Zhanag Dzodpa (General Secretary to the Holder of the Black Crown) Tenzin Namgyal was born in 1933 in the Year of the Female Water Bird in deva bhumi Todlung Tsurphu, into the family line of the 14th Karmapa ‘Nakharsharu Khangsar.’ With peaceful countenance he passed away on the evening of June 8, 2005 in Nepal.

At an early age he entered the sangha of Tsurphu Monastery. Under the personal supervision of Woser Wangchuk as his teacher, he began receiving his monastic education of memorizing scriptures and learning all the ritual liturgies/sadhanas, music, and melodies according to the Tsurphu tradition. Similarly from the learned astrologer Woser Rabten, he studied and became highly accomplished in various aspects of the fine art of the Tibetan language such as grammar, etymology, writing, and poetry. When His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa started a Tibetan grammar school in Tsurphu, Mr. Tenzin Namgyal was appointed to oversee it.

Later on due to circumstances in one’s life, Mr. Namgyal disrobed, after fulfilling all the necessary duties of atonement per the rules and regulations of the monastery. He continued serving His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa as his secretary.

During the 1959 great upheaval in Tibet, he left everything behind, including his immediate family members. He joined His Holiness as a personal security officer, and due to the collective merit of all, His Holiness and his entourage reached Sikkim, India safely.

After reaching Sikkim, Mr. Namgyal was promoted to the office of His Holiness’s private secretary and accordingly continued to serve him. While His Holiness and the former Zhanag Dzodpa Chenmo were away on dharma teaching tours, he fulfilled the responsibilities of the Acting Zhanag Dzodpa of the Tsurphu Labrang in their absence. He also offered his sincere and tireless service when the new seat of His Holiness was being built in the early sixties at Rumtek in Sikkim, India.

Around that time, His Holiness assigned Mr. Namgyal the important responsibility of teaching language and literature to all the eminent Rinpoches. He taught them grammar, poetry, and other related fields of knowledge. With the aim of facilitating easier and more approachable study of Tibetan language and grammar for Tibetan youths and international students, he composed three books on the fine art of spelling and grammar. Currently these books are very popular among those who have a keen interest in the Tibetan language.

On February 27, 1981 when the office of the International Kagyu Headquarters first opened in Rumtek, His Holiness appointed him to the high post of General Secretary of the Office (IKH).

After the passing away of His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa and the former Zhanag Dzodpa Chenmo, Mr. Damcho Yongdu, all the regents unanimously appointed Mr. Namgyal as the Deputy Zhanag Dzodpa. In this capacity, he completed the construction of the new Karma Sri Nalanda Institute at Rumtek.

Upon hearing the news of the arrival of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa in Dharamsala in January 2000, he immediately presented himself to His Holiness. Since then, in accordance with the wishes of His Holiness, he continued to serve him and the Tsurphu Labrang in the capacity of Zhanag Dzodpa all his life. He passed away in Nepal where he had gone with the hope of recuperating after his initial medical treatment in New Delhi.

The late Mr. Tenzin Namgyal served His Holiness the 16th Karmapa and the 17th Karmapa, and the Kagyu lineage, all his life with utmost sincerity and one-pointed dedication. In brief, he was an accomplished grammarian and thorough gentleman who treated everyone with equal respect and loving care. His wife Tseyak, daughter Tsering Dolma, and son Tenzin Norbu survive him. He has many students and well-wishers all over the world.

We offer our heartfelt condolences to his immediate family members. Prayers are being offered by His Holiness the Karmapa, by prominent masters of the different Buddhist lineages, and at monasteries all over India and Nepal, including elaborate prayers at the Seat Monastery in Rumtek.

The office of the Tsurphu Labrang has received numerous messages of condolences from all over the world. We want to thank you all for your kind sentiments of support and concern.

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This brief life story of Zhanag Dzodpa Tenzin Namgyal is a token of dedication in his loving memory and expression of our deep appreciation for his life-long service for the cause of the Buddhadharma and the Kagyu lineage.

From the offices of Tsurphu Labrang and the International Kagyu Headquarters, June 2005.