Sakyong Mipham

Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradül, born Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo (November 1962), is a Tibetan Buddhist master and holder of the Sakyong Lineage of Mukpodong, his family lineage. The Sakyong was recognized by Penor Rinpoche in 1995 as the tülku (reincarnation) of Ju Mipham Gyatso, the renown Rimé teacher of the late 19th century who stated he would only be reborn in the legendary Kingdom of Shambhala. Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo is the eldest son of Chögyam Trungpa and of Konchok Peldron (1931–2019), a Tibetan bhikṣuṇī (nun) that in 1959 joined Trungpa's group while they escaped from Tibet. He was born in 1962 in Bodh Gaya, India, where Konchok Peldron lived. In 1969, he was sent to Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland where his father lived, and then was brought to North America in 1972, where he lived with his father and stepmother Diana Pybus Mukpo. His mother moved to the renown Tibetan refugee colony and Buddhist center at Bir, India.

In 1979, the Sakyong was chosen by Trungpa as his heir of the Shambala lineage, and he was conferred with the title of ''Sawang'' (Wyl. ''sa dbang'', "Lord of the Earth"). His mother Lady Konchok Peldron in 1992 joined with the Shambhala organization at Karmê Chöling in Vermont, then moved to Boulder, Colorado.

Upon Trungpa's death, the leadership of Vajradhatu was first carried on by his American disciple, appointed Vajra Regent and Dharma heir, Ösel Tendzin (Thomas Rich). By 1990, after the death of Tendzin, Sakyong Mipham assumed control of Vajradhatu and Shambhala. 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, both the Vajradhatu and Shambhala organizations were joined under the umbrella organization of Shambhala International. The Sakyong led Shambhala International, a worldwide network of Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, a monastery, and other enterprises.

In July 2018, and after more than two decades, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche agreed to temporarily step back from his administrative and teaching duties to allow space for an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. 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 together. The Sakyong moved to Nepal where he teaches his international sangha, and during most weekends he offers online teachings. Provided by Wikipedia