Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin (Tibetan: ས་སྐྱ་ཁྲི་འཛིན།, ZYPY: Sa'gya Chizin, literally "Sakya Throne Holder"; Chinese: 萨迦法王 or 萨迦崔津) or Sa'gya Gongma Rinboqê (གོང་མ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།) is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism was founded in 1073, when Khon Konchog Gyalpo (a.k.a. Kön Gönqog Gyäbo), a member of Tibet’s noble Khön (Koin) family, established a monastery in the region of Sakya, Tibet, which became the headquarters of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Since that time, the leadership of the Sakya Order has descended within the Khön family.
Current Sakya Trizin
The current Sakya Trizin is the 41st Sakya Trizin. His legal name is "Sakya Trizin" and he is referred to as His Holiness Sakya Trizin. His religious name is Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar Trinley Samphel Wangyi Gyalpo. H.H. Sakya Trizin is considered second only to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the spiritual hierarchy of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sakya Trizin was born on September 7, 1945 in Tsedong, near Shigatse, Tibet. From his father, Vajradhara Ngawang Kunga Rinchen, he received important initiations and teachings in the Sakya lineage. He began intensive religious study at the age of five. In 1952, he was officially designated as the next Sakya Trizin by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. He continued intensive training from his main teacher Ngawang Lodroe Shenpen Nyingpo and many other famous Tibetan scholars, studying extensively in both the esoteric and exoteric Buddhist traditions. In 1959, at the age of fourteen, he was formally enthroned as head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism. In the same year, due to the political situation in Tibet, the Sakya Trizin, his family, and many lamas and monks from the Sakya Monastery relocated to India.
To maintain the unbroken lineage of the Khon family, in 1974 Sakya Trizin consented to requests that he accept Tashi Lhakee, daughter of a noble family from Dege in Kham as his consort. In the same year his first son, H.E.Khondung Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, was born. In 1979, a second son, H.E.Khondung Gyana Vajra Rinpoche was born.
After leaving Tibet, in 1963, the Sakya Trizin re-established the seat of the Sakya Order in Rajpur, India, building a monastery known as Sakya Centre. Since that time, he has worked tirelessly to preserve the thousand-year-old religious heritage of the Sakya Order and to transmit its teachings to succeeding generations. He founded and directly guides a number of institutions, including Sakya Monastery in Rajpur, Sakya Institute, Sakya College, Sakya Nunnery, Sakya College for Nuns, Sakya Tibetan Settlement, Sakya Hospital, dozens of other monasteries in Tibet, Nepal, and India, and numerous Dharma Centers in many countries.
Sakya Trizin is a highly accomplished Buddhist master respected by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and teaches widely throughout the world. He has bestowed the extensive Lam Dre teaching cycle, which is the most important teaching of the Sakya Order over 18 times on various continents, and also transmitted major initiation cycles such as Collection of All the Tantras, and the Collection of all the Sadhanas, which contain almost all of the empowerments for the esoteric practices of the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism to hundreds of lineage holders in the next generation of Buddhist teachers. He has trained both of his sons, Khonrig Ratna Vajra Sakya and Khonrig Gyana Vajra Sakya as highly accomplished Buddhist masters, and they both travel widely, teaching Buddhism throughout the world.
The year 2009 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Sakya Trizin’s headship of the Sakya Order. The occasion was celebrated as a Golden Jubilee with extensive celebrations and tributes to his success in preserving and maintaining the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sakya Trizin lineage
Lharig, the divine generation
- According to legend Ciring descended from the Rupadhatu (Realm of Clear Light) to earth.
- Ciring
- Yuse
- Yuring
- Masang Cije
- Togsa Pawo Tag
- Tagpo Ochen
- Yapang Kye
Khön family, the royal generation
- Because the previous generations subjugated the rakshas (demons), the family became the Family of Conquerors (Khon gyi dung shortened to Khön) and therefore a royal family.
- Khön Bar Kye
- Khön Jekundag, minister of Trisong Detsen, student of Padmasambhava
- Khön Lu'i Wangpo Srungwa
- Khön Dorje Rinchen
- Khön Sherab Yontan
- Khön Yontan Jungne
- Khön Tsugtor Sherab
- Khön Gekyab
- Khön Getong
- Khön Balpo
- Khön Shakya Lodro
- Sherab Tsultrim
Sakya lineage, generations as Buddhist teachers.
