Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradül, born Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo (November 1962), is a

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...

master and holder of the Sakyong Lineage of Mukpodong, his family lineage. The Sakyong was recognized by

Penor Rinpoche Kyabjé 3rd Drubwang Padma Norbu, Lekshe Chokyi Drayang widely known as Penor Rinpoche (, 30 Jan 1933 – 27 Mar 2009), was the 11th throneholder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and the 3rd Drubwang Padma Norbu. ...

in 1995 as the tülku (reincarnation) of Ju Mipham Gyatso, a Rimé teacher of the late 19th century who said he would be reborn only in the legendary Kingdom of

Shambhala Shambhala (, ),Śambhala m. (also written Sambhala): Name of a town (situated between the Rathaprā and Ganges, and identified by some with Sambhal in Moradabad; the town or district of Śambhala is fabled to be the place where Kalki, the last ...

. Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo is the eldest son of

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

and of Konchok Peldron (1931–2019), a Tibetan bhikṣuṇī (nun) who joined Trungpa's group in 1959 while they escaped from

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. He was born in 1962 in

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautam ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, where Konchok Peldron lived. In 1969, he was sent to

Samye Ling Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre is a Tibetan Buddhist complex associated with the Karma Kagyu school located at Eskdalemuir, Scotland. History Before the present Temple complex was built, Samye Ling centred on just one building, a ...

Monastery in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, where his father lived, and in 1972 he was brought to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, where he lived with his father and stepmother Diana Pybus Mukpo. His mother moved to the Tibetan refugee colony and Buddhist center at Bir, India. In 1979, Trungpa chose the Sakyong as his heir of the Shambala lineage, and he was given the title ''Sawang'' (Wyl. ''sa dbang'', "Lord of the Earth").Alex Gardner, "The 11th Trungpa, Chogyam Trungpa", ''Treasury of Lives'', January 2022. His mother Lady Konchok Peldron in 1992 joined the Shambhala organization at

Karmê Chöling Karmê Chöling is a Shambhala Buddhist meditation retreat center and community in Barnet, Vermont. It was originally known as "Tail of the Tiger". The staff there offers meditation programs and retreats in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition to h ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, then moved to

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

. Dechen Choling, "The Passing of Lady Konchok", https://www.dechencholing.org/the-passing-of-lady-konchok/ Upon Trungpa's death, the leadership of

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 teachings, and was also the name by w ...

was first carried on by his American disciple, appointed Vajra Regent and Dharma heir,

Ösel Tendzin Ösel Tendzin (), born Thomas Frederick Rich Jr. (June 28, 1943 – August 25, 1990), was an American Tibetan Buddhist master and the principal student of Chögyam Trungpa. On August 22, 1976, Trungpa empowered Tendzin as his Vajra Regent and ...

(Thomas Rich). By 1990, after Tendzin's death, Sakyong Mipham assumed control of

and

. Then in 1995 as he was recognized as the tulku of Ju Mipham Gyatso by the 3rd Pema Norbu Rinpoche, Penor Rinpoche also conferred his title as ''Sakyong'' (Wyl. ''sa skyong'', "Protector of the Earth"). By 2000, the Vajradhatu and Shambhala organizations joined under the umbrella organization

Shambhala International Shambhala International (originally named Vajradhatu) is the umbrella organization that encompasses many of the distinct institutions of the Shambhala Training, Shambhala spiritual community, founded by the students of the Tibetan_Buddhism, Tibe ...

. The Sakyong led Shambhala International, a worldwide network of Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, a monastery, and other enterprises. In July 2018, Sakyong Mipham agreed to step back from his administrative and teaching duties to allow time for an investigation into allegations of

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, ...

. He resumed teaching in late 2019. He stepped aside from the Shambhala organization in February 2022 after an impasse in which the Shambhala Board of Directors could not agree with the Sakyong Potrang—the organization representing the Sakyong—on a way forward. The Sakyong moved to

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, where he teaches his international sangha and offers online teachings.

