༄༅། །སྨོན་ཆོས་བྲག་དཀར་ཐེག་ཆེན་གླིང་དགོན་པ།། Monchoe Dragkar Thegchen Ling Gonpa (Great Compassion Sakyapa Monastic School)

Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub was born in 1455 in the ruling house of Lo Monthang to the third King Amgon Zangpo and was dedicated to the religious life at birth.

Sonam Lhundrub studied Madhyamaka, Prajnaparamita and Pramana for six year with Raton Yonten Pelzangpo. In 1472, the famous Sakya master Serdog Panchen Shakya Chokden arrived in Lo and stayed for two years, during which time he taught Sonam Lhundrub Vinaya and Prajnaparamita.

Among his disciples were the 22nd Sakya Trichen Jampai Dorje, Kunga Drolchok and the 9th and 10th abbots of Ngor: Lhachik Sengge and Konchok Lhundrub. His first works were two commentaries on Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen’s Tsema Rikter (tshad ma rigs gter) in 1482. These were the first of several commentaries of Sakya Pandita’s works, which were so highly regarded that Sonam Luhundrub later became considered an incarnation of Sakya Pandita.

In 1527, he composed a long commentary of Sakya Pandita’s Entrance Gate for the Wise (mkhas pa rnam ‘jug pa’I sgo) at Samdrubling, requested by his patron, Namgyel Pelzangpo, the religious preceptor to the Guge King.

The most complete edition of the works of Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub contains two hundred fifty eight small texts collected into seven volumes, of which the first five are manuscript and the last two are of Derge block prints. In addition to his commentarites on the works of Sakya Pandita and other diverse topics are a history of the Sharpa lineage of Sakya and a study of Tathagatagarbha theory. Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub passed away at Samdrubling in 1532.

The former crown prince of Mustang’s younger son Ngawang Palbar Bista was enthroned as the incarnation of Lowo Khenchen the highly distinguished Sakya scholar from Lo. Shabdrung Ngawang Trinley Palbar Rinpoche passed 8th grade from the monastic school and in the gracious presence of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin, Shabdrung Rinpoche gave the major oral examination of ritual prayers at Sakya Centre, the seat of the Sakya order. Shabdrung Rinpoche is currently pursuing advanced Buddhist Philosophy at Sakya Institute of Vajrayana at Manduwala.

The Late Khen Rinpoche Jampa Tashi Tenzin was born in Lomanthang, Mustang in the Wood ox year. (1925) At the age of 7, he learned the Tibetan alphabet from his father and age 11, received vow of Upasaka from Khen Tashi Choephel and began his monastic studies.

In 1941, he went to Sakya Lhakhang Chenmo in Tibet and received the novice vow from Khenchen Jampal Sangpo. Rinpoche studied rituals and memorized various major and minor texts. He had received many precious and profound teachings from Vajradhara Ngawang Thutop Wangchuk, the then throne holder of Sakya.

In 1949, Rinpoche enrolled at Tanak Thubten Namgyal, the institute of Higher Buddhist studies in Tibet. He received teachings on the six major divisions of Buddhist philosophy according to the Sakya Tradition. He lso received teachings on the three major tantras and other subjects such astrology, calligraphy, grammar, poetry, lexicography and more from many great scholars of Sakya order including the most venerable Khenchen Sangya Tenzin, the then principal of Tanak. Rinpoche completed his Rabjamba degree.

In 1959, during the invasion of Tibet by China in 1959, Rinpoche returned to Lomanthang. He received some of the principal teachings from his guru Vajradhara Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. His Eminence and the late Raja of Mustang appointed Rinpoche the abbot of Monchoe Dragkar Thegchen Ling. Rinpoche continuously received many precious teachings from many gurus including H.H The Dalai Lama, H.H. The Sakya Trizin and H.H The Late Jigdral Dagchen Rinpoche of Phuntsok Phodrang. Rinpoche travelled to the U.S, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan to impart teaching to devotees around the world and persevered to raise funds to build to present day winter residence in Kathmandu. He also wrote two books, a history of how Buddhism prevailed in Lo region and another on the monasteries in Lo. In 2004, the year of wood monkey year, Khen Rinpoche entered into Parinirvana at Kathmandu.