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1st Sharpa Rinpoche, Chuje Lobsang Dargye, was born in the Gyalrong district
of eastern Tibet to a family of local leaders. Rinpoche lived as a lay person
in the first half of his life, working as a farmer. He was regarded as an
ordinary person until the villagers with whom he worked with observed that
Rinpoche would disappear daily for short periods in mid-days. They decided
to follow Rinpoche secretly one day and found that Rinpoche would go to
one of the caves nearby at noon everyday to rest and the Goddess Saraswati
would appear to play Sitar for Rinpoche's entertainment. Since then, Rinpoche
was respected as a very special being. It was not until the age of 37 that
Rinpoche went to Lhasa to be ordained. He entered the Gyalrong House of
the Mey College, Sera Monastery (the
same house that Pabongkha Rinpoche
and Khejok Rinpoche entered). After his graduation
as a Geshe, Rinpoche gradually became widely respected as one of the leading
figures within the lineage. Due to his high status as a master of great
power, Rinpoche was regarded as the supreme authority within the Gelugpa
lineage and was vested with the power to officially recognize reincarnate
tulkus. Sharpa Rinpoche officially recognized many great masters in his
lifetime, including His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama and Pabongkha
Rinpoche.
The 2nd Sharpa Rinpoche was born shortly after
the passing away of Sharpa Rinpoche I, also in the region of Gyalrong
of eastern Tibet. After the official enthronement, Rinpoche was taken
to Lhasa by his father and entered Gyalrong House of the Sera-Mey
College, where the 1st Sharpa Rinpoche studied. He too became a master
of great knowledge and power. In his life time, he too was consulted as
the authority in the search of many important tulkus. Some of the tulkus
found and recognized by Rinpoche are still alive today. Sharpa Rinpoche
II was the main guru of His Eminence Khejok Rinpoche
when Khejok Rinpoche was learning in Sera-Mey
College, Lhasa. In the 4th lunar month of 1957, 4 days before the
anniversary of Sakyamuni's enlightenment, Rinpoche announced his intention
of passing away. He passed away the next day peacefully.
The reincarnation of Sharpa Rinpoche, born in South
India, was found by His Eminence Khejok Rinpoche.
Since then Sharpa Rinpoche III has been cared after by Khejok
Rinpoche and lived in the Gyalrong House of the re-established
Sera-Mey College in South India. Rinpoche completed his Geshe studies
in 1999. He speaks English and a little of other European languages.
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