The History of Mindrolling: Part XII
Trichen Gyurme Trinley Namgyal — The 5th Mindrolling Trichen
The 5th Mindrolling Trichen, Gyurme Trinley Namgyal was born to the 4th Trichen, the great throne holder Gyurme Pema Tenzin and his Sangyum (consort). Displaying wondrous signs of accomplishment, clarity and brilliant wisdom from his childhood, he grew up with great care and training from his father and uncle and became very learned in both the Sutra and Tantra teachings.
He was accomplished in the three prajnas of hearing, reflecting and meditation. In particular, he was greatly learned in gar thig and yang rol and all forms of traditional ritual practices.
Upon the parinirvana of his father, the 4th Trichen, he undertook the responsibility of the parinirvana ceremonies completing them with great devotion and performing all rituals extensively. He continued to construct and build a wonderful collection of inner and outer sacred implements and shrines. He was then installed as the 5th throne holder of Mindrolling by the learned master, his uncle, Khenchen Ogyen Tenzin Dorje who was the 3rd Minling Khenchen. From then on he undertook all the responsibilities of the Mindrolling Monastery by furthering the vision and vast activities of his father, the 4th Trichen Gyurme Pema Tenzin and all the past masters of the lineage.
For many years he also undertook a dedicated approach to study and practice of the precious and profound teachings. He studied under his great learned uncle, the 3rd Khenchen Ogyen Tenzin Dorje along with numerous learned and accomplished masters of that time. Thus, by these means he became an exponent of all the precious teachings in general and the profound Nyingma kama and terma teachings in particular. Gyurme Trinley Namgyal also received extensive teachings and transmissions of the entire collection of teachings and transmissions of the great Ogyen Terdag Lingpa and Lochen Dharmashri. He then went into retreat and accomplished all the precious practices of the lineage so that he became a true treasure trove of all the teachings and practices of the new Mindrolling termas as well as all the other lineages held and preserved at Mindrolling.
Following the retreat he taught and transmitted the teachings by bestowing them to the lineage holders and practitioners of the next generation. In his lifetime he also renovated and built several shrines, thus adding to the growth and strengthening of a strong foundation of the precious dharma and the lineage of Mindrolling.
Due to the unfortunate karma of sentient beings, this great 5th throne holder of Mindrolling entered into the samadhi of parinirvana at a young age after dedicating his entire life towards the expansion and flourishing of the precious dharma and ensuring its continuity in the purest way.
Generally, the life of the Mindrolling Trichens throughout history falls into similar patterns, appearing not to have great differential qualities. It is important to understand that the training was conducted in very similar ways and the qualities of 'personality' were not considered important and therefore were not distinguished in a historical preservation context. As long as the political struggles in the land were not imposing themselves on the daily life of the Mindrolling Monastery, the emphasis was mostly on the training and teaching of the profound dharma, the means to produce exceptional individuals that would ripen and reveal the profoundest bodhisattva activity. Therefore, it is important to understand that every single one of these great masters led exceptional lives embodying the qualities of a true bodhisattva and it is only through their life-long efforts that the teachings have continued down to this day in its most pure and authentic form.
Kyabje Mindrolling Trichen used to always remind his students that the real challenge lies in the day-to-day activities of a monastery where in every single moment and every single activity, a teacher has to ensure that it is in accord with the dharma and that it is of benefit to all sentient beings. Kyabje Rinpoche always maintained that building something is in many ways the easy part. Preserving it authentically and ensuring its growth is the difficult part. Thus, we owe the greatest of debt of gratitude to all the masters of the lineage who through centuries strove to preserve and nurture the growth of that which was established by the peerless gurus, Ogyen Terdag Lingpa and Lochen Dharmashri.