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{{Short description|Lineage within Tibetan Buddhism}}
{{multiple issues|
{{POV|date=December 2014}} {{primary sources|date=February 2022}}

{{peacock|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox Organization
{{primary sources|date=December 2014}}
|name = Aro gTér
{{self-published|date=December 2014}}
|image = Aro gTér.png
{{third-party|date=December 2014}}
|caption =
{{original research|date=January 2015}}
|size = 180px
|abbreviation =
|founder = Ngakpa Chögyam
|formation = 1980s
|headquarters = ],<br>],<br>]
|type = ]<br>]<br>]
|website = {{URL|http://arobuddhism.org/}}
}} }}
The '''Aro gTér''' is a ] within the ] school of ]. The pure vision ] on which it is based teaches all Buddhist topics from the point of view of ]. The Aro gTer terma was received by Western-born Buddhist, Ngakpa Chögyam. The lineage is a ] or non-monastic lineage and emphasizes householder practice and non-celibate ordination. All of its contemporary teachers are ethnically non-Tibetan.{{sfn|Cousens|2010|p=196}}
{{Tibetan Buddhism}}
The '''Aro gTér''' is a lineage within the ] of ].{{sfn |Simmer-Brown | 2001| p = 346}} The ] on which it is based teaches all Buddhist topics from point of view of ], and so is characterized by uncommon simplicity. The lineage is entirely non-monastic (]), and so emphasizes householder practice and non-celibate ordination. All of its contemporary teachers are ethnically non-Tibetan.


==History ==
== Teachings and practice ==
Ngakpa Chögyam founded the Aro gTér organization in the 1980s.{{sfn|Cousens|2010|p=196}} He was born in ] in 1952 and grew up in England. His father was English and his mother German; he is distantly related to the composer ]. He studied Buddhism from the early 1970s through 1989, while working as a manual laborer, factory worker, and a truck driver in Britain to subsidize his education.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|title=Ngakpa Chögyam Biography|url=http://aro-books-worldwide.org/shared/text/b/biography_ph_01_ncr_01_eng.php|website=Aro Books Worldwide|accessdate=3 February 2015}}</ref>


According to a terma which Ngakpa Chögyam received in visions, the Aro tradition has antecedents in a 'Mother Essence Lineage' of female ] originating with ],{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 }} and forward to ] (1886-1923).{{sfn | Rawlinson | 1997 | pages = 207 }}{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p=196 }} According to the Aro gTér, Kyunchen Aro Lingma first discovered the terma.{{sfn | Rawlinson | 1997 | pages = 207 }}{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p=196}} This terton says Aro Lingma transmitted the lineage to her only son, named Aro Yeshe (1915-1951).
The Aro gTér has several distinctive characteristics: it treats all Buddhist subjects from point of view of Dzogchen; as a consequence its practices are simpler than the elaborate ]s typical of ]; and it includes practices of ] and ] as well as the more common .<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Kapoor|editor1-first=Subodh|title=The Buddhists : encyclopaedia of Buddhism|date=2001|publisher=Cosmo Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788177550689|page=445-9}}</ref>


According to Gyaltsen Rinpoche, ] recognized Ngakpa Chögyam as Aro Yeshe's ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1986 | pages = xi-xvii }} and Khordong gTerchen Tulku ] recognized him as 'a-Shul Pema Legdeas', the incarnation of Aro Yeshe's predecessor.{{sfn | Rawlinson | 1997 | pages = 207 }}{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1986 | pages = xi-xvii }}
=== Pervasive Dzogchen approach ===
{{Main|Dzogchen}}


In the 1970s, Ngakpa Chögyam studied with Chhi'med Rig'dzin Rinpoche,{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p =196 }}{{sfn | Chhi’-mèd Rig’dzin Rinpoche | 2003 }} ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1986 | pages = xi-xvii }} ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1986 | pages = xi-xvii }} ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1986 | pages = xi-xvii }} and ].{{sfn | Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche | 1991 }} He wrote about his experiences in his 2011 book, ''Wisdom Eccentrics''.{{sfn | Chögyam | 2011 }}
Dzogchen is the most important ] in Aro.{{sfn | Kapoor | 2001 | pages = 445-449}} The lower yanas (] and ]) are re-presented in Dzogchen terms, and take on its characteristic style of simplicity, clarity, and expansiveness. Because, from the Dzogchen point of view, Enlightenment needs only to be recognized and is not produced by artificial means, Aro is primarily concerned with bringing meditative awareness into ordinary life. No Aro practices involve elaborate, intellectual or lengthy liturgical chanting. {{sfn | Chögyam | 1988 | p=113}}


