Wayen Monastery

The Konchok Foundation has agreed to assist with building a shedra (monastic school) at Wayen, in the Golok region of Tibet. During Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's journey to Tibet in 2001, he visited Golok, which is an ancestral place of both Gesar of Ling, as well as Ju Mipham Rinpoche. Rinpoche's visit to Golok was arranged by Lama Chonam and many of the leaders of the local community.  Ju family relatives were present to greet and host the Sakyong and his party.

As a result, many auspicious connections matured. For example, Rinpoche recognized that this area was a place that he had made reference to many times during his childhood, as documented by Lady Konchok.  Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche decided to make Wayen Monastery his principal seat in Golok and to establish a shedra and other educational centers in the area.

The head of the Wayen monastery is the Venerable Sogan Rinpoche, who was born in 1964 in the Golok region of Amdo, Tibet. As a child, he was recognized by H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama as the Sixth Sogan Rinpoche and was enthroned at Abo Sera Monastery in East Kham (Serta), which he founded in his first Sogan Rinpoche rebirth. Rinpoche has studied with many great masters of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. His principal teacher is Khenpo Munsel, who was one of the great Dzogchen masters of the 20th century and a chief disciple of Khenpo Ngag Chung. Sogan Rinpoche left Tibet in 1992, and currently resides in California.

The Konchok Foundation has begun raising funds to fulfill Rinpoche's intentions for furthering the lineage in the birth land of Gesar of Ling.  Support for the Wayen shedra project is part of the Konchok Foundation’s fund raising efforts in 2009.