The Treasury of Lives

The Ninth Bogd Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen (bog to rje btsun dam pa hu thug tu 'jam dpal rnam grol chos kyi rgyal mtshan) was born in 1932, the water–monkey year of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle, in Lhasa, Tibet. He was born in the clan of Ra (rwa). His father, Lobzang Jampel (blo bzang 'jam dpal), was from Penpo ('phan po) and his mother, Yangchen Lhamo (dbyangs can lha mo), was from Chamdo (chab mdo). 

Yangchen Lhamo brought her son to the Ninetieth Ganden Tripa, Trehor Jampa Chodrak (tre hor byams pa chos grags, 1876–1937), who gave him the name Sonam Dargye (bsod nams dar rgyas). Later, when Sonam Dargye was about three months, the Second Pabongkha, Dechen Nyingpo Jampa Tenzin Trinle Gyatso (bde chen snying po byams pa bstan 'dzin 'phrin las rgya mtsho, 1878–1941) added the name Tenzin, saying, "It is certain that he would be a holder of Buddhist teachings."^[1] Thus, his childhood name became Sonam Tenzin Dargye (bsod nams bstan 'dzin dar rgyas). When Sonam Tenzin Dargye was six months old, his parents separated, after which he went into the care of his maternal uncle Chopel Namgyel (chos 'phel rnam rgyal), a former guard (gzim 'gag zur ba) of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama (ta la'i bla ma, 1876–1933).

Both Jampa Chodrak and Pabongkha affirmed that Sonam Tenzin Dargye was an extraordinary child, but they did not identify him as a specific incarnate lama. Drepung Khangsar Ngawang Tubten Chokyi Wangchuk (khang gsar ngag dbang thub bstan chos kyi dbang phyug, 1888–1942) likewise considered the young boy to be a reincarnation. The Nechung (gnas chung) and Gadong (dga' gdong) oracles identified him as a reincarnation of Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden ('jam dbyangs chos rje bkra shis ldan 1379–1449), a disciple of Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa 1357–1419), by publicly referring to him as "Jamyang Namkha Norbu" ('jam dbyangs nam mkha' nor bu) and "Jamyang Choje." Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden is considered as the tenth preincarnation of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu line. The lineage starts with Indian Paṇḍita Barwai Tsowo ('bar ba'i gtso bo); Jonang Jetsun Tāranātha (tA ra nA tha, 1575–1635) was the immediate predecessor of the First Bogd Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Öndör Gegeen Zanabazar Lobzang Tenpey Gyeltsen (blo bzang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan).

In 1939, when Sonam Tenzin Dargye was seven years old, the Fifth Reting Rinpoche, Tubten Jampel Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen (rwa sgreng 05 thub bstan 'jam dpal ye shes bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan 1912–1947), then the regent of Tibet, recognized him as the reincarnation of the Eighth Bogd Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Ngawang Lobzang Chokyi Nyima Tenzin Wangchuk (ngag dbang blo bzang chos kyi nyi ma bstan 'dzin dbang phyug 1870–1924). The identification was tenuous, as the socialist regime in Mongolia had forbidden the recognition of the Eighth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu in 1929. Reting Rinpoche therefore told Chopel Namgyel to keep the child's identity secret and instead present him as the reincarnation of Jamyang Choje.^[2] His advice was largely influenced by the political situation in Mongolia at that time. 

Tibet: Monastic Training, Chod and Sādhana Practice, and Residence in Jonang Monasteries

In 1940, Sonam Tenzin Dargye began his training at Gomang (sgo mang grwa tshang), one of the monastic colleges at Drepung Monastery ('bras spungs dgon). He took the vows of a novice monk from the Fifth Reting Rinpoche and received the monastic name of Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen. He entered Drepung Gomang monastic college as an ordinary monk rather than a high-incarnated lama as Reting Rinpoche advised.  

He studied at the monastery for eleven years advancing up to the second year of the Madhyamaka class under the main tutorship of Geshe Ngawang Choden (ngag dbang chos ldan), the Buryat–Mongol geshe Ngawang Nyima (ngag dbang nyi ma) and the Mongol geshe Tashi Gyatso (bkra shis rgya mtsho). He ended his studies five years before earning his own geshe degree, dedicating himself to meditation training and the practice of chod (gcod).

