Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradul (born Ösel Rangdrol Mukpo on November 15, 1962) is an American and Tibetan Buddhist descendant of the

Shambhala In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala ( sa, शम्भल ',''Śambhala'', also ''Sambhala'', is the name of a town between the Rathaprā and Ganges rivers, identified by some with Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. In the Puranas, it is named as t ...

lineage and Shambhala, a worldwide network of urban Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, monasteries, a university, and other enterprises, founded by his father,

Chögyam Trungpa Chögyam Trungpa (Wylie transliteration, Wylie: ''Chos rgyam Drung pa''; March 5, 1939 – April 4, 1987) was a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, the 11th ...

Rinpoche Rinpoche, also spelled Rimboche and Rinboku (), is an honorific term used in the Tibetan language. It literally means "precious one", and may refer to a person, place, or thing—like the words "gem" or "jewel" (Sanskrit: ''Ratna''). The word con ...

. In July 2018, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche stepped back from his duties due to an investigation into sexual misconduct and power abuse. He resumed teaching in Nepal in March 2020. Further teaching was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biography

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche was born Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo in Bodhgaya, India on November 15, 1962. His father,

, was a Buddhist monk who fled Tibet in 1959 (at age 20) and gradually became the head of a large party of refugees. His mother, Könchok Paldrön, was a young nun who met Trungpa in Tibet and fled with him to India. For several years, Mukpo lived with his mother in a Tibetan refugee camp in northwest India. His father left India in early 1963 to study at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. At the age of seven, he went to live with his father at Samye Ling in Scotland. Trungpa moved to the United States in 1970, and Ösel Mukpo joined his father there, in Boulder, Colorado along with his new stepmother Diana Mukpo in 1972. Ösel Mukpo has two younger half brothers ( Gesar Mukpo and Tagtrug “Taggie” Mukpo) and one younger step brother (

Ashoka Mukpo Four laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (commonly known as "Ebola") occurred in the United States in 2014. Eleven cases were reported, including these four cases and seven cases medically evacuated from other countries. The first ...

). In 1979, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche performed a ceremony officially investing his son Ösel Rangdröl with the title of Sawang ("earth lord"). This confirmed Ösel as his Shambhala heir and the future Sakyong. After his father's death in 1987, the Sawang moved to

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

and studied with

Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Paljor, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 198 ...

Rinpoche for three years, while

Osel Tendzin Osel or Ösel may refer to: People * Tenzin Ösel Hita (born 1985), Spanish Tibetan Buddhist tulku * Ösel Tendzin (1943–1990), American Tibetan Buddhist lama Other uses * Ösel (yoga) * Orchestre Symphonique des Étudiants de Louvain-la-N ...

, the Vajra Regent, succeeded Trungpa Rinpoche as Buddhist lineage holder and head of the various organizations established by Trungpa, including

Vajradhatu Vajradhatu was the name of the umbrella organization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist lamas to visit and teach in the West. It served as the vehicle for the promulgation of his Buddhist teachings, and was also the na ...

Shambhala Training Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened society as not purely mythical, but as reali ...

, and

Naropa University Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda. The university describes itself as B ...

. When Tendzin died in 1990, the Ösel Mukpo was acknowledged as Trungpa's successor in the Kagyu, Nyingma and Shambhala lineages and head of the organizations. In May 1995 he was formally enthroned as Sakyong at a ceremony performed by

Penor Rinpoche Kyabjé Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche (), 1932 – 27 March 2009, was the 11th throneholder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and said to be an incarnation of Vimalamitra. He was widely renowned in the Tibetan Bu ...

. After the enthronement, Penor Rinpoche recognized Mukpo as the

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

of Mipham the Great, after which he has been known by the title Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the

organization, a global network of meditation and retreat centers. He has written several books, including the national bestseller ''Turning the Mind into an Ally'', ''Ruling Your World'', ''Running with the Mind of Meditation'', and ''The Shambhala Principle''. His most recent book, ''The Lost Art of Conversation'', was released in October 2017. In 2018, he stepped back from all teaching and administrative duties due to an investigation and public discussion of his alleged sexual and organizational misconduct. He resumed teaching in March 2020, instructing a group of 108 students in Nepal. Further teaching at an event in France in June 2020 was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Investigation of sexual assault and power abuse

In February 2018, Buddhist Project Sunshine, an organization founded as a survivors' network for former Shambhala members, reported multiple allegations of sexual assault within the Shambhala community. In June 2018, Buddhist Project Sunshine issued a second report detailing sexual misconduct by Sakyong Mipham that occurred as recently as 2011 and claimed that those within Shambhala International had concealed the misdeeds. In response, Sakyong Mipham stepped aside from his leadership role and the Shambhala governing council resigned. Sakyong Mipham also issued a statement saying "...that some of these women have shared experiences of feeling harmed as a result of these relationships. I am now making a public apology." In July 2018, Naropa Institute removed him from their board following the allegations of sexual misconduct. In August 2018, Buddhist Project Sunshine released another report containing further allegations against Sakyong Mipham that included sexual encounters with minors, a charge that the Sakyong has denied. In December 2018, the

Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denver. ...

