Sögen Trülku Natsok Rangdrol

Foretold in Düdjom Lingpa’s dreams and visions, the enlightened activity of Sögen Trülku Natsok Rangdrol unfolded through three profound and interwoven relationships. The first was with Düdjom Lingpa himself, for whom he was a prophesied chödak (dharma custodian). The second was with Düdjom Lingpa’s son, Trülku Drimé Özer, of whom he became one of the foremost recipients of his revealed teachings. The third was with Déwé Dorjé, whose enlightened activity he supported helped to create the conditions essential to the flourishing of her terma revelations and literary corpus in service of the Düdjom Tersar.

A Member of the Ruling Serta Walshül Family

In 1869, the Tibetan Year of the Earth Serpent, Sögen Trülku Natsok Rangdrol was born into the influential Walshül family of Serta, in the cultural region of Golok in eastern Tibet. While the name of his mother has not been preserved, his father was Gyalpo Sönam Dorjé, leader of Walshül Serta––a confederation of diverse encampment groups, nomadic herdsmen, and high-altitude farmers. Tracing their biological ancestry to Drongri Mukpo, a local mountain deity, the Walshül family played a prominent role in the region as local rulers, patrons of monasteries, and supporters of Buddhist teachers, particularly within the Nyingma tradition. At that time, Düdjom Lingpa was in close and deep retreat in the cave of Dröpuk Khandro Duling on the left bank of the Mar Chu, in the heart of Golok.

At a young age, Sögen Trülku was ordained at his future seat Awo Sera Tekchen Chökhor Ling Monastery (also known more simply as Awo Sera Monastery) in the Sera district of Serta, where he was recognized as the fourth incarnation in the line of Sögen Trülkus. The monastery whose name means ‘Abode of the Dharma Wheel of the Great Vehicle at Sera’ had been founded in 1736 by the First Sögen, Bum Shül Lama Sönam. The Second and Third Sögen Trülkus subsequently expanded and developed the monastery over the following decades. As both a hereditary ruler of the Walshül clan and a recognized reincarnate lama, Sögen Trülku exercised considerable influence that extended well beyond Serta into neighboring regions of the eastern Tibetan plateau.

Sögen Trülku actively promoted ethical conduct among both monastics and laypeople, encouraging the observance of gewa chu (‘ten virtues’), the foundational Buddhist code of ethical discipline comprising ten virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind. Kings and commoners alike sought his guidance. He served his community by bestowing refuge vows, naming newborn children, performing rituals for the sick and dying, and conducting rites to protect crops and livestock. During the 1890s, the powerful king of Dergé in Kham became a disciple of the young Trülku, extending Sögen Trülku’s influence into one of the most important political, cultural, and religious centers of eastern Tibet. Later in life, during the 1920s, he also played a significant role in protecting Serta and neighboring territories from the predatory incursions of China’s National Revolutionary Army that caused Düdjom Lingpa’s descendants, including Trülku Drimé Özer (1881–1924), to relocate their chögar (dharma encampments).

In the 1890s, before reaching the age of twenty, Sögen Trülku experienced a series of prophetic visions directing him to relocate Awo Sera Monastery from the Awo tribal region of Sera to a site known as Chutri (‘Ten Thousand Rivers’) along the course of the Nyi Chu, which flows through Serta and joins the Dza Chu in southern Golok before ultimately draining into the Dri Chu, the upper Yangtze River system. There, in a high valley at an elevation of approximately 3,800 meters, surrounded by granite outcrops and sweeping mountain landscapes, he oversaw the construction of a new temple outfitted with gilded statues and painted thangkas. Despite the relocation, the monastery retained its original name of Awo Sera.

A Chödak of Düdjom Lingpa’s Termas

As recounted in Düdjom Lingpa’s autobiographical writings, Sögen Trülku’s connection with him was foretold twenty-three years before his birth. In the Horse Year of 1846, when Düdjom Lingpa was eleven years old, he was studying with his maternal uncle, Lama Mingyur (1790s–1848), on the banks of the Nyi Chu. In Selwé Melong (‘Clear Mirror’)—his visionary account of terma revelations, spiritual training, and encounters with deities, dakinis, and disciples—Düdjom Lingpa relates that on the ninth day of the seventh lunar month a woman appeared to him in a vision, dressed in a red skirt and blue brocade fastened with a yellow silk sash. She proclaimed:

‘Like a sun dawning upon a dark continent, a Dzogchen holder of Ösel (‘Clear Light’), an incarnation of Natsok Rangdrol and a source of refuge and blessings, will appear in the final years of your life to bring great benefit to your monastery.’

The monastery referred to in the dakini’s prophecy was Dartsang Kalzang where Düdjom Lingpa spent the final decade of his life. After residing at Lama Rong in the Ser Chu Valley from 1880 to 1890, he accepted land in the upper reaches of the parallel Do Chu Valley, in Serta’s Tashül subdivision, where he established Dartsang Kalzang and remained until his passing in December 1903.

In the early 1890s, when Sögen Trülku was in his twenties, he traveled to Dartsang Kalzang and became one of Düdjom Lingpa’s principal prophesied disciples. Riding on horseback, he left Awo Sera Monastery, in the broad valley of the Nyi Chu, and headed due north across rolling nomadic grazing lands and intervening isolated rocky ridges and escarpments to the Li Gorge region of the upper Do Chu, where Dartsang Kalzang sat amidst alpine meadows and meandering glacial streams. The journey was less than one hundred kilometers, but even on horseback had taken him almost three days.

