Namaskar.

Recently I have been reading about the Terma of Aro Lingma (Aro Ter) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It is a tradition propagated by a European tulku that has been considered somewhat controversial. While respecting that there may be divergent (and possibly heated) views on this issue, I'd like to introduce it for civil discussion.

I will not describe anything in particular about the Aro lineage or practices here. Information can easily be found by googling "Aro Ter."

The central controversy seems to be whether the Western lama Ngakpa Chogyam, or Ngakchang Rinpoche, who propagates this lineage, is in fact a recognized tulku and whether his terma is genuine or fake. There have been many accusations on the Internet about him being a "fake" and having invented the Aro lineage himself. Some Buddhist discussion forums even banned discussion of the Aro Ter, listing it along with NKT and other samaya-breaking lineages. However, I have never seen any proof that Ngakchang Rinpoche is a fake, and all the accusations seem to amount to hearsay and (mostly invalid) speculation. Therefore I believe it is important to explore this issue, so that Nyingmapas who are attracted to the Aro tradition can have more clarity as to what the mainstream Nyingma masters think of this Terma.

So far, I have found the doctrinal issues cited by critics of Aro Ter to be largely invalid. The supposed "issues" that make Aro different from other contemporary Nyingma teachings are: different Yidams, emphasis on Anu- and Ati- rather than Maha-Yoga, fact that it is a white-guy tulku, teaching of Nine Bardos and other minor doctrinal variations. They also emphasize non-celibate, monogamous married life, including child-rearing and stress practices compatible with this lifestyle.

I am unconvinced that these are problems, since many different terma cycles have considerable variety on these issues. It is a fact that different cycles have different Yidams or different forms of similar Yidams. Many current Nyingma lineages do tend to emphasize Mahayoga, but there are also others that emphasize Anu and Ati. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and Younge Khachab Rinpoche are both Nyingmapas who emphasize Anu- and Ati-Yoga. This is also becoming more common with other Nyingma teachers in the West. Also, Chagdud Rinpoche clearly states that practice of any one of the three Higher Tantric paths can lead to enlightenment, so there is no logical reason to believe that emphasizing one over the other is superior in a generalizable sense. The "white guy tulku" argument is easily dismissed as racist and irrational--there are several recognized caucasian emanations. The teaching of the Nine Bardos also seems entirely within the scope of variations on a theme. Different Tantric cycles may divide the number of worlds or bardos differently, or may talk about a different number of chakras, or different configurations of the Mandala and so forth.

I have found the little I have read by Ngakchang Rinpoche to have no other doctrinal deviances from other Nyingma teachings. In fact, he seems quite lucid and insightful about both Sutra and Tantra. I have also never heard of any accusations of sexual or financial misconduct, etc. According to the detractors, there was some accusation of a fall-out with previous Guru, but no one has been able to confirm or deny this with any reliable evidence, nor enumerate precisely what supposedly happened.

The gravest accusation is of course that of falsifying a Terma. Detractors have not produced any evidence, but insist that Aro is a fraud based on what they claim some Lamas have told them.
Supporters of the Aro Ter have produced several documents indicating endorsement by various Lamas, including Lamas Tharchin Rinpoche, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche and others for Ngakchang Rinpoche's teachings. The Aro Ter also claims recognition by the late Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje. The existence of these documents means one of two things: either Ngakchang Rinpoche is in fact recognized by these prominent masters, or they are outright forging documents. Because I have seen no evidence of other wrong doing or deviance, it seems wrong and unreasonable to accuse them of such grave fraud.

Does anyone know of any definitive statements by well-recognized Nyingma Gurus on this topic?