H.H. ] gave the name Sang-ngak-chö-dzong to establish the western White Tantric Community organization,{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1986 | pages = xi-xvii }} which is located in Britain.{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 }}{{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen |2003 | p=308}}
=== The Heart Sutra and the Sutra of the Owl-Headed Dakini ===


==Teachings and practices==
As in Dzogchen generally, understanding of the relationships between form, ], and non-duality is central to Aro. Unusually, Aro takes the '']'' (conventionally part of Mahayana rather than Dzogchen) as the central text on this topic. The ''Heart Sutra'''s statement that "form is emptiness and emptiness is form" is regarded as the essence of the matter.{{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen| 2009b | p=48}}
The principal practices are ] and ].{{sfn|Cousens|2010|p=196}}

Within the Aro gTér, the ''Sutra of the Owl-Headed Dakini'' (]:'' 'ug gdong snying thig mkha' 'gro mdo''; Sanskrit: ''Ulukha-mukha Dakini Upadesha Sutra'') treats the major topics of Sutrayana from point of view of Dzogchen.{{sfn | Pamo | 2007 }} It includes unusual presentations of the ] and ], and of ]. The Five Precepts are said to have inner meanings at the level of Dzogchen, as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sutrayana presentation
! Aro presentation
|-
| To refrain from killing sentient beings.
| To refrain from killing the efflorescence of ] as it sparkles through the fabric of duality.
|-
| To refrain from stealing.
| To refrain from stealing opportunities for realization.
|-
| To refrain from sexual misconduct.
| To remain always in ecstatic embrace with the ] or ].
|-
| To refrain from lying.
| To refrain from expressing the lie of dualism.
|-
| To refrain from intoxicants.
| To refrain from the intoxication of duality, and to become drunken with primordial wisdom.
|}

=== Essential Tantric practice ===

Aro describes its Tantric practices as "essential," meaning that they lack the typical complexities of Tantra (elaborate ] visualizations, extensive ] texts, and lengthy rituals). This is viewed as a reflection of the simple style of the Indian ] in the earliest days of Tantra.{{sfn | Dri’mèd | 2009 | p=xvi}}

In terms of the two ] not counting Dzogchen, Aro is concerned primarily with ], emphasizing ] and ] rather than with ], which emphasizes ritual performance and ]. As in the Anuyoga style generally, ] are not practiced with a textual sadhana, but by ] with ].{{sfn | Chögyam | 1995 }} The practice of lhatong, from the semde ngöndro (see below), is also viewed as encompassing Tantra, so that accomplishing lhatong has the same value as accomplishing Tantric sadhana.

=== Vajrayana and the arts ===

] are closely connected in Tibetan Buddhist history. Vajrayana teachers such as ], bringing Buddhism to the West, emphasized art as Buddhist practice. {{sfn | Trungpa | 1996 }} In keeping with this tradition, Aro gTér teachers present art and appreciation as correlated aspects of Buddhist practice.{{sfn | Ngak'chang Rinpoche | 1997 | p=20-24 }}{{sfn | Dorje | 1994 | p=6-10 }} Artistic creativity is taught as an integrative method for opening the sense fields to a richer appreciation of life:{{sfn | Niyego | 2009 | p =20-24}}
"Usually we would not associate the idea of emptiness with the idea of creativity. Usually we think there has to be some sort of 'something' there, upon which creativity feeds." {{sfn | Chögyam | 1995 | page = 32 }}

Aro teaches art and Tantra in terms of each other; "every Tantrika is an artist of some kind because we have sense fields, we have senses, and appreciating the sense fields makes you an artist."{{sfn | Niyego | 2009 | p =20-24}}

The Aro apprenticeship program encourages artistic, creative endeavor.{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 | page = 32 }} {{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen, Khandro | 2002 | page = 32 }} {{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 | page = 32 }} Apprentice crafts include:

* creating ritual items such as ]s {{sfn | Chapman | 2013 }}
* creating or restoring Tantric musical instruments such as ] and ] {{sfn | Dorje | 1994 | p = 6 - 10 }}
* sewing and embroidery work as in the creation of wall appliqués and chöd drum tails
* weaving ] {{sfn | Nam'gyal | She-zer | 2007 | p =32-35 }}