Sheriff's Office opened an investigation of the allegations of sexual assault. The investigation was closed in February 2020, and no charges were filed. In February 2019, Shambhala International's interim governing council issued a report by Wickwire Holm, a Canadian law firm, that detailed two credible allegations of sexual misconduct against Sakyong Mipham. Later that month, six members of his Kusung (body protectors) wrote an open letter corroborating a pattern of physical and sexual misconduct and other concerns. Sakyong Mipham subsequently stated that he would cease teaching for the "foreseeable future". He returned to teaching in March, 2020, instructing a group of 108 students in Nepal. In September 2020,

The Walrus ''The Walrus'' is an independent, non-profit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an 8-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a national s ...

published an investigative report detailing a culture of abuse dating back to early days of the

Shambhala Buddhist Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened society as not purely mythical, but as reali ...

organization, with all three leaders of the organization, including its founder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, having been credibly accused of sexual misconduct and abuse of power.

Lineage of Sakyongs

The

Sakyong Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradul (born Ösel Rangdrol Mukpo on November 15, 1962) is an American and Tibetan Buddhist descendant of the Shambhala lineage and Shambhala, a worldwide network of urban Buddhist meditation center ...

holds and propagates the teachings of

. This tradition emphasizes confidence in the basic goodness of all beings and teaches courageous rulership based on wisdom and compassion. The term "Sakyong" literally means "earth-protector" in Tibetan, although it is colloquially understood to mean "king." Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is regarded by his followers as a ''

chögyal The Chogyal (" Dharma Kings", ) were the monarchs of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, which belonged to the Namgyal dynasty. The Chogyal was the absolute monarch of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when the monarchy was abolished and the Sikkimese peopl ...

'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''dharmaraja'') – "king of truth" – who combines the spiritual and worldly paths. In the Shambhala religion, the first Dharmaraja of Shambhala,

Dawa Sangpo According to Indian and Tibetan legend, King Suchandra (Tib. ''Dawa Sangpo'') of the northeastern Indian Kingdom of Shambhala was the one who requested teaching from the Buddha that would allow him to practice the dharma without renouncing his wo ...

, was said to have been empowered directly by the Buddha. Shambhala Buddhists believe the Sakyong to be the earthly embodiment or emanation of the Rigden – mythical kings of Shambhala – and in this sense believe him to be a ''

'' (Tibetan), or ''nirmanakaya'' (

) of the Rigden. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche is regarded as the first in this lineage of Sakyongs, and as such he is referred to as the "Druk Sakyong", or "Dragon Earth-Protector". Khandro Tseyang

Sakyong Wangmo and family

The

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

of the Sakyong is referred to as the Sakyong Wangmo. The first Sakyong Wangmo was Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's wife, Diana Mukpo. The current Sakyong Wangmo is Sakyong Mipham's wife Khandro Tseyang Ripa Mukpo, the daughter of Terton Namkha Drimed Rabjam Rinpoche. The Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo were married on 10 June 2006 in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. Khandro Tseyang was officially empowered as Sakyong Wangmo by Penor Rinpoche at a ceremony in Halifax in August 2008. The Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo have three daughters. The first, Drukmo Yeshe Sarasvati Ziji Mukpo (Lady Dragon Wisdom), was born on 11 August 2010. The second, Jetsun Yudra Lhamo Yangchen Ziji Mukpo, was born in March 2013. The third, Dzedrön Ökar Yangchen Ziji Mukpo, was born on 10 April 2015.

Bibliography

Books

* ''The Lost Art of Good Conversation'', Harmony Books, 2017, * ''The Shambhala Principle: Discovering Humanity's Hidden Treasure'', Harmony Books, 2013, * ''Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind'', Harmony Books, 2012, * ''Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life'', Morgan Road Books, 2005, * ''Turning the Mind into an Ally'', Riverhead Books, 2004,

Articles

It's All in the Mind
in ''

Shambhala Sun ''Lion's Roar'' (previously ''Shambhala Sun'') is an independent, bimonthly magazine (in print and online) that offers a nonsectarian view of "Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life". Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplat ...

'', November 2006.

Notes

References

* Hayward, Jeremy (2008) ''Warrior-King of Shambhala: Remembering Chögyam Trungpa''

External links

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's homepage

Interview with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche on relationships, loneliness and "Ruling Your World."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mipham, Sakyong Living people 1962 births Kagyu lamas Nyingma lamas Shambhala vision Rinpoches Tibetan people Tulkus Kagyu tulkus Tibetan Buddhists from India Buddhist new religious movements Indian Buddhists People from Bihar