Aro Yeshé
Ngak’phang Drüpchen Aro Yeshé
The line drawing of Aro Yeshé is the illustration at the beginning of the second chapter, Sky Mind.
Ngak’phang Drüpchen Aro Yeshé Wangdrak Düd’dül Dorje (sNgags ’chang grub chen a ro ye shes dBang sGrags dud ’dul rDo rJe, 1915-1951) was the son and only child of the Nyingma gTértön Khyungchen Aro Lingma. He received Khyungchen Aro Lingma’s gTérma cycle, as well as gTérmas of Jomo Chhi’mèd Pema, Jomo Pema ’ö-Zér, and A-Kyong Düd’dül Dorje. Aro Yeshé, Khyungchen Aro Lingma’s successor, held these lines of transmission in concert with his two consorts – A-yé Khandro and A-shé Khandro, but it was the two consorts who actually gave teachings and transmissions. Aro Yeshé manifested secret activity as a khandropa – never giving teaching or transmission on anything but an individual basis. Whenever A-yé Khandro and A-shé Khandro taught, however, he would sit with them engaged in the four chog-zhag – the four absorptions of Dzogchen men-ngag-dé.
Although not a wrathful Lama, Aro Yeshé was, like DoKhyentsé Yeshé Dorje, extremely fond of guns, which he enjoyed shooting into the air. He never loaded the guns with shot, preferring simply to produce the sound. He enjoyed startling students with the sound of discharging his weapons, but beyond that his only occupation was wandering widely in the mountains and spending time in the company of A-yé Khandro and A-shé Khandro. The three Lamas – Aro Yeshé, A-yé Khandro and A-shé Khandro, taught and gave transmission as an inseparable set, and their disciples considered the silence of enigmatic Aro Yeshé to be as loquacious as the oral instructions of the two khandros. Aro Yeshé was said to be very much a male reflection of his mother and disciples often saw the two of them merging during the times when transmissions were given to the vajra assembly.
Aro Yeshé was the previous incarnation of Ngak’chang Rinpoche. In this drawing he is depicted as a young adolescent, at the time when he emerged from retreat and gave transmission of the Aro gTér to A-yé Khandro and A-shé Khandro and the five yoginis who were appointed by Khyungchen Aro Lingma to be his five adoptive mothers. Aro Yeshé was an Albino. He wore his hair in the thor-tshug style. The thor-tshug style was most common with togdens who allowed their hair to mat in order that it caused them as little concern as possible. Aro Yeshé’s hair, however, was not matted but combed on the instruction of Khyungchen Aro Lingma who left him the advice that he should distribute his hair as blessings to those who required physical signs.