"Tantric Buddhism employs what is called ‘symbolic activity’ to engage with our emotional and perceptual aspects. Symbolic activity includes such things as ceremony or ceremonial craftwork, artwork, music and dance."{{sfn | Nam'gyal | She-zer | 2007 | p = 32}}

In 2009, New York Arts Magazine published an interview by Tchera Niyego with Ngak’chang Rinpoche under the title ‘Speaking with the Ravens.’ In the article Ngak’chang Rinpoche talks about the special relationship between Vajrayana and art, and the connection between the meditative state and creativity.{{sfn | Niyego | 2009 | p =20-24}}

Ngak’chang Rinpoche teaches a style of ] painting unconstrained by celibate ethics. Aro apprentices specialising in thangka painting or calligraphy attend an annual thangka painting school in Wales.{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 }}

The Aro gTér also emphasizes ] ({{bo|w=dByangs}}) or Dzogchen Gardang ({{bo|w=rDzogs chen sGar gDangs}}) "yogic song," a mainly Dzogchen practice.{{sfn | Ngak'chang Rinpoche | 1998 }} {{sfn | Pamo | 2008 }} Yogic songs are short texts (such as mantras) set to melodies, and sung repeatedly. The practice of yogic song in the Aro gTér is to 'find presence of awareness in the dimension of sound' and differs to ] ({{bo|w=dön pa}}) common in other Tibetan Buddhist lineages.{{sfn | Ngak'chang Rinpoche | 1998 }}

=== Emotions and Trekchöd ===

Aro teaches the Dzogchen system of the ] (territoriality, aggression, neediness, anxiety, and depression) and ] (generosity, clarity, compassionate appreciation, accomplishment, and unboundedness). {{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen | 2003 }}
{{sfn | Tongden | 1990 | pages = 188-196}}
It teaches both Tantric methods of transforming the neuroses into wisdoms and the Dzogchen ] method of liberating neuroses into their natural condition.

=== Semde ===

Dzogchen encompasses three "series," or approaches: ], ], and ].{{sfn | Düd'jom Rinpoche | 1991 | page = 319}} Historically all three were important, but in recent centuries men-ngag-de has largely displaced the other two, as it is considered more advanced.{{sfn | Germano | 2005 | page = 3}} Aro includes material in all three series.{{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen | 2002}}{{sfn | Kapoor | 2001}}{{sfn | Déchen | 2008 | page = 5}}{{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen | 2009b | Déchen page = 193}}

According to Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen, semde the ''series of the nature of mind'', is the most approachable series, because it contains a ] or "preparation" consisting of four meditation practices that bring the student to level of experience required to practice Dzogchen proper. {{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen, Khandro| 2002 | p = Appendix ii. }} These are shi-nè, lhatong, nyi-mèd, and lhundrüp. ] ("calm abiding") is the meditation practice that leads to the experience of emptiness, and corresponds to Sutrayana. ] ("further vision") leads to the experience of form arising from emptiness, and corresponds to Tantrayana. Nyi-mèd ("non-duality") produces the recognition of the sameness of emptiness and form. Lhundrüp ("spontaneity") is the experience of enlightenment itself. Together these may be summarized as "spacious appreciation of the sense fields."{{sfn | Ngak'chang Rinpoche | 2015 | pages = 134-139}}

=== Longde and sKu-mNyé ===

{{Main|Kum_Nye#Aro_gT.C3.A9r_sKu-mNy.C3.A9|l1=Aro sKu-mNyé}}

Longde, the Series of Space, is concerned primarily with the experience of the ] or "energetic body." It contains various systems of physical exercises that produce unusual sensations in which the practitioner may find ]. Aro sKu-mNyé is one such.{{sfn | Déchen | 2009 }}

Aro sKu-mNyé is a set of 111 exercises divided into six series, the movements of the lion, the vulture, the tiger, the eagle, the garuda, and the dragon. They range from simple and gentle to vigorous and extremely difficult. They disorient the conceptual mind and galvanize the body's subtle energies, in order to give access to non-ordinary experience. The system is also taught as a general exercise regimen to non-Buddhists, and for other non-religious benefits, rather as ] is.

