Gakar Rinpoche

Rinpoche was born in Nepal in 1990, the Year of the Iron Horse, into a family of yogis from the renowned Nub Clan, known as Hungtram.

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He is the great-grandson of the Dzogchen master, Hungtram Rinpoche Yeshe Gangshar Rangdrol. Six months after his birth, his parents took him to Kathmandu on a pilgrimage and brought him to the late Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche for a name-giving ceremony. Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche foretold that the boy would one day benefit sentient beings and uphold the teachings of the Buddha. He advised the parents to raise the child with great care in a virtuous environment. The boy was named Rigdzin Wangdu, meaning "magnetizing awareness holder."

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A decade later, a group of students of the late Gakar Rinpoche—Lama Namgyal, Lama Chodrub, Gelong Ogyen Dudjom, Gelong Rangdrol, and Gakar Tsering Dawa—began the search for his reincarnation. They sought the guidance of Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche to confirm the whereabouts of Gakar Rinpoche's tulku. Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche stated, "The boy has already been reborn. In the future, I will give you the details of his birth, so please remind me."

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In 2004, during the Nyingma Kama empowerments at Shechen Monastery, attended by masters from various schools and thousands of devotees, Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche presented a prediction letter to the search party. The letter provided specific details, including the year of the tulku's birth, the direction of his birthplace, and the names of his parents.

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Following these instructions, the search party returned to Dolpo, where they discovered that the boy had already become a monk at Shechen Monastery.

 

In 2011, Gakar Rinpoche was formally enthroned by Kyabje Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche at the seat of the former Gakar Rinpoche in Dho Tarap, Dolpo. Rinpoche continued his studies in Bhutan, near Paro Taktsang, under the tutelage of Khenpo Yeshe Gyaltsen, alongside other tulkus, to further his education.

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He had begun his early education under his great-grandfather, Hungtram Rinpoche, and at the age of ten, he entered Shechen Monastery to pursue his monastic studies. In 2016, Rinpoche completed his advanced Buddhist studies at Shechen Philosophical College.

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Currently, he teaches actively both at the monastery and internationally and serves as the Administrative Director of the Dratsang department of Shechen Monastery.