Around the year 1950 he visited the Twelfth Tatsak Jedrung Kundeling, Lobzang Tubten Jigme Gyeltsen (rta tshag rje drung blo bzang thub bstan 'jigs med rgyal mtshan 1924–1956). Tatsak Rinpoche gave him the transmission for the Ganden Aural Transmission (dga' ldan snyan brgyud), also known as the Wensa Aural Transmission (dben sa snyan brgyud), the Geluk tradition of chod. Following this he immediately went into the Hundred and Eight Springs Wandering Retreat (chu mig brgya rtsa) for four months.

After completing his retreat, he went to E Khajo Ganden Namgyel Monastery (e mkha' spyod dga' ldan rnam rgyal dgon) and received another Geluk chod transmission, the Khandro Aural Transmission, (mkha' 'gro snyan brgyud), from Lhatsun Rinpoche, Lobzang Tubten Gelek Rabgye (lha btsun blo bzang thub bstan dge legs rab rgyas, 1884–1967).

Shortly afterwards, Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen performed two two-month Khajoma retreats and then went for pilgrimage to Yoru Jangyu (g.yo ru byang rgyud) in the U–Tsang region. Upon completing the pilgrimage, he undertook a two-month White Mañjuśrī retreat.  

In the summer of 1952, Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen visited Takten Puntsok Ling (rtag brtan phun tshogs gling), the monastery established by the Jonang master Tāranātha that had been converted to the Geluk tradition in the seventeenth century. Although Geluk lamas, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtus are considered incarnations of Tāranātha. He had been invited there several times by an Amdo trader named Lobzang who was a patron of the monastery, and remained for four years, assisting in the renovation of the monastery. While there he received Kālacakra teachings in the Jonang tradition from the Jonang yogi Kunga Rinchen Gyatso (kun dga' rin chen rgya mtsho) of Se Monastery (bswe dgon) in the Ngawa region of Amdo.

During his time at Takten Puntsok Ling he renounced his monkhood and married Pema Chodron (padma chos sgron). Their son, Tenzin Norbu, now known as Tukse Rinpoche (thugs sras rin po che bstan 'dzin nor bu) was born at the monastery.

In 1956, he and his family went to the Jonang monastery Cholung Jangtse (chos lung byang rtse), where Jetsun Kunga Drolchok (rje btsun kun dga' grol mchog, 1507–1566)—considered a previous incarnation of Tāranātha—had served as abbot in the sixteenth century. He resided there for some months and visited  Zar Chokhor Dechenling (gzar chos 'khor bde chen gling) and the nunnery Rinchen Ling (rin chen gling). He resided at the two institutions for a total of three years. Around this time, he married a second wife, Rigzin Dolma (rig 'dzin sgrol ma).

India: Life in Exile

In 1959, Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen and Rigzin Drolma fled from Tibet to Nepal after learning about the flight of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama (ta la'i bla ma 14, b. 1935). They were joined by his steward Tubten Choying (thub bstan chos dbyings), who had been the steward of the Eighth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. Pema Chodron and son Tenzin Norbu joined them soon after in Walung, on the Sikkimese border in northeastern Nepal.

After staying a year in Walung, he and his family moved to India, first settling in Darjeeling, where he lived for twelve years. During this time his family expanded. Pema Chodron gave birth to two daughters: Tsering Chodron (tshe ring chos sgron) and Jampa Namgyel (byams pa rnam rgyal). Rigzin Drolma gave birth to four sons: Tubten Sherab (thub bstan shes rab), Tashi Dondrub (bkra shis don grub), Sonam Gyatso (bsod nams rgya mtsho) and Chopel Yonten (chos 'phel yon tan). Later, in 1985 he had another son, Jampel Sicho ('jam dpal srid gcod) with a third wife, Rigzin Lhamo (rig 'dzin lha mo). 

While living in Darjeeling, he visited and received teachings and empowerments from the Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje (rang byung rig pa'i rdo rje, 1924–1981), the Sixth Ling Rinpoche, Tubten Lungtok Namgyal Trinle (thup bstan lung rtogs rnam rgyal 'prin las, 1903–1983) and the Third Trijang, Lobzang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (blo bzang ye shes bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho, 1901–1981). 

