Gyalwa Dokhampa: The Drukpa Master Teaching Mindfulness in Thimphu

The Khamtrul line

Dokhampa is another name for the Khamtrul incarnations of the Drukpa Kagyu — the same school of Tibetan Buddhism that the Zhabdrung brought to Bhutan and that remains the country’s state tradition. The line begins with Kunga Tenpel (1569–1627). The 3rd Khamtrul founded Khampagar monastery in Kham, eastern Tibet, which became the lineage’s great seat. The 8th Khamtