Kunkhen Longchen Rabjam or Drime Ozer (1308-1364), was one of the most brilllant instructors of the Nyingma lineage. He is respected as an incarnation of the princess Pema Sal. He was born in the Tra Valley of Southern Tibet to master Tenpasung (an adept at both the sciences and the practice of mantra) and Dromza Sonamgyen (descended from the family of Dromtonpa Gyalwei Jungne).

At the age of eleven, Longchenpa was first ordained and he studied extensively with the Third Karmapa. He received not only the Nyingma transmissions but also examined with numerous of the incredible teachers of his day. He received the combined Kadam and Sakya teachings of the Sutrayana through his main Sakya teacher, Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen, in addition to both old and new translation tantras.

At the age of nineteen, Longchenpa entered the famous Shedra, Sangphu Neuthok, where he obtained extraordinary scholarly wisdom. He later chose to practice in the solitude of the mountains, after becoming disillusioned by the behavior of some scholars.

During his late twenties, two events occurred that were to be of decisive importance in his intellectual and spiritual development. One was a vision of Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal and the other was his meeting with the great Rigzin Kumaraza. It was in the mountains that he met Rigzin Kumaraza, who was travelling from valley to valley leading his students through the most difficult of circumstances. Together with Karmapa, Longchenpa accompanied them for two years, during which time he received all of Rigzin Kumara’s transmissions and underwent tremendous hardship.

After several years in retreat, Longchenpa attracted more and more students, even though he had spent nearly all of his life in mountain caves. During a stay in Bhutan, Longchenpa founded several monasteries, including Tharpaling near Bumthang, and fathered two children, his son Tulku Drakpa Ozer, going on to become a holder of the Nyingthig lineage.

Longchenpa systematized the Nyingma teachings in his ‘Seven Treasures’ and wrote entensively on Dzogchen. He transmitted the Longchen Nyingthig cycle of teachings and practice to Jigmed Lingpa, and it has since become one of the most widely practiced of traditions.