Kalu Rinpoche, Rangjung Kunkhyab (kar lu rin po che karma rang 'byung kun khyab, 1905–1989) gave him the Kālacakra empowerment in the Jonang tradition, the Six Doctrines of Niguma (ni gu chos drug), Hayagrīva empowerments, the Third Karmapa's (karma pa 03, 1284–1339) chod teaching known as the Precious Garland (tshogs las rin chen 'phreng ba), and the Khandro Aural Transmission. At the direction of Kalu Rinpoche, he completed a one-year retreat on Hayagrīva in Varanasi, India.

After living in Darjeeling for twelve years, he sought a residence in a Tibetan refugee settlement in South India. He first went to Lugzung Samdrubling (lugs zung bsam 'grub gling) at Bylakuppe, Karnataka, then to Dekyi Larso (bde skyid slar gso) also in Bylakuppe. Unable to establish a residence there, he went to Donden Ling settlement (don ldan gling) at Kollegal, to the southeast of Bylakuppe.^[3] He was unable to secure permission of the Council for Home Affairs of the Tibetan government-in-exile (bod gzhung nang srid las khungs) to receive a plot of land in any of the settlements.^[4]

With no success relocating in a settlement, he moved to the Indian city of Ooty, in Tamil Nadu. There, he engaged in the seasonal sweater selling trade, buying wholesale sweaters from Ludhiana in Punjab. Finally, in 1981, he was able to relocate to the Tibetan settlement Pende Ling (phan bde gling) in Mainpat, Madhya Pradesh.^[5] He lived there as a farmer and a community lama, together with his daughter Tsering Chodron, until 1993.

Dharmasala, India: Formal Recognition and Enthronement

In 1990, the Mongolian socialist regime collapsed, and in September of that year, Kelsang Yeshe (skal bzang ye shes), the minister for religious and cultural affairs in the Tibetan government-in-exile, and the secretary Karma Gelek Yuthok (karma dge legs gyu thog) visited Mongolia to attend the Eighth General Conference of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace—an international Buddhist organization founded in Mongolia in 1970—which convened in Ulaanbaatar. Other Tibetan delegates attending the conference included Denma Locho Rinpoche (ldan ma blo chos rin po che, 1928–2014), Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche Jamyang Dondub (sga rje khams sprul rin po che 'jam dbyangs don grub, 1928–2019) and the Nechung Oracle (gnas chung sku rten).^[6]

A year after the visit, the Council for Religious and Cultural Affairs sent a letter dated September 17, 1991, to the Dalai Lama about the need to recognize the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. The letter stated that during their visit to Mongolia, the minister and secretary met with the Mongolian president and other dignitaries and that the Mongolians had inquired about the identity of a person in exile who was said to be the incarnation of Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. As a result, on September 20, 1991, on the eve of an official visit to Mongolia, the Dalai Lama announced that Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen was the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. At that time, he was fifty-nine years old.

On January 24, 1992, the Dalai Lama visited Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen in Mainpat and publicly introduced him as the Ninth Khalkha Jebtsundampa Khutugtu in a meeting with local Tibetans held at Dakpo Shedrubling Monastery (dwags po bshad sgrub gling).^[7] An official enthronement ceremony took place at Tekchen Choling Tsuklagkhang (theg chen chos gling gtsug lag khang) in Dharamsala on March 16, 1992. Minister Kelsang Yeshe, secretary Karma Gelek Yuthok, Denma Locho Rinpoche and other officials and incarnated lamas attended the enthronement ceremony. On March 27, 1992, he was enthroned a second time at Drepung Gomang India ('bras spungs sgo mang) in south India. He moved to Dharamsala in 1993. Formal recognition followed by enthronement led him gradually to hold two significant titles and positions: the head of Mongolian Buddhism as well as the head of Jonang school in-exile. The first title was officially conferred upon him much later in 2011, a year before his demise. However, the second position, as the head of Jonang school in-exile, was assumed soon after his enthronement.