Once he arrived at Dartsang Kalzang, he received direct instructions from Düdjom Lingpa during the ensuing thirteen years. He also received teachings from several of Düdjom Lingpa’s foremost disciples, including Ling Lama Chökyi Jorpa (c.1850s–c.1920s), Gyurme Ngédon Wangpo (1860–1923), and Khenpo Kuzang Palden (1862–1943).

While residing at Dartsang Kalzang, Sögen Trülku developed a close relationship with Düdjom Lingpa’s third son, Khyentsé Trülku Dzamling Wangyal (1868–1907), who was only a year older than himself. Even more significant, however, was the deep and enduring bond he formed with Düdjom Lingpa’s fifth son, Trülku Drimé Özer (1881–1924), who was twelve years his junior.

Sögen Trülku played a pivotal role in the revelation, recording, and transmission of Düdjom Lingpa’s terma corpus. He is mentioned in the colophons of numerous revealed texts, including Wangchok Ngödrub Charbeb (‘ Empoerment Riutual: Shower of Accomplishments’); Yangsang Trülkü Drubpa Pemé Trengwa (‘Lotus Garland, Practice of the Most Secret Emanation Body’); Yeshé Khandrö Kangwa Ngödrub Künjung (‘Fulfillment Prayer of the Wisdom Dakini: Source of All Accomplishments’); Yumka Khandrö Sok Khor Wangdü Gyen gyi Khorlo (‘Ornamented Wheel of Enchantment from the Life-Force Cycle of the Mother Dakini’); Yeshe Khandrö Chakgya Düpa Gosum Dorjé Drongjuk (‘Wisdom Dakini Assembly of Seals: The Vajra Practice of Entering Through the Three Doors’); Yeshe Khandrö Mechö Döjö Paltreng (‘Garland of Glory that Fulfills All Wishes: A Wisdom Dakini Fire Offering’); and Chokchu Düzhi Gyalwa Sédang Sok Trülku Natsok Rangdrol La Dampa (‘Sublime Trülku Natsok Rangdrol, an Emanation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions and Four Times’), from Düdjom Lingpa’s collection of dohas [spiritual songs].

Sögen Trülku eventually established a retreat center at Awo Sera Monastery dedicated to the practice and dissemination of Düdjom Lingpa’s terma teachings, with particular emphasis on the practice of Kadak Trekchö (‘Primordial Purity, Cutting Through Solidity’) elucidated in Düdjom Lingpa’s Dzogchen instruction manual, Nang Jang (‘Refining Perception’, commonly known as Buddhahood without Meditation).

Pilgrimages to Sacred Places

Trülku Drimé Özer was only ten or eleven years old when Sögen Trülku first arrived at Dartsang Kalzang. Although twelve years separated them in age, the bond between the two deepened over time. When Trülku Drimé Özer began revealing termas at the age of seventeen, he chose Sögen Trülku as his scribe and formally designated him as his principal chödak, or dharma custodian, thereby ensuring the preservation and future transmission of his revelations.

During his years at Dartsang Kalzang, Sögen Trülku frequently heard Düdjom Lingpa speak of his intention to relocate his family and spiritual community to the hidden land of Pémakö, the prophesied sanctuary blessed by Guru Rinpoche amid the dense forests, precipitous gorges, and remote valleys of the eastern Himalayas. On several occasions, Düdjom Lingpa composed texts related to Pémakö and its future significance. In 1893, he prepared to undertake the journey, but obstacles arose and the expedition never came to fruition.

In 1903, as Düdjom Lingpa’s health declined in the final months of his life, he repeatedly instructed his family and disciples to journey to Pémakö, assuring them that they would meet his future incarnation there. Taking his words to heart, some disciples set out before his passing on the arduous eight-hundred-mile journey toward Tibet’s southeastern borderlands. Those who remained at Dartsang Kalzang performed rituals to avert the many dangers the pilgrims would face along the way, from bandits and thieves to treacherous river crossings and disease.

Among those who remained behind were two of Düdjom Lingpa’s sons—Khyentsé Trülku Dzamling Wangyal (1868–1907) and Trülku Drimé Özer (1881–1924)—together with Sögen Trülku. When Düdjom Lingpa passed away in December 1903, the twenty-two-year-old Drimé Özer presided over the cremation ceremonies, while Sögen Trülku returned to Awo Sera Monastery to resolve a land dispute concerning the usage of local pastureland.

During the winter of 1904, Keza Tso, the mother of Drimé Özer and Khyentsé Trülku, prepared to depart for Pémakö with a large entourage, in accordance with Düdjom Lingpa’s final instructions. Although Drimé Özer initially intended to accompany them, disagreements with several senior disciples who were also planning to travel to the hidden land convinced him to alter his plans. Instead, he remained at Dartsang Kalzang to construct a memorial stupa for his father’s relics, while his mother and brother started their journey south and westward.

A year later, in 1905, Sögen Trülku began preparing for a pilgrimage to central Tibet, and Drimé Özer resolved to accompany him. In doing so, he would fulfil prophecies indicating that he would reveal termas at sacred sites associated with his previous incarnation as Longchen Rabjam Drimé Özer (1308–1364), including Samyé, Drak Yerpa, and Gangri Tökar. It had also been foretold that during these travels he would encounter a destined consort born in the Dragon Year (1892).