=== Romance as Buddhist practice ===

One of the Tantric ] (vows) is for men always to regard women as the embodiment of wisdom and never to disparage them.{{sfn | Ray | 2001 }} Aro, with a predominance of female practitioners, makes the symmetry explicit: women vow to regard men as the embodiment of compassion and never to disparage them. The Aro ''Tantra of the Mirror that Reflects the Sun and Moon of the Khandros and Pawos'' discusses the consequences of this Tantric vow from point of view of men-ngag-de.{{sfn | Ngakpa Rinpoche | Déchen, Khandro | 1996 | pages = 14-18 }} It describes perceptual practices that are possible only within the context of romantic relationship.{{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen | 2009b }}

=== The name "Aro gTér" ===
''Aro'' means "taste of the primordial A" in Tibetan; this letter has special significance as a ] in Vajrayana Buddhism. ''gTér'' is a spelling of '']''. The Aro gTér is not known to have any connection with the much earlier Aro system of Dzogchen semde promulgated by ].{{sfn | Déchen | 2008 }}{{better source|date=January 2015}}

== Lineage history ==

According to the ],<!-- which terma? --> Aro has antecedents in a "Mother Essence Lineage" of female ] stretching back to ], in the early days of Buddhism in Tibet,{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 }} and forward to ] (1886-1923), who discovered it.{{sfn | Rawlinson | 1998 | pages = 207 }}{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p=196 }} Aro Lingma, also sometimes called Jetsunma ], is said to have transmitted the lineage to her only son, named Aro Yeshe (1915-1951).

One of the present Aro gTér lineage holders,{{sfn | Simmer-Brown | 2001 | p=346}} {{sfn | Smith | 2003 | p=390-391 }} Ngak'chang Rinpoche, was recognized as the tulku of Aro Yeshe by ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1995 | pages = xi-xvii }} and as the incarnation of Aro Yeshe's predecessor, 'a-Shul Pema Legden, by Khordong gTerchen Tulku ].{{sfn | Rawlinson | 1998 | pages = 207 }}{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1995 | pages = xi-xvii }}

In the 1970s, Ngak'chang Rinpoche (who writes as Ngakpa Chögyam) studied with Chhi'med Rig'dzin Rinpoche,{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p =196 }}{{sfn | Chhi’-mèd Rig’dzin Rinpoche | 2003 }} ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1995 | pages = xi-xvii }} ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1995 | pages = xi-xvii }}],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1995 | pages = xi-xvii }} ]{{sfn | Ngakchang Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche | 1991 }} and ]. Ngak'chang Rinpoche has written of his experiences of these times in his 2011 book ]. {{sfn | Chögyam | 2011 }}

Ngak'chang Rinpoche was the subject of an early neuroscience study of meditation, demonstrating the ability to retain relaxed alpha brain rhythm while performing arithmetic.{{sfn | Fontana | 1999 | p=26 }}

== Aro in the contemporary West ==

The current Aro lineage holders, Ngak'chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen, are ethnically non-Tibetan. Other ]s of the lineage were also Western-born, and teach in the United States and various European countries.{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p=196}} The lineage's primary legal organization, given the name Sang-ngak-chö-dzong by ],{{sfn | Gyaltsen Rinpoche | 1995 | pages = xi-xvii }} is located in Britain.{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 }}{{sfn | Chögyam | Déchen |2003 | p=308 }}

In Tibet, Aro is said to have been a non-monastic lineage, practiced by lay people and by holders of ] (non-monastic, non-celibate) ordination.{{sfn | Chögyam | 1994 }}{{sfn | Rawlinson | 1998 | p=207 }}{{sfn | Simmer-Brown | 2001 | p=346}} Its modern structure reflects continuing commitment to these two groups. The Aro gTér emphasizes family life and the formulation of traditional teachings in a new way to suit Western culture.{{sfn | Cousens | 2010 | p=196 }}

Aro strongly upholds the centrality of the Lama-student relationship in Vajrayana.{{sfn| Dorje | 2001 }} Aro Lamas typically teach as married couples.

