05/20/2026
Join us this Sunday, May 24th, at Sakya Monastery for Prayers for the Birthday of H.E. Khöndung Avikrita Rinpoche, which begin at 10:00 am. We will honor his birthday with a Mandala Offering and prayers, including the 16 Arhats Prayer.
His Eminence Khöndung Avikrita Vajra Sakya, the Head Lama of Sakya Phuntsok Phodrang, was born in Seattle on May 26, 1993, the elder son of H.E. Khöndung Zaya Vajra Rinpoche and Dagmo Lhanze Youden. At the age of six, he began his training in India to follow in the footsteps of his noble Khön forebearers. He has received an uninterrupted stream of transmissions and teachings from his late grandfather, H.H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Dorje Chang (1929-2016), including the Lamdre Tsogshay; from his grand-uncle H.H. the 41st Sakya Trichen, including the Lamdre Lobshe; and from many high Lamas of the Sakya tradition.
Having mastered the intricate rituals of the Sakya lineage, completed meditation retreats, and presided as Vajra Master of the annual Vajrakilaya ceremony in Ghoom, Darjeeling, H.E. Avikrita Sakya enrolled in 2010 at Dzongsar Institute of Higher Buddhist Philosophy and Research. After more than a decade of in-depth study and dialectics to gain proficiency in the classic treatises of the Sakya philosophical tradition, he graduated with distinction and was a revision teacher for several years.
Since 2012, H.E. Avikrita Vajra Sakya has been sharing his rich Dharma teachings with warmth, clarity, and wisdom around the world. He founded The Marici Fellowship for Sakya Monastery in 2018 to co-ordinate community welfare projects, which has expanded into a world-wide organization. He also established The Bhadracarya Foundation in Nepal to maintain annual Buddhist activities in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. He is Head Lama of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle as well as the Sakya Heritage Society in New Delhi.
Rinpoche is also the author of Wake Up to What Matters, published by Shambhala, and a series of digital books published by Sakya Monastery.
