Passing the torch

Passing the Torch:

Honoring The Outgoing Abbot and Welcoming The New Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

Heartfelt gratitude to His Eminence Khen Zeekgyab Tulku Rinpoche

As he concludes his seven-year tenure as Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, we offer our deep gratitude and heartfelt thanks to His Eminence Khen Zeekgyab Tulku Rinpoche. Through his dedicated leadership, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to preserving the Buddha's teachings and nurturing the monastic community, he has made an enduring contribution to the monastery and to countless students and devotees around the world. We extend our deepest appreciation and prayers for his continued good health, long life and every success in his future endeavors.

Incoming Abbot Kachen Lharampa Lobsang Sherab

It is with profound gratitude and respect that we share this account of the life and work of a venerable teacher, Kachen Lharampa Lobsang Sherab. His unwavering dedication to the Buddhadharma and tireless service to the monastic community stand as a luminous example for all on the path of liberation.

Early Life and Education
Kachen Lobsang Sherab was born in 1966 in Zangkar, Ladakh. At age thirteen, he entered Karsha Jamling Monastery and received novice vows from Khenchen Kachen Lobzang Zopa Rinpoche. Under the guidance of his uncle, the late Tsering Wangyal, he excelled in his initial studies of religious practice, reading, and writing.

In 1983, he enrolled at the exiled Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in southern India. In 1986, he received full bhikshu ordination from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at Sera Monastery, marking the formal consecration of a life dedicated to the Buddha's teachings.

Scholarship and Mastery
Kachen Lobsang Sherab studied under more than ten spiritual masters, including Kachen Lobzang Zopa Rinpoche, Ser-jey Khensur Rinpoche Lobzang Tsering, and Ser-mey Geshe Thupten Rinchen. He mastered the five major philosophical texts and the vast literature of Sutra and Tantra. He also received specialized training in the unique traditions of Tashi Lhunpo’s Tantric College, including sacred ritual dance and melodic chanting.

His academic achievements are distinguished. He earned top honors in the Gelugpa higher studies program and, in 2002, was conferred the title of Kachen Rabjampa (Geshe Lharampa), the highest level of monastic scholarship.

Teaching and Service
Since 1994, Kachen Lobsang Sherab has taught Sutra and Tantra at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. He has traveled to Taiwan and Japan to introduce the Dharma and has performed tantric debates before eminent scholars at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

From 2016 to 2019, he served as the Abbot (Khenpo) of Karsha Monastery in Zanskar, serving both the lay and ordained communities. He has authored five books, including Introduction to Buddhism and Tagrig Kundue, the latter of which is now a standard textbook at Tashi Lhunpo.

Appointment and Enthronement as Abbot
In a moment of profound historic significance, on May 25, 2026, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama appointed Kachen Lobsang Sherab as the new Supreme Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. This appointment recognizes a lifetime of scholarship, discipline, and selfless service. We pray that under his stewardship, the glorious tradition of Tashi Lhunpo may continue to flourish and illuminate the world.

The official enthronement will be on July 27, 2026, at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe, South India.

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