The Treasury of Lives

The Kondor line is a Geluk incarnation line dating from the sixteenth century and based at Chamdo Jampaling. It originated when the Second Kondor Tulku, Jewon Konchok Dorje, was identified as the reincarnation of Khedrub Shākya Lhawang, an abbot of Tashi Pende Monastery in Nyangpo. The Kondor line has had strong connections -- and often blood relations -- with the Zhiwa Lha and Pakpa Lha lines, the presiding lamas of Chamdo Jampaling.

Timeline

Biographies

The First Kondor Tulku, Khedrub Shakya Lhawang, a relative of the Second Pakpa Lha and both the Second and Third Zhiwa Lha, was an abbot of Pende Monastery in Nyangpo. There he constructed assembly hall and temples, commissioned the printing of a large number of texts, and installed statues and other objects. He also restored the tradition of the oral transmission of Heruka. The title "Kondor Tulku" was applied posthumously, derived from the name of the Second Kondor Tulku, Jewon Konchok Dorje.

The Second Kondor Tulku, Lobzang Wangchuk, also known as Konchok Dorje, was the nephew of the Fifth Pakpa Lha. He received his basic education in Kham and higher education at Sera Monastery. He also received teachings from prominent lamas including the Fifth Paṇchen Lama, the Seventh Dalai Lama, and the Fifth Pakpa Lha.

The Third Kondor Tulku, Lobzang Chokle Namgyel, was the twenty-fourth abbot of Chamdo Jampa Ling Monastery. He was born in Kham and studied with the Fourth Zhiwa Lha and the Seventh Pakpa Lha, and also studied at Sera Monastery.

The Fourth Kondor Tulku, Lobzang Jampel Tendzin Namgyel, studied in Lhasa and was a disciple of the important Geluk incarnations of Chamdo Monastery, including the Eighth Pakpa Lha, the Seventh Chakra Tulku, and the Fifth Zhiwa Lha. He founded Chuber Hermitage where he spent most of his later life in intensive retreats.

The Fifth Kondor Tulku, Lobzang Namgyel Tendzin Lhundrub, was the thirtieth abbot of Chamdo Ganden Jampa Ling monastery, serving from 1938 to 1950. He was educated in Kham and Lhasa, studying with the Eighth Chakra Tulku, the Sixth Zhiwa Lha, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, the First Pabongkha, and Geshe Jampa Taye.