Biography of 70th je khenpo of bhutan

70th Je Khenpo of Bhutan

Tulku Jigme Chhoeda (born 22 August 1955) became the 70th Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot of The Central Monastic Body) of Bhutan in 1996, and became the longest-serving holder of the office.^[1]

Early life and education

Jigme Chhoeda (རྗེ་མཁན་པོ།) was born to Yab (ཡབ།) Rinzin Dorji and Yum (ཡུམ།) Kuenzang Choden in Lhuentse at Drubtse Goenpa, Kurtoe, on the fifth day of the Bhutanese lunar month seven in the Wood Sheep year of 1955.^[2]

Lhuentse on 22 August 1955, Jigme Chhoeda was recognized as the reincarnation of Geshey Pema Tshering, the learned sage of Tharpaling in Bumthang.

Jigme Chhoeda joined Druk Sanga Chhoeling Monastery in Darjeeling, India, at the age of eight. He was ordained as a monk with commitment from Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and then studied under Khenpo Sonam Darge and Khenpo Noryang.

Later, he studied under Dudjom Rinpoche in India.^[3]

At the age of 15, he returned to Bhutan a