Setting out from Dartsang Kalzang, Drimé Özer travelled on horseback with his younger brother Paltrül Namkha Jikmé (1889–1959), an incarnation of Dza Paltrül (1808–1887) and regarded himself as the speech emanation of Rigdzin Jigmé Lingpa (1729–1798). After several days at Sögen Trülku’s encampment near Awo Sera, the two parties joined their caravans and continued westward together. Their route eventually brought them to the Dri Chu––the upper Yangtze River––and to a place known as Lüdüd Paktse Marnak (‘Dark Red Rocky Peak of the Nagas and Maras’). Along the way they were warmly received, with local officials and patrons offering support and repeatedly urging them to remain in their districts.

Although Drimé Özer had intended to continue to central Tibet with Sögen Trülku, a dakini appearing in the form of a bird advised otherwise. She instructed him that the time had not yet come for such a journey and that he should instead proceed to the hidden land of Pémakö:

‘Just as the secret scroll teachings of the vajra island of the ever-excellent Machik (‘Sole Mother’) are encrypted within your heart, recognize that the time to travel to central Tibet has not yet arrived. It would be better for you to go to the hidden land of Pémakö.’

At about the same time, Drimé Özer learned that his mother had died while traveling toward Pémakö, news that plunged him into grief. He also knew that if he followed the dakini’s advice, he might never again see his beloved companion and heart disciple, Sögen Trülku. Yet a second magically emanated dakini appeared and urged him not to delay his journey to Béyül Pémakö, even at the cost of being separated from Sögen Trülku.

‘You two––master and disciple––should not hesitate to part from each other. It would be good if you move quickly without delay. If you linger here longer, unfavorable conditions will arise for your terma revelations.’

By then, the two had traveled together as far as Chamdo and Riwoché, where the routes to central Tibet and Pémakö diverged. In accordance with the prophecies he had received, Drimé Özer resolved to turn south toward the hidden land. Before departing, he composed and distributed written instructions to the students who would continue westward with Sögen Trülku, offering each person guidance tailored to their spiritual practice. To Sögen Trülku in particular, he entrusted profound and heartfelt advice that further deepened their inseparable bond.

Of particular concern was the news that Drimé Özer and Sögen Trülku had received about the British invasion in central Tibet the previous year, ostensibly to open trade relations and forestall Russian influence in the region. On March 31, 1904, troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Younghusband (1863–1942) had massacred more than three-hundred Tibetans––mostly monks, local militia, horseman, and soldiers armed with rocks, amulets, shields, and muskets––over the course of a mere four minutes. Further carnage, looting, and killing occurred during the troops’ continued advance on Lhasa, from where the Thirteenth Dalai Lama had already fled.

Having accepted the inevitability of their parting, and the uncertainty of the road ahead, Sögen Trülku set off with his entourage toward central Tibet. That evening, those bound for Pémakö gathered for a festive celebration filled with song, dance, and laughter. Drimé Özer, however, withdrew beneath an overhanging rock and sat alone in meditation, overcome with sorrow at the loss of both his mother and Sögen Trülku, whom he feared he would never see again.

At that moment, Sögen Trülku and his attendant, Künzang Tenzin, suddenly emerged from behind the yak-hair tents of the encampment. Unable to bear the pain of parting from Drimé Özer, Sögen Trülku had turned back, and the two were overjoyed to be reunited.

More significantly, Sögen Trülku had come to recognize that, as the current head of the Walshül lineage, he could not abandon his responsibilities at Awo Sera Monastery and the surrounding region. It was for this reason that he had ultimately chosen not to follow Düdjom Lingpa’s instruction that all his disciples relocate to Pémakö.

While in Chamdo, Sögen Trülku had also learned of the activities of ‘Zhao the Butcher’ [Zhao Erfeng (1845–1911)], the Qing military commander whose campaigns in Kham sought to bring eastern Tibet under direct imperial administration. His forces suppressed local resistance through executions, public beheadings, and military reprisals. Monasteries were damaged or destroyed, monastic estates confiscated, and long-established systems of local governance dismantled and replaced with Qing administration. Faced with this growing threat, Sögen Trülku felt compelled to return to Serta as quickly as possible to protect Awo Sera Monastery and fulfill his obligations as both a spiritual and hereditary leader of the Washül Serta confederation.

Recognizing the sacred responsibility that lay before his foremost disciple, Trülku Drimé Özer recited a prayer invoking the blessings of Düdjom Lingpa and the protection of the lineage guardians:

‘Padmasambhava, universal form of all triumphant buddhas of the past, present, and future; Düdjom Heruka, glorious embodiment of the hundred classes of enlightened beings;
‘Yeshé Tsogyal and the dakinis of the three sacred places; and all the fearless oath-bound protectors of the treasure teachings—I pray to you! Bestow your blessings and dispel every obstacle!
Through the power of aspirations and entrustments made in former lives, we have remained together, inseparable, throughout many lifetimes.
O awareness-holder, bearer of the profound treasure teachings, my samaya-bound disciple and sole heart son: in order that you may benefit both yourself and others through pure and noble intentions, I have protected you from the dangers of the road, from bandits, robbers, wild animals, and visible and invisible spirits that threaten your life, teachings, merit, and prosperity.
The harmful intentions and destructive actions of all such forces I have pacified, reversed, and subdued. Like a companion, guardian, and guide, I have watched over you.
May all your aspirations be completely fulfilled. May you enjoy excellence and well-being, both temporary and ultimate, in all places and at all times!’

Drimé Özer concluded the prayer by offering libations to the deities of the path and invoking their enlightened activity.

