The Birth and Early Life of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin

AS SPOKEN BY HIS HOLINESS the 41ST SAKYA TRIZIN
14 November 2024

“Perhaps I should begin by telling you what happened before I was born. The title Sakya Trizin means “throne-holder of Sakya.” My grandfather was the last Trizin in the family. To ensure that they would have a son, my parents went on pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, to Nepal, to Lhasa and Southern Tibet, but there was no sign of a son. They gave up all hope when they reached Nalanda Monastery, an important Sakya monastery north of Lhasa, and told the abbot about their request. The abbot was shocked and very worried because my family lineage, the Dolma Palace lineage, held the tradition of most of the Sakya esoteric teachings; moreover, most of the monastery heads had received these teachings from my grandfather, so for them the continuity of my family was of the utmost importance. They urged my parents not to give up hope and they considered one of their best teachers, Lama Ngawang Lodro Rinchen, to travel with my parents. This was a loss for the monastery, as he was a very powerful lama who performed all sorts of rituals, and in particular, his prayers had caused children to be born to women who had previously been unable to have children. After that, he always travelled with my father and together they performed rituals and prayers for the birth of a son. Eventually, the answer to their prayers became more evident, and my parents settled in Tsedong, a small, pleasant town near Shigatse. This was decidedly a good place for the baby to be born, perhaps partly because it was the famous birthplace of many great Sakya masters such as Ngachang Chenpo Ngawang Kunga Rinchen. In fact, I was born in the same room as Ngachang Chenpo. 

“Another detail that arose - there were consecutive astrologically inauspicious days. Since my parents wanted me to be born on an auspicious day, they recited more prayers. And I was born on an inauspicious day; I was born on the first day of the eighth Tibetan month (7 September 1945) which is considered to be completely auspicious. It is said that a rainbow appeared over our house and an image of Guru Rinpoche, which was then offered by my father, was seen as a good sign, of course I did not know anything about this.

“The first thing, as soon as the baby was born, was that the seed syllable DHIH, the seed syllable of Manjusri (Manjushri), the symbol of speech and wisdom, was written on the baby's tongue with special nectar made of saffron and many other things. 

“My first birthday was celebrated in Tsedong, after which my family went on a short pilgrimage to the famous shrine of Guru Rinpoche in southern Tibet. We then returned to Sakya, where the second birthday celebration was more elaborate. 

“When I was five years old, in the same year, Lama Ngawang Lodro Rinchen gave me my first lesson in the alphabet. We went to the special Manjusri shrine in Sakya, where he gave me the Consecration of Manjusri and Achala, and then a very old copy written in gold of the Tibetan alphabet was made. This was specially made for the use of the sons of our family. Lama Ngawang then recited the words in front of the image of Manjusri, and I recited after him. This was of course a formality. I had another teacher after that to teach me how to read. 

“I remembered and recited the prayer to Manjusri. I remembered it perfectly clearly. After the ceremony, I was taught to write dictation seven hours a day, six days a week for almost two years. We Tibetans say that the more you practice writing dictation, the faster you will be able to read. 

“I received enthronement ceremonies regularly. In fact, I say that I received the long-life blessing of Buddha Amitayus from my father almost as soon as I was born. When I was four years old, I received the enthronement of Vajra Kila (Dorje Phurba) from my father. I remember this very clearly too. I sat on the lap of the attendant very closely and I remember when my father gave the wrathful part of the enthronement, he put on the hat and costume of a black-capped dancer and performed the ritual dance. I even remember the musicians! 

“In the Dolma Hall. This is a large place with three main shrines and other rooms. There are about eighty rooms in all, and all teachings are given in one of the three shrines.”

Credit: ​Teachings and Activities of the Sakya Lineage (Facebook page)