The Eighteenth Chobgye Trichen was one of the most influential Sakya masters of the twentieth century. Born into a family that sent many sons into leadership positions at major Sakya monasteries in central Tibet, he was the abbot of Nalendra Monastery before going into exile in 1959. In India and Nepal, he worked in religious affairs for the Tibetan government and helped restore Sakya monasteries in Mustang, where his elder sister had married the king. He built two major Buddhist monasteries in Nepal: his main seat in Lumbini and the Maitreya Temple in Boudhanath. As one of the few lineage holders of many Sakya teachings in exile he was constantly moving across Tibetan communities to perform transmissions and empowerments. Among the main recipients of these was the Forty-First Sakya Trizin. In his final decades he traveled frequently in East Asia and made one visit each to North America and Europe.

Sonam Dolma was a laywoman who was a member of the prominent Drangti family who were patrons of Ngor Monastery. She was the maternal grandmother of Chogye Trichen.

The practitioner known as Nun of the Cemeteries was a twentieth-century Tibetan itinerant practitioner. She was an outstanding disciple of Lama Ngaklo.

Sonam Sengge Wangchuk was a member of the Zhalu Kuzhang family, prominent patrons of several Sakya monasteries in central Tibet. He was a nephew, brother, and father to abbots of Ngor and Nalendra, most famously his youngest son, the Eighteenth Chogye Trichen.

Chime Dolkar was the mother of Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. She was born into the prominent Drangti and Rakashar families that had close ties to Sakya monasteries in central Tibet. She married Sonam Sengge Wangchuk of the Zhalu Kushang family, another important patron of Sakya monasteries.