Biography

Sakyong Mipham was born Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo in

on the 15th day (full moon) of the 10th Lunar month, in November 1962, although his mother was uncertain of the exact Western date. His father,

, was a Buddhist monk who escaped from Tibet in 1959 at age 20. His mother, Könchok Paldrön, was a nun who met Trungpa in 1959 in Tibet and was among those who escaped with him to India. For several years, Mukpo lived with his mother in Bir, a Tibetan refugee colony in northwest India. His father left India in early 1963 to study at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. At age seven, he went to live with his father at

in Scotland. Ösel was left at Samye Ling in the care of Akong Tulku when his father moved to North America in 1970. Later that year, when Akong traveled to India, he left the boy in the care of Christopher and Pamela Woodman. Diana Mukpo returned to retrieve the boy from the couple who were caring for him near Samye Ling, but they refused to surrender him. British Social Services took custody of Ösel, and he was moved to Pestalozzi Village, a boarding school in East Sussex for displaced children of war conflicts, established before World War II. He resided there until Social Services could conduct a home inspection in the U.S. Ösel was released to his father's custody in 1972 after more than two years of separation in Britain. Ösel Mukpo has three half-brothers: two by his father and Diana Mukpo, Gesar Mukpo and Tagtrug "Taggie" Mukpo and one, Gyurme Dorje Onchen, by his mother Lady Konchuk Paldron and her husband Lama Pema Gyaltson. He has two stepbrothers,

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 firs ...

and David Mukpo, sons of Diana Mukpo and Mitchell Levy. In 1979, Trungpa 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 began his studies with

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

Rinpoche in Nepal, which continued until the Mahasiddah's death. At that time, at Khyentse's instruction, Mukpo began his studies with Pema Norbu Rinpoche (

) in India, where he attended Shedra at Namdrolling Monastery and continued to oversee the Vajradhatu community. The Sakyong spent six months each year in the east in his studies, and six months in the west relating to the sangha. When Trungpa's Regent Ösel Tendzin died in 1990, the 27-year-old Sawang was acknowledged by Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche and

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

as Trungpa's successor in the Kagyu, Nyingma, and Shambhala lineages and head of the Vajradhatu organization. Upon discovering that Trungpa had given the boy the name Mipham Lhaga, Penor Rinpoche recognized him as the

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibet ...

of Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso, Mipham the Great, and in May 1995 he was formally enthroned by Penor Rinpoche as ''Sakyong''. Since then, he has been known by the title Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. After assuming the leadership of Vajradhatu in 1990, the Sakyong completed his training under the guidance of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Penor Rinpoche. As he took his seat as Chödak Tib. ཆོས་བདག, Wyl. chos bdag), or custodian of a terma cycleand holder of his father's Shambhala Terma cycle, the Sakyong began moving the sangha to practice this cycle of teachings. He began by talking about the singularity of the Shambhala teachings and Buddhism, which had previously been taught separately.

Shambhala Training Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation and a new religious movement developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened soci ...

had often been called a "secular" path. In 2002 the Sakyong began running. His first marathon was Toronto in 2003. He trained and ran in nine marathons, including Big Sur, Chicago, and the New York and Boston Marathons in 2005. In 2005 the Sakyong met and married Semo Tseyang Palmo Ripa, daughter of the Tibetan Buddhist Terton Namkha Drimed Rabjam Ripa Rinpoche, a Nyingma master and holder of the Ripa family lineage, who is also seen as the manifestation of Atara Sale. They met when Penor Rinpoche invited the Gesar Lingdro dancers to perform at Namdroling monastery, where the Sakyong was studying. The Sakyong's mother also knew the Ripa family and had close ties to the bride's paternal uncle, though the Sakyong did not meet them until this time. In late 2008 and early 2009 the Sakyong received the Rinchen Terdzo, the complete cycle of terma teachings of the Nyingma school of Buddhism, from Namkha Drimed Rinpoche in Orissa, India. This cycle of teachings had been given to Namkha Drimed Rinpoche by Trungpa in Tibet. In 2009 he began teaching the Scorpion Seal terma, the highest teachings of the Shambhala lineage, to more than 2,000 students. For the next several years he taught extensively on these deep teachings at the four Shambhala retreat centers, Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado, Karme Choling in Vermont, Dorje Denma Ling in Nova Scotia, and Dechen Choling in France. He continued to write and teach on this cycle until 2018. In 2010, his first daughter, Jetsun Drukmo Yeshe Sarasvati Ziji Mukpo, was born. 2010 was also a year of deep retreat and writing for the Sakyong. His father had died at the age of 47, and he marked this milestone by going into retreat in Nepal. While on retreat he wrote volumes of practices and commentaries on the Buddhadharma and his father's Shambhala teachings. The Sakyong came out of retreat to teach, including giving an empowerment at Shambhala Mountain Center in the summer of 2010, and then returned to teaching full time in 2012. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche also bestowed the Nyingma Kama empowerments on the Sakyong, which represent the oral transmission the Nyingma received from India from the time of their arrival in Tibet. The Sakyong received the Gongter, or Mind Terma of the Terton, Namkha Drimed Rinpoche in the fall of 2015. This Gongter of