In August, 1993, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, under the Dalai Lama's instruction, went to Tibet for Jonang teachings, accompanied by his sons Tukse Rinpoche and Chopel Yonten. He received empowerment, transmissions, and teachings from the Jonang lama Ngawang Yonten Zangpo (ngag dbang yon tan bzang po, 1928–2002) of Dzamtang ('dzam thang dgon). He had previously visited Tibet in 1986 with his daughter Tsering Chodron. On this second journey he had planned to request transmissions from Kunga Tukje Pelzangpo (kun dga' thugs rje dpal bzang po, 1925–2000) of Se Monastery, but was refused permission from Chinese authorities to enter Ngawa. He also traveled to Lhasa and Shigatse, visiting Tashilhunpo (bkra shis lhun po), Lhamo Latso (lha mo bla mtsho), and Takten Puntsok Ling, where he stayed for a period of two months. The entourage returned to India on February 11, 1994.

In September and October of 1994, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, accompanied by his son Chopel Yonten, went on a teaching tour in North America, stopping in Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Hawai, Chicago, and Toronto.^[8] He returned to North America again in 1995 and 1998.    

Visit to Russia

The Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu made his first visit to Russia in 1997. He was invited to Buryatia by the Agvana Dorjieva Foundation (Fond Agvana Dorjieva). Accepting the invitation, he visited Buryatia accompanied by his two sons Tubten Sherab and Chopel Yonten.

Starting from June 12 to July 8, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu paid visit several temples in Buryatia including Atsagat Datsan (dga' ldan dar rgyas gling), and Kurumkan Datsan Gandanshaddubling (dga' ldan bshad sgrub gling). At Kurumkan Datsan, he gave teachings on The Essence of Refined Gold (lam rim gser zhun ma) of the Third Dalai Lama Sonam Gyatso (bsod nams rgya mtsho 1543–1588) and also bestowed a Yamantaka empowerment.

About the trip to Buryatia and its connection to a possible visit to Mongolia, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu said,

Though I had to go to Mongolia, due to certain karmic connections, I first came Buryatia, Russia. For this, there must be some strong spiritual connection. But I hope that this visit will open the door for Mongolia, and when I go there someday, I will do everything I can do to help Mongolian people.^[9]

The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu returned to Russia in September 1998. He was invited by the Center of Lama Tsongkhapa (Tsentra Lamy Zonkapy), founded by Tibetan geshe Jampa Trinle (byams pa 'prin las) in 1996 in Moscow. He returned to Kalmykia and Buryatia in 1999, 2001, and 2002. 

Visit to Mongolia and Enthronement at Erdene Zuu Monastery

On July 13, 1999, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu made his first visit to Mongolia. The trip was not arranged through the government or the Buddhist leadership, and he entered the country on a one-month tourist visa. A monk at Gandantegchenling (dga' ldan theg chen gling), the main monastery in the capital, he recollected,"When I received a telephone call from the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, he asked me, 'Should I come to Mongolia or not?' I answered him, 'Yes, please come.'"^[10] The abbot of Gandantegchenling, Dembereliin Choijamts, the head of Mongolian Buddhism, was not told of the visit. The Jebtsundampa's presence coincided with a state visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who arrived two days later, on July 15, 1999.

During the two-day official visit of the Chinese president, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu stayed about twenty-five kilometers outside of Ulaanbaatar, in a place called Ar Bumbat. Shortly after Jiang Zemin's departure, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu returned to the capitol, staying at the Chinggis Khan Hotel, the finest hotel at that time. 

In Ulaanbaatar, he visited and gave teachings at several monasteries. He gave the Kālacakra authorization initiation (rjes gnang) at Dashchoiling Monastery (bkra shis chos gling) on July 19, and a long-life empowerment of White Tāra at the Kālacakra temple Dechen Kalāpa Kuntu Gebai Podrang (bde chen ka lā pa kun tu dge ba'i pho brang) of Gandantegchenling on July 26. He also visited the headquarters of Mongolian Democratic Association (Mongolyn Ardchilsan Holboo) and described the long process of his recognition.

On August 4, the heads of several monasteries organized an enthronement ceremony at Erdene Zuu Monastery (e rte ne jo bo) in Harhorin, Übürhangai province, over three hundred sixty kilometers away from Ulaanbaatar. At the ceremony, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu was enthroned as the head of Mongolian Buddhism. He was offered a newly made silver seal, which bears the Mongolian national symbol Soyombo in the middle, and an inscription in Mongolian traditional script that reads "the seal of Bogd Jebtsundampa Gegeen, the head of Mongolian Buddhism." At a press conference on August 16 he remarked, "After the enthronement, some media refer to me as a Lord of Buddhism (shashny ezen) and Dharma king (nomyn haan); in fact, the Lord of Buddhism is the Buddha. In my case, I have the responsibility of disseminating and promoting Buddhist teachings."^[11]

Courtesy of Oohnoin Batsaihan. Used by permission.