- Khon Konchog Gyalpo founded the monastery in Sakya in 1073, and therefore the lineage was renamed Sakya.
| Name | Biographical data | Tenure | Tibetan name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Khon Konchog Gyalpo | 1034–1102 | 1073–1102 | |
| 2. | Bari Lotsawa Rinchen Drag | 1040–1111 | 1103–1110 | |
| 3. | Tsewa Chenpo Sachen Kunga Nyingpo | 1092–1158 | 1111–1158 | |
| 4. | Loppon Rinpoche Sonam Tsemo | 1142–1182 | 1159–1171 | |
| 5. | Jetsun Rinpoche Dragpa Gyaltsen | 1147–1216 | 1172–1215 | |
| 6. | Choeje Sakya Pandita | 1182–1251 | 1216–1243 | |
| 6a. | regent of Sakya Pandita | 1243–1264 | ||
| 7. | Drogön Chögyal Phagpa | 1235–1280 | 1265–1266 1276–1280 | |
| 8. | Rinchen Gyaltsen | 1238–1279 | 1267–1275 | |
| 7a. | Drogön Chögyal Phagpa 2nd reign | 1276–1280 | ||
| 9. | Dharmapala Rakshita< | 1268–1287 | 1281–1287 | |
| 10. | Sharpa Jamyang Rinchen Gyaltsen | 1258–1306 | 1288–1297 | |
| 11. | Sangpo Pal | 1262–1324 | 1298–1324 | |
| 12. | Namkha Legpa Gyaltsen | 1305–1343 | ca. 1324–1342 | |
| 13. | Jamyang Donyö Gyaltsen | 1310–1344 | ca. 1342-1344 | |
| 14. | Lama Dampa Sönam Gyaltsen | 1312–1375 | 1344–1347 | |
| 15. | Tawen Lodrö Gyaltsen | 1332–1364 | 1347–1364 | |
| 16. | Tawen Kunga Rinchen | 1339–1399 | ca. 1364-1399 | |
| 17. | Lopön Chenpo Gushri Lodrö Gyaltsen | 1366–1420 | 1399–1420 | |
| 18. | Jamyang Namkha Gyaltsen | 1398–1472 | 1421–1441 | |
| 19. | Kunga Wangchuk | 1418–1462 | 1442–1462 | |
| 20. | Gyagar Sherab Gyaltsen | 1436–1494 | 1463–1472 | |
| 21. | Dagchen Lodrö Gyaltsen | 1444–1495 | 1473–1495 | |
| 22. | Kunga Sönam | 1485–1533 | 1496–1533 } | |
| 23. | Ngagchang Kunga Rinchen | 1517–1584 | 1534–1584 | |
| 24. | Jamyang Sönam Sangpo | 1519–1621 | 1584–1589 | |
| 25. | Dragpa Lodrö | 1563–1617 | 1589–1617 | |
| 26. | Ngawang Kunga Wangyal | 1592–1620 | 1618–1620 | |
| 27. | Ngawang Kunga Sönam | 1597–1659 | 1620–1659 | |
| 28. | Ngawang Sönam Wangchuk | 1638–1685 | 1659–1685 | |
| 29. | Ngawang Kunga Tashi | 1656–1711 | 1685–1711 | |
| 30. | Sönam Rinchen | 1705–1741 | 1711–1741 | |
| 31. | Kunga Lodrö | 1729–1783 | 1741–1783 | |
| 32. | Wangdu Nyingpo | 1763–1809 | 1783–1806 | |
| 33. | Pema Dudul Wangchuk | 1792–1853 | 1806–1843 | |
| 34. | Dorje Rinchen | 1819–1867 | 1843–1845 | |
| 35. | Tashi Rinchen | 1824–1865 | 1846–1865 | |
| 36. | Kunga Sönam | 1842–1882 | 1866–1882 | |
| 37. | Kunga Nyingpo | 1850–1899 | 1883–1899 | |
| 38. | Dzamling Chegu Wangdu | 1855–1919 | 1901–1915 | |
| 39. | Dragshul Trinle Rinchen | 1871–1936 | 1915–1936 | |
| 40. | Ngawang Thutob Wangdrag | 1900–1950 | 1937–1950 | |
| 41. | Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar | * 1945 | 1951– |
Source