Gesar of Ling The Epic of King Gesar (), also spelled Kesar () or Geser (especially in Mongolian contexts), is an epic from Tibet and Central Asia. It originally developed between 200 or 300 BCE and about 600 CE. Folk balladeers continued to pass on the sto ...

teachings is the largest terma cycle of

Gesar The Epic of King Gesar (), also spelled Kesar () or Geser (especially in Mongolian contexts), is an epic from Tibet and Central Asia. It originally developed between 200 or 300 BCE and about 600 CE. Folk balladeers continued to pass on the sto ...

in the world. Sakyong Mipham has written several books, including the national bestseller ''Turning the Mind into an Ally'', ''Ruling Your World'', ''Running with the Mind of Meditation'', ''The Shambhala Principle'', and ''The Lost Art of Conversation''. His most recent book, ''Garuda 108 Poems'', was released in 2019. In 2018, he stepped back from all teaching and administrative duties to allow for an investigation and public discussion of his alleged sexual misconduct. He resumed teaching with a small group of students in the Netherlands late in 2019, and then in March 2020, instructing a group of 108 students in Nepal. His teachings have continued regularly in person and online since then.

Shift in Shambhala

In 2000, the Sakyong began talking about

Shambhala Buddhism Shambhala Training is a secular approach to meditation and a new religious movement developed by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his students. It is based on what Trungpa calls Shambhala Vision, which sees enlightened soci ...

as a single entity and path, with no separation between spiritual and secular. In 2004 at Vajrayana seminary at Shambhala Mountain Center, he received and introduced the Primordial Rigden Ngondro, titled the Magical Heart of Shambhala. The next year, he held the first Rigden Abhisheka, an empowerment to practice the

Vajrayana ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...

teachings of Shambhala. Later that year, thangka painter Cynthia Moku, under the Sakyong's direction, released the first Thangka of the Primoridal Rigden deity. The changes to the Shambhala curriculum and the introduction of the Shambhala teachings as a Buddhist path led to some confusion in the community. Many thought the Sakyong misunderstood what his father had intended with these teachings. There were complaints about the replacement of the primary thangka of Vajradhara with the Primordial Rigden from the organization's meditation centers. The curriculum was also changing as older programs Trungpa initiated were replaced by shorter, more accessible ones. The Sakyong also stopped teaching his father's Kagyu teachings, which he held and had offered through the 1990s. In 2009 the Sakyong sent a letter to the community providing guidelines and restrictions on inviting teachers from other lineages to teach at Shambhala centers. This, he said, was to help us "know who we are" as a community. Students saw this as another change from how his father had done things. In response, older students began to migrate to other teachers who taught Trungpa's

Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. ...

practices. Many resented the direction in which he took the organization. By the time of the ''#MeToo'' sexual abuse scandals, older students had decided that they were following the Shambhala Vajrayana of the Sakyong, or had found other teachers.

Controversies

In 2018, Buddhist Project Sunshine, an organization founded as a survivors' network for former Shambhala Buddhist members, reported multiple allegations of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

in the Shambhala community. In response, and to allow time for the community to investigate these accusations, Sakyong Mipham temporarily stepped aside as leader, and the Shambhala governing council resigned and appointed an interim Board of Directors and a Process Team. Sakyong Mipham issued a letter to the community, saying: In July 2018, Naropa Institute removed Sakyong Mipham from its board following the allegations of

. In August 2018, Buddhist Project Sunshine released another report containing further allegations against Sakyong Mipham that included sexual encounters with minors, a charge 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 Denve ...

