H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche (1933-2004) was born on the auspicious 3rd day of the Miraculous Month of the Tibetan year of the Water Bird in Kham, the east of Tibet. He was recognized as the reincarnation of Terton Lerab Lingpa (1856-1926) at the age of five.

When the baby boy of His Holiness came out from his mother’s womb, he was reciting the mantra of Manjushri in meditation posture .The boy kept showing his extraordinariness as he grew. He was able to see deities from the age of four; at the age of five, he achieved the ability to read and write in the Tibetan language through the practice of Sadhana of the Lion of Speech (Manjushri ) at the age of six…

At the age of fifteen, His Holiness attained the realization of Dzogchen through praying to Mipham Rinpoche, a great Nyingma master of the 19th century. His Holiness once told the disciples: The Dzogchen teachings that I give you is of the visionary transmission by Mipham Rinpoche, and Mipham R inpoche received the transmission from Venerable Longchenpa. On another occasion, His Holiness said that he also received the visionary transmission from the Venerable Longchenpa.

In countless lifetimes His Holiness appeared in different forms to benefit beings. By historical records: He was once Vajragarbha, the compiler when Samantabhadra turned the Dharma wheel of the Unexcelled luminous Great Perfection in the palace of the absolute expanse, Akanistha; the Son of the God of the Heaven of the Thirty-three, Devaputra Adhicitta; Jnanagarbha that compiled Tantrism and followed Vajradhara…

In 1980, His Holiness established Larung Five Sciences Buddhist College at a desolated valley in Sertar, which later on became the largest Buddhist Institute in the world. It was in this valley that thirteen disciples of the 1st Dudjom Rinpoche achieved rainbow body more than one hundred years ago.

Mount Wutai in north China is the Bodhimanda of Manjushri Bodhisattva. In 1987, His Holiness made a pilgrimage to this Mountain, followed by more than ten thousand Tibetan Sangha and lay practitioners. This pilgrimage was a historical, crucial circumstance , as declared by His Holiness, ‘From now on I will take disciples from Han area. There will be many Han people going to Larung Gar for learning and practice in the future. They will also bring Buddha Dharma to the whole world.’

From 1990, His Holiness was invited to many places in Asia, Europe, America and Oceania to disseminate Buddhism. He sprayed the nectar of Buddhism universally in Jambudvipa, benefiting countless sentient beings.

On the 7th, January, 2004 (day 15 of the 11th Tibetan month), which was the day of the festival of Amitabha, His Holiness went into Nirvana.