The 4th Jamgön Kongtrül, Mingyur Drakpa Senge, was born on December 17, 1995, in Nepal, the son of Beru Khyentsé Chökyi Wangpo Rinpoche. The day before his birth, the late Chogye Trichen Rinpoche announced in the presence of many lamas and tulkus,
“As prophesied, Jamgön Rinpoche has arrived today from the palace of the mighty Mañjushri.”
In 1996, when the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, arrived to Bodhgaya, he met the young Jamgon Rinpoche for the first time.
Despite his young age, Yangsi Rinpoche spontaneously picked up some rice and tossed it into the air as a mandala offering. The Karmapa smiled and acknowledged,
“This is indeed Jamgon Yangsi!”
He then wrote the official recognition letter and bestowed the name Karma Migyur Drakpa Senge Trinley Kunkhyab Palzangpo upon the 4th Jamgon Kongtrül Rinpoche.
In 1998, during His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s visit to Bodhgaya, the young Rinpoche had a private audience with him. The Dalai Lama reviewed the recognition letter and performed the hair-cutting ceremony for the 4th Jamgon Yangsi. In 2000, Drubwang Pema Norbu (Penor Rinpoche) was invited to Karma Monastery in Bodhgaya, where he conducted the profound and powerful enthronement ceremony for the 4th Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche. During the ceremony, Penor Rinpoche reaffirmed that Jamgön Yangsi was the authentic reincarnation of the great Jamgon Kongtrül. From the age of five, he began reading books and memorizing the rituals and practices of the Kagyu tradition. At fourteen, he enrolled at Sakya College, where he studied profound texts such as Bodhicharyavatara, Madhyamika, and Pramanavartika, excelling in his examinations.
In December 2016, he received the red Dharma crown, a symbol of the most important Kagyu lineage holders, from the 17th Gyalva Karmapa at the old Karma Kagyu monastery in Bodhgaya, India, the sacred site of the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Rinpoche began his traditional three and a half-year retreat in Pharping, near Kathmandu, in October 2018. During this retreat, participants engage in the most profound teachings of the tradition and the retreat was successfully completed on May 4, 2022.
Since then, Rinpoche gave teachings and transmissions in several countries in the East an also a two-month European tour took place in the summer and fall of 2024. In response to the wishes and requests of his disciples, Rinpoche plans to return to European centers in 2025 to continue the Dharma activities he has started.
Jamgon Kongtrul incarnations:
