Biography of His Eminence Zimwock Rinpoche

RongtonHis Eminence Zimwock Rinpoche is the 6th reincarnation in a long line of Tibetan Buddhist masters dating back more than four hundred years to the time of the famed Mahasiddha Rongton Sheja Kunrig. Since the early 16th century the lineage of the Zimwock Rinpoches has kept alive the unique combination of practice and scholarship that has made Tibetan Buddhism so freshly relevant in our modern times.

In 1973, when he was still very young, His Eminence was recognized by His Holiness the Sakya Trizin as the next reincarnation of the Zimwock lineage. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ling Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche and many other high Lamas endorsed and praised the recognition and enthronement of the young Zimwock Tulku.

After his enthronement Zimwock Rinpoche completed ten years of intensive individual training with his father, the highly respected reincarnate Lama, Dzongsar Gang–na Tulku Rinpoche, and also with his own personal tutor, Lama Trinle Choedak. In 1983 Rinpoche was ordained as a monk by His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche and for the next eight years attended Sakya College, Rajpur, India, under the most Venerable Khenpo Appey. Rinpoche finally graduated as Acharya with a Masters Degree in Buddhist Philosophy.

As Rinpoche was completing his studies he had to face the unexpected loss of two significant figures in his life, his personal teacher and his mother. This was a difficult time for Rinpoche and he decided to return his ordained vows. For the following period of time he then lived quietly in Nepal leading the life of a house holder, and later started a relationship and raising his first daughter, Tsering Dolma. This relationship did not last and Rinpoche eventually moved to India to study Tibetan in Dharamsala under Geshe Dawa. It was during his time there that he met his future wife, Kelsang.

Rinpoche then emigrated to Switzerland, where he married Kelsang, and they settled into a more stable life raising their children, Lhazom, Khandro and Chime. For more than fifteen years Rinpoche has worked in Switzerland supporting his family and thinking how he might best fulfil the legacy of his predecessors and his own root guru, His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche.

In 2007 Chogye Trichen Rinpoche passed away spending many days in samadhi and with many auspicious signs appearing of his attainments as a great yogi, scholar and poet. With the passing of this great teacher and most senior of Tsarpa lineage holders, Zimwock Rinpoche felt an increasing need to return to his role as a major lineage holder in the Tsarpa tradition. During this period Lama Choedak in Australia sugested Australia as a possible conducive location for Zimwock Rinpoche to begin teaching again.

With the encouragement from many Sakya Tulku's and other lineage holders during that same time period, His Eminence made the decision in 2008 to re–enter his role as a senior lineage holder in the Tsarpa tradition and to gradually resume his teaching role. He then accepted an invitation from Jamchen Buddhist Centre to travel to Melbourne with his wife Kelsang and three young daughters, and take up the newly created position of resident Buddhist Teacher at the Jamchen Buddhist Centre at the end of 2008.

Initial support from Lochen Lama Choedak facilitated the relocation of Zimwock Rimpoche and his family to Melbourne, but during that same time period this Melbourne Sakya centre was going through a period of upheaval and change, and this environment initially did not provide a stable platform to resume his teaching role from. This created a greater and unexpected burden on HE Zimwock rimpoche at the time. For the Jamchen Buddhist Centre the new arrival of a senior Tsarpa lineage holder provided a fresh energy to revitalize the Dharma teachings at that location, but the way that centre had previously been structured initially limited Zimwock Rinpoche's ability to make major changes and expand the teaching program and improve the services offered by that centre to the community.

A few months later HH Sakya Trezin came to Melbourne while on an international teaching tour, and during this stay visited Jamchen to provide teachings. Seeing the specific needs of that buddhist Center he personally appointed HE Zimwock Rimpoche as the new spiritual director of Jamchen Buddhist center, allowing Zimwock Rimpoche to restructure and reorganize the Center as he required to facilitate the dissemination of the Buddha dharma. Thanks to the hard work from many of the dedicated previous members of Jamchen in its earlier years, its active committee members, and other long term supporters, HE Zimwock Rimpoche was then able to rebuild the Jamchen Buddhist center from a solid foundation they had provided and gradually was able to resume his teaching role from that location as originally intended

Thanks to the great blessings of His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, HH Sakya Trezin, and the many other great teachers who visited and blessed Jamchen with their presence, the Jamchen Buddhist Center is now again a center for learning, study and practice of the Buddha Dharma. Weekly teachings are held on fundamental Mahayana texts by keystone historical authors such as Shantideva and Nagarjuna, and by providing a structured progressive path of learning, a clear avenue for personal growth is provided to its participating visitors,students and members. Its spiritual program includes weekly meditation sessions under the direct guidance of His Eminence, access to a resident teacher for personal practice advice, and regular public dharma teachings which are also available to the greater Melbourne community, as well as a number of other cultural and dharma activities.

 

(Please visit His Eminence Zimwock Tulku Rinpoche’s Website for more information).