While on pilgrimage in Nepal, I had the honor of meeting with the 7th Sera Zhungpa Lhatsun Rinpoche. He is the reincarnation of the root guru of the 9th Khalkha Jetsun Dampa. The previous Lhatsun Rinpoche (also known as Lhatsun Dorje Chang) was important in preserving and transmitting the Machik Dakini ear-whispered lineage of Chod which was at risk of dying out and its transmission and melodies being lost. This great master trekked all the way to Inner Mongolia and brought it back again to Tibet where he then began the task of transmitting authentically to great masters like Khalkha Rinpoche. Further, the 6th Lhatsun Rinpoche was important in transmitting numerous other rare tantric teachings to many of the next generation of Geluk masters, including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. His story has remained fairly elusive to western audiences, but his role in preserving the Dharma is unfathomable.
The current Lhatsun Rinpoche is a householder, but he was trained in Sera Mey Monastery in India for most of his youth and young adult years as a monk. This connection was actually how I was able to meet him. My friend’s uncle is a monk at Sera Mey Monastery and when I was describing this project she shared with him how I was hoping to research the Lhatsun Rinpoche lineage more. Turns out the two were good friends and in the same khangtsen, akin to a fraternal unit, at Sera.
So, in Kathmandu in May 2024, a meeting was arranged. The only issue was that neither my friend’s uncle nor Rinpoche could speak English. Part of our meeting was done through Monlam AI, but fortunately, a Tibetan friend of a friend came to the coffee shop and interpreted for us.
During the meeting, I was able to discuss the KJD Initiative and learn more about Rinpoche’s relationship to Khalkha Rinpoche. Lhatsun Rinpoche was quite close to Khalkha Rinpoche and studied very closely with him in his youth and received many teachings and transmissions. Lhatsun Rinpoche also brought me a Tibetan-language biography, about the Lhatsun lineage– hopefully, this initiative will be able to sponsor a translation of this in the future.
Even though there was a language barrier, the meeting was very warm and included many laughs and I was blessed to learn more from this hidden lama. At the end of the meeting, Rinpoche agreed to be one of the advisors for this initiative and noted he was happy to join as a partner in preserving the memory of Khalkha Rinpoche and the lineages he held.
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