The Founder
The Founder of this organization his venerable the 28th Sumtrhang Choje Wangdrag Gyamtsho, founded with aims to promote Spirituality, Education, Culture and Nature as basis of value preservation and promotion. Venerable Sumtrhang Choje Rinpoche is closely guided by His Holiness the Drikung Chabgoen Chetsang Rinpoche since Sumtrhang’s re-connection with Drikung communities through His Holiness sometimes in 2014 as Sumtrhang has its historical root to Drikung. Since then, HH bestowed several Drikung line of initiations and empowerment on various practices. In the past, Venerable Choje Rinpoche studied under the tutelage of His Holiness the late Lopen Sonam Zangpo Rinpoche at Hongtsho in Bhutan from whom he received most of the pith instructions. He was one of the few who received Vajra Kyilaya as special blessings from the master. Choje Rinpoche also received certain Nyingma instructions from HE the late Yangthang Rinpoche and some transmissions from HH Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in various occasions in the past. At his youth, he received all the Sumtrhang’s lineage transmissions from his father, the 27th Sumtrhang Chojë Tshewang Tandin.
The Foundation
Bhutan Nyö Foundation is registered with the Commission for Religious Organizations (CRO) in October 2017 under the Religious Organization’s Act of Bhutan. The registratation certificate was received from the then Chairman of the CRO, HE Lyonpo Dawa, Minister for Home and Culture Affairs. It is an organizational body and a charity society of the Sumtrhang Monastery which was first founded by Nyö Gyelwa Lhanangpa and his son Nyöton Trulzhig Choje in the 1220s, and sustained by its successive line of hereditary incumbents called the Sumtrhang Choeje . The Foundation is aimed at working towards conservation and preservation of ancient spiritual thoughts and the cultural heritage of the kingdom.
Nyö Foundation of Bhutan is founded with aims & Objective:
- To restore Sumthrang Monastery and revive its spiritual and cultural education by developing the monastery into a centre for spiritual and cultural education.
- To sustain the continued promotion of Buddhist teachings in general and Sumthrang’s traditional Vajra Kilaya practice and research in specific.
- To preserve and promote culture and its heritage, both tangible and intangible in Bhutan to sustain indigenous tradition and cultural values of Bhutan based on Buddhist principles to foster enlightened societies through documentation, research, education and development.
- To promote green and organic initiatives to foster an environmentally enlightened and agriculturally organic society in Bhutan through Buddhist principles of co-existence with non-human spirits and nature.
- To promote conversion of religious and spiritual voluntarism into social benefit as a part of spiritual path and practice through socially benevolent activities in the Bhutanese communities.