Sheriff's Office opened an investigation of the allegations of sexual assault. The investigation was closed in February 2020, with no charges being 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, the Shambhala body protectors, wrote an open letter corroborating a pattern of physical and sexual misconduct and other concerns. Sakyong Mipham subsequently said he would cease teaching for the "foreseeable future". He returned to teaching in March 2020, leading a pilgrimage to

and instructing a group of 108 students. In September 2020,

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

published an investigative report detailing a culture of abuse dating back to early days of the Shambhala Buddhist organization, with all three leaders of the organization, including its founder, Chögyam Trungpa, having been credibly accused of sexual misconduct and

abuse of power Abuse of power or abuse of authority, in the form of "malfeasance in office" or "official abuse of power", is the commission of an Crime, unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasan ...

Lineage of Sakyongs

The Lineage of Sakyongs is the Mukpo family lineage of

. The Sakyong is the second in the family to hold this title and has the responsibility of propagating the teachings of Shambhala. This tradition emphasizes confidence in the basic goodness of all beings and teaches courageous self-rulership based on wisdom and compassion. The term "Sakyong" literally means "earth-protector" in Tibetan. Sakyongs are regarded as '' chögyals'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

''dharmarajas'')—"kings of truth" or "dharma kings"—who combine the spiritual and worldly paths. This Shambhala path is specifically meant for lay practitioners. In Tibetan Buddhism, the first Dharmaraja of Shambhala, Dawa Sangpo, was said to have been empowered directly by the Buddha. Dawa Sangpo recognized that he could not give up his throne and responsibilities to pursue the path of a monastic. Thus he requested teachings that could allow him to continue to rule his kingdom while practicing the dharma. The Blazing Jewel of Sovereignty is the ritual empowerment for the Sakyong. Trungpa was the first in this lineage of Sakyongs to receive this empowerment. He is called the "Druk Sakyong", or "Dragon Earth-Protector". He received this ritual empowerment from

in Boulder, Colorado . Sakyong Mipham was first empowered as "Sawang" by his father in 1979. The empowerment of the Blazing Jewel of Sovereignty was conferred upon him by Penor Rinpoche in May 1995. In April 2023, this empowerment was bestowed upon Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's eldest daughter, Jetsun Drukmo Rinpoche, who will succeed him as lineage heir. Khandro Tseyang

Family

Sakyong Wangmo and family

The Sakyong's

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 ...

is called the Sakyong Wangmo. The current Sakyong Wangmo is Sakyong Mipham's wife Khandro Tseyang Ripa Mukpo, the daughter of Terton Namkha Drimed Rabjam. The Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo married in a public ceremony on 10 June 2006 in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. 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 12 March 2013. The third, Dzedrön Ökar Yangchen Ziji Mukpo, was born on 10 April 2015.

Bibliography

Books

* ''Garuda: 108 Poems'', Kalapa Publications, 2019 * ''The Lost Art of Good Conversation'', Harmony Books, 2017, * ''The Vow: Illuminating the Sun and Moon'', Dragon, Shambhala Media, 2014 * ''The Shambhala Principle: Discovering Humanity's Hidden Treasure'', Harmony Books, 2013, * ''The Supreme Thought: Bodhichitta and the Enlightened Society Vow'', Dragon, Shambhala Media, 2013, * ''Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind'', Harmony Books, 2012, * ''Treatise on Enlightened Society'', Dragon, Shambhala Media, 2012, * ''Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life'', Morgan Road Books, 2005, * ''Snow Lion's Delight: 108 Poems'', Vajradhatu Books, 2005, * ''Turning the Mind into an Ally'', Riverhead Books, 2004, * ''Taming the Mind and Walking the Bodhisattva Path'', Vajradhatu Publications, 1999, * ''Smile of the Tiger'', Vajradhatu Books, 1998,

Articles

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 contempla ...

'', July 13, 2014.
Let Your Confidence Shine
in ''

'',June 30, 2014.
Who Are We, Really?
in ''

'', May 1, 2014.
The Great Vow
in ''

'', September 1, 2013.
The Great Reversal
in ''

'', July 1, 2013.
Are We Basically Good
in ''

'', May 5, 2013.
The Supreme Thought
in ''

'', March 7, 2013.
We Need to be Warriors
in ''

'', November 15, 2012.
The Power of Self-Reflection
in ''

'', May 9, 2012.
Stop, Relax, Wake Up
in ''

'', January 19, 2012.
Joined at the Heart
in ''

'',November 29, 2011.
In Sync
in ''

'', August 2, 2011.
Sunny Side Up
in ''