For several years, Trülku Drimé Özer had wavered between two destinies: joining his family on the pilgrimage to the hidden land of Pémakö or journeying to central Tibet, where Düdjom Lingpa had foretold that he would discover important termas and encounter his destined consort. Following Sögen Trülku’s return to the Nyi Chu Valley to settle local disputes and safeguard his community from the growing threat of Qing military incursions, Drimé Özer took the decision that would shape his life—not to travel to Pémakö—and resumed his westward journey toward Lhasa, accompanied by his younger brother, Paltrül Namkha Jikmé, and several close disciples.

The journey was fraught with difficulties. Bands of robbers repeatedly approached their shifting encampments, despite the guards and unleashed mastiffs posted each night to protect their caravan. Drimé Özer attributed these disturbances to having displeased a terdak (terma guardian) by declining to reveal a dakini treasure that had been indicated to him along the route.

Eventually, he reached Lhasa where, as prophesied, he encountered a fifteen-year-old woman born in the Dragon Year who would ultimately become his consort and an important partner in his terma activities. Déwé Dorjé came from an aristocratic family and was the daughter of a Mongolian official. According to traditional accounts, Drimé Özer enlisted the aid of his guardian deities to secure the circumstances for their union. After escaping through a window of her brother’s residence, Déwé Dorjé joined Drimé Özer and accompanied him on the long journey back to Golok, where they arrived in 1908, setting in motion the chain of events through which Sögen Trülku would later serve as the principal intermediary between Drimé Özer and Déwé Dorjé.

A Chödak of Trülku Drimé Özer

Following his return to Golok, Trülku Drimé Özer reunited with his heart disciple, Sögen Trülku, at Awo Sera Monastery and introduced him to Déwé Dorjé. During the winter of 1910, Drimé Özer again resided at Awo Sera for several months, where he continued to decode and compile his terma revelations. During this period, he bestowed upon Sögen Trülku rare and highly blessed instructions, transmitting profound teachings through direct oral guidance. At Sögen Trülku’s request, he also instructed many of Sögen Trülku’s disciples, tailoring his advice to the needs and capacities of each practitioner.

In 1912, Sögen Trülku responded to Drimé Özer’s request to consecrate a stupa at Dartsang Kalzang containing the remains of his elder brother, Khyentsé Trülku Dzamling Wangyal (1868–1907). Although Khyentsé Trülku had passed away on his sojourn to Pémakö, he had fathered a son, Dzongter Künzang Nyima (1904–1958), who would later be recognized as a speech emanation of Düdjom Lingpa.

The following year, upon learning that Sögen Trülku was residing at Drak Karsum (‘The Three White Crags’), Drimé Özer traveled there to meet him. Upon his arrival amidst the quartz-streaked granite cliffs, he experienced a vivid vision of Dorjé Yudrönma (‘Vajra Turquoise Lamp’), a protector goddess who, although classified among the worldly deities, functions as a wisdom protectress closely associated with Dzogchen practitioners and terma traditions.

Again in 1915, when Sögen Trülku was staying at a pilgrimage site called Magnyen, Drimé Özer journeyed there to see him. The time had arrived for the fulfillment of several longstanding prophecies concerning his terma revelations. Assisted by the long-life goddess Tseringma, the two accomplished lamas rode together to Drak Karsum, the white-streaked rock outcrops where Drimé Özer had experienced the vision of Yudrönma, and where he proceeded to reveal important hidden termas. At a site corresponding to enlightened wisdom mind, he uncovered the Yangzab Sangwa Nyingtrak gi Chökor Guru Dorjé Drölö kyi Drubkor (‘Guru Dorjé Drölö Accomplishment Cycle, the Dharma Cycle of the Utterly Profound Secret Heart Blood’), together with a nine-pronged vajra fashioned from three precious substances and a turquoise casket containing sacred medicinal substances. At other sacred sites at Drak Karsum corresponding to enlightened body and speech, the appointed terma guardians manifested and offered further material treasures. Numerous auspicious signs and extraordinary circumstances accompanied these revelations.

In 1918, Drimé Özer experienced a remarkable dream in which Düdjom Lingpa appeared and entrusted him with terma scrolls relating to the Kagyé kyi Tershok (‘Treasure Scroll of the Eight Commandments’). Düdjom Lingpa explained that if he were to decode these teachings, he would receive the blessings of the wisdom lineage as clearly and completely as the impression left by a seal in clay. He further prophesied that the teachings of the two termas would then spread throughout the world. During the same dream, he instructed Drimé Özer to create one hundred thousand images of Düdjom Lingpa and one hundred thousand images of Guru Rinpoche, along with many other activities that would ensure the flourishing of the lineage.

When Drimé Özer awoke the following morning, he found that he was physically holding the Kagyé terma scrolls in his hand, an event witnessed by disciples attending him at the time. After practicing and verifying the revelation, he committed it to writing and transmitted it to Sögen Trülku and several other destined disciples, thereby ensuring the continuation of the teaching on the Kagyé.

Facilitating a Prophesized Union

In 1908, while Trülku Drimé Özer was returning from central Tibet to Golok, he arrived at Awo Sera Monastery accompanied by his future consort, Déwé Dorjé. Having encountered the dreadlocked tertön in Lhasa and recognized him as both her heart lama and destined consort, she had joined his traveling encampment on its journey back to eastern Tibet. It was at Awo Sera that Sögen Trülku first met the young dakini from central Tibet. Their connection would prove pivotal for the future flourishing of the Düdjom lineage.

