The Life and Legacy of Khyungpo Naljo: Teacher of the Shangpa Kagyu School

There are gurus in the history of Buddhism whose names evoke a sense of mystery, power, and wisdom. One of such people is Khedrub Khyungpo Neljor. He is known to people as the Yogi of the Garuda Clan, as he founded the Shangpa Kagyu Tradition. This name implies his spiritual perfection and the nobility of his family. At a tender age, he had a great desire for the Dharma, which would lead him out of Tibet. The lessons he got at home were not good, and thus he travelled to Nepal and India to get more lessons and learn more about them. 

During his trip, he studied with numerous great gurus and eventually came to the enigmatic dakini called Niguma, who provided him with the entire collection of the Six Yogas. But Khyungpo Neljor did not practice all alone. He established up to 108 monasteries in Tibet, which have been inspirational to generations in Tibet. His life was full of prophetic encounters, wars against foes, and spiritual messages, which all formed a tapestry of dedication, courage, and religious zeal.

In this blog, we explore the life, vision, and enduring legacy of Khedrub Khyungpo Neljor, a spiritual luminary whose wisdom stretched through the centuries. Neljor was not just a part of history; he is still alive in our everyday life, in our prayers, and our every follower who follows the path of insight and compassion he illuminated.

Early Life of Khedrub Khyungpo Neljor

Khedrub Khyungpo Neljor, the revered initiator of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage, belonged to the famous Khyungpo family, whose birthplace is thought to be Nyemo Ramang, in Eastern Tsang, Tibet. Khedrub was born to Khyunggyel Takye (or Takla Kye) and Goza Tashi Kyi, who were known for their noble. He was born in the Year of the Tiger, the clan of the Khyung. The Khyung were the extended family clan from which the lord of yogins, Jetsun Milarepa, would ultimately hail some years later. Thus, his name meant "the Yogin of the Garuda clan". The Khyung or Garuda clan refers to the legendary great bird who guards the north, also known as a powerful protector. 

At the time of his birth, Mahasiddha Amogha, flying through the air from India, prophesied that the newborn child, who had already been highly realized, would eventually go to India and receive the remarkable transmissions in order to become a great guide of beings. The qualities of Khyungpo Naljor were already exhibiting themselves when he was very young. At the age of five, he described in detail his past lives and the insight into lives still coming, and spoke of the future in general.

By the age of ten, he was proficient in reading, writing, math, and both Indian and Chinese astrology. At the age of twelve, following the tradition of his father's family, he entered into the study of the Bon teachings. He studied Dzogchen later, followed by Mahamudra, and then, after taking jewels and gold dust as offerings, he set off to Nepal and India in search of teachings. 

Iconography of Khyungpo Neljor

In many arts, Khyungpo Neljor is depicted as a serene and radiant meditation master, embodying the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and spiritual accomplishment.

• Seated Posture: He sits on a colorful lotus throne, which is a symbol of purity, that emerges out of samsara without any contamination. His self-possessed and easy stance indicates natural self-possession in profound meditation.
  
  

• Attire: Draped in vibrant monastic robes of orange and red, patterned with golden floral motifs, his garments signify both renunciation and the splendor of enlightened awareness. The richness of his attire also highlights his status as a highly realized yogi and lineage founder.
  
  

• Expression and Gaze: His calm, luminous expression conveys inner peace and realization. The eyes are gentle and piercing, gazing slightly downward in a contemplative movement, an iconographic gesture that conveys the fact that he exists in non-dual awareness.
  
  

• Flaming sword (khadga): the sword of wisdom that cuts through ignorance and delusion. It’s Mañjuśrī’s hallmark; sources describe him holding the sword aloft to symbolize incisive, non-conceptual insight.
  
  

• Book on a lotus: The Prajñāpāramitā (“Perfection of Wisdom”) scripture, usually shown resting on a blue lotus (utpala). It stands for transcendent wisdom/the Dharma itself.
  

