The Brief Biography of Khenchen Appey Rinpoche

Born in 1927 in the Khuse area of Derge, eastern Xikang, Tibet, Khenpo Appey Yonten Sangpo (Khenchen Appey Rinpoche) was shortly recognized as the incarnation of Karma Kargyu lineage ─ the reincarnation of Palpung Wang Banzhu. Because Rinpoche’s parents were staunch Sakyapa, they did not accept the reincarnation lineage of the Kargyu sect.

At the age of nine, Khenchen Appey Rinpoche became a novice monk at Serjong Monastery, and later, He entered Dzongsar Shedra College, a Buddhist university inherited by Sakya sect. During the nine years from the ages of 14 to 23, Rinpoche studied many teachings and rituals, and followed Dexiong Gongga Denbe Kaqian Rinpoche, the 2nd Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Rinpoche, and other great sages to study the Dharma. They both were the root gurus of Khenchen Appey Rinpoche. He was also close to the Dzogchen siddhis ─ Nyingma Dharma King Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (as the reincarnation of the first Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche), and studied all the main tantras until Venerable Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche showed his death with the achievement of an immortal rainbow light body in 1991 AD.

Rinpoche’s academic performance at Dzongsar Shedra College was excellent, so he was honored as a part-time lecturer during his studies. Later, Rinpoche returned to the Serjong Monastery, where he initially studied, being enthroned as the abbot, and shouldered the heavy responsibility of propagating the Dharma and benefiting the public.

Located in Xikang with more than 700 years ago, Serjong Monastery was established by the Great Holiness Pasipa of the Great Yuan Emperor of the Fifth Sakya Patriarch. At that time, the monastery was composed of the ontology of the temple, the monastic college, and the retreat center that studied Buddhist philosophy. It was in disrepair for a long time. Until 1992, the architectural parts of the Serjong Monastery and the monastic college were repaired and rebuilt with the efforts of Appey Rinpoche. In addition to restoring it to its original appearance as much as possible, it was planned to restore the retreat center so that the monks who had experienced disasters in the temple could continue the lifeline of Buddhism.

In the early years, while Appey Rinpoche was still practicing in the temple, He missed the meal time because He was too focused on reading and reciting the scriptures. He forgot to sleep when contemplating the principles of the Buddha’s Dharma. Appey Rinpoche often returned to His senses and found that the east sky suddenly became bright, revealing clearly the white sky like the fish belly.

The sutras at that time were not as easy to get as they are in modern times. Therefore, being able to read and recite the sutras was very precious and rare. In the circumstances of the shortage of lighting equipment at that time, Appey Rinpoche read sutras line by line by utilizing the small oil lamp used to offer the Buddha or the weak light when the incense was lit.

Whenever there was a moonlit day, it was the best time for Rinpoche to read Buddhist scriptures at night. As the moon set, the moonlight also moved with it. At this time, Rinpoche frequently moved His body to read the scriptures. Once, when Rinpoche came to His senses after reading the scriptures in a while, He suddenly found that He had moved from indoors to outdoors. This interesting experience has been passed down as a legend by the religious circles.

Appey Rinpoche was the close teacher of many great practitioners such as the 41st Holiness of the Sakya, Sogyal Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and the major teacher for all other scholars of the Sakya, the Kargyu, and the Nyingma graduating from Sakya College. Although He was a close teacher of many Rinpoche's, He was truly not obsessed with fame and fortune, and lived in a simple and easy way. His refined temperament, humble attitude, and modest and self-contained conduct were all respected by people who saw Him.

Rinpoche was known for His self-cultivation and prudent conduct, holding precepts and precepts of Samaya strictly.Appey Rinpoche was full of knowledge, integrating the four major sects, and exoteric and esoteric Dharmas. His lifelong wish was to practice the Buddha’s precious teachings, with the inheritance of all the esoteric Buddhism.

However, Appey Rinpoche would never easily pass on the empowerment. He was proficient in the teachings of the four sects, and exoteric and esoteric Dharmas, but He would never easily hand them on.

To practice fire offerings, Appey Rinpoche would paint the sanctuary in person, and kept it secret from those who didn’t receive the empowerment of the Dharma. The materials prepared for the fire offerings must be in accordance with the Dharma. Rinpoche would spend time preparing and buying the relevant materials, and He would never brief or replace them with other things.

Appey Rinpoche had great experience in hearing, contemplating, and practicing the teachings of the four major denominations of Tibetan and Tantra. All of them coming at His fingertips were the essence of the classics and the works of the patriarch’s great virtue. Although Rinpoche never officially accepted the recognition of his reincarnation identity, what he had learned and practiced was truly regarded as the first outstanding scholar in wisdom and a model of practice recognized by the four major sects. He was well-deserved and admired by all.

Appey Rinpoche, who originally planned to practice in a mountain retreat for a long time, under the strong persuasion and spiritual inspiration of the 41st Sakya Holiness Trizin, gave up the practice plan of the retreat without any compensation. In 1964, He entered the secular world to educate all sentient beings at the invitation of the Sakya Holiness.