Although prophecies had foretold their union, many obstacles repeatedly prevented Déwé Dorjé and Drimé Özer from remaining together. Drimé Özer often expressed the wish that in a future life he might be reborn as a fully ordained monk, believing that such a life would be less encumbered and more conducive to practice. Yet the dakinis continued to send unmistakable signs that his connection with Déwé Dorjé was essential to the fulfillment of his enlightened activity. Whenever circumstances separated them, ominous indications arose and Drimé Özer repeatedly fell ill. Time and again, Sögen Trülku and his disciples performed healing rituals and longevity practices on his behalf.

In 1919, Déwé Dorjé and Trülku Drimé Özer met at the residence of Gochen Trülku near Palyül Dartang Monastery, in the vicinity of the sacred mountain Nyenpo Yutsé. Drimé Özer had traveled there together with Sögen Trülku because of his close spiritual connection with Gochen Trülku. By that time, however, he had become seriously ill, and those around him feared for his life.

Recognizing that the illness was linked to the unfulfilled karmic connection between Drimé Özer and Déwé Dorjé, Sögen Trülku undertook extensive healing rites together with the assembled practitioners. Convinced that Déwé Dorjé’s presence was essential to Drimé Özer’s recovery, he composed a letter urging her to return from Benak, on the Mar Chu, where she had been living ambivalently as the consort of Gara Gyalsé Pema Namgyal, after a thwarted relationship with his father, the great terma revealer Gara Terchen Pema Dündül Wangchuk Lingpa (1857–1911).

‘You and Drimé Özer have been connected throughout many lifetimes. Based upon that connection, the time has now come for you to be here.’

When Sögen Trülku read the contents of the letter aloud, Drimé Özer responded with characteristic humility:

‘There is no need for such a letter. It is meaningless to dwell on these matters.’

Nevertheless, those around him repeatedly implored him not to allow the auspicious interdependence with Déwé Dorjé to be lost. Gochen Trülku likewise wrote to Déwé Dorjé’s then consort, Gara Gyalsé Pema Namgyal, explaining that her presence would aid Drimé Özer’s recovery. Eventually, Drimé Özer agreed to send his own letter to Gara Gyalsé, which read:

‘When we discussed this matter previously, you told me that Déwé Dorjé would be free to leave your residence and come to mine as my consort. Yet if doing so would become the cause of disharmony between us, then there is no need for the Dakini Déwé Dorjé to come here.’

In 1921, while still residing with Gara Gyalsé in Benak, in Golok’s Mar Chu Valley, Déwé Dorjé herself became seriously ill. Around the same time, Drimé Özer, who was staying at Nédro Dorjé Dzong, experienced a troubling dream indicating that his life might soon come to an end. Seeking her counsel, he wrote to Déwé Dorjé, who responded with instructions based upon prophecies she received from visionary dakinis. Drimé Özer gathered his disciples and relayed her instructions. Under the leadership of Sögen Trülku, they diligently carried out the prescribed rites and practices.

Later that same year, in the vicinity of Drongri, ‘Wild Yak Mountain’, Drimé Özer and Déwé Dorjé were able to meet and performed longevity practices together to overcome their illnesses. Students from Rebkong and many other regions assembled around them. On that occasion, Sögen Trülku, Déchen Zangpo, and numerous disciples requested the complete empowerments, reading transmissions, and instructions for Drimé Özer’s revealed termas. Drimé Özer graciously bestowed the transmissions together with extensive explanations and pith instructions.

Not long after, Gara Gyalsé Pema Namgyal fulfilled his promise and, in 1921, Déwé Dorjé and the two children that she had had with him travelled together to Dartsang Kalzang where they joined Trülku Drimé Özer’s household.

In 1922, in accordance with prophecies made by Düdjom Lingpa, Drimé Özer travelled to his principal seat of Nédro Dorjé Dzong, accompanied by Déwé Dorjé, Sögen Trülku, and several of his foremost disciples.

While residing there, Déwé Dorjé revealed the Drölkar Yishyin Khorlö Zabter (‘Profound Treasure of White Tara, the Wish-Fulfilling Wheel’) and offered it to Drimé Özer as a longevity practice. The auspicious circumstances were considered exceptionally favorable. The newly united male and female consorts discussed in detail the histories of the terma tradition, the activities of the great tertöns, and the responsibilities of those destined to serve as chödaks. At one point, Drimé Özer remarked:

‘It has been prophesized that the two of us should engage in the practice of producing amrita [‘immortality nectar’]. Therefore, this something we must do.’

At his request, Déwé Dorjé organized all the preparations for the sacred medicine practice. For thirteen days their disciples pounded, strained, and prepared the medicinal substances. Thereafter, Drimé Özer, Sögen Trülku, Tongnyi Dorjé—his student and scribe—his attendant Palden Lodrö, and Déwé Dorjé performed the nectar-medicine sadhana for seven days based upon the Guru Tapak Yabyum gyi Kyilkhor (‘Mandala of Hayagriva and Vajravarahi in Union’). After the third day, numerous extraordinary signs of accomplishment appeared.