• Hand Gestures (Mudra):  His right hand is softly lying on his knee, an echo of the earth-touching mudra, invoking the earth as witness to his realization. His left hand is usually holding a lotus or sits in a meditative posture, denoting wisdom and balance.
   

• Halo and Nimbus: Behind him glows a green halo and rainbow-like aura, representing his spiritual radiance and the realization of the luminous mind (prabhāsvara-citta). This also signifies his transcendence of dualistic perception.

Early Years and First Teachers

At the age of thirteen, Khyungpo Neljor started his spiritual life in Tibet with the Bon master Yungdrung Gyalwa. He didn’t remain there long; he next turned to Jungne Sengge, a charismatic Dzogchen master reputed to have had 700 disciples. He later traveled to the Tolung area, where he studied under Kong (or Car) Nirupa of Shamora. Nirupa is said to have presented to him a cycle of Dzogchen teachings, the Amanasei Chokor Nyernga, which is assigned to Sheuton Jang, but which was actually authored by the 16th-century historian Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa. But this was only the beginning. Thinking that all was not yet complete in Tibet, Khyungpo Neljor determined to move outside its borders, to go to Nepal, to India, and the realms of Buddhist masters.

In Nepal and Beyond: Meeting Masters and Dakini Teachers

There are a number of influential teachers who guided him in Nepal. He was an attendant of Amogavajra or Ratnakaragupta, or Sauripa, and was given great instructions by him. Another teacher that he learnt under is Vasumati, who initiated him into numerous tantric initiations in both the Kriya Tantra and the Yoga Tantra.

He didn’t stop there. He was tutored by a group of dakini teachers - Devikoti, Kanashri, and Ratnapela, and instructed by three students of the well-known Mahasiddha Maitripa - Ratnavajra, Ksetravajra, and Atulyavajra.

According to The Blue Annals, Khyungpo Neljor also encountered and received teachings from Vairochanavajra, a great teacher whose name appears in the historical survey. After a period, he briefly returned to Tibet, but his impatience drew him south again, this time deeper into India.

In India: Gold Offerings, Naropa’s Lineage, and Niguma

On his journeys, he is said to have carried large quantities of gold, so that he could present offerings to those masters he met. These acts of generosity won him karmic merit, and he was able to get oral teachings and directives. He went on to become a disciple of Danisil, who was a disciple of Naropa when he was in India. Khyungpo Neljor also received teachings on White Mahakala from the Mahasiddha Maitripa. 

A pivotal moment in his life was when he asked his teachers whether there was anyone in India who had met Vajradhara (the primordial source of tantric teachings). They all directed him to Niguma, who was a respected yogini and dakini among tantric groups.

Khyungpo Neljor journeyed to the Sosadvipa charnel grounds in eastern India, where he encountered Niguma in a powerful and astonishing form, floating in the air in a dark-hued dakini aspect, holding a trident and skull cup, adorned with bone ornaments, sometimes shifting her appearance. 

He prostrated and requested her teachings. Initially, she replied, “I am a flesh-eating dakini,” and demanded gold. Khyungpo offered a bag of gold, which she flung into the forest. Her retinue of dakinis then descended, brought offerings, made a mandala in mid-air, and conferred empowerments, ultimately giving him the Six Yogas of Niguma, including Illusory Body and Dream Yoga, among other instructions.

After completing this profound meeting, Niguma took him to the top of a golden mountain where she imparted the entire doctrine: the Six Yogas, the Dorje Tsikang, and the Gyuma Lamrim.

In this way, Khyungpo Neljor was the main successor of the secret teachings of Niguma, becoming a foundation in the formation of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage.

Founding the Lineage and Legacy

The Shangpa Kagyu school was founded in the 11th century, and it is based on the vision and hard work of the great Tibetan yogi, Khyungpo Neljor. After years of spiritual searching and pilgrimage across Tibet, Nepal, and India, he finally received the Mahamudra and Six Yogas teachings directly from the enlightened dakini Niguma, who is said to have been the sister of the legendary Mahasiddha Naropa.

