Teacher of Kings: His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lama
His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lama (Main figure)
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(Top to bottom): The 5th Dalai Lama, The 4th Panchen Lama, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, Brahmarupa Mahakala and Dorje Shugden.
Deity: His Holiness 4th Panchen Lama Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen (Tibetan)
The Panchen Lama line of incarnations are believed to be emanations of Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light. Amitabha is relied on strongly within Pure Land Buddhism which is popularly practised in East Asia. He currently resides in Sukhavati, the Western Pure Land, which practitioners aspire to take rebirth in to continue their spiritual practice. Panchen Lama is not just a name but a title bestowed by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama upon his illustrious teacher, Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen and it literally means ‘Great Scholar’ in recognition of his teacher’s scholarly prowess. Since then, the Panchen Lamas have been regarded as the second highest incarnation lineage after the Dalai Lamas in Tibet.
Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen, who later became known as the 4th Panchen Lama, was born in a village called Drukgya in the Lhan valley, in Tsang, in 1570. Later, he searched for and enthroned Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso as the 5th Dalai Lama and Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen as the 4th Zimkhang Gongma (the incarnation of Panchen Sonam Drakpa). These two lamas became the heart disciples of Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen.
Deity: The Great 5th Dalai Lama (English)
Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso was recognised as the Great Fifth Dalai Lama by His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen and was a contemporary of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. He was successful in unifying all of Tibet after a long period of civil war and from then on wielded temporal and spiritual power over the country. During his reign, he established diplomatic relations with China, other regional states and also met with several European explorers. As a writer, he composed 24 volumes of written works covering a broad range of scholarly and literary subjects. He built the Potala Palace as his seat of power but did not live to see its completion.
Deity: Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen (Tibetan)
Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was a contemporary of the Great 5th Dalai Lama and a heart disciple of His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen. He was a pure monk in the Buddhist monastic tradition and was recognised by the Panchen Lama to be the reincarnation of Panchen Sonam Drakpa, part of a long line of successive incarnations going all the way back to the time of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Due to an aspiration generated in a previous life, after Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen met with an untimely demise, he arose as the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden as requested by the Dharma Protector Nechung.
Deity: Brahmarupa Mahakala (Sanskrit)
Alternative name: Gonpo Tramsuk (Tibetan)
Brahmarupa literally means the “One in the Brahmin Form”. Portrayed as a dark-skinned Indian yogi, Brahmarupa is a form of Four-Faced Mahakala, an emanation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. He is considered to be a protector of both the Guhyasamaja and Chakrasamvara Tantras. He is therefore widely propitiated by many great lamas, yogis and practitioners in order to clear their path of inner obstacles while they engage in spiritual practice and retreats on these two tantric systems. During his lifetime Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen propitiated Brahmarupa Mahakala as his main Dharma Protector.
Deity: Dorje Shugden (Tibetan)
Alternative name: Vajra Rudra (Sanskrit)
Dorje Shugden is an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. He took the form of a Dharma Protector in order to safeguard the Buddha’s teachings, especially the important teachings on the Middle Way View. Reminiscent of Manjushri’s form, Dorje Shugden carries a meandering sword and rides a snowlion that represents the fearlessness of a fully enlightened Buddha. Thus, he has great strength to overcome obstacles of the body, speech and mind, and create suitable conditions for our spiritual practice to flourish. Furthermore, he carries a jewel-spitting mongoose and a vajra hook to symbolise that he has the tremendous ability to bestow wealth and resources.
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Wow……amazing art work thangka of all the GREAT Lamas . With the 5th Dalai Lama, the 4th Panchen Lama, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, Brahmarupa Mahakala and Dorje Shugden together. Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing with a brief explanations as depicted in the thangka.