The Late 33rd sMenri Trizin
34th sMenri Trizin
The sMenri Trizin
Spiritual Leader of the Bön Community
“sMenri Trizin” means “Throne Holder of Medicine Mountain (Monastery).” In Yungdrung Bön, sMenri Monastery is the mother monastery of the religion. Its throne holder is considered the spiritual head of all Bönpo worldwide. The sMenri Trizin holds all the teachings and empowerments of Bön.
The sMenri Trizin is a position granted by the Wisdom Protectors. The leader’s name is revealed from a group eligible Geshes during a several-day long ceremony, where the name is chosen by the Wisdom Deities and Yidams. Once named sMenri Trizin, the title is usually held until the end of their life.
The Late 33rd sMenri Trizin Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche
At age 8, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche began his studies at the Kyong Tsang monastery. After many more years of study, fleeing Tibet in 1959, and founding schools and meditation centers, he was chosen as the new Abbot (Trizin) of the new sMenri Monastery in Dolanji in 1969. With that title, he assumed the role of spiritual leader of all Bön. His Holiness founded the Bön Dialectic School at sMenri Monastery, as well as the Bön Children’s Welfare Center and the Redna sMenling Nunnery in Dolanji. Because of His Holiness the 33rd sMenri Trizin’s tireless dedication, Dolanji has become a a thriving center of Tibetan culture and education for exiled Tibetans and new generations of Tibetans.
34th sMenri Trizin Dawa Dhargye Rinpoche
The newest sMenri Trizin, Geshe Dawa Dhargye Rinpoche, was born in November 29th, 1972 in Amdo, Tibet. At 17, he became a monk Gamal Monastery in Amdo. When he was 22 years old, he met the 33rd Menri Trizin Rinpoche and received the Monk’s rules of Drangsong, from his Holiness and received a name of Dawa Darge Wangpo. At 24, he received Geshe degree from Gamal Monastery. The next year, he arrived in India, at the sMenri Monastery and joined the Bon Dialectic school in Dholanji, where he received a Geshe degree in 2012. On January 1, 2018, he was chosen to be the 34th sMenri Trizin of the sMenri Monastery.
sMenri Monastery
Medicine Mountain Monastery:
The Main Monastery of Bön
sMenri Monastery is the main monastery of the Bön religion. It is dedicated to the preservation of the Bönreligion and to the religious training and practice of a new generation of students who will be responsible for keeping the indiginous Tibetan spiritual and cultural traditions alive. This work is more important than ever as the native culture is being lost in the Tibetan homeland. His Holiness the 33rd sMenri Trizin, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima, is the supreme head of sMenri Monastery and the world-wide Bön community.
Nyammed Sherab Gyaltsen founded the original sMenri Monastery in the Tsang province of Tibet in 1405. The name “sMenri” means “Medicine Mountain” and refers to the highly regarded herbal medicine that the Abbots of sMenri Monastery have made since the founding of the Monastery.
During the Chinese invasion in 1959, the orginal sMenri Monastery was destroyed. Many monks from sMenri Monastery and lay people from the nearby areas fled to India. Through the efforts of His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, they managed to purchase land in 1967 in Himachal Pradesh, northern India, where the village of Dolanji is now located. His Holiness established the new sMenri Monastery in 1967, and the adjacent village of Dolanji.
Today, sMenri Monastery houses approximately 300 monks and novices. It includes a temple, dormitory areas, kitchen, library, and research center for scholars.
Bön Dialectic School
School of Advanced Bön Training
Under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness, sMenri Monastery houses the Bön Dialectic School, a school for advanced religious training in the Bön tradition. The rigorous, nine-year course of study culminates in the degree of “Geshe,” which equates to a doctorate degree in the West.
The vision of both H.H. 33rd sMenri Trizin and H.E. Yongdzin Rinpoche is that the Bön Dialectic School will raise the new generation of young monks to carry on the unique tradition and wisdom from the past, connect the transmission lineage from the older to younger generations, and spread the Bön teachings for the benefit of all people.
As of today, over 100 qualified Geshes have graduated from the Bön Dialectic School, fulfilling their wish to preserve their culture and serve others by teaching.
The Redna sMenling Convent
School of Advanced Bön Training
Under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness, sMenri Monastery houses the Bön Dialectic School, a school for advanced religious training in the Bön tradition. The rigorous, nine-year course of study culminates in the degree of “Geshe,” which equates to a doctorate degree in the West.
The vision of both H.H. 33rd sMenri Trizin and H.E. Yongdzin Rinpoche is that the Bön Dialectic School will raise the new generation of young monks to carry on the unique tradition and wisdom from the past, connect the transmission lineage from the older to younger generations, and spread the Bön teachings for the benefit of all people.
As of today, over 100 qualified Geshes have graduated from the Bön Dialectic School, fulfilling their wish to preserve their culture and serve others by teaching.