Seal offered to the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, 2011

The enthronement and seal were an attempt by the religious leaders to establish a new office for the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu akin to the pre-Soviet circumstances. The timing of the ceremony, three days after the expiration of the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu's visa, was further intended to force the Mongolian government to grant him citizenship. The government, which was maintaining the socialist-era policy of not recognizing reincarnations, was not pleased, and the Embassy of Mongolia in India notified the Tibetan government-in-exile through a representative office of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi of the visa violation. The Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu received notice from Kalon Tripa Sonam Topgyal (bsod nams stobs rgyal), urging him to return to India immediately. His unofficial visit risked causing a diplomatic incident between Mongolia and China.

On September 17, 1999, taking the Trans-Mongolia train, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu and his son Chopel Yonten crossed the border of Mongolia and entered Buryatia, Russia. Two senior monks of Gandantegchenling Monastery accompanied them: vice-abbot Yondongiin Amgalan and venerable Ösöhbayaryn Gündsambuu, who served as a Mongolian translator. From Buryatia, Russia, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu and his entourage visited Tuva where he consecrated several newly opened Buddhist temples and two temples in Kyzyl, capital city of the region.^[12]  They then went to Moscow and flew back to New Delhi. On the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu's return to Dharamsala he met with the Dalai Lama who, after listening to his account, said, "Well done" (yag po byung sha).^[13] The visit had helped restore the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu lineage in Mongolia, but it would not be until the presidency of Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj, who served from 2009 to 2017, that the policy forbidding recognition would be rescinded. 

Restoring the Jonang Tradition in Exile

In 1997, the Dalai Lama had appointed the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu the head of Jonang tradition. A year later, in February of 1998, the Dalai Lama offered him Sanggye Choling Monastery (sangs rgyas chos gling) in Shimla to use as the Jonang seat in exile. The monastery had been first established by Lama Jinpa Gyatso (sbyin pa rgya mtsho) in 1963 and given to the Dalai Lama in 1990. On April 10, 1998, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, accompanied by thirty-two Jonang monks, visited the monastery and renamed it Takten Puntsok Choling (rtag brtan phun tshogs chos gling).^[14]

In 1998, during the Great Prayer Festival (smon lam chen mo), on the sixth day of the first month of the earth-tiger year, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu led a long-life ceremony (brtan bzhugs) for the Dalai Lama on behalf of the Jonang community. It was the first time the community had offered the ceremony to the Dalai Lama and demonstrated the establishment of Jonang school in exile and the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Jampel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen as its head.

In India, on May 18 of 2000, the Buddha Purnima day, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu presided over the opening ceremony of Takten Puntsok Choling. The chief guests for the ceremony were Vishnukant Shastri, governor of Himachal Pradesh, Lobzang Khedrub (blo bzang mkhas grub), the secretary of religion and culture of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and a representative of the Yungdrung Bon monastery in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. 

Two years later, in June, 2002, the Dalai Lama visited Takten Puntsok Choling and gave the transmission of Kunga Drolchok's One hundred and Eight Instructions of Jonang (jo nang khrid brgya) to over two hundred monastics and around three thousand lay people.^[15] At the end of the transmission, the Dalai Lama gave a transmission of his own composition, An Aspiration Prayer for the Flourishing of the Jonang Tradition (jo nang bstan pa rgyas pa'i smon lam) to the audience. 

On April 9 of 2008, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu presided over the opening ceremony of Takten Labrang, the Office of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, at Takten Puntsok Choling. At that time, Tashi Lama (bkra shis bla ma) offered his monastery, Tashi Chotang (bkra shis chos thang) in Mon Dirang (mon rdi rang), Arunachal Pradesh, as an affiliate of Takten Puntsok Choling.^[16]

Kālacakra Empowerment in Taiwan and Russia

In 2001, at the invitation of the Institute of Buddhist Learning and Practice (nang bstan bshad sgrub slob gnyer khang), founded by Sera Me Khujo Rinpoche (se ra smad rgyal rong khu 'jo rin po che, 1936–2013), the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu went to Taiwan accompanied with his sons Tukse Rinpoche, Chopel Yonten, and ten monks of Namgyel Dratsang (rnam rgyal grwa tshang). There, he gave the Kālacakra empowerment to over two thousand people. According to Tukse Rinpoche, this was the first time a Vajrayāna Buddhist lama had given the Kālacakra empowerment in Taiwan.^[17]

