Yatung Tulku Chöying Nyima Rinpoche

Yatung Lama

Yatung Tulku Chöying Nyima Rinpoche – often referred to as Yatung Lama, lived in Southern Central Tibet in Yatung in the earlier part of the 20th Century. He was a Dzogchen master of the Nyingma Tradition and a family man whose sons and daughters became accomplished yogis and yoginis. In this photograph he turns a wish-path khorlo (more commonly known as a ‘prayer wheel’).

Ngakma Nor’dzin Pamo comments:
It was not usual for people other than the laity to use wish-path khorlos, but occasionally great practitioners – both monastic and non-monastic would make an important secondary practice of a particular yidam whose mantra would be contained within their mönlam khorlo. Changchub Dorje Rinpoche, the Root Lama of Chögyal Namkha’i Norbu Rinpoche, used to turn an immense mölam khorlo containing the mantra of Yamantaka – even though he was primarily a Dzogchen master.

In this photograph Yatung Rinpoche wears conch earrings and the Ögyen Ped-zha hat, which is customarily worn by lineage holders of the Nyingma Tradition. He wears the red, white, and blue striped shawl of the Gö-kar chang-lo’i (Gos dKar lCang lo’i) tradition. His uncut hair spills out below his hat and his wide eyed expression are typical of a Lama of the Ngak’phang tradition.