Obituary: His Eminence the Ninth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa

[Namdrol]

DHARAMSHALA, 1 March: His Eminence the Ninth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Dorjee Chang Jampel Namdrol Choekyi Gyaltsen, the spiritual head of Janang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and the spiritual Buddhist head of Mongolia expires today at 5.58am (IST) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He died at the age of 80.
 
Ninth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa was born in Trontsikhang, northern part of Lhasa in 1932 to his father Lobsang Jamphel and mother Yangchen Lhamo. At the age of four, Reting Rinpoche, the regent, many high lamas and state oracles recognized him as the reincarnation of the Eighth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa. When he was seven years old, he entered Gomang college of Drepung Monastery and received Rabjung vow from Reting Rinpoche.  Khalkha Jetsun studied philosophy in Gomang College for fourteen years. At the age of 21, he left Gomang to engage in a series of Chod meditations, living the life of a yogi, while on pilgrimage to the holy sites of Tibet.
 
 At the age of 25, he gave his monastic vows and went to stay at Ganden Phunstok Ling, established by his predecesor Taranatha. After four years, Khalkha Jetsun left Tibet and came into exile when China occupied Tibet in 1959.
 
During his early years in India, he stayed in Darjeeling and Mysore with his family. In 1981, Khalkha Jetsun moved to Madhya Pradesh and stayed for almost 10 years serving as the community Lama in the locality.
 
After the collapse of Soviet Union and the new-found religious freedom in Mongolia, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave an official recognition and acknowledgement of the Ninth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa as the spiritual head of Buddhism in Mongolia through the Department of Religious Affairs (now the Department of Religion and Culture), Central Tibetan Administration in 1991. In 1997, Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa was enthroned as the Spiritual head of Jonang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and the ceremony took place at Tsuglha Khang, Dharamshala. After receiving the official recognition from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa moved closer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and shifted his residence to Dharamshala, India.
 
Khalkha Detsun Dhampa visited many countries including the U.S, Mongolia, Japan, Canada, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan.
 
Central Tibetan Administration is deeply saddened to learn about the demise of the Ninth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa and has convened a special prayer this afternoon at Gangkyi Staff Mess hall at 2.30pm in memory of Late Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa and for his speedy reincarnation. All the offices of Central Tibetan Administration remained close after the prayer session.

source: http://tibet.net/2012/03/01/obituary-his-eminence-the-ninth-khalkha-jetsun-dhampa/

[WisdomBeing]

Dear Namdrol

Thank you for this orbituary. I always love to read biographies of Lamas. However i am just curious - did this lama practice Dorje Shugden? Or did the Jonang tradition had Dorje Shugden practice? Since reading this: "After receiving the official recognition from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa moved closer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and shifted his residence to Dharamshala, India.", i presume that he was not a public practitioner at least. Could you share some relevance over this Lama in this section of the forum? Otherwise perhaps, it should be moved to the General Buddhism section?

Thanks,

[Zach]

Jonangs Dont consider him the head of their lineage he is simply appointed by the Dalai lama.

[Big Uncle]

I had always thought that the Jonang schools were assimilated by the Gelug school during the Great Fifth Dalai Lama's expansionist regime. Monasteries of the Jonang were converted into Gelug and many of their distinctive lineages like the Kalachakra was incorporated into mainstream Gelug system as well. That's what I remember reading about the Jonang School. 

[Zach]

I had always thought that the Jonang schools were assimilated by the Gelug school during the Great Fifth Dalai Lama's expansionist regime. Monasteries of the Jonang were converted into Gelug and many of their distinctive lineages like the Kalachakra was incorporated into mainstream Gelug system as well. That's what I remember reading about the Jonang School.

They where taken over sure but do you not think that they haven't gone on resenting such and the political institution of the Dalai lama. I have a friend whom is a Jonang Lama according to him the general community just take HHDL's edicts with a pinch of salt their strength lays in not having had a central spiritual authority and certainly this appointed authority is no actual bother to them. Dont forget Kalachakra was already present in the Gelug tradition as Je Rinpoche practiced and studied it .

[Namdrol]

Drepung Gomang Changkya Rinpoche just composed a prayer of swift return to HE Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa

[Namdrol]

Mummified body of His Eminence being kept in this box, waiting to be inserted into a stupa of 5 meter, it is said to be a Kalarupa stupa, sponsored by the government of Mongolia.