Reported by Palden
Translated By Choegyal Kyab
Edited By Pema Tso
In 2024, there were reports that Tulku Hungkar Dorje had been arrested by Chinese authorities. In August of that year, the Chinese government announced he was missing. Conflicting reports later emerged suggesting he had either escaped into exile abroad or had been detained by Chinese officials. According to reliable sources cited by Tibet Times, on April 2, 2025, the Chinese government informed seven or eight key figures, including monastery officials of Lung Ngon Monastery, that Tulku Hungkar Dorje had died. Officials provided no explanation regarding where or how he died, and his remains have not been released.
Sources close to the matter have revealed that the Chinese Communist government had leveled several charges against Tulku Hungkar Dorje. These included accusations that he failed to organize an appropriately warm reception for Gyaltsen Norbu (the Chinese government-recognized Panchen Lama) when he visited Golok last year. Additional charges included establishing monasteries and schools without official authorization, and “causing trouble” by advocating for the rights of poor and vulnerable Tibetans.
The revered tulku had a significant following both inside and outside Tibet. Following the announcement of his death, one of his students posted on WeChat: “Your sudden passing is like a hook in my heart. Please keep me in your mind, my respected Lama. Those of us who remain, feeling the deep sorrow in our hearts and struggling to breathe, can only express our longing for you through our sighs.” The post was accompanied by photographs of the late religious leader.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje was the son of well-known Tulku Pema Tumpo, founder of the Lung Ngon Monastery in Tibet. In 2004, he established the Tsongon Gesar Philanthropic Foundation and became actively involved in preserving Gesar culture. With approval from the Golok Prefecture government and education department in 2007, he founded the Hungkar Dorje National Vocational High School, which serves approximately 1,000 students and teachers. He also established about 14 primary and secondary schools providing free education to thousands of children from rural and nomadic regions of Tibet. Additionally, he constructed numerous monasteries and monastic institutes, making significant contributions to the preservation and revitalization of Tibetan religion, culture, and language—activities that reportedly led to various political accusations from Chinese authorities.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje was Born in 1969 in Gade County, Golok Prefecture, to Lama Padma Tumdrak Dorje and Kazha Dukkar Drolma, Hungkar Dorje studied at Lung Ngon Monastery from 1980 to 1989, focusing on traditional knowledge and Buddhist classical texts. He later went into exile in India, studying at Drepung Gomang Monastery in South India from 1989 to 1994. Between 1995 and 1997, he pursued further studies in the United States before returning to Tibet. In 2002, with permission from the Chinese Communist government, he was enthroned as the 10th lineage holder of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade County, Golok. From 2004 to 2006, he reportedly pursued specialized Buddhist studies in Beijing.
