Lopön Jampa Norgyal
Lopön Jampa Norgyal was born in 1971 in the Kham province of Eastern Tibet to a half farming, half nomadic family. When he was about ten his uncle Gen Dorje Tsering, who was just released after being imprisoned for 21 years during the Chinese cultural revolution, joined the family. Despite all the hardship he had endured Gen Dorje Tsering was a particularly kind, peaceful and wise person, the sun of the family.
He was Jampa Norgyal’s first teacher, he inspired him to become a monk and study Buddhism extensively. After primary school, Jampa Norgyal went to Jampa Ling Monastery and University, a branch of the Sera Monastery, in Chamdo in the Kham province where he spent about 15 years. There, he completed his Buddhist Philosophical Studies, learning conventional sciences at the same time. Among his many teachers, his root teachers were Khenchen Jampa Chödrak and Je Muge Samten Gyatso. Along with his studies, he received explanations to hundreds of texts, received various oral transmissions and empowerments.
At university, the main topics were the texts of the Nalanda tradition : the Abhisamaya Alankara (an extensive commentary on a sutra on the paramita of wisdom), Madhyamika (the view of the Middle Way), Pramana (logic), Abhidharmakosha (Buddhist metaphysics), and Vinaya (monastic discipline). He also studied the collected liturgy and ritual details according to the Geluk tradition. Jampa Norgyal’s favourite topics were logic and Madhyamika. He was a brilliant student and during that time he also taught at the university.
Due to some political issues, Jampa Norgyal had to leave the university and stopped being a monk. Soon afterwards he departed to India.
In 1999, with the grace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and with a scholarship from the Central Tibetan Administration, Jampa Norgyal started four-year studies at the Tibetan Transit School in Dharamsala, India. He also started learning English. After graduating from the TTS, he started teaching Buddhist philosophy as well as modern Tibetan language to foreigners from different centres of Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translation Projects around the world.
Then he went to Sarah College to complete his Master degree in Higher Tibetan Studies, where he studied in-depth Tibetan grammar, poetry, history, tenet systems of India and Tibet and modern research techniques.
On top of 25 years of studies in and out of Tibet, Jampa Norgyal also participated in further seminars and trainings. During his studies and afterwards, he obtained different degrees and certificates, and won different awards.
He then worked for some of the many organizations that are socially engaged to promote the Tibetan culture, the language and the dharma where the dharma is either given in Tibetan for the diaspora or in English for the foreigners. He was the assistant director at the Esukhia Research Center. At Esukhia Jampa Norgyal also took part in and carried out many projects: he participated in the selection of language teachers for the school and the preparation of study material, taught Buddhism to foreigners on site and online, provided translation assistance to foreign translators, subtitled video teachings, proofread many publications and made online catalogues for the Buddhist Buddhist Resources Center (BDRC).
Since his arrival in India and up to now, he has been attending many teachings, and received many empowerments and transmissions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as from other precious masters of all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism, according to the rimé tradition.
In 2013, Jampa Norgyal arrived in Belgium where he fully committed himself to the Dharma activities of Dzogchen Ranyak Patrul Rinpoche. “I immediately admired and respected Patrul Rinpoche because he is clearly dedicated to benefiting others and he has great blessing. He is not only my teacher or supervisor, but also my best friend.”
Under the supervision of Dzogchen Ranyak Patrul Rinpoche, Lopön Jampa Norgyal contributed to various projects for the preservation of ancient Tibetan Buddhist texts such as the revision and editing of the Kama of Gyalse Zhenpen Thaye, and of the Collected Writings of Dza Patrul Rinpoche. He also collaborates with the Sambhota Translation Group. During teachings and retreats he assists Patrul Rinpoche. He has also been teaching Tibetan language, meditation and philosophy in Dharma City and online.
In 2015, he was given the title of Lopön (Professor) by Dzogchen Rinpoche Tenzin Longtok Nyima.
Lopön Jampa Norgyal is the author of the book The Flower Pathway (in Tibetan), a collection of essays including the recognition of reincarnations, guidelines on how to keep the traditions, works on the origin of the prayer flags, and also poems on his homeland (Tibet), love, politics, and nature.
In his free time, Lopön Jampa Norgyal enjoys reading Tibetan books, listening to conferences and to teachings, writting on Buddhist topics, talking with his family and friends, and playing the flute. What he likes the most is reading and composing in Tibetan.
As Patrul Rinpoche often mentions, Lopön Jampa Norgyal is a person of great value and a very qualified teacher with a rare understanding of the Buddha’s teachings.
When asked to give a short advice to Western Buddhist practitioners, Lopön Jampa Norgyal answered the following, “It is important that the Western Buddhist practitioners of the 21st century become good people, good examples of Dharma practitioners who behave according to the Buddha’s teachings.”
Florennes, Belgium, April 2021
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