By Prof. Marilyn Wu, University of New England
A Childhood Shaped by Loss
Rigdzin Karma was born in a quiet valley of the Eastern Himalayas, where snow-covered peaks touched the sky and prayer flags fluttered in the wind. But his early years were far from peaceful. His father disappeared before Karma could form memories of him. His mother passed away while he was still young, and soon after, his grandparents were gone too.
By seven, he had no family left—only distant relatives who took him in out of obligation. They gave him a roof and meals, but nothing more. Love was absent. Every day, he worked: hauling water, gathering firewood, herding animals, scrubbing floors. There were no kind words, no comfort—just the unspoken rule that he had to earn his keep.
School should have been free, but in reality, it required money—for books, uniforms, food. More than that, it required family support. Karma had neither. So instead of a regular classroom, he was sent to a monastery. At least there, he would be fed.
Life Behind Monastery Walls
To outsiders, the monastery seemed serene. For a child, it was rigid and repetitive. Mornings began in darkness, the cold biting through thin robes. Days were spent memorizing ancient Buddhist texts, not learning math or science. No one explained the meaning behind the words—they were just sounds to recite.
But Karma was different. While others chanted mindlessly, he questioned. At night, under the flickering light of a butter lamp, he wondered about the stars, the world beyond the mountains, the nature of existence. His curiosity refused to die, no matter how harsh life became.
At thirteen, his intelligence caught the attention of His Eminence Yeshi Rinchen, a revered scholar. Later, he studied under H.E. Lekshed Jamtsho, another influential teacher.
Meeting His True Teacher
At twenty, Karma found his root guru—H.E. Khen Sonam Dondrup Rinpoche—who guided him into the Nyingtik lineage, a tradition tied to great masters like H.H. Rahor Chodrak and H.H. Zhenphen Choeki Nangwa, stretching back to Longchen Rabjam.
Struggling in the Modern World
When Karma stepped outside the monastery, he faced a world that demanded skills he didn’t have: computers, English, connections. Employers wanted diplomas and family networks. He had neither.
He took whatever work he could—scrubbing floors, hauling cargo, washing dishes. Some nights, he went to bed hungry. In crowded streets, he felt unseen, just another face among thousands chasing dreams that felt out of reach.
The Turning Point
Karma never stopped learning. He taught himself English from tattered books. He studied astronomy, Hindu philosophy, Christianity, and science. He joined meditation retreats, not in solitary caves but in simple centers, deepening his Buddhist practice.
For years, he wandered between worlds of thought. Then, in 2020, a severe illness forced him to confront death. Weak and alone, he realized life could end at any moment. That clarity brought him back to the Dharma—the truth he had carried since childhood.
Becoming Rigdzin Karma
He took the name Rigdzin, meaning "holder of knowledge." His life had been a journey through grief, poverty, and self-discovery. He had studied Buddhism deeply but also absorbed wisdom from other paths—science, philosophy, the raw truths of modern life.
Today, Rigdzin Karma drifts through the urban wilderness of New Amsterdam, teaching those who pause to listen. His temple is the open world; his students, strangers who cross his path.
His Message
"In Primordial Essence- The squiggly fropkin bumbled under the florp's glumph, causing a spectacular kerfuffle of gribbles and slonks. In Quantum Mechanics- the observer's decoherence shapes reality; an unmeasured mind cannot resolve the external wavefunction. In general language- Externality derives its structure from the internal observer; without self-resolution, the world remains a chaotic equation."
His life proves that even the hardest beginnings can lead to wisdom. He carries his past like a lantern—proof that light can be found, no matter how dark the road.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