In the following year, the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu bestowed the Kālacakra empowerment in Tuva and Kalmykia. A formal request of bestowing Kālacakra empowerment was made by Sherig-ool Oorzhak, the head of the Republic of Tuva, who served from 1992 to 2007 and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of Kalmykia from 1993 to 2010. He visited Tuva in September 2003, to bestow the Kālacakra there. Over thirty thousand people received the empowerment. During the two days of actual empowerment, September 11 and 12, the Tuvan government declared a public holiday for schools and offices to encourage participation.^[18] Local media reported that during the empowerment people were encouraged to abstain from negative acts such as over-drinking and smoking, and to give their names to the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu so he could strengthen their commitment in his prayers. It is reported that over 500 people submitted their names.^[19]

The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu and his entourage then went to the Republic of Kalmykia and gave the Kālacakra empowerment in Elista, the capital city, from October 1 to 13. He gave a Vajrayoginī empowerment in Moscow at the Center of Lama Tsongkhapa on his return to India. 

In 2005, he was invited once again to Kalmykia and Buryatia, by Shajin Lama Telo Tulku (shajin bla ma te lo rin po che b.1972), the head lama of the Republic of Kalmykia and the dharma center Green Tara (Zelenaya Tara) of the Tibetan geshe Jampa Trinle (byams pa 'phrin las, b.1962). He was met at the Moscow airport by Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of Kalmykia, Telo Tulku, and many devotees. On August 8, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu gave an empowerment of Hayagrīva to over five thousand people from the different regions of Kalmykia and Russian cities. Following the empowerment, he gave teachings on The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattva (rgyal sras lag len so bdun ma) at Ganden Shedrub Chokhor Ling (dga' ldan bshad sgrub chos 'khor gling) in Elista.

After visiting Kalmykia, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu went to Buryatia. For two days, August 25 and 26, he gave an empowerment of Avalokiteśvara in the tradition of Lakṣmī at the Cultural and Sports Complex (Kul'turno-sportivny kompleks) in Ulan-Ude. In the following days, he gave longevity empowerment (tshe dbang) of White Tārā in Ulan-Ude and chod teachings at Green Tara dharma center. 

In 2007, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu briefly visited Australia, where he visited the Institute of Buddhist Learning and Practice of Sera Me Khujo Rinpoche. That same year, in October, he returned to Russia and gave teachings at Burhn Bagshin Altn Süme (dga' ldan bshad sgrub chos 'khor gling) in Elista, Kalmykia, and Buddhist Center Mahayana in Moscow at the invitation of Telo Tulku. He made a brief teaching stop in Budapest, Hungary, before returning to India.  

Mongolia: Visit to Mongolia and Official Enthronement at Gandantegchenling Monastery

When the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu was in Russia in 2005, he sent a Mongolian disciple, the monk Jamyandorj, to Mongolia with a suitcase. The suitcase was fully packed with items necessary for giving Kālacakra empowerment. Inside the suitcase was also his crown. The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu told Jamyandorj, "I will come to Mongolia from Buryatia. I will give the Kālacakra empowerment. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has assigned sixteen monks from Namgyel Monastery. When I reach Mongolia, they will come to Mongolia."^[20] The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu had hoped, under a new administration of the newly elected Mongolian President, to be able to travel to the country, but he was unable to do so, and instructed Jamyandorj to return the suitcase to Buryatia. The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu declared, "My crown went to Mongolia before me. This is an auspicious sign."^[21]  

That year the first group of Mongolian monks arrived in Shimla to study the Jonang tradition at Takten Puntsok Choling. In 2006, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu recognized a Mongolian monk who was studying at Drepung Gomang as a reincarnation of Jonang Khenchen Jamyang Konchok Zangpo ('jam dbyangs dkon mchog bzang po, 1398–1475). In the same year, he recognized three additional Mongolian reincarnated lamas. Among them was a reincarnation of Mongolian prime minister the Eighth Jalhanz Khutugtu Damdinbazar (rgyal khang rtse hu thug thu rta mgrin vajra 1874–1923). He recognized the reincarnation of another Mongolian former prime minister the Sixth Donhor Manzshir Khutugtu (ston 'khor Mañjuśrī hu thug thu 1872–1937) in 2009.