Later that year, on the third day of the waxing moon in the fourth lunar month of the Water Dog Year (1922), Trülku Drimé Özer bestowed the empowerments, oral transmissions, and pith instructions for all his own termas as well as those revealed by Düdjom Lingpa. Among the principal recipients were Sögen Trülku, Déwé Dorjé, and Drimé Özer’s nephew Dzongter Künzang Nyima (1904–1958), who was the son of his deceased elder brother Khyentsé Trülku Dzamling Wangyal. Also present were Önpo Drimé Ösal of Walshül Rokza, one of Drimé Özer’s four principal chödaks, together with eight additional chödaks, twenty-five ‘great sons’, eighty lesser disciples, and numerous tantric practitioners from Rebkong, including Rebkong Lhundrup Rigdzin and the renowned mantra adept Trakngak Dakpo. Drawn together by aspirations formed in previous lives, they had gathered from across eastern Tibet for this historic transmission.

To those assembled, Drimé Özer imparted a vast array of sacred teachings, including terma cycles revealed at the secluded sites of Kusotok Gyal and Drakkar Treldzong, as well as practices he had revealed at Samyé Chimphu in central Tibet. He also transmitted three cycles of daknang (‘pure vision’) teachings, two categories of gongter (‘mind termas’), and numerous profound revelations connected with Néchen Gyé (‘The Eight Great Sacred Places’) blessed by Guru Rinpoche for the practice of the Kagyé (‘Eight Commandments’)––representing the embodiment of indivisible bliss and emptiness––together with teachings associated with the five minor sacred places. Through these transmissions, the foundations were laid for the widespread dissemination of the Düdjom Tersar in the generations to come.

A Supporter of Déwé Dorjé (Séra Khandro)

Between 1909 and 1921, Sögen Trülku played a crucial role in the unfolding of the complex and often fraught relationship between Déwé Dorjé and Trülku Drimé Özer. During those years, he also developed a profound heart connection with Déwé Dorjé herself.

Although Déwé Dorjé had felt compelled to marry Gara Gyélse Pema Namgyal and bore him two children, the marriage was an unhappy one, particularly after Gara Gyélse introduced a new consort, Seldrön, into the household. Déwé Dorjé attributed her persistent health challenges, in part, to the strains of that relationship.

As recounted above, Drimé Özer had originally reached an agreement with Gara Gyélse that he would return Déwé Dorjé to him when circumstances allowed them to be together. As Drimé Özer’s health declined, he wrote to Gara Gyélse reminding him of their agreement and requesting that Déwé Dorjé be permitted to join him at Dartsang Kalzang in the hope that her presence would prolong his life.

Gara Gyélse agreed, and in 1921 Déwé Dorjé had travelled with her son and daughter to join Drimé Özer at his home near Dartsang Kalzang. The destined union had been fruitful for their respective terma revelations as well as their health and wellbeing.

In 1922, while residing with Trülku Drimé Özer at Nédro Dorjé Dzong (‘Vajra Fortress of Nédro’) in the upper Do Chu region, Déwé Dorjé revealed a terma connected with phowa, the transference of consciousness at the time of death, during an empowerment that Drimé Özer was bestowing on a large assembly of disciples. He immediately interpreted the revelation as a sign that she was preparing to leave this world and he became deeply distressed when her condition suddenly deteriorated. While Sögen Trülku and her attendant, Thubten Zangpo, warmed her legs beside a fire, Drimé Özer performed longevity rituals and practices to restore her vitality. When she eventually recovered, Sögen Trülku rejoiced, remarking that it was ‘as if meeting someone raised from the dead’.

Two years later, in 1924, a devastating smallpox epidemic swept through parts of Golok and neighboring regions, claiming many lives. The outbreak was traditionally understood as the activity of hostile mamo spirits. When the epidemic reached Dartsang Kalzang, many members of the community fell ill, including Déwé Dorjé’s five-year-old son––Rigdzin Gyurmé Dorjé––and Trülku Drimé Özer, both of whom succumbed to the disease within days of each other.

During Drimé Özer’s final illness, Awo Künzang Tenzin, Sögen Trülku’s attendant, traveled from Awo Sera Monastery to visit him at Nélung, near Dartsang Kalzang. Recognizing that he would likely not survive and foreseeing that Déwé Dorjé would be unable to remain at Dartsang Kalzang after his death, Drimé Özer entrusted her future care to Sögen Trülku. He addressed Awo Künzang Tenzin as follows:

‘In the future, circumstances will arise that require you to escort Déwé Dorjé and her attendants to Awo Sera Monastery. You and Sögen Trülku should care for her with love and concern. This is my request.’

He then added, concealing his awareness c of his impending death: ‘I will come later, after a year.’ In the twilight language of realized practitioners, he was in fact alluding to his future rebirth as Awo Séra Yangsi Tsültrim Gyatso (1925–1988). Having secured the future welfare of his consort through his trusted heart disciple and dharma heir, Drimé Özer told Déwé Dorjé:

‘Everything that is happening is the ripening of former karma and the result of broken samaya. Since our auspicious connection is now under the power of others, nothing can be done. Nevertheless, Sögen Trülku has been kind to you and will continue to be so.’

Déwé Dorjé replied:

‘The best way to repay Sögen Trülku’s kindness would be for you to remain alive. Otherwise, if your future incarnation were to benefit his vision, that alone would repay his kindness. Apart from that, I do not know how I could ever repay the great kindness he has shown us.'

She continued:

'I do not know what will become of me. Sögen Trülku also faces great obstacles to his life, and you are not going to remain here. It is certain that those who follow you will eventually reach a pure land. As for me, I have no desire to stain this earth with my negative karma.’

