Lineage Teachers

His Holiness Sakya Trizin

(1945-) is the current 41st 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 in 1945 in Tsedong, Tibet. From his father, he received important initiations and teachings in the Sakya lineage and began intensive religious study at age of five and in 1952 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 esoteric Buddhist traditions. In 1959 aged 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, his sons H.E. Khondung Ratna Vajra Rinpoche and H.E. Khondung Gyana Vajra Rinpoche will succeed him. His Holiness has trained both of his sons, as highly accomplished Buddhist masters, and they both travel widely, teaching Buddhism throughout the world.
Sakya Trizin successfully re-established the seat of the Sakya Order in Rajpur, India, building a monastery known as Sakya Centre and continues to work 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 many 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.
More information on His Holiness Sakya Trizin or to view/download ‘Melody of Dharma’, a publication of the Skaya Dolma Phodrang, http://www.hhthesakyatrizin.org/melodyofdharma.html

His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche

(1920-2007) Ngawang Khyenrab Thupten Lekshe Gyatso, was head of Tsharpa branch of the Sakya Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. As the most senior Sakya lama living in current times, His Eminence was a renowned tantric master, a dedicated practitioner, an outstanding scholar and an eloquent poet. His Eminence embodied the wisdom, spirit and activities of the holy Dharma.

His Eminence was a master of masters as most Tibetan Buddhist lineage holders are his disciples. Amongst those disciples are His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Sakya Trizin, head of the Sakya lineage.
One could only begin to comprehend the greatness of His Eminence through the words of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, who describes the great accomplishments of His Eminence as:
“There are many who have attained the wisdom arising from the study of the Scriptures. There are some who have attained the wisdom arising from contemplation of the Dharma. There are few who have gained wisdom arising from meditation. His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche is one who has attained all three wisdoms. One should consider oneself fortunate just to meet him, which is in itself a great blessing.”
Needless to say the honour and blessing of our centre to have been acknowledge and named by His Eminence Chogye Trichen goes without saying.