H. H. Orgyen Kusum Lingpa
His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa
His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa was born in 1933 in A-chak Dra-yu on the A-mNyi Machen Nyèn-dop mountain in Eastern Tibet. His father was a ngakpa and acknowledged siddha, 'a-Shi Lhundrüp Gyamtso Rinpoche, and his mother was the realized ngakma, Pema Lham-so Rinpoche. His birth was prophesied by: the first Dodrüpchen Rinpoche, Tértön Nyima Dragpa, Ngak’chang Min’gyür Namkha’i Dorje Rinpoche, the fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche, and Jig'mèd Thrinlé ’ö-Zér Rinpoche. He was recognized as the reincarnation of numerous Buddhist monks, such as Mahasiddha Drilbupa and of Lha-lung Pelgyi Dorje. At the age of three, his father passed away.
He received his spiritual initiation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He began studying with some of the greatest Buddhist masters around such as the fourth Dodrüpchen Rinpoche, Thubten Thrinlé Palzangpo Rinpoche, Rig’dzin Ja-lu Dorje Rinpoche, Gyatrül Wangpo Rinpoche, Khenchen Lobsang Namtak Rinpoche (who imparted to him the Dzogchen Nying-thig, and with whom he lived for many years), and Palyül Chögtrül Rinpoche (from whom he received both Nam-chö and Ratna Lingpa transmissions). At the age of thirteen, he began seeing visions of Padmasambhava and Yeshé Tsogyel. At the age of sixteen, his mother passed away. Around that time, he made trips to Lhasa and Sam-ye.
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While on these trips, he claimed to have visions of his previous and future lives. He says he received the prophecy that in over one hundred lifetimes he would reveal one thousand Térmas (hidden secrets). When he turned thirty-two, he revealed a Térma of Ögyen Dzambhala. He became well known for being a great terton (treasure revealers). He was given the title of Kusum Lingpa, which means "Treasure Revealer of the Three Kayas". He has revealed the three classes of Térma: those received ‘directly from the mind’; ‘crazed Tér’ (which manifest as a yogi or yogini’s unconventional behavior); and ‘secret Tér’ (which can only be revealed by one who is a holder of all classes of Tér). In May 1995, he established the Vajrakilaya Dzogchen Center in San Francisco where he teaches.