=== Apprenticeship ===

An article by Ngakpa Chgöyam in a Buddhist journal article describes the evolution of the Aro "apprenticeship" program, an institutional form not found in Tibet.{{sfn |Chögyam | 1994 }} It was designed to make extensive interaction with Lamas possible for people with families and jobs, interested in the ngak'phang tradition.{{sfn| Chögyam| 1994}}

Apprenticeship is an intermediate stage between typical householder religious adherence and ordination. For serious students, it provides the frequent personal guidance from Lamas that is generally unavailable to non-ordained people. On the other hand, it does not require Tantric samaya or the Ngak'phang commitments.{{cn|date=January 2015}}

To ensure that close relationships with Lamas remain possible, Aro adopted limits on the number of students any Lama teaches. It has a "lateral" mode of growth, "with a greater number of teachers, rather than one teacher with an unwieldy number of students."{{sfn |Chögyam | 1994}}


== References == == References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==Sources==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation | last = Chhi’-mèd Rig’dzin Rinpoche | first = Khordong gTérchen Tulku | contribution = Foreword | contribution-url = http://approachingaro.org/crr-foreword | editor-last1 = Chögyam | editor-first1 = Ngakpa | editor-first2 = Khandro | editor-last2 = Déchen | title = Spectrum of Ecstasy: The Five Wisdom Emotions According to Vajrayana Buddhism | publisher = ] | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-1-59030-061-9 | url = https://archive.org/details/spectrumofecstas00chum |url-access=registration }}
* {{Citation | last =Chögyam | first =Ngakpa | year =1994 | title =The mother essence lineage | journal =Gassho | volume =1 | issue =5 | url =http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/aprntice.htm | accessdate =2009-05-18}}
* {{Citation | last =Chögyam | first =Ngakpa | year =2011 | title =Wisdom Eccentrics | publisher =Aro Books, Inc. | isbn=978-0965394864}}
* {{Citation | last1 = Chögyam | first1 = Ngakpa | year = 2003 | first2 = Khandro | last2 = Déchen | title = Spectrum of Ecstasy: The Five Wisdom Emotions According to Vajrayana Buddhism | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-1-59030-061-9 | url = https://archive.org/details/spectrumofecstas00chum |url-access=registration }}
* {{Citation |last=Cousens |first=Diana | editor1-last =Melton | editor1-first =J. Gordon | editor2-last =Baumann | editor2-first =Martin | year =2010 | chapter =Aro gTér | title= Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices |page=196 | publisher =ABC-CLIO |place=Santa Barbara|edition=2nd |isbn=9781598842036}}
* {{Citation | last = Gyaltsen Rinpoche | year = 1986 | contribution = Foreword | editor-last = Chögyam | editor-first = Ngakpa | title = Rainbow of Liberated Energy: Working With Emotions Through the Colour and Element Symbolism of Tibetan Tantra | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-0906540923 | contribution-url = http://approachingaro.org/lydr-foreword}}
* {{Citation | last =Rawlinson | first =Andrew | title =The book of enlightened masters : Western teachers in Eastern traditions | date =1997 | publisher =Open Court | location =Chicago, Ill. | isbn =978-0812693102 | edition =first print | url =https://archive.org/details/bookofenlightene00rawl |url-access=registration}}
* {{Citation | last = Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche | first = Ngakchang | year = 1991 | contribution = Foreword | editor-last = Chögyam | editor-first = Ngakpa | title = Rainbow of Liberated Energy: Working With Emotions Through the Colour and Element Symbolism of Tibetan Tantra | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-0906540923 | contribution-url = http://approachingaro.org/lydr-foreword}}
{{refend}}