On May 24, 2009, Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj was elected president of Mongolia. His first official state visit, in September 2009, was to India, during which a Mongolian official reached out to the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu's office and requested a meeting in New Delhi. The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu sent his sons Tukse Rinpoche and Chophel Yonten, and a Mongolian monk translator to New Delhi where they met Mongolian foreign minister Sühbaataryn Batbold. The minister surprised them by extending an invitation to the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu to visit Mongolia. Tukse Rinpoche recollected, "It was just sudden. No one was expecting [the invitation]. We were just giving up [on visiting Mongolia again]. Suddenly things happened."^[22] The government invitation was followed by a visit to Dharamsala from Dembereliin Choijamts, abbot of Gandantegchenling Monastery and head of the Center of Mongolian Buddhists (Mongolyn Burhan Shashintny Töv) to extend the official invitation.

The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, accompanied by his sons Tukse Rinpoche, Chopel Yonten, and Jampel Sicho, his steward Jampel Wangmo ('jam dpal dbang mo), and a Russian disciple Katya Muravyeva arrived in Mongolia on October 25, 2009. He was met at the airport by Dembereliin Choijamts and the Seventh Zaya Paṇḍita Luvsandanzanpüljinjigmed (blo bzang bstan 'dzin phul byung 'jigs med, 1971–2019), whom the Dalai Lama had identified in 1999, the first recognition of a Mongolian reincarnation after the collapse of socialism there. 

During the visit President Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj—who had first met the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu in 1999 when he was a member of parliament—requested that Jebtsundampa Khutugtu take rebirth in Mongolia. The Jebtsundampa Khutugtu confirmed that he would do so.^[23] He returned to Mongolia again in 2010, appearing together with the president at Gandantegchenling Monastery at the event of celebrating the Buddha's Enlightenment Day. On June 18, 2010, he opened the Ganden Labrang (dga' ldan bla brang), the Office of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu at Gandantegchenling Monastery. He then applied for citizenship, a necessary step to assume the position of head of Mongolian Buddhism. This was granted in August 2010. President Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj personally presented the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu with a Mongolian citizenship identity card and a passport. In addition to these official documents, he presented him symbolic gifts, including a Mongolian horse-head fiddle (morin huur) and a copy of the Secret History of Mongolia (Mongolyn nuuts tovchoo), a literary work on the rise of Chinggis Khan (1162–1227) and his conquests.

At the Ochirdari Dugan (Vajradhāra Temple) at the Gandantegchenling, where a statue of Vajradhara created by the First Jebtsundampa Öndör Gegeen Zanabazar Khutugtu still stands, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu gave a short speech to the monks and lay people who had assembled there. In it he stated: 

I am happy to receive the Mongolian citizenship identity card today from the President. Moreover, I am happy to see the title of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, the head of Mongolia Buddhism, being restored in Mongolia. Personally, I do not have any desire to sit on the high throne of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. However, I pray earnestly for a coming reincarnation of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu who will be a fully ordained monk endowed with both high learning and realization. I have hope and am fully confident this will happen in the future.^[24]

Next year, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu celebrated the Mongolian New Year, Tsagaan Sar, which fell on February 3, 2011. It was the first time in eighty-seven years that the Mongols were able to celebrate the New Year with the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. The following week the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu presided over a consecration ceremony for a Vajrapāṇi statue, one of two statues that he had commissioned for the Avalokiteśvara temple, Migjed Janraisig, at Gandantegchenling monastery. Another statue he commissioned to create was a statue of Mañjuśrī.

By this time the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu's health was declining. He had undergone a kidney transfer in Singapore in 2004, his son Tukse Rinpoche being the donor, and he had suffered a stroke in Budapest in 2007, requiring the use of a wheelchair. After several additional medical visits in Singapore and Mongolia, he was hospitalized twice in Ulaanbaatar. His condition necessitated organizing an enthronement ceremony without delay. It took place on November 2, 2011, at the at Idgaachoinzinling monastic college (yid dga' chos 'dzin gling grwa tshang) of Gandantegchenling, attended by abbots of the major Mongolian monasteries and multiple foreign dignitaries, including Shri Satbir Singh, the Indian ambassador. The enthronement ceremony was broadcast live by the Mongolian TV9 channel. On November 11, President Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj ratified the decision of enthroning the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu as the head of Mongolian Buddhism under the Presidential Order No.15 issued on January 19, 2012.