The first Buddhist academy among Tibetan Buddhist sects in India ─ Sakya College was opened in North India, continuing the inheritance of Tibetan Buddhism and the Sakya School. It was expected to educate the next generations of Sakya monks to learn Buddhist logic, philosophy, psychology, continuation of the mission of Buddhism, etc., and served as the important task of the founding of Sakya College.

Rinpoche served as the first dean of Sakya College, and also served as the chief lecturer, shouldering the arduous tasks of building the school, giving lectures, and managing the school affairs. When Appey Rinpoche first arrived in North India, He faced the hardships of building the school and the lack of funds. Without great patience, confidence, academic knowledge, and cultivation beyond ordinary people like Rinpoche, it would have been by no means to complete the important responsibility that mattered to the continuation of the inheritance, and to the rise and fall of the Dharma lineage.

In the first seven years of the school’s founding, Appey Rinpoche was forced to relocate three times due to financial constraints. He was responsible for all the daily expenses of students’ living and food, hardware construction expenses and so on. He often had only a few hundred rupees (Indian currency) on His body. Years of financial distress could not shake Rinpoche’s determination to propagate the Dharma. He had never departed from His main goal of academic research and curriculum education. This spirit was even more admirable.

In addition to economic problems, the Hindus around the Buddhist Academy also held an unfriendly attitude towards Buddhism, often intimidating and harassing the students of the Buddhist Academy by sleeping on beds of nails, swallowing swords, and making strange gestures. Many believers made advice to Rinpoche, hoping to expel them so as not to affect the Buddhist Academy. However, Rinpoche never regarded them as hostile; on the contrary, Rinpoche was very friendly and tolerant to them. Even in times of poor supplies, Rinpoche still gave them food. And such compassionate treatment could not make the Hindus change their unkindness toward the Buddhist Academy. Until one day, Rinpoche inadvertently showed the results of His high level of cultivation, and He overwhelmed the Hindus on the spot. After that, Rinpoche was admired by the local Hindus. They often went to the Buddhist Academy to ask to receive Rinpoche's blessings and lectures. Appey Rinpoche still maintained a consistent and elegant demeanor in his teachings without any distinction at all.

The Sakya Buddhist Academy has grown from a small number of students in the first session to the nowadays graduates including Rinpoches, Khenpoes, and scholars, and they have propagated the Dharma all over the world. After completing their studies, many students have carried out traditional three-year retreat practice, proving that the Buddhist Academy is aimed at both academic and practical practice.

There are also students who have gone to Harvard University in the United States to study Buddhism-related subjects, and obtained doctoral degrees. The Sakya Buddhist Academy has become the leader among the Tibetan Buddhist colleges, educating countless talents.

In 1985, Rinpoche retired from Sakya College, and He moved to Nepal during the years. He was always in the status of retreat at the temple. At that time, He also visited Tibet and sent people to collect the ancient books and records of Sakya lineage. In addition, a lot of time and money was dedicated to transporting the large selection of treatises of Sakya patriarchs abroad. At the same time, the treatises were printed, published, and sent to all Sakya temples and Buddhist associations concerned without charge.

Taiwan Sakya Monastery also received the Kangyur and other books and records from Rinpoche, and they are preserved in the Buddhist texts library recently.

In 1986, Appey Rinpoche came to Taiwan to establish the first Sakya Center of Propagating and Practicing Buddhism and passed on the Dharma of both Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. In 1992, Rinpoche was invited to develop Buddhism in Taiwan for the third time. At that time, Rinpoche was already sixty-six years old and had a slight illness, but He still toured different Sakya centers to propagate the Dharma and form connections with devotees regardless of hardships, fame, and fortune.

Although Rinpoche had retired from the Sakya Buddhist Academy and was not in charge of management, while He was in the status of retreat in Nepal, busied developing Buddhism all around the world or organizing books and records of Sakya lineage, Rinpoche was still concerned about the Buddhist academy as always, and He kept guiding and instructing the development policies.

During the years Rinpoche developed Buddhism worldwide, He clearly understood that the disciples abroad desired to learn Buddhism. Meanwhile, He expected that Buddhism would revive in Southeast Asia, and there was unlimited potential to propagate to the western world. Therefore, the International Buddhist Academy (IBA) was founded in Kathmandu, providing those who desire to learn Tibetan Buddhism worldwide a place to keep their mind on practicing. In addition, IBA received support from a Singaporean benefactor, so the establishment was successful. The IBA was dedicated to letting foreign students learn systematically as far as possible, receive a rigorous academic curriculum education while fully practicing what they learned, and understand the key points of conducting a traditional retreat.

