37 Practices of a Bodhisattva

A rare teacher in this modern age. Anyen Rinpoche was raised by a family of yak herders in the high forested mountains of eastern Tibet, a place with almost no evidence of modern life. As a child, he dreamt of foreign-looking people and technological advances. In one particularly vivid dream, he saw "two skies converging." The dream remained a puzzle until Rinpoche was much older, leaving Southeast Asia for the first time. While on a plane flying over the sea towards South Korea, he saw the ocean and atmosphere melding into one on the horizon: two skies converging. It was then that he realized his life was going to follow an unusual course outside his home country of Tibet.

Anyen Rinpoche was raised and educated in a highly traditional manner. When he was three days old, he was recognized as a tulku by the great Dzogchen yogi Chupur Lama. Since it wasn’t possible for him to live in a monastery as a child, Chupur Lama lived with Anyen Rinpoche's family in the same yak-wool tent, transmitting to him all of his early instruction in the Dharma. Chupur Lama also introduced seven-year-old Anyen Rinpoche to his root lama Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche, after noticing the young boy's intense and profound devotion upon hearing this great master's name mentioned in ordinary conversation.

Anyen Rinpoche often speaks of the profound blessings showered upon the practitioner who truly serves their lama with devotion. He himself was such a practitioner, serving Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti day and night for nearly eighteen years, becoming a master of both practice and study. He not only gained recognition as a great scholar (khenpo), but also became a heart son of his root lama. In doing so, he became the fifth in an unbroken lineage of heart sons who received an uncommonly short and unbroken lineage of the Longchen Nyingthig directly from the renowned Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche.

Anyen Rinpoche also received the empowerments, transmissions and upadesha instructions on the channels, wind energies and bindus from the eminent Ngakpa yogi, Tulku Dorlo Rinpoche, a close Dharma friend of Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti. Additionally, Rinpoche studied Lamrim Chenmo, as well as the Gelugpa style of logic and debate, with Dehor Geshe, another of Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti's close friends. Since leaving Tibet, he has received empowerments, transmissions and upadesha instructions from many eminent Lamas such as Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, Yangtang Rinpoche, Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche, Denpai Wangchuk, and Tulku Dakyong Rolpai Dorje.

Allison Choying Zangmo developed an interest in the dharma during high school, and began practicing seriously in the Vipassana tradition when she was 20 years old. After a series of fortunate occurrences, she found herself in Nepal, where she met Anyen Rinpoche at the age of 24. Using only fledgling Tibetan, she began her training in the Secret Mantrayana and translation of the Tibetan language under Anyen Rinpoche’s guidance almost as soon as they met

All of her later experiences with the Secret Mantrayana tradition have been due to Anyen Rinpoche’s extreme kindness. He told her that, through his spiritual guidance, he would create an ornate crown of blessings for her to wear, and he did. Starting in 2002, she began to receive empowerments, transmissions and upadesha instructions in the Longchen Nyingthig tradition from Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche, as well as others of his main students, such as Khenpo Tashi from Do Kham Shedrup Ling. She also received an unusually direct lineage of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje’s chod from the realized chodpa Lama Damphel.

After moving to the US with Anyen Rinpoche, she received many other empowerments, transmissions and upadesha instructions in the Secret Mantryana tradition from eminent masters such as Taklong Tsetrul Rinpoche, Padma Dunbo, Yangtang Rinpoche, Khenpo Namdrol, Denpai Wangchuk, and Tulku Rolpai Dorje.

Allison Choying Zangmo works diligently for both Orgyen Khamdroling and the Phowa Foundation, as well as composing books and translations of traditional texts & sadhanas with Anyen Rinpoche, and spending a portion of each year in retreat. Although she never had any wish to teach Dharma in the west, based on encouragement by Anyen Rinpoche, Tulku Rolpai Dorje and Khenpo Tashi, she began teaching the dharma under Anyen Rinpoche's guidance in 2017.