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, a Rimé teacher of the late 19th century who said he would be reborn only 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) who joined Trungpa's group in 1959 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 in 1972 he was brought to North America, where he lived with his father and stepmother Diana Pybus Mukpo. His mother moved to the Tibetan refugee colony and Buddhist center at Bir, India.

In 1979, Trungpa chose the Sakyong as his heir of the Shambala lineage, and he was given the title ''Sawang'' (Wyl. ''sa dbang'', "Lord of the Earth"). His mother Lady Konchok Peldron in 1992 joined 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 Tendzin's death, 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, the Vajradhatu and Shambhala organizations joined under the umbrella organization Shambhala International. The Sakyong led Shambhala International, a worldwide network of Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, a monastery, and other enterprises.

In July 2018, Sakyong Mipham agreed to step back from his administrative and teaching duties to allow time 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. The Sakyong moved to Nepal, where he teaches his international sangha and offers online teachings. Provided by Wikipedia