“The main objective of sentient beings in this universe is to avoid suffering and obtain happiness. This objective can only be partially and temporarily realized through worldly methods. Only the Dharma can eradicate all suffering and accomplish permanent happiness. So it is essential to practice Dharma. For this, it is important to first study and contemplate. Since many people in this age are interested in Tibetan Buddhism, I founded the IBA with the hope that they can study Dharma and that it will flourish worldwide.”
— Khenchen Appey Rinpoche

With the effort of Rinpoche, IBA became an important place for international students to learn Tibetan and Buddhism within a few years. Meanwhile, He named Khenpo Ngawang Jorden Rinpoche as the principal, who received a Ph.D. in World Religions at Harvard University, expecting Khenpo to be responsible for cultivating translators and Buddhist leaders. So far, the IBA will turn over a new leaf.

Khenchen Appey Rinpoche entrusted the task to the Lung Du Yung Jing Rinpoche to establish the Phags-pa Buddhist Academy.

In 2003, Khenchen Appey Rinpoche came to Guan Yin Shan Taichung Da Bei Fazang Liberation Buddhist Center (named by Venerable Sakya Trizin the 41st) for the first time, passing on refuge precepts, the Dharma of Guatama Buddha and the Sixteen Arhats, and the Dharma of Giving Rise to the Bohdi Mind.

At that time, the compassionate Lung Du Yung Jing Rinpoche saw Appey Rinpoche who was steady as a mountain while emitting the warm heat of the winter sun, and He deeply felt the great compassionate practice of developing Buddhism from Appey Rinpoche and was sure that Rinpoche was the great spiritual guide He had desired. Therefore, Guru Lung Du asked Appey Rinpoche during lunch, “ Why not establish a Buddhist academy in Taiwan if propagating Buddhism is our goal? In this way, the superior Dharma can truly take root in Taiwan and be widely propagated.”

Guru Lung Du recalled, “At that time, I saw that Rinpoche emitted bright light from his eyes. There is no exaggeration that Rinpoche’s eyes were shining and he stopped eating. On the next day, Rinpoche instructed me to proactively make preparations for establishing a Buddhist academy in Taiwan and said that he will provide all assistance needed.”

In the same year July, Rinpoche wrote the power of attorney of establishing the Phags-pa Buddhist Academy and sent it to Guru Lung Du in Taiwan. Currently, it has already been published known as Passing On.

Due to the attentive instructions and blessing of Rinpoche, Guru Lung Du undertook the historic mission of establishing the Phags-pa Buddhist Academy in Taiwan.

At that time, there was a phenomenon in Taiwan that devotees always go after Rinpoches and lamas to different dojos and entreat for abhiseka when they hold ceremonies in Taiwan. Those disciples only entreat for Dharma but lack actual practice order and sequence. Venerable Guru Lung Du went deep into folklife and made a thorough investigation, and then he found that people only wanted to obtain the superior blessing and benefits from Buddhism. However, without the right view, most people would not be able to attain the beneficial results from the righteous Dharma.

Due to the worsening conditions of religions, Venerable Guru Lung Du made up his mind to develop Tibetan Buddhism and let the flow of inheritance be deeply rooted in Taiwan. In this way, those who are interested in Tibetan Buddhism can have the right curriculum and learning environment based on the Dharma.

Khenchen Appey Rinpoche’s Parinirvana Manifestation

Rinpoche, having attained full realization and at ease with life and death, was able to predict His time of departure, so he gave the relevant matters to be fulfilled early. On December 28, 2010, he summoned Jhampa Losa (Rinpoche’s disciple) and asked him to make a special offering to Boudhanath on behalf of Rinpoche Himself.

In the last days of His life, three of His close disciples were blessed to be at His side. That night Rinpoche woke up, His attendants who were sleeping on the other side told them, “I am going to sleep! (using a pun as a metaphor).” Rinpoche then appeared to lie on His right side, practiced Phowa, said “bah”, and then passed into Parinirvana, freely merging into the Dharmadhatu.

On December 28, 2010, Khenchen Appey Rinpoche, the permanent spiritual teacher of the Taiwan Sakya Monastery and the International Phags-pa Exo-esoteric Buddhist Academy, passed into Parinirvana in great silence with His mind entering the Dharmadhatu. He lived in the world for 83 years. Rinpoche propagated the Dharma and benefited countless sentient beings, leaving his disciples with an endless remembrance.

“A Siddha will manifest all the virtues of His practice when passing into Parinirvana.” by the Holy Guru’s teachings. And Rinpoche’s Parinirvana proves that the Buddha’s words are real! It gives all practitioners who practice Tibetan Buddhism the unparalleled faith.

On February 7, 2011, His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin presided over an elaborate cremation ceremony in the courtyard of International Buddhist Academy, attended by all the senior leaders of Sakya sect and thousands of students and devotees.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin, Dzongsar Rinpoche, and other tulkus have held Rinpoche in high esteem, and Khyentse Yeshe Rinpoche of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage has praised Him as the most knowledgeable and proficient Buddhist master of the time. The teaching and preaching of Khenchen Appey Rinpoche are rare and valuable in the Dharma Ending Age. This is the best proof of the incarnation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.