the political situation may change, one thing is for sure – the Enlightened Beings never cease to reincarnate over and over again, wherever they are needed or accepted in order to bring the precious teachings of Lord Buddha to many. I look forward to the rise of Buddhism once again in China, one that is free from the taint of political dogma.
Whether being recognized or not, whether the incarnation lineage is being banned or not never deter the return of enlighten beings to continue to benefit others. These enlighten beings can incarnate back as high lamas, as emperor, as layman, as beggar, as a dog, as a bird etc, their sole motivation is to benefit others.
Changkya Rolpe Dorje had played a very major role in the growth of Tibetan Buddhism in China and being the tutor of Emperor Kangxi, who is believed to be the emanation of Manjushri.
It is sad to know that political interference had once again marred the purity of Buddhism. In view of the sensitivity between Tibetan and Chinese government, the incarnation of Changkya Rolpe Dorje, was enthroned as the incarnation of a relatively unknown abbot of Pabongka monastery with the title of Pabongka Rinpoche. This high being continued His legend in benefiting others and Pabongka Rinpoche’s name continuously became more famous in the region!
H.H Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche is the foundation of the entire Gelupa lineage guru at 21 century. Kyebje Pabongka received his Lam Rim teaching from his root guru Dagpo rinpoche and pass down his lineage to his root disciples Kyebje Trijang Rinpoche and another elite Gelupa master. Trijang Rinpoche also received secret tantra teaching like Vajrayogini, heruka and kalachakra tantra from Pabongka rinpoche himself and pass down to His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama.
Kyebje Pambongka previous incarnation is Changkya Rolpay Dorje who is royal tutor of Chinese Emperor Kangxi. His teaching has much influence at China vajrayana buddhism. Until today,the basic material to study about vajrayana buddhism still has to base of his teaching of liberation palm of the hand.
From history facts and informations , we learned that Changkya Rolpe Dorje oversaw the creation of (Mongolian, Tibetan, Manchu, Chinese, and Chagatay language) dictionaries and translations of Buddhist teachings in textual form.
As a Buddhist administrator in Beijing, he played an important role in founding Yonghegong, a monastic college for Mongol, Manchu, and Chinese monks.
Like Wutaishan, this college combined an Imperial palace and a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. He was also instrumental in developing the systems of iconography, cataloguing, and inscribing that would prove so important to the Qianlong emperor’s projects in Buddhist art.
It’s worthwhile learning that the current day incarnation line of Changkya Rolpe Dorje is His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. Kyabje Pabongka, and these great masters were belong to Gelug lineage.