Biography of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

JUST TO LET YOU KNOW MY FRIENDS, THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL SAKYONG'S PAGE, SO I DON'T WANT TO DECIEVE YOU. THIS PAGE IS JUST A BIOGRAPHY OF THE WONDERFUL TEACHER!The Sakyong, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche, is unique in that he bridges two worlds. He grew up in both the East and the West. The eldest son of the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who was instrumental in bringing Buddhism to the West, he holds the Mukpo family lineage, descending from the Tibetan warrior-king Gesar of Ling. He also holds the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages. He is the incarnation of Mipham the Great, who is revered in Tibet as an emanation of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom. He is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and is spiritual director of Shambhala, a global network of meditation and retreat centers. He is the lineage holder of Naropa University.Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche was born as Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo in 1962 in Bodhagaya, India. He spent his early years with his mother, Lady Kunchok Palden, in a Tibetan refugee village in northwest India, where he began his study of Buddhism. At the age of seven, he went to live with his father in Great Britain, and in 1972, he joined his father in the United States, where he continued his education. He also began to receive training in various contemplative arts such as kyudo (Japanese archery), calligraphy, and horsemanship.The Sakyong—literally “earth-protector”— is unique, because he is a chögyal—“dharma king”—who combines the spiritual and worldly paths. He is the earthly embodiment of the Rigden—enlightened awareness. The first Rigden king of Shambhala, Dawa Sangpo, was empowered directly by the Buddha. The Shambhala Buddhist lineage descends through the Mukpo clan. In 1978, the Vidyadhara performed a ceremony officially confirming Ösel Rangdröl as his dharma heir and the future Sakyong. The Sakyong holds and propagates the teachings of Shambhala, an enlightened society. This tradition emphasizes confidence in the basic goodness of all beings—windhorse—and teaches courageous rulership based on wisdom and compassion.The Sakyong also received many teachings and empowerments from the great teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, in particular His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, supreme head of the Nyingma lineage. The great Nyingma teacher, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, was like a grandfather to the Sakyong. After the death of his father, the Sakyong moved to Nepal and studied with Khyentse Rinpoche for many years.In 1995, with many dignitaries in attendance and much celebration, Ösel Rangdröl was formally enthroned as Sakyong and confirmed as the rebirth of Mipham the Great. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche performed the ceremony.In 2001, Sakyong Mipham visited Tibet for the first time. Here he was greeted by thousands of people, not only as the Sakyong and the rebirth of Mipham, but also as living proof of the vitality of Buddhism, returning to the place that his father had left in 1959. Huge audiences gathered to hear his teachings and receive his blessings. Through the Kunchok Foundation, he is now gathering support for Tibetan schools and orphanages.The Sakyong returned to North America to preside over the consecration ceremony for The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado. A stupa is a traditional sacred structure representing the enlightened mind of the Buddha. It is a symbol of peace. The Great Stupa, on which work began in 1988 under the Sakyong's direction, commemorates his father's years of work in introducing Buddhism to North America and teaching meditation to Westerners. At 108-feet tall, it is the first of its magnitude in the Western world.