== Sources == ==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |url=http://enlight.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-AN/an140412.pdf |first=Ngakpa |last=Chogyam |title=Sang-ngak-cho-dzong and the Evolution of the Apprentice Programme |journal=Gassho |volume=1 |number=4 |date=May–June 1994 |accessdate=2015-06-16}}
* {{Citation | last = Cousens | first = Diana | year = 2010 | contribution = | title = Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and practices, second edition | editor-last1 = Melton | editor-first1 = J. Gordon | editor-last2 = Baumann | editor-first2 = Martin | volume = | place = Santa Barbara, California | publisher = ], LLC | id = }}
* {{Citation | last = Chapman | first = David | year = 2013 | title = The Radiant Gift. David Chapman (Aro apprentice) shares some reflections on their construction and on mortality. | journal = ] | issue = 79 | volume = 20 | url = http://buddhism-for-vampires.com/kangling-chod}}
* {{Citation | last = Chhi’-mèd Rig’dzin Rinpoche | first = Kyabjé Khordong gTérchen Tulku | contribution = Foreword | contribution-url = http://approachingaro.org/crr-foreword | editor-last1 = Chögyam | editor-first1 = Ngakpa | editor-first2 = Khandro | editor-last2 = Déchen | title = Spectrum of Ecstasy: The Five Wisdom Emotions According to Vajrayana Buddhism | publisher = ] | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-1-59030-061-9}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 1988 | title = Journey into Vastness: A Handbook of Tibetan Meditation Techniques | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-1852300173}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 1994 | title = Sang-ngak-cho-dzong and the evolution of the apprentice programme | journal = Gassho | volume = 1 | issue = 4 | url = http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/aprntice.htm}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 1994 | title = The mother essence lineage | journal = Gassho | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | url =http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/The_Mother_Essence_Lineage,_by_Ngakpa_Chogyam_Rinpoche | accessdate = 2009-05-18}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 1995 | title = Wearing the Body of Visions | publisher = Aro Books | isbn = 978-0-9653948-1-9}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 2002 | author2 = Déchen, Khandro | title = Roaring Silence: Discovering the Mind of Dzogchen | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-1-57062-944-0}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 2003 | first2 = Khandro | last2 = Déchen | title = Spectrum of Ecstasy: The Five Wisdom Emotions According to Vajrayana Buddhism | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-1-59030-061-9}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 2009a | last2 = Déchen | first2 = Khandro | title = E-Mailing the Lamas From Afar | publisher = Aro Books Inc. | location = Ramsey, NJ | isbn = 978-0965394857}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year = 2009b | last2 = Déchen | first2 = Khandro | title = Entering the Heart of the Sun and Moon | publisher = Aro Books Inc. | location = Ramsey, NJ | isbn = 978-0965394833}}
* {{Citation | last = Chögyam | first = Ngakpa | year= 2011 | title = Wisdom Eccentrics | publisher = Aro Books Inc. | location = Ramsey, NJ | isbn = 978-0965394864}}
* {{Citation | last = Déchen | first = Khandro | year= 2008 | url = http://arobuddhism.org/encyclopaedia/shared/text/s/semde_ar_eng.php | title = rDzogs Chen: the importance of Sem-dé | accessdate = 2008-01-22| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080121082757/http://arobuddhism.org/encyclopaedia/shared/text/s/semde_ar_eng.php| archivedate= 21 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
* {{Citation | last= Déchen | first= Khandro |year= 2009| others= Pauline Williams (illustrator) |title= moving being |url= http://arobuddhism.org/books/moving-being.html |publisher= Aro Books worldwide |location= Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan |isbn= 978-1-898185-05-5}}
* {{Citation | last = Dorje | first = Rig'dzin | year = 1994 | title = 'Ultimate Gesture - The ceremonial tools of Tantric Tibetan Buddhism are ancient aids on the Path of Transformation.' | journal = ] | volume = 02 | issue = 7 | pages = 6 to 10 | date = Winter 1994 | url = http://www.sacredhoop.org/B-Contents/B02-05-08Contents.pdf}}
* {{Citation | last = Dorje | first = Rig'dzin | year = 2001 | title = Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-1-57062-857-3}} * {{Citation | last = Dorje | first = Rig'dzin | year = 2001 | title = Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-1-57062-857-3}}
* {{Citation| last =Simmer-Brown | first =Judith | title =Dakini's warm breath: the feminine principle in Tibetan Buddhism | date =2001 | publisher =Shambhala | location =Boston | isbn =1-57062-720-7 | edition =1st}}
* {{Citation | last = Dri’mèd | first = Ngakma Zér-mé | year = 2009 | contribution = Editor's Preface | editor-last1 = Chögyam | editor-first1 = Ngakpa | editor-last2 = Déchen | editor-first2 = Khandro | title = E-Mailing the Lamas From Afar | publisher = Aro Books Inc. | location = Ramsey, NJ | isbn = 978-0965394857}}
* {{Citation | last = Düd'jom Rinpoche | author-link = Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje | year = 1991 | title = The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, It's history and fundamentals. | volume = 2 | chapter = 10 The Divisions of Atiyoga | pages = 319 - 345 | publisher = Wisdom | isbn = 978-1159394332}}
* {{Citation | last = Fontana | first = David | year = 1999| author-link = David Fontana | title = The Meditation Handbook: The Practical Guide to Eastern and Western Meditation Techniques | publisher = Watkins | isbn = 978-1906787523 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ONvR8VaWFVwC&pg=PT36&lpg=PT36}}
