Ven. Dr. Phil. Martin J. Boord

Martin on pilgrimage in Kathmandu, 2003
As one of Rinpoche's senior students, Martin Boord will be known to many people already within the Khordong sangha. Having met with the lama whilst on pilgrimage in India in 1973, Martin invited Rinpoche to Great Britain a few years later in order to initiate the transmission to Europe of the Byangter Phurpa (Northern Treasures Vajrakila). Although he has carefully looked over the entire Buddhist Tripitaka, the particular teaching that he requested and received from Rinpoche was the Byangter Phurba. So he translated a big Vajrakila Sadhana Volume. Taking this as his theme to the university to London, Martin was awarded a BA in Religious Studies (Buddhism), followed by the degree of Doctor of Philosophy for this work by "School of oriental and african study" of the University of London in 1992 (The Cult of the Deity Vajrakila, Tring, 1993).

When he first met the Tibetan Buddhism at the Kathmandu Valley / Nepal in 1967 he was quiet impressed by the magnificence and the beauty of the Tantrayana and Tibetan Buddhism. He started his formal teachings in Dharamsala at the Tibetan library with studying the path of the sutras for 2 years, while he already was interested in the teachings of Padmasambhava. There eventually he met his first Root Guru, Lama Khandrul Yeshe Dorje, known as "The Rainmaker", a nyingma lama. Martin lived with him for a couple of years, following him around and being his adjutant and helping to do several practices. Martin lived altogether 8 years in India, mainly in Tibetan places with Tibetans. He has been also studying Sanskrit to learn the Dharma in its original form.

One other important teacher from which he received many important teachings was H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, the head of the Nyingma School of the Tibetan Buddhism.

Martin met H.H. Chhimed Rigdzin for the first time, while he was on Pilgrimage with Lama Khandrul Yeshe Dorje in 1973 in Sarnath. Back in England in 1974 Martin settled in Cornwall and founded with his wife a small dharma centre and invited Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche to England in 1979/80, the first time Rinpoche visited England. After this Martin followed Rinpoche to India, to the university in Shantiniketan well known through Rabindrad Tagore where Martin joined the translation team around Rinpoche for some time.

Again back in England and after a loose three year retreat in Scotland he continued his study of Buddhism on the university of London and moved after his PhD to Oxford.

He now studies in Oxford. During the years since then he has completed a translation of the most illustrious commentary on Phurba practice, the Black 100,000 Words (Phur 'grel 'bum nag) by Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Silamanju. It is a report of a retreat that was hold by Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Silamanju in Nepal in the 8th century. It was transmitted to Yeshe Tsogyal by Padmasambhava. This text is now published with edition khordong, 2002.

Martin Boord in Berlin
Martin was the first time invited for teachings on the Deity Vajrakila in Germany in 1998 as part of the Pfauenhof retreat with Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche. What was followed by Kilaya teachings in Berlin one year later. He accompanied Rinpoche again in the year 2000 in Oxford, Wales and Vienna where he was teaching on the Vajrayana, especially on the deity Vajrakila. Since then Martin gives teachings in Germany and other places.

Martin Boords daughter Tara was discovered by H.H. Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche as the reincarnation of a Tibetan yogini. The full text of the certification will be found here.

Bibliography:

- "The Cult of the Deity Vajrakila", Tring, 1993 (out of print)

- "A Bolt of Lightning From the Blue. The vast commentary on Vajrakila that clearly defines the essential points." annotated translations by Martin J. Boord, including Phur 'grel 'bum nag as transmitted to Ye-shes mtsho-rgyal. edition khordong, Berlin, 2002

- Vajrakila Sadhana (in preparation)

- several translations from Tibetan into English of big Sadhanas of the Byangter and Khordong tradition together with H.H. Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche, edited by Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche

- "The Illustrated Tibetan Book Of The Death", Stephen Hodge and Martin Boord, Thorsons, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, Hammersmith, London , 1999

***ar 02/2004