His Holiness Sakya Trizin is the forty first head of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism and a member of Tibet’s noble Khon family. He is also a descendent of the five great masters who founded the Sakya Order in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Of his teaching, great lamas and scholars have said that even if the five founders themselves were to manifest and teach the Dharma, there is no aspect in which they could improve upon the Sakya Trizin’s teaching. Just as His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, the manifestation of all the Buddhas’ great compassion, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin is the emanation of Manjushri, the manifestation of all the Buddhas’ transcendent wisdom.

In addition to his leadership of the Sakya Order, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin is renowned throughout the world for the great brilliance and clarity of his teachings and his fluency and precise command of the English language.

His Holiness is the peerless guide and leader of the many Sakya monasteries, Dharma centers, monks, nuns and lay students in Tibet, India, Nepal, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. From his main seat in Rajpur, India, he travels tirelessly throughout the world to direct the work of temples and centers, to fulfill requests for teachings and to benefit all sentient beings.

The Sakya Order is one of the four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Since its establishment 800 years ago in Sakya, Tibet, it has produced a long line of great scholars and spiritual masters. The Sakya doctrine includes the full range of the enormous variety of the Buddha's teachings. It is characterized by balanced emphasis of study and meditation, and close adherence to authentic sources of the Buddha's teachings. Tsechen Kunchab Ling is the U.S. seat of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the forty-first head of the Sakya Order. His Holiness Sakya Trizin travels frequently from his monastery in India to teach throughout the world.

Tsechen Kunchab Ling, Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion is the seat of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin in the United States. It is located in New York state, in the village of Walden, in the Catskill mountains, about an hour and fifteen minutes northwest of New York City.  His Holiness the Sakya Trizin established the temple in 2001 in order to deepen the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism in the West by establishing a place where both monastics and lay people can engage in study and practice of authentic philosophy and meditation. Last year, over 2,000 different individuals attended one or more of our temple’s programs. Tsechen Kunchab Ling is a tri-cultural congregation, with activities in English, Chinese, and Tibetan languages.

Tsechen Kunchab Ling’s primary activities are hosting periodic retreats and religious seminars, translations of religious classics, publication of a Buddhist magazine, holding celebrations on holy days, and performing daily prayers for the health and happiness of all sentient beings.

For the past three decades, Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen has taught the Dharma widely in the United States and Southeast Asia.  In 1986, he established Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Study and Meditation in Silver Spring, Maryland.  In April, 2001, he established Tsechen Kunchab Ling Temple in Orange County, New York as the US Seat of the His Holiness the Sakya Trizin.  As Vice President of Tsechen Kunchab Ling, he has taken primary responsibility for the temple's development and on-going management, under the blessing and guidance of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin. Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen is very pleased to be working on this truly unique project with Little Lotus Hearts.

Ane Kunga Chodron has been a nun in the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism for seventeen years. She is currently the Secretary-Treasurer for Tsechen Kunchab Ling temple and was of invaluable assistance to Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen in the founding and development of this great temple. She also serves as President of Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center, which she helped found with Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen. Ane Kunga Chodron holds a doctorate in education from Harvard University. She is very pleased to be working with Little Lotus Hearts and helping to bring this unique and wonderful service to the public.