* {{Citation | last = Germano | first = David | author-link = David Germano |contribution = The Funerary Transformation of the Great Perfection | year = 2005 | title = Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies | volume = 1 | url = http://www.thlib.org?tid=T1219}}
* {{Citation | last = Gyaltsen Rinpoche | first = | year = 1995 | editor-last = Chögyam | editor-first = Ngakpa | contribution = Introduction | contribution-url = http://approachingaro.org/gyaltsen-rinpoche-introduction | title = Wearing the Body of Visions | publisher = Aro Books | isbn = 978-0-9653948-1-9}}
* {{Citation | editor-last = Kapoor | editor-first = Subodh | contribution = Dzogchen: The importance of Sem-dé in the Aro gTér | year = 2001 | title = The Buddhists: Encyclopaedia of Buddhism | volume = 2 | publisher = Cosmo Publications | isbn = 9788177550689}}
* {{Citation | last = Nam'gyal | first = Ngakpa | year = 2007 |last2 = She-zer | first2 = Ngakma | title = Sky Weaving, Working with the four elements to make personal change from the perspective of Tibetan tantra. | journal = ] | volume = 15 | issue = 58 | pages = 32 to 35 | url = http://www.sacredhoop.org/B-Contents/B15-57-60Contents.pdf}}
* {{Citation | last = Ngakchang Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche | first = The Seventh Khamtrül Lama | year = 1991 | contribution = Foreword | editor-last = Chögyam | editor-first = Ngakpa | title = Rainbow of Liberated Energy: Working With Emotions Through the Colour and Element Symbolism of Tibetan Tantra | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-0906540923 | contribution-url = http://approachingaro.org/lydr-foreword}}
* {{Citation | last = Ngak'chang Rinpoche | first = | title = ‘Dimension of sound.’ Words, songs and spells of power, the use of the voice in the tantric traditions of Tibet. | journal = ] | issue = 20 | volume = 05 | date = 1998 | url = http://www.sacredhoop.org/B-Contents/B05-17-20Contents.pdf}}
* {{Citation | last = Ngak'chang Rinpoche | first = | year = 2015| contribution = An Afterword | editor-last = Bridgewater | editor-first = Peter | title = Mindfulness & the Journey of Bereavement: Restoring Hope after a Death | publisher = Leaping Hare Press | location = Lewes, East Sussex, UK | isbn = 978-1-78240-102-5 }}
* {{Citation | last = Ngak'chang Rinpoche | year = 1997 | first = | title = 'Wearing the Body of Visions - Peaceful, joyful and wrathful Yidams. The spiritual life of Tibet is full of the strangest beings. Here we look at what all these images mean, and how they help us reach an enlightened state.' | journal = ] | volume = 05 | issue = 18 | pages = 20 to 24 | date = Autumn 1997
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* {{Citation | last = Ngakpa Rinpoche | first = | year = 1996 | date = Spring 1996 | author2 = Déchen, Khandro | title = Tantric Psychology: Honey on the Razor's Edge | journal = Kindred Spirit | volume = 3 | issue = 10 | publisher = Kindred Spirit | location = Foxhole, Dartington, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 6EB, England | issn = 0955-7067 | url = | doi = | id = | accessdate = }}
* {{Citation | last = Niyego | first = Tchera | year = 2009 | date = Summer 2009 | title = Speaking With the Ravens | newspaper = NY Arts Magazine | location = New York, NY | url = http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/?p=5777}}
* {{Citation | last = Pamo | first = Nor'dzin | year = 2007 | title = Spacious Passion | publisher = ] | isbn = 978-0-9653948-4-0 | url = http://spacious-passion.org/}}
* {{Citation | last = Pamo | first = Ngala Nor'dzinurl | year =2008 |url= http://arobuddhism.org/articles/yogic-song.html | title = Yogic song | accessdate = 2008-01-22}}
* {{Citation | last = Rawlinson | first = Andrew | year = 1998 | title = Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions | publisher = Open Court | location = Chicago | pages = 207 | url = http://www.payer.de/neobuddhismus/neobud05012.htm | isbn = 0-8126-9310-8}}
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* {{Citation | last = Smith | first = Kidder | year=2003 |date = October 2003 | title = Roaring Silence: Discovering the mind of Dzogchen | journal = ] | volume = 29 | issue = 4 | url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rsr.2003.29.issue-4/issuetoc}}
* {{Citation | last = Thondup Rinpoche | first = Tulku | year = 2001 |title = Hidden Teachings of Tibet: An Explanation of the Terma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism | publisher = Wisdom Publications | date = 1994 | isbn = 978-0861711222}}
* {{Citation | last = Trungpa | first = Chogyam | title = Dharma Art | publisher = Shambhala | date = 1996 | location = University of Virginia | isbn = 978-1570621369}}
* {{Citation | last = Tongden | first = Ven. Ngakpa Chogyam Ogyen | year = 1990 | contribution = The Intrinsic Spaciousness of Being: Working with Colours and Elements in Tantric Psychology | title = Space in Mind: East-West Psychology and Contemporary Buddhism (Based on a paper presented at a conference on "Eastern Approaches to Self and Mind" sponsored by the ] , Cardiff, 1986.) | editor-last1 = Crook | editor-first1 = John | editor1-link = John_Crook_(ethologist) | editor-last2 = Fontana | editor-first2 = David | editor2-link = David Fontana | isbn = 978-1852301545 | publisher = ] }}
* {{Citation | last = Zhiming | first = Dennis Tay | year = 2007| title = Investigating the universality of primary metaphors: A perspective from Buddhism | journal = Linguagem em (Dis)curso | volume = 7 | issue = 3 | url = http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dennis_Tay2/publication/235766435_Investigating_the_universality_of_primary_metaphor._A_perspective_from_Buddhism/links/0fcfd51356e35e720a000000.pdf | issn = 1518-7632}}