The Dalai Lama's Visit to Mongolia and the Testament of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu

Five days after the enthronement, on November 7, 2011, the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia. He met the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu at Ganden Labrang, Gandantegchenling. All senior monk officials of Gandantegchenling, including abbot Dembereliin Choijamts, the sons of the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, and senior monastics attended the meeting. The Dalai Lama suggested to the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu that it may be time to consider his next incarnation and the importance of taking rebirth in Mongolia. He assured the Mongolians that, "There is an uncommon relationship between the reincarnations of the Dalai Lama and the Jebtsundampa. I am younger [than the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu.] I will take the responsibility for his next reincarnation."^[25] 

Meanwhile, the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu's health was deteriorating. He was hospitalized several times after the enthronement, and on January 23, 2012, he sought advice from the Dalai Lama via telephone about where and when he should pass away. The Dalai Lama directed him to pass away in Mongolia and suggested that, as it was currently the end of the year according to the Tibetan calendar, it would be better to pass away after the Tibetan New Year.  

On February 6, 2012, the Ninth Bogd Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Jamphel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen, issued his testament titled The Word for All the Faithful (dad re kun la gtam). The testament was written in Tibetan and four copies were made for Ganden Labrang, Gandantegchenling Monastery, the Government of Mongolia, and the Dalai Lama. In it he affirmed that he would be reborn in Mongolia, that he would be recognized by the Dalai Lama and that the Mongolian people should accept his decision, and that his next incarnation would be devoted solely to religious affairs.^[26]

On the morning of March 1, the eighth day of the New Year, the Ninth Bogd Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Jamphel Namdrol Chokyi Gyeltsen passed away at Ganden Labrang, Gandantegchenling Monastery. President Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj, along with Damdiny Demberel, the speaker of Parliament, and Sühbaataryn Batbold, the prime minister of Mongolia, issued a joint message of condolence, which ended with wish that the Jebtsundampa Khutugtu be reborn in Mongolia. Heads and abbots of the Kalmyk, Tuva and Buryat Republics, the three Buddhist republics of Russia, sent messages of condolences.

The Dalai Lama sent Samdhong Rinpoche (zam gdong rin po che, b. 1939) to Mongolia as his representative. It is said that Jebtsundampa Khutugtu ended his post-mortem meditation, or tukdam (thugs dam) the moment Samdhong Rinpoche offered a ceremonial scarf. On March 5, the Dalai Lama composed The Prayer for the Swift Rebirth of the Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu. 

The Tenth Bogd Jebtsundampa Khutugtu

On the morning of November 23, 2016, on the last day of a visit to Mongolia, the Dalai Lama publicly announced that the Tenth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu had been born in Mongolia. He stated during the press conference that since "the child is still an infant, there is no need to rush into making a public announcement. It is clear that the reincarnation is now in Mongolia. After some years, it will become clearer." The Tenth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, Danzanjambalchoijivanchug (bstan 'dzin 'jam dpal chos kyi dbang phyug) was first presented to the public on March 8, 2023, at a Kṛṣṇācārya Cakrasaṃvara empowerment in Dharamsala, India.^[27]

Danzanjambalchoijivanchug was born in 2015 in Washington D.C., USA, and has a twin brother. His father, Altannar Chinchuluun, is a professor of mathematics at the National University of Mongolia, and his mother, Munkhnasan Narmandakh, is the chairperson of the Board of Directors of Monpolymet Group, one of the largest business groups in Mongolia. It is reported that he was the only boy among the nine short-listed boys who picked up the rosary and bell of the previous reincarnation when he was a toddler.^[28] It is also recorded that two days before passing away, the late Ninth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu told Garamjav Tseden, his close disciple and the grandmother of the Tenth Jebtsundampa Khutugtu, "I will come to your family."^[29]

After making his first appearance in Dharamsala, India, he publicly attended the empowerment of Amitāyus at Gandantegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, on August 30, 2023.^[30]