Introduction to Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik
Introduction to Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik
Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik (‘chi med ‘phags ma’i snying thig), The Heart-Essence of the Sublime Lady of Immortality, is among the most famous and revered termas of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892). Its power and blessings are such that several of Khyentse Wangpo’s foremost students, including Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (1813–1899) and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Karmapas, were able to remove obstacles to their longevity and activities. According to prophecy, had it not been for this practice, the life of Jamgön Kongtrul would have been fraught with obstacles and much shorter. More recently, Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik was a central practice for such prominent figures as Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959), Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987), Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–1991) and Trulshik Rinpoche (1924–2011), and it is also said to be the heart practice of His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche.
The Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik cycle is a mind treasure (dgongs gter) revealed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo in 1855. Just before dawn, one morning, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo had a vision of White Tārā, the Wish-Fulfilling Wheel, while meditating upon her. She dissolved into him, inducing a profound experience. When he arose, Śrī Siṃha, Vimalamitra and Guru Rinpoche, three masters who attained the vidyādhara level of power over life, appeared to him and through their combined blessings the entire Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik entered his wisdom mind “as clearly and distinctly as a reflection in a mirror”. Khyentse Wangpo then transcribed the sādhana with help from Vimalamitra who checked the manuscript.
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s biography states that he did not transcribe the entire cycle of Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik but only the root sādhana as well as the sādhana and instruction cycle known as Vima Ladrup (bi ma'i bla sbrub, The Guru Sādhana of Vimalamitra) and that of White Tārā, Amitāyus and Uṣṇīṣayavijayā. Then for five years Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo practised these teachings in complete secrecy before transmitting them.
Chimé Pakmé Nyingtik combines the practice of the three deities of long life, White Tārā, Amitāyus and Uṣṇīṣayavijayā. Another of its special features is its highly unusual form of deity union, with the female White Tārā as the main deity and the male Gargyi Wangchuk as her consort.
Further Reading
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, & Tulku Orgyen Tobgyal. Sublime Lady of Immortality: Teachings on Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2021
Version: 1.1-20240429
