HH Jigdal Dagchen Sakya
His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche
His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya was born in 1929 in Sakya, Tibet. He was educated
to be the head of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the successor to the throne of
Sakya, the third most important political position in Tibet in early times. But the Communist
Chinese occupation of Tibet, and the peril that ensued, precipitated his departure from the world
his family had known for generations, and led him to a new role as a leader in the transmission of
Tibetan Buddhism in the West. H.H. Dagchen Rinpoche was born into the Khön family, the principle
lineage holders of the Sakya tradition. As one of the highest lamas in Tibet, he is one of the few lamas
to have completed many years of formal scholarly and meditative training in Tibet itself, receiving
teachings and instruction from his father H.H. Trichen Ngawang Thutop Wangchuk. He has also studied
extensively with the great Rime teachers Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro and H.H. Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche and therefore He is considered non-sectarian in approach, having knowledge of all the great
Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
His immigration in 1960 makes him one of the first Tibetans-in-exile in North
America. He is the first Head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism to live in the United
States. From the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle, Washington, and its
precursor (which he co-founded in 1974), he has taught and preserved Tibetan culture and
religion. Because he is also a non-sectarian master within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, he has
defined Sakya Monastery as a non-denominational and ecumenical center for teachings about
Tibetan Buddhism. His work has also included the foundation of Tibetan Buddhist
communities overseas in India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, Bhutan and Southeast Asia, and
teaching at Buddhist centers around the world. He is truly a pioneer among religious leaders.
His formal title of “His Holiness” indicates the high degree of esteem with which the
Tibetan Buddhist community holds him. Dagchen is a title meaning “Lineage Holder.” Among
his followers he is known as Dagchen Rinpoche, or simply as Rinpoche (“Precious One”).