Drimé Özer responded:

‘What can be done? Because of the obscurations of this place and these times, there is no way that I will not die. Sögen Trülku will perform phowa to ease the suffering of my passing. He understands that our relationship has been maintained with complete purity of samaya. Because he understands the meaning of sacred commitments, and provided you do not break them, I am certain he will always care for you.'

Soon afterward, the winds of Drimé Özer’s five senses dissolved into the central channel and, as his body reportedly ‘shimmered like frost’, he entered the luminous expanse of the Dharmakaya.

When news of his passing reached Awo Sera, Sögen Trülku immediately made the two-to-three day journey to Dartsang Kalzang. Trülku Péma Dorjé (1867–1934), Drimé Özer’s elder brother, arrived from Dodrubchen Tsangchen, while Dodrubchen Jigmé Tenpé Nyima (1865–1926) conducted supportive rituals from his hermitage.

For twenty-one days, Sögen Trülku and Déwé Dorjé made extensive offerings in front of Drimé Özer’s kudung (relic body) which had been seated upright in a silk-lined wooden reliquary box. Because of his close spiritual connection with his deceased teacher, Sögen Trülku—together with several close disciples and Déwé Dorjé herself—was entrusted with opening the reliquary box at the conclusion of the offering ceremonies. According to traditional accounts, the body had shrunk to the size of a small child and was subsequently cremated amidst displays of five-colored light.

Following the funeral rites, Déwé Dorjé requested permission to remain at Dartsang Kalzang and help fulfill Drimé Özer’s wish to complete the construction of a new temple. Her request was denied. Influenced by Washül Tara Akyong Za, Drimé Özer’s earlier consort and the mother of his only child, members of the community expelled her and instructed her to leave for Awo Sera following the completion of the parinirvaṇa ceremonies.

Although deeply distressed, Déwé Dorjé encouraged the assembled disciples to carry out Drimé Özer’s final intentions:

'Even though I cannot remain here and fulfill Drimé Özer’s wish to build the new temple, the temple must nevertheless be completed. Do not return to your homes. Remain here and help build the new temple of Dartsang Kalzang.'

Accompanied by her daughter Yangchen Chöying Drönma (1913–1945) and her attendants Tsültrim Dorjé and Thubten Zangpo, Déwé Dorjé then traveled to Awo Sera under Sögen Trülku’s protection. There she was assured food, shelter, and a place within the community. Sögen Trülku supported her through the grief of losing Drimé Özer and being forced to leave the dharma community that she had shared with him. Yet her difficulties did not immediately end. In her memoirs, she later recalled how even the placement of her tent became a source of gossip:

‘Although Sögen Trülku suggested that my camp be placed nearer to his, people both inside and outside the community misunderstood the situation. Because of this, I chose not to arrange things in that way.’

Several months later, while she and Sögen Trülku were constructing a reliquary stupa in honor of Drimé Özer and performing the necessary consecration rituals, local criticism intensified. Déwé Dorjé recalled:

‘Some people said, “Déwé Dorjé, the woman from central Tibet, is Sögen Trülku’s consort.” Others said, “Since Sögen Trülku is growing older, she probably will not remain here long.” Still others said, “She is a troublesome woman and will bring harm to us all.”’

Despite such criticism, Déwé Dorjé gradually became known as Sera Khandro, ‘the Dakini of Awo Sera’, reflecting both her residence there and her increasingly important partnership with Sögen Trülku. Over the following years, she remained at Awo Sera, teaching, revealing termas, and gathering an expanding circle of disciples. Together, she and Sögen Trülku played a decisive role in preserving and disseminating the terma teachings of Düdjom Lingpa and Trülku Drimé Özer, while also establishing the foundations for the transmission of her own revelations.

Following Drimé Özer’s passing, Sögen Trülku received further empowerments, transmissions, and pith instructions from Déwé Dorjé’s emerging terma cycles. In doing so, he became one of her principal chödaks, or terma custodians, alongside Tsültrim Dorjé (1880–c.1955) and the Fourth Chaktsa Trülku Künzang Pema Trinlé (1890s–1950s).

Sögen Trülku also extended his support to Yangchen Drönma, Déwé Dorjé’s daughter from her previous marriage to Gara Gyalsé Pema Namgyal. After moving to Awo Sera with her mother in 1924, Yangchen Drönma eventually became the consort of Trülku Drimé Özer’s son, Sonam Déutsen (1910–1958), who was later recognized as Düdjom Lingpa’s mind emanation. Sögen Trülku likewise maintained a close connection with Sonam Déutsen.

In 1925, Déwé Dorjé identified Awo Séra Yangsi Tsultrim Gyatso (1925–1989/90), the reincarnation associated with Awo Sera Monastery, as the rebirth of Trülku Drimé Özer. Sögen Trülku supported this recognition and helped oversee the young incarnate’s upbringing. This was the fulfilment of the prophetic words shared by Trülku Drimé Özer himself on his deathbed.

Déwé Dorjé immediately began composing a visionary biography of her deceased consort, Drimé Özer, and completed the work within a year. Then, in 1929, she resolved to collect, edit, and transcribe Düdjom Lingpa’s entire corpus of teachings. Trülku Dorjé Dradül, Trülku Drimé Özer’s youngest brother who had remained at Dartsang Kalzang, generously granted her access to the manuscripts preserved in the monastery’s newly completed temple. After more than a month of editing and proofreading, she concluded her stay in Dartsang Kalzang by teaching on Trülku Drimé Özer’s namtar, which she had written while at Awo Sera. She also bestowed meditative instructions requested by Drimé Özer’s former students at Dartsang Kalzang.

