or commonly known as Lord Ratnashri in Sanskrit or translated into Tibetan as Rinchen Pal The founder of the Drigung Kagyu Lineage by H.E. the 8th Kyabje Garchen Triptül Rinpoche Teaching given at the Ratnashri Center, Malaysia, orally translated into English by Acharya Konchok Tamphel on the fly. Transcribed and edited 2002 by Tenzin Choedrak (Anthony Bruno)

There are numerous texts written on Lord Jigten Sumgön, along with predictions by the Buddha and Padmasambhava foretelling Jigten Sumgön's arrival in this world. Also, all the traditions and lineages of Tibetan Buddhism accept Jigten Sumgön as the emanation of the Arya Nagarjuna.

Although there are four main lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, the practice of all four Tibetan Buddhist schools is Bodhicitta --the generation of love and compassion (the wish to attain enlightenment to benefit others). There is nothing much more than that.

So, although there is only one common practice in Buddhism, the two Bodhicittas (ultimate and relative), there are a variety of ways to achieve the goal of enlightenment. These ways and means are explained in the teachings of the dharma.  Even enlightened beings perform different Buddha-activities; they use different methods to lead sentient beings through various ways and actions.

Every single sentient being has Buddha Nature (the essence and potential that enlightenment is inherent within them). For this very reason, every sentient being has the same seed, and potential, to attain enlightenment.  However, depending on how "the seed" is nurtured, different qualities and different stages of spiritual attainment arise. 

For instance, if one plants an apple tree very properly and well, like in good soil and takes of it, one will get a lot of fruit. Also, that fruit will be big in size and tasty.  But, if one plants the seed in a bad place and doesn't take care of it, then there will be less fruit. Now, the fruit will be smaller in size and not taste good.

Similarly, all practices are based on the two Bodhicittas, but depending on our effort and usage of the various ways and methods, different results will occur.

Lord Jigten Sumgön was born into the Kyura clan, one of the many clans of Tibet. This Kyura clan originated from the descendants of human and heavenly beings (devas), who united. From this clan, many great Kings of Tibet were born.  Later on, Achi Chokyi Dölma also was born into this clan.  Four generations after her, Lord Jigten Sumgön was born into this clan.

When an emanation of a Buddha or bodhisattva (the Nirmanakaya or tulku form of an enlightened being) is to take birth, great masters such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa predict their coming into the world; these great masters can predict the arrival of other enlightened masters. And when an enlightened masters such as Lord Jigten Sumgön is to take birth into this world, the Buddha Himself predicts his or her birth and coming. 

In the Sutra called "Extremely Increasing Wisdom" (Yeshe Yongsu Jepa), the Buddha Himself predicted the coming of Jigten Sumgön by stating:  "In the degenerate age, north of Bodh Gaya in the Land of Snow, there will be a great being called Ratnashri (Rinchenpal). He will benefit sentient beings greatly." This is not the only prediction, as there are more than ten predictions from different sutras. 

Even in the teachings revealed from treasure (terma), Lord Jigten Sumgön was predicted by the great master Padmasambhava. In the Nyingma lineage, many of the main practices and teachings are from terma. There are more than one-hundred and eight great Tertöns (terma revealers), and of those one of the three most important and honored Tertön is Sangye Lingpa and his scriptures of terma.

In this manner, from this Tertön, Padmasambhava relayed, "In a place called Dri, there will be a person born in the Pig Year and his name will be Ratnashri. He will gather millions of disciples."

In Tibet, there have been many great masters and Bodhisattvas called Ratnashri (Rinchenpal), but only Lord Jigten Sumgön had such a large and vast number of disciples.

Lord Jigten Sumgön was born in Kham, eastern Tibet. The place where he was born is near where Garchen Rinpoche lives. In the nearby area is also the place where Achi Chokyi Dölma was born. At this place, one can still see the cave of Achi Chokyi Dölma and also the place where she left this world.

On the rocks in this region are footprints of the horse of Achi Chokyi Dölma, and also the impression of the Drigung Logo with the syllable Hung on solid rock. This Hung and the three colors of the Drigung Logo are symbolic.

The syllable Hung represents the Buddha, the Lama and the Dharmakaya; the Sun represents the Dharma, the Dakini and Sambhogakaya; and the moon represents the Sangha, the Yidam and the Nirmanakaya. So in this way the Drigung Logo, its symbols and colors, represents the Three bodies (kayas) of the Buddha, the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) and the Three Roots (Lama, Yidam and Dakini). It therefore represents the complete path, from taking refuge to the ultimate stages. Practitioners can wear it on their body for protection.

In search of dharma Lord Jigten Sumgön left eastern Tibet. He then met his root teacher, Phagmodrupa. By the time Lord Jigten Sumgön came to him, Phagmodrupa already had thousands of disciples.  While they offered cloth made out of expensive brocade, Jigten Sumgön was very poor and only had the simple cloth he wore, made out of leather. 

Lord Jigten Sumgön was also considered by everyone to be the least spiritually developed, so he sat the end of the row in the assembly.  At this time, Jigten Sumgön was still an upasaka (lay person).

There was once a lady who was an emanation of Vajrayogini, a highly realized female practitioner, in the area. After she passed away, a yogi called Lingjey Repa, considered to be similar to Milarepa, used the skull of this lady, a sacred relic, as a cup for sacred substances. He filled the skull cup with nectar, holding it in his hand, and went up and down the rows of the assembly of Phagmodrupa and his disciples. 

After the assembly concluded the prayers and pujas, the yogi offered the skull cup to Jigten Sumgön. The yogi praised Jigten Sumgön in twenty different ways, the yogi composed all of this instantaneously and these praises have been recorded. Everyone thought the yogi was crazy, as they expected him to offer the skull cup to someone up in the row but instead he offered it to the last person.  It was then that Phagmodrupa declared that Jigten Sumgön would succeed him in carrying on the lineage.

Just as the masters of India transmitted the teachings to Marpa, and then Marpa transmitted the lineage to Milarepa, and then Milarepa transmitted the lineage to Gampopa, and then Gampopa transmitted the lineage to Phagmodrupa, now Jigten Sumgön would continue the lineage and he became the founder of the Drigung Kagyu lineage. 

In this way there have been many great masters of the Kagyu lineage. During the time of Jigten Sumgön, Garchen Rinpoche was in that past lifetime one of Jigten Sumgön's closest disciples. He diligently built numerous small statues of his master, Jigten Sumgön, and took these statues to his master and asked if the statues accurately looked like him. 

Jigten Sumgön was pleased, and as a blessing, left the mark of his teeth on one of the statues. When he bit into only one of the statues, on all of the statues instantly arose the same tooth mark. These statues can still be seen in Tibet, and also Garchen Rinpoche has one of these and also at Thrangu Rinpoche's monastery in Nepal another of these statues resides. Garchen Rinpoche is presently wishing to replicate these statues in vast quantity, in the past he already constructed larger statues, ranging from ten to fifteen feet, of Jigten Sumgön. In this way the blessings of the lineage and Jigten Sumgön will continue. 

Teaching given at the Ratnashri Center, Malaysia, orally translated into English by Acharya Konchok Tamphel on the fly.

Transcribed and edited 2002 by Tenzin Choedrak (Anthony Bruno)