Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 26: His Eminence the 104th Gaden Tripa, H.E. Dorje Chang Je Tsun Lobsang Tenzin Palzangpo, the former head of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, also known as the yellow sect, passed away at approximately 9:55 a.m. India time on Friday at his residence in Sera Jey Monastery, Bylakuppe, Karnataka at the age of 90.
The cause of death has not been disclosed, and no information has been shared regarding the ailment he was suffering from.
Formally appointed as the 104th Gaden Tripa, the supreme head of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 24 June 2017, he was widely revered as a scholar par excellence. Born in 1935 in Lhatse County near Lhasa, Tibet, he received his novice ordination at the age of 10 from Khenchen Tenzin Gyatso of Gaden Wogmin-ling Monastery. At 16, he joined Sera Jey Monastery, and at 23, he received full Gelong (Bikshu) ordination from Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, senior tutor to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Following the Chinese occupation of Tibet, he fled into exile in 1959 with fellow monks of Sera Jey. In India, he joined the special Rehabilitation for Tibetan Religion and Language at Buxa, where he studied monastic ethics (Vinaya/Dulwa) and Buddhist philosophy (Abhidharma/Zod) under Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Wangchuk and Kyabje Zong Rinpoche. He also served as a teacher at the Buxa rehabilitation school.
In 1970, he moved to Bylakuppe, South India, as part of the group tasked with rebuilding Sera Monastery in exile. Alongside fellow monks, he worked in the fields, cleared forests for settlement, and helped establish the agricultural and educational foundations of the monastery while continuing to tutor young monks and preside over spiritual services.
His long career in service to Tibetan Buddhism saw him rise through key leadership roles. In 1981, he was appointed Lama Ozed (vice abbot) of Gyudmed Tantric Monastery, and in 1984, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appointed him as its abbot. There, he was instrumental in developing a strong curriculum in Buddhist Tantric studies, philosophy, dialectics, and Tibetan language.
Over his decades of monastic life, he received numerous initiations, transmissions, and teachings directly from the Dalai Lama and other eminent lamas. In 2010, he was appointed as Jangtse Choeje, one of the highest positions in the Gelug tradition, and was publicly congratulated by the Dalai Lama at a major teaching event in Bodh Gaya attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees.
Last year, he requested to step down from the position of Gaden Tripa. Following his request, in November 2024, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appointed His Eminence Sharpa Choeje Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Dorjee Pelsangpo as the 105th Gaden Tripa, who is now actively serving in the role.
