Item: Teacher (Lama) - Teacher

Togden Shakya Shri (1853-1919 [BDRC P620]).

At the top center is Samantabhadra Buddha with white Vajrasattva below. On the upper left side is Shakyamuni Buddha with a Tibetan teacher in monastic attire below. At the upper right side is Padmasambhava with a lay Tantric practitioner below.

At the bottom center is the protector Ekajati with Rahula on the left and Dorje Legpa on the right side.

Jeff Watt 8-2023

As a child, Shākya Shrī was said to be soft-spoken and inclined towards dharma practice. He would often use soil and pebbles as objects of offerings, sometimes sitting on raised stone platforms in a Mahāmudrā pose, imitating meditation. Other times he would act as if conferring teachings on his playmates. According to legend, when Shākya Shrī was about four years old, a beautiful female yogi appeared to his parents and told them that the child had descended from the ḍākinī.

It is said that he was easily moved by the suffering of others and was often found in tears after seeing others in misery. As a result of his compassion, he frequently dedicated the positive results of his practice towards their benefit.

As a young man Shākya Shrī worked as a cook at Drugu (gru gu), a Drukpa Kagyu monastery in the Chamdo region. When his kitchen duties were completed, he would sit beside the hearth and do his practice, tying his hair to the ceiling so that he would not fall asleep. Once during a high teaching, Shākya Shrī was serving tea to the First Tsoknyi, Pema Drime Wozer (tshogs gnyis, pad+ma dri med 'od zer, b. 1828), who was considered a reincarnation of both Rechung Dorje Drakpa (ras chung rdo rje grags pa, 1085-1161) and Ratna Lingpa (rat na gling pa, 1403-1479). Shākya Shrī attempted to listen to the teachings, and caught the attention of some of the monks in the audience, who laughed at him, saying, “The long nosed nephew of Pentsa should go back to his kitchen.” Shākya Shrī (or, in other versions of the story, Tsoknyi) retorted that they should not mock him, as in the future they would be longing even for a drop of his urine.

After being ordained as a monk at Drugu, Shākya Shrī took lessons in Mahāmudrā from the Sixth Khamtrul, Tenpai Nyima (khams sprul 06 bstan pa'i nyi ma, 1819-1907), who became his root teacher. He also received initiations in Dzogchen teachings from Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse dbang po, 1820-1892).

He later abandoned his vows and, for many years he practiced in the remote mountain caves of the Kham region with his consort Chozang Dolma (chos bzang sgrol ma, d.u.) and their children. He had four daughters and six sons; one of the sons was named Ngawang Choying (ngag dbang chos dbyings, d.u.), and another, Pakchok Dorje ('phags mchog rdo rje, 1893-1943) was identified as the mind emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Mocking monks referred to him as “the dirty yogi with large family.”

His reputation was made when the Sixth Dechen Chokhor Yongdzin, Sheja Kunkhyen (bde chen chos 'khor yongs 'dzin 06 shes bya kun mkhyen, d.u.) camped below the cave of Shākya Shrī to give teachings. Yongdzin had a vision in which he saw the maṇḍala of thirteen-deity Cakrasaṃvara pointing towards the cave of Shākya Shrī. Asking who was in the cave, he was informed of the presence of a “dirty yogi.” He invited Shākya Shrī to test his yogic power, and was amazed at his achievements, and have him the title Drubwang (sgrub dbang).

During his first encounter with Ju Mipam Gyatso ('ju mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846-1912) at Gatra Guri (dga' tra gu ri), Shākya Shrī was attending a prayer ceremony with about five hundred monks. According to his hagiography, at dawn, he saw a vision of Mañjuśrī, orange in color and having four arms, holding a sword in one hand, and a bow, an arrow, and a book in the other. He held this vision for a while and later understood that this vision of Mañjuśrī was none other than Mipam Gyatso. He received further teachings from him, specifically the Pel Kuntu Zangpoi Monlam (dpal kun tu bzang po’i smon lam), and the two sat together in conversation for fifteen days. Mipam Gyatso commented that Shākya Shrī was also Jampeyang in human body and called him Shākya Shrījñāna, which indicated his profound understanding of Dzogchen views.

Shākya Shrī's fame was considerable, and students gathered from throughout the Himalayan region, including Bhutan. These included Sonam Zangpo (bsod nams bzang po, 1892-1983), the son of Trongsa Ponlob Jigme Namgyel (krong gsar dpon slob 'jigs med rnam rgyal, d.u.), and the brother of the first King of Bhutan; Lama Monlam Rabzang (smon lam rab bzang, 1879-1945.); Kunlha Tendzin (kun lha bstan 'dzin, d.u.); Sonam Gyeltsen (bsod nams rgyal mtshan, d.u.); Ngawang Tendzin Gyatso (ngag dbang bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho, 1883-1966), and the Tenth Drukchen, Mipam Chokyi Wangpo ('brug chen 10 mi pham chos kyi dbang po, 1884-1930).

He stayed in places like Pemako and Khenpajong in Bhutan, and also Sikkim and Nepal. In Nepal, he sponsored a renovation of the Swayambhunath and Boudanath stupas and of Namo Buddha. These projects were later completed by his sons.

At the end of his life, although continuing to teach, Shākya Shrī told his students that the time had come for him to pass into nirvana, and he showed signs of illness soon thereafter. When his children and students offered him medicine and prayers of propitiations for him to live longer, Shākya Shrī said that while medicine and prayers would ultimately make no difference, they could continue, as it would bring them merit.

Shākya Shrī passed away in 1919, the earth-sheep year. He is said to have displayed the rainbow body ('ja' klu), transforming his body into light.

His disciple Sonam Zangpo edited and published a few volumes of his teachings.

Jagar Dorji is a Member of Parliament, National Council of Bhutan.

Published May 2011