SAKYA COLLEGE
INSTITUTE OF HIGHER BUDDHIST STUDIES
Principal
Khenpo
Jamyang Jinpa
Current Principal
(6th in line)
Khenpo Jamyang Jinpa was born on 3rd December in 1980. From an early age, he learned to read and write Tibetan alphabets from his father. At the age of 15, he received novice vows from H.E Thartse Khen Rinpoche, and in the latter years, he received full ordination from H.E Luding Khenchen. He received many profound teachings, including Lamdre from two Ngor Khenchens. In 1996, he left Tibet for India. The following year in 1997, he pursued his studies at Sakya College under Khenchen Sonam Gyatso, and many other eminent teachers including Lopon Ngawang Zopa. He received oral instructions, empowerments, and pith teachings from H.H The Dalai Lama and H.H Sakya Trizin. Besides, he also received profound teachings on sutras and tantras from the Late Khenchen Appey Rinpoche and Late Khenchen Kunga Wangchuk. From renowned scholars like Rakra Rinpoche, Dongthog Rinpoche, and the like, he learned grammars, poetry, and Tibetan literature. Between 2002 and 2013, he was subsequently appointed as a revision teacher and a teacher. He was also the editor at Sakya Committee for Glossary Compilations. Presently, he is a principal of Sakya College.
Former Principals
Khenchen
Appey Rinpoche
1st Principal & Founder
Khenchen Appey Rinpoche was born in 1927 in Tibet. Showing signs of spiritual maturity even in his early youth, he entered Serjong philosophical institute in Derge. In 1934, financed by the Tibetan government, Jamgyal Rinpoche founded a philosophical institute (Jamgon Drupe Gatsel) close to Serjong, with a beautiful landscape of lush green fields and a waterfall. In Jamgon Drupe Gatsel, the philosophical subjects chiefly studied were the commentaries of Gorampa Sonam Sengye, with the commentaries of Kunkhen Yakton and Rongton assisting as the supportive texts. At that time, when he was around 10 years old, he received the boddhicharyavatara teaching from Jamgyal Rinpoche. Later, he was admitted to Jamgon Drupe Gatsel institute, where, under the tutelage of Khenchen Jamyang Drimed, Ngarig Maway Khedub Sengye, Khenchen Jamyang Geleg and Khenchen Lodoe, he studied the six traditional major texts, specializing in logic and prajnaparamita subjects, as well as completing his elementary studies. Following these studies, he journeyed to Dzongsar Institute in Kham, where he perfected his studies on the sutra teachings for several years under the tutorship of Khenchen Thubten Gyaltsen and Khenchen Damchoe. He received the full-monk ordination (bhikshu) from Ajam Rinpoche and completed his studies on tantra with both Jamyang Choekyi Lodoe and Ajam Rinpoche. At age 25, he was officially enthroned as a khenpo of Serjong Institute. Later, he travelled to U-tsang, where he was assigned the responsibility of being the head khenpo of Ngor E-wam Institute. He was also the 12th head khenpo of Dzongsar Institute in Kham, where he was enthroned by Dzongsar Jamyang Choekyi Lodoe. Several dharma companions of him who also graduated from Jamgon Drupe Gatsel Institute are as follows: Serjong Khenchen Ngawang Khentse, Dhamthok Khenchen Ngawang Yonten, Dhung Do Khenchen Yeshe Phuntsok, Khenchen of Thasik Jojang, Polo Khenchen, Thangkya Nagmi Khenchen, Yang Chen Khenchen Lodoe Sangpo and Khewang Namkhey Norbu. In exile, Khenchen Appey Rinpoche served H.H Sakya Trizin as his principal tutor. In accordance with H.H Sakya Trizin’s noble wish, he established a Buddhist philosophy institute in Dehradun which came to be known as “SakyaCollege”. He carried out classes on every level of Buddhist philosophy for a period of 13 years. Thus he produced many distinguished students and established an unbroken lineage of the uncommon esoteric and the exoteric teachings of Sakya. In 2001, he established the International Buddhist Academy (IBA) in Boudhanath, Kathmandu, with the hope of making Buddhism available particularly for westerners, so that it will flourish worldwide. Khenchen Appey Rinpoche passed away on 28th December, 2010. Among the many written works of Khenchen, his annotated commentary of Dagdhen is the only work he approved for publishing. Several recorded teachings of his have been produced as four volumes of books, including Thupa Gongsel (The Sage’s Intent), the Samantabadra prayer, Parting from the Four Attachments and meditational teachings of the Mahayana which is also translated into the Chinese language.
