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The Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism refers to its head as the 'Sakya Trizin'.
The spiritual leadership of the Sakya school is controlled by the descendants of the Köhn family, who around 750,^[1] when Khön Jekundag was a minister of Trisong Detsen, got into contact with Buddhism and who were taught by Padmasambhava.^[2] The family were viceroys of the Tsang province of Tibet at the time. After they received the teaching of masters like Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, they starting spreading the teaching throughout their territories from 1073 onwards. After the Dalai Lamas asserted their rule over Central Tibet, they started to focus on Buddhism only. The leadership passes from father to oldest son contrary to the other schools.

Contents

Current Sakya Trizin

Sakya Trizin lineage

References

External links

Current Sakya Trizin

The current Sakya Trizin is the 41st Sakya Trizin. Because the leadership passes from father to son,^[3] the couple wanted a son, however their first son died as a child and thus their wish remained unfulfilled for most of their lives. The family made a pilgrimage to Kailash, Nepal, and Lhasa and asked Ngaglo Rinpoche, a great master, to perform rituals for them to ensure that the lineage would not disappear.^[4] Their wish finally came true.
On September 7, 1945 a son was born in a little village near Shigatse, Tibet and was called Ayu Vajra. After his first initiation he received his full name: Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar Samphel Wanggi Gyalpo which is generally shortened to 'Ngawang Kunga'.^[5] He has an older sister, Jetsun Kushok Chimey Luding, who lives in Vancouver, Canada and travels round the world giving Buddhist teachings and is regarded as a master.^[6]
His mother died when he was only three and his father died two years later and therefore he was raised by his aunt Trinley Paljor Zangmo. When Ngawang Kunga was five years old, he was send to the monastry and in 1951, during a pilgrimage to Lhasa, he was crowned Sakya Trizin by Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama. After continuing his studies in Lhasa, he was formally appointed spiritual leader of the school in 1959, at the age of fourteen, because of the political condition in Tibet. Soon after Ngawang Kunga had to escape to India.
In 1960 Ngawang Kunga moved to Darjeeling were he continued his education and in 1964 he founded new headquarters in Rajpur, India for the Sakya school. In 1974 he married Dagmo Kusho Tashi Lhakee and in the same year his first son, Ratna Vajra, was born. A new main monestry of the Sakya, Thubten Namgyal Ling, was opened in 1980 in Puruwala, Himachal Pradesh.

Sakya Trizin lineage

'Lharig', the divine generation
:According to legend Ciring descended from the Rupadhatu (Realm of Clear Light) to earth.^[7]

★ Ciring

★ Yuse

★ Yuring

★ Masang Cije

★ Togsa Pawo Tag

★ Tagpo Ochen

★ Yapang Kye
'Khön family', the royal generation
:Because the previous generations subjugated the rakshas (demons), the family became the Family of Conquerors (Khon gyi dung shortened to Khön) and therefore a royal family.

★ Khön Bar Kye

★ Khön Jekundag, minister of Trisong Detsen, student of Padmasambhava

★ Khön Lu'i Wangpo Srungwa

★ Khön Dorje Rinchen

★ Khön Sherab Yontan

★ Khön Yontan Jungne

★ Khön Tsugtor Sherab

★ Khön Gekyab

★ Khön Getong

★ Khön Balpo

★ Khön Shakya Lodro

★ Sherab Tsultrim
'Sakya lineage', generations as Buddhist teachers.
: Khön Konchog Gyalpo founded the monastery in Sakya in 1073, and therefore the lineage was renamed Sakya.
# Khön Konchog Gyalpo
# Rinchen Drag
# Kunga Nyingpo
# Sonam Tsemo
# Trakpa Gyaltsen
# Kunga Gyaltsen
# Lodro Gyaltsen
# Rinchen Gyaltsen
# Dharmapala Rakshita
# Sharpa Jamyang Chenpo
# Zangpo Pal
# Namkha Legpa
# Jamyang Donyo Gyaltsen
# Sonam Gyaltsen
# Tawen Lodro Gyaltsen
# Kunga Rinchen
# Kushri Lodro Gyaltsen
# Jamyang Namkha Gyaltsen
# Kunga Wangchug
# Sherab Gyaltsen
# Lodro Gyaltsen
# Kunga Sonam
# Ngakchang Kunga Rinchen
# Sonam Wangpo
# Dhagpa Lodro
# Kunga Wangyal
# Ngawang Kunga Sonam
# Sonam Wangchug
# Kunga Tashi
# Sonam Rinchen
# Sachen Kunga Lodro
# Wangdu Nyingpo
# Pema Dudul Wangchug
# Dorje Rinchen
# Tashi Rinchen
# Kunga Sonam
# Kunga Nyingpo
# Dzamling Chegu Wangchug
# Dragshul Thinley Rinchen
# Ngawang Thutob Wangchug
# Ngawang Kunga (the current Sakya Trizin)
# Ratna Vajra (the next generation)
The next in line to HH Sakya Trizin will not be his son Vajra Ratna Rimpoche because the lineage alternates between the two royal families of Khon.

References

1. Sakya Resource Guide History sheet.(Retrieved: September 16, 2006)
2. Sakya Resource Guide Fact sheet.(Retrieved: September 16, 2006)
3. This is inaccurate according to most texts and gives the impression that the current Sakya Trizin was the son of the 40th Trizin; he is actually his nephew. The reason given for choosing him at the time of his enthronement was that "the throne passes from Trizin to nephew."
4. Official site of Sakyapa Biography Sakya Trizin. (Retrieved: September 16, 2006)
5. Sakya Tsechen Thubten Ling Biography Sakya Trizin. (Retrieved: September 16, 2006)
6. ''Shambhala Sun'', Precious Jewels, November 2001, page 66 link
7. Official site of Sakyapa Biography Sakya Lineage. (Retrieved: September 16, 2006)

External links

★ Biography of Sakya Trizin