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 ...

'' Jigme Chhoeda (born 22 August 1955) became the 70th

Je Khenpo The Je Khenpo (; "The Chief Abbot of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan"), formerly called the ''Dharma Raja'' by orientalists, is the title given to the senior religious hierarch of Bhutan. His primary duty is to lead the Dratshang Lhentshog ...

(Chief Abbot of The Central Monastic Body) of

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

in 1996, and became the longest-serving holder of the office.

Early life and education

Born to ''Yab'' Rinzin Dorji and ''Yum'' Kuenzang Choden in Lhuentse on 22 August 1955, Jigme Chhoeda was recognized as the reincarnation of ''

Geshe Geshe (Tib. ''dge bshes'', short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, ...

y'' Pema Tshering, the learned sage of Tharpaling in Bumthang. Jigme Chhoeda joined Druk Sanga Chhoeling Monastery in

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...

, India, at the age of eight. He was ordained as a monk with commitment from Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and then studied under Khenpo Sonam Darge and Khenpo Noryang. Later, he studied under

Dudjom Rinpoche Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (, THL ''Düjom Jikdrel Yéshé Dorjé'') was known as Terchen Drodül Lingpa and as Dudjom Rinpoche (10 June 1904 – 17 January 1987). He is considered by many Tibetan Buddhists to be from a line of importan ...

in India. At the age of 15, he returned to

and studied at the Tango Drupdey in

Thimphu Thimphu (; dz, ཐིམ་ཕུག ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's ''dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient ...

under the 68th Je-Khenpo Ngawang Tenzin Dhondup. He received the complete initiations and teachings of the

Drukpa Kagyu The Drukpa Kagyu (), or simply Drukpa, sometimes called either Dugpa or "Red Hat sect" in older sources,

tradition and

Dzogchen Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...

(the highest realization). He mastered the

Mahamudra Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit: महामुद्रा, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Mahāmudr ...

practices, the meditation of Naro Choedrug (the six circles of Ro-Nyom Kordrug). ''Tulku'' also studied language and literature and the 13 different philosophical texts under the 69th Je-Khenpo ''

y'' Genduen Rinchen.

Meditation and retreat

Jigme Chhoeda completed ''Losum Choesum'' three times, a meditation retreat of 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days.

Major positions held

'' was appointed as the head of

Tango Monastery The Tango Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located to the north of the capital city of Thimphu in Bhutan, near Cheri Mountain. It was founded by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo (1184? - 1251?) in the 13th century and built in its present form by Tenzin Rabg ...

and taught language and

Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy refers to the philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that developed among various schools of Buddhism in India following the parinirvana of The Buddha and later spread throughout Asia. The Buddhist path combi ...

. In 1986, he was appointed as the ''Drapoi Lopen'' of the Central Monastic Body, and resigned in 1990. In 1995 Fourth Dragon King

Jigme Singye Wangchuck Jigme Singye Wangchuck ( dz, འཇིགས་མེད་སེང་གེ་དབང་ཕྱུག་, ; born 11 November 1955) is a member of the House of Wangchuck who was the king of Bhutan (Druk Gyalpo) from 1972 until his abdicati ...

appointed him as the ''Dorji Lopen.''

Honours

* : **

The Royal Saffron Scarf (1996). ** BHT_Order_of_the_Dragon_King_Ribbon

Order of the Dragon King, First Class (18 December 2018).www.kuenselonline.com
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chhoeda, Geshe Jigme Tibetan Buddhists from Bhutan Bhutanese lamas Bhutanese Buddhist monks Drukpa Kagyu lamas 1955 births 20th-century lamas 21st-century lamas People from Lhuntse District Living people