Upon returning to Tibet, he was ordained by the Kadampa master, Geshe Langri Tangpa, the author of Eight Verses of Training the Mind. Khyungpo Neljor founded the Zhangzhong Dorjeden Monastery in the Shang Valley of Tsang (central Tibet), which became the heart of this new lineage. The only difference between the Shangpa tradition and other Buddhist traditions was that the Shangpa had one continuous line of transmission, a sacred stream of wisdom which started with the primordial Buddha Vajradhara, through Niguma, and then transmitted into the five great masters: Khyungpo Neljor, Mokchokpa, Wonton Kyergangwa Chokyi Sengge, Nyenton Rigung Chokyi Sherab, and Sanggye Tonpa Tsondru Senge.

Khyungpo Neljor had six major disciples who would claim the heirs of his own distinctive lineage, which is currently referred to as the Shangpa Kagyu lineage. The names of these six disciples were Meuton, Yorpo Gyamoche, Ngulton Rinwang, Latopa Konchok Kar, Zhanggom Choseng, and Mokchokpa Rinchen Tsondru. But Khyungpo Neljor only passed on to Mokchokpa the Six Yogas of Niguma as a complete whole. Mokchokpa spent five years under the feet of his master, taking teachings and instructions until he reached the age of 21. He took his leave and returned to be with his master for the last year and a half of his master’s life.

This lineage became known as the Transmission of the Seven Precious Shangpa, celebrated for its purity and secrecy. He was also known as Lama Shangpa. This is how his unique lineage was eventually named the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. For several centuries, it was maintained as a “one-to-one” transmission, passed privately between master and disciple without any major monasteries or even institutions.

By the 13th century, during the time of Sanggye Tonpa, the teachings began to spread more widely. The oral lineage was recorded in written form, and over time, the Shangpa teachings naturally blended into other Tibetan traditions such as the Marpa Kagyu, Sakya, Geluk, and Jonang schools.

Yet, the Shangpa spirit never disappeared. In the 19th century, the great Rimé master Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé, a leading figure of the Tibetan non-sectarian movement, revived and safeguarded the Shangpa teachings. His two hermitages, Tsadra Rinchen Drak and Dzongsho Deshek Dupa, remain important centers of Shangpa Kagyu practice to this day.

The Shangpa teachings are often summarized as the “Five Golden Doctrines”, which is the essence of the wisdom of Niguma. Chief among them is the Nigu Chödruk (“Six Yogas of Niguma”), which parallels the Nāro Chödruk (“Six Yogas of Naropa”) of the Marpa Kagyu tradition, though transmitted through a different, uniquely feminine lineage of realization.

The Shangpa Kagyu remains in the present day a rare and valuable gem of Tibetan Buddhism. It connects the male and female traditions of wisdom, devotion, and direct realization, and joins ancient India with the eternal spiritual heart of Tibet.

Read more about Shangpa Kagyu Lineage: History, Masters, and Essential Teachings

Conclusion:

It is said that Khyungpo Naljor died when he was approximately 150 years old-that is how well he controlled his body and mind. In 1127 CE, Khyungpo Neljor went into Parinirvana. According to tradition, as befitting a lama of his reputation and stature, he was cremated, and his ashes are reported to have manifested many relics. 

Since he started seeking genuine doctrines when he was young, up to the time he met with his masters in Tibet, Nepal, and India, until he received the full transmission of Niguma, his way developed the Shangpa Kagyu as a living practice.

The lineage was preserved by six main disciples, and, notably, Mokchokpa was the recipient of the Six Yogas of Niguma and thus privately passed down to his teacher. The Shangpa teachings were later gathered, restored, and vehemently treasured, and they keep shining as the Five Golden Doctrines, integrating the method with the wisdom, the devotion with the direct experience.

The legacy of Khyungpo Neljor to the modern practitioner is a challenge: to find the heart of the Dharma fearlessly, to respect both learning and meditation, to awaken compassion in action.