== External links == == External links ==
* * {{official website|http://arobuddhism.org/}}
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Latest revision as of 00:13, 20 June 2024

Lineage within Tibetan Buddhism
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Find sources: "Aro gTér" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Aro gTér
Formation1980s
FounderNgakpa Chögyam
TypeTibetan Buddhism
Western Buddhism
Dzogchen
HeadquartersVale of Glamorgan,
Wales,
United Kingdom
Websitearobuddhism.org

The Aro gTér is a lineage within the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The pure vision terma on which it is based teaches all Buddhist topics from the point of view of Dzogchen. The Aro gTer terma was received by Western-born Buddhist, Ngakpa Chögyam. The lineage is a ngagpa or non-monastic lineage and emphasizes householder practice and non-celibate ordination. All of its contemporary teachers are ethnically non-Tibetan.

History

Ngakpa Chögyam founded the Aro gTér organization in the 1980s. He was born in Hanover, Germany in 1952 and grew up in England. His father was English and his mother German; he is distantly related to the composer Franz Schubert. He studied Buddhism from the early 1970s through 1989, while working as a manual laborer, factory worker, and a truck driver in Britain to subsidize his education.

According to a terma which Ngakpa Chögyam received in visions, the Aro tradition has antecedents in a 'Mother Essence Lineage' of female tertöns originating with Yeshe Tsogyal, and forward to Kyungchen Aro Lingma (1886-1923). According to the Aro gTér, Kyunchen Aro Lingma first discovered the terma. This terton says Aro Lingma transmitted the lineage to her only son, named Aro Yeshe (1915-1951).

According to Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche recognized Ngakpa Chögyam as Aro Yeshe's tulku, and Khordong gTerchen Tulku Chhi'med Rig'dzin Rinpoche recognized him as 'a-Shul Pema Legdeas', the incarnation of Aro Yeshe's predecessor.

In the 1970s, Ngakpa Chögyam studied with Chhi'med Rig'dzin Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche, and Khamtrül Yeshé Dorje Rinpoche. He wrote about his experiences in his 2011 book, Wisdom Eccentrics.

H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche gave the name Sang-ngak-chö-dzong to establish the western White Tantric Community organization, which is located in Britain.

Teachings and practices

The principal practices are Vajrayana and Dzogchen.

References

  1. ^ Cousens 2010, p. 196.
  2. "Ngakpa Chögyam Biography". Aro Books Worldwide. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  3. ^ Chögyam 1994.
  4. ^ Rawlinson 1997, pp. 207.
  5. ^ Gyaltsen Rinpoche 1986, pp. xi–xvii.
  6. Chhi’-mèd Rig’dzin Rinpoche 2003.
  7. Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche 1991.
  8. Chögyam 2011.
  9. Chögyam & Déchen 2003, p. 308.

Sources

Further reading

External links

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