Thursday, November 11, 2010

Penjik

Tulku Urgyen's elder brother Penjik with his wife
and their sons Gyurmed Dorje and his little brother
(photo courtesy of Gyurmed Dorje's son Tsangsar Tulku, Karma Tekchok Nyima)

Tulku Urgyen said about his brother:

My half-brother Penjik was supposed to be a tulku, but he didn’t want to be recognized as such. He was incredibly bright. Personally, I haven’t met anyone as sharp as he was. For example, in a single day he memorized the entire text of Chanting the Names of Manjushri.[i] Think about that! Isn’t it astounding? That’s the kind of person he was. I certainly was in awe of him.

If he had gone to Derge to pursue Buddhist studies, there is no doubt that he would have become a great scholar. Everything he heard, he understood. It’s a shame he didn’t stick to a spiritual path.

Penjik was very brave and intelligent; no one could outdo him or dominate him in anyway. If you heard his full story, you would be in awe. Let’s begin with his mundane qualities: He was extremely eloquent—so much so that he could be mistaken for a demon.[ii]

Penjik was known throughout Nangchen for his bravery; he was completely fearless and not intimidated by anyone. He was also tall and broad-shouldered. You should have seen him race his horse or shoot his rifle while riding! He was an excellent marksman. I felt that he had all the important qualities of a hero.



[i] Chanting the Names of Manjushri—Manjushri Nama Sangirti consists of six hundred verse lines. [epk]

[ii] Free-flowing, perfect eloquence is often considered to be a special power bestowed upon a person by either a deity or a demonic force. [epk]


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank You :-)

Garby Francis Leon said...

Very moving and inspiring to see Penjik and his family, and to hear about him from his brother -