Drupon Sonam Kunga, who attained Nirvana on September 9 at the age of 78, was one of the most influential retreat masters in Ladakh. He took his last breadth on September 9 at 4:00 am and remained in meditation state (Thugdam) for two and a half days till 11 September, around 1:00. 

He was born in 1937 in the Lharjey House of Skurbuchan to father Amchi Rigzen and mother Tashi Zomba. He was a great retreat master and had done three years retreat for 3 times. He was the tutor of Bakula Rangdol Nima Rinpoche. He has been his teacher for almost 32 years.

At the age of 12 he became a monk, at 17, Geytsul and at 18, he became a Geylong under Skyabje ling Rinpoche. He had done his studies mostly in Ladakh in CIBS Institute. He was also an expert in voice chanting and Chhams (Mask dance).

“When I was 4 years old my uncle, Drikung skyabgon Rinpoche told him to be my teacher. Till now he was always helping me.  I have learnt so much from him and he always used to tell me, ‘Never harm others’ and ‘be true to yourself’. He has done so much for me that I cannot repay him in several lives,” said Rangdol Nima Rinpoche with tears filled in his eyes.
When asked about the duration of meditation Rangdol Nima Rinpoche said, “You cannot predict the duration, some remain in meditation state for a week, some for years and some bodies just vanishes and turn into rainbow and some bodies shrink 3 times smaller and one was the case of Jetsun Mila.”

Rangdol Nima Rinpoche said, “When someone is in meditation state he is alive, there are miraculous instances in Tibet.” Telling a story about a great saint in Tibet he said, “There was a great saint and his head was a little tilt and one of the men whispers in his ears to make it straight and the saint did it, one can hear from their ears.”

Bakula Rangdol Nima Rinpoche told, “He was not well from 3 years and was on medication from long.”

He was cremated on the 14th September in the premises of H.E. Rangdol Nyima Rinpoche's residence at Tukcha with elaborate rituals and religious ceremony and hundreds of devotees and relatives attended the funeral.

A biography of Drupon Sonam Kunga Rinpoche (1937-2014)

Drupon Sonam Kunga Rinpoche was a very intelligent boy with good moral character, and all the villagers liked him immensely. Given his interest in the spiritual world and monastic education, he joined the monastic community at Skurbuchan Monastery at an early age of seven.

Owing to his strong desire to learn Buddhist Philosophy further, he proceeded to the Lamayuru Monastery, the principal monastery of Drikung Kargyud Lineage in the Sham valley. Once at Lamayuru, he worked hard and engrossed himself in the vast Buddhist literature. He was quick at learning new things with great ease, and soon he excelled in various Buddhist rituals, liturgies, mask dance etc. No wonder, Drupon Sonam Kunga Rinpoche was then popularly known as Tsonjung Khaspa (the skilled novice).

In 1960, at the age of twenty-three, he traveled to many sacred places like Varanasi and Bodh Gaya. He took full ordain from His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Varanasi. He had strictly been following the rules of a Buddhist monk ever since he joined the monastic community. He received all the initiations, oral transmissions and teachings of the kagyur (Buddhist Tripitaka) from His Eminence Chosjey Togdan Rinpoche.

He practiced outward Vinaya vows, inward Bodhichitta (altruistic mind of enlightenment) vows and the sacred Mantrayana vows. Thus, he accomplished one of the highest positions in Buddhism. He also learned the thirteen tenets of Buddhist philosophy from Khanchen Konchok Stanzin. Furthermore, he learned Tibetan grammar and Buddhist philosophy from the renowned Thubstan Chozang Rinpoche. During those days, Drupon Rinpoche became a good friend of H.H. the Druk Jabstung Nawang Namgial, and they discussed Buddhist philosophy in depth.

Although ordained as a monk, Drupon Rinpoche also had a great interest in the Tibetan medicine. Therefore, he learned Tibetan medicine from his father Amchi Rigzen. Although he was very skilled in this healthcare system, he could not continue due to other commitments and interests. He learned mask dance, the art of Torma ritual etc. from the well-known Nochung Tsetan Rinpoche of Shachukul Monastery.

Drupon Rinpoche also received five mahamudra and six yogas of Naropa from Maha Siddha Khyungka Rinpoche, and successfully completed the famous retreat 'Lo Soom Chhogs Soom' (the three years and three months retreat) at Dehradun. Subsequently, His Holiness Skyabsgon Chhetsang Rinpoche appointed him as the tutor of His Eminence Skyabsjey Bakula Rangdol Nyima Rinpoche. Drupon Rinpoche took this in his stride, and nurtured and taught the young Rinpoche with great dedication.

Drupon Rinpoche was also assigned by H.H. Skyabsgon Rinpoche as the practitioner master at a nunnery at Changchhubling in Dehradun. As the principal practitioner at the nunnery, he conducted the five mahamudra and six yogas of Naropa initiations and instructions for a large number of nuns from Tibet, Ladakh and other parts of India. His disciples and devotees included nuns who practiced 'Lo Soom Chhog Soom' retreat multiple times.

Ani Tsondus Zangmo and Ani Thupstan Dolma, two nuns from the Dehradun nunnery, are his chief disciples. Both these dedicated nuns successfully completed the 'Lo Soom Chhogs Soom' retreat three times and the fourth is going on. H.H. Skyabsgon Chhetsang Rinpoche has appointed these devoted nuns as the practitioner masters at the nunnery after Drupon Rinpoche resigned due to health issues.

Drupon Rinpoche dedicated his entire life to Buddhist philosophy, and taught myriad disciples and devotees both in India and outside. He visited several countries in Europe, North America and South America, giving initiations and teachings to many Buddhist followers and practitioners at monastic communities.

Life is temporary and no one can escape from death. In the book ‘Death and Dying in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition’ by Ven. Pende Hawter mentions that, “ Since the outer breath ceased some time before (in the fourth cycle), from this point of view the point of actual death is related not to the cessation of the outer breath but to the appearance of the mind of clear light. A person can remain in this state of lucid vacuity for up to three days, after which (if the body has not been ravaged by illness) the external sign of drops of red or white liquid emerging from the nose and sexual organ occur, indicating the departure of consciousness.   Other signs of the consciousness leaving the body are: 1) when all heat has left the area of the heart centre (in the centre of the chest), 2) the body starts to smell or decompose, 3) a subtle awareness that the consciousness has left and the body has become like 'an empty shell', 4) a slumping of the body in a practitioner who has been sitting in meditation after the stopping of the breath. Buddhists generally prefer that the body not be removed for disposal before one or more of these signs occur, because until then the consciousness is still in the body and any violent handling of it may disturb the end processes of death. A Buddhist monk or nun or friend should ideally be called in before the body is moved in order for the appropriate prayers and procedures to be carried out.