Upon her return to Awo Sera, Sögen Trülku was delighted by the success of her visit and he immediately requested that she confer Düdjom Lingpa’s complete transmissions at Awo Sera in the fall of 1929. According to Déwé Dorjé’s memoirs, the teachings attracted numerous prominent lamas and monks, including Sherab Özer, Jikga Trülku Chönyi Döntok, and Drimé Özer’s nephew, Dzongter Künzang Nyima.

In 1933, Déwé Dorjé and her scribes completed the editing and compilation of the combined treasure corpus of Düdjom Lingpa, Trülku Drimé Özer, and herself, comprising forty-four volumes: twenty-two by Düdjom Lingpa, eighteen by Drimé Özer, and four containing her own revelations.

Two years later, in 1935––when Déwé Dorjé was forty-three––Sögen Trülku again requested that she confer the transmissions of both Düdjom Lingpa’s and Drimé Özer’s terma cycles at Awo Sera Monastery in a continued effort to foster her teaching activities while perpetuating the combined lineage that would eventually become known as the Düdjom Tersar. Soon after the empowerments had begun, Sögen Trülku passed away, bringing to a close one of the most important spiritual partnerships in the history of the Düdjom Tersar lineage.

A Ruler and Protector

Beyond his religious responsibilities and meditative practice, Sögen Trülku also exercised considerable temporal authority throughout his life. As both a reincarnate lama and a leader of the Walshül Serta confederation, he bore responsibility not only for the spiritual welfare of his followers but also for the protection of the diverse communities under his care.

During the 1920s, the powerful Muslim warlord Ma Bufang (1903–1975), a leading general of China’s National Revolutionary Army, consolidated his control over Qinghai and expanded his influence across the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The region of Serta, over which Sögen Trülku held authority, lay vulnerable to the advance of Ma Bufang’s well-armed forces, whose military campaigns threatened the autonomy of Golok and Serta communities.

Faced with this danger, Sögen Trülku undertook both practical and spiritual measures to safeguard his people. He journeyed to Drongri, ‘Wild Yak Mountain’, which was regarded as the seat of Serta’s principal territorial protector deity––from whom he was nominally descended––where he performed extensive rites based upon one of Düdjom Lingpa’s Vajrakilaya (‘Adamantine Dagger’) terma revelation. According to local accounts, these rituals invoked the power of Serta’s most important protector deity––Drongri Mukpo––to avert potential attacks and protect the region from harm. Shortly thereafter, Ma Bufang’s forces abandoned their plans to advance further into the area, an outcome that many of Sögen Trülku’s followers attributed to the efficacy of his ritual activity.

For the people of Serta–Golok, this episode reinforced Sögen Trülku’s reputation not only as an accomplished spiritual master and lineage holder, but also as a protector capable of safeguarding his homeland during a period of profound political instability.

Death and Reincarnation

Following Sögen Trülku Natsok Rangdrol’s passing in 1935, two incarnations were recognized: Choktrül Pédé (c.1935–1960s) and Tülku Lhündrup Dorjé (c.1935–1960s).

Choktrül Pédé, regarded as the Fifth Sögen Trülku, was born as the son of Tsédor, the governor of the Gétsé Dralek region. His recognition was confirmed by several eminent masters, including Jamyang Khyentsé Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959). Enthroned at Awo Sera Monastery, he inherited responsibility for the spiritual leadership of the monastery and its surrounding communities.

By the 1950s, however, eastern Tibet was being transformed by the advance of Communist Chinese rule. According to local accounts, Choktrül Pédé relinquished the relative security of monastic life, set aside his robes, and joined the armed resistance that arose in response to the political upheavals of the period. Some oral histories maintain that he gave his life while defending the monasteries and people of Serta and Golok. Other accounts associate him with the Tibetan resistance movement known as Chushi Gangdruk (‘Four Rivers, Six Ranges’), which fought against Chinese Communist forces during the late 1950s and early 1960s, with financial and tactical support from America’s Central Intelligence Agency.

The second figure recognized as a Fifth Sögen Trülku was Trülku Lhündrup Dorjé (1940–1960), also known as Choktrül Thubga. He was born as the son of Dzongter Künzang Nyima (1904–1959), Düdjom Lingpa’s grandson and one of Déwé Dorjé’s closest disciples. From an early age, he reportedly recounted details of his previous life with such clarity that those who heard him were moved to tears and filled with faith.

As he matured, Trülku Lhündrup Dorjé gathered an expanding circle of disciples and became known for his devotion and spiritual qualities. His life, however, was cut short during the political campaigns that targeted Tibetan religious leaders following the Chinese occupation of Tibet. According to lineage accounts, he was arrested by Chinese authorities and died while in detention, bringing to an abrupt end a life that many had expected would continue the activities of Sögen Trülku for decades to come.

The accomplishment of one’s own realization and the benefit of all beings

As one of Düdjom Lingpa’s principal prophesied disciples and lineage holders, Sögen Trülku Natsok Rangdrol made an extraordinary contribution to the preservation and transmission of the Düdjom Tersar by becoming both a lineage holder in his own right and a chödak for the terma revelations of Trülku Drimé Özer and Déwé Dorjé, whose enlightened partnership he actively fostered. A highly realized master, he attained deep spiritual accomplishment during a period of immense social and political upheaval while tirelessly dedicating himself to the welfare of others, thereby perfectly embodying the twofold aim of Buddhist practice: the accomplishment of one’s own realization and the benefit of all beings.

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