Tulku Hungkar Dorjee Declared Dead by Chinese Authorities, Circumstances Remain Unknown
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 3 April: After disappearing without a trace for 8 months, Tulku Hungkar Dorjee of Lung Ngon Monastery in Golok, in the traditional Tibetan Province of Amdo, has been announced dead without further details by the Chinese authorities.
Citing sources from occupied Tibet whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, RFA Tibetan reported that, on 2nd April, about eight monks, including the abbot of the Lung Ngon Monastery, were made to sign a document confirming the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorjee by the Chinese government.
However, the Chinese authorities have stopped short of disclosing any details about where and how he died.
The demise of the Tulku remains unverified, as his body has not been returned to the monastery. This is particularly concerning, given that forced disappearances are a common tactic employed by the CCP to silence dissidents.
However, sources from occupied Tibet suggest that Tulku Hungkar Dorjee has been executed based on charges put forth by the Chinese government against him.
These charges included his failure to give an elaborate reception to the China-appointed Panchen Lama during his visit to the Golog area last year.
Additionally, the government has accused him of disobeying orders from higher authorities, privately establishing several monasteries and schools, and causing trouble by advocating for the rights of the poor and vulnerable.
A young Tibetan from Tso-ngon, Amdo, has said that he last saw the Tulku in Golok in August 2024 and since then the Tulku has gone missing.
Similarly, other sources have said that the Tulku disappeared around the beginning of November last year, following which the Chinese government restricted the monks from the monastery and Tibetans in the region from talking about the Tulku’s disappearance and sharing videos and audio of his teachings.
Golog Tulku Hungkar Dorjee, son of Terton Orgyen Kusum Lingpa, also known as Pema Tumtrago Rolpai Dorjee, one of the most revered Nyingma Lamas in Tibet, is considered a reincarnation of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje, the mind emanation of the great Nyingma Dzogchen Master Jigme Lingpa.
Having studied Buddhist philosophy extensively in Tibet, later at the Drepung Monastery in South India, and in the United States, he was one of the most outspoken Tibetan lamas in occupied Tibet. He strongly advocated for the preservation of Tibetan culture and language, frequently reminding Tibetans of their responsibility to safeguard their language.
In 2004, he founded the Qinghai Province Gesar Philanthropic Foundation to preserve the Gesar culture. With the approval of the Golok Prefecture government and the Education Department in 2007, he founded Hungkar Dorje National Vocational High School with about 1,000 students.
He has also established 14 primary and secondary schools to provide free education opportunities for thousands of Tibetan children in rural areas which were reportedly shut down by the Chinese government after his sudden disappearance.
In addition, he has built many monasteries and colleges to preserve and restore Tibetan religion, culture, and language, which includes the founding of the first Buddhist nunnery in Golok history.