Khenpo Jamyang Tenzin began his studies at Sakya College at the age of nineteen in 1976 under the tutorial of Late Khenchen Appey Rinpoche, and completed in 1984. He studied sutras, tantras, shastras and English language. In 1984, under the guidance of H.H Sakya Trizin, Late Khenchen Appey Rinpoche appointed him as the principal of Sakya College. He headed the college until 1990. After that, he undertook three years and three months retreat at Jamchen Lhakhang retreat centre in Katmandu, Nepal. He was also the abbot of Sakya monastery at Mungod in southern India. He had also served as a translator to Late Khenchen Appey Rinpoche. He is often invited to Nepal, etc. to give teachings to his foreign disciples.
Khenpo
Jamyang Tenzin
2nd Principal
Khenpo
Migmar Tsering
3rd Principal
Khenpo Migmar Tsering was born in western Tibet. At the age of four in 1959 when the Communist China occupied Tibet , he fled Tibet and settled as refugee in southern India. He gradually completed his primary school; attended the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies (CITHS) at Varanasi and studied Tibetan, English and Hindi languages. In 1972, he was among the first few students to get enrolled at the newly founded Sakya College. Under Khenchen Appey Rinpoche, he studied sutras, tantras, and shastras. He was considered the most intelligent and well-mannered among the students of Late Khenchen Appey. He received empowerments, reading transmissions, and pith instructions from H.H Sakya Trizin, H.E Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, H.E Luding Khenchen, and many other masters. He travelled to many western and eastern countries giving teachings and lectures to his disciples. He also worked as a translator at Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) in Dharamsala, and as a teacher at Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) in Varanasi before becoming the principal of Sakya College. From 1989 until his passing away in 1999, he assumed the post of principal as well as the tutor to the young 42nd and 43rd Sakya Trizins; the throne holders of Ngorpa, Tsarpa, and Dzongpa; and many other Rinpoches.
Khenchen
Sonam Gyatso
4th Principal
Khenchen Sonam Gyatso was born to father Tenzin Ngodup and mother Jampal Sangmo in 1951 at a place called Rongtsan in Upper Ngari, Tibet. After the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, he settled in India and began his studies on Tibetan, English and Hindi languages including Sanskrit literature at Shimla and at Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies, respectively. After that, he studied at Sakya College under Khenchen Appey Rinpoche and obtained Kachupa (equivalent to BA). In 1985, H.H Sakya Trizin appointed him as Khenpo of Thupten Namgyaling Institute, and he taught there for six years. Afterwards, he founded Thupten Kunphen Buddhist Centre at Taipei, Taiwan, and gave teachings on ‘Bodhicaryavatara’ and ‘Madhyamika treatises’ to his disciples. He also founded Samten Phuntsokling meditation centre (later it became Sakya College for Nuns) at Manduwala, Dehradun. In 1999, at the request of H.H Sakya Trizin and Late Khenchen Appey Rinpoche, he became the principal of Sakya College. He held the post until 2013. During one particular Buddhist seminar, he was applauded for his exceptional intellectual ability by H.H The Dalai Lama when he expounded on uncommon views of all the four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism to the great scholars and intellectuals assembled there. Presently, he resides at Samten Phuntsokling Nunnery College in Manduwala, Dehradun. His composed works include a brief and extensive biography of Sakya Throne-holders, commentary on Sapan’s Pramana Yuktinidhi, commentary on Dharmakirti’s Pramanaviniscaya, biography of Sakya Pandita, biography of Khenchen Appey and Khenchen Rinchen, biography of Sakya scholars, and many more.
Khenpo
Khenrab Sangpo
5th Principal
Khenpo Khenrab Sangpo became a monk from an early age. He received novice ordination from Lama Ngawang Chophel Sangpo, and learned basic mudra practices and rituals. In 1998, he pursued his studies at Sakya College under the tutorial of Khenchen Sonam Gyatso, Khenpo Jamyang Paljor, and many other eminent teachers. He received the complete Eighteen Major Treatises. In 2003, he was appointed as a revison teacher, and in 2005, graduated with Kachupa degree (equivalent to BA). In 2006, he was appointed as a teacher. And a year later, he graduated with Loppon degree (equivalent to MA). He was elected as the president of Students’ Education Committee in 2006. It was during this time that he initiated the yearly publication of college’s literary magazine ‘Ri Karpoi Ji Dra’. Besides, publications of many books as well as the teachings of Khenchen Sonam Gyatso were made available on CD-ROM. In 2008, he received full ordination (Bhikshu) from H.E Luding Khenchen Rinpoche. He received empowerments, reading transmissions, and pith teachings from H.H Sakya Trizin, H.E Luding Khenchen, and many other learned masters. He learned poetry, grammars, and Tibetan literature from renowned scholars like Rakra Rinpoche, Dongthog Rinpoche, and so on. He was also the editor of annual literary magazine called ‘Chodung Karpo’. In 2009, H.H Sakya Trizin appointed him as the principal of Sakya College. Since then he has been looking after the college’s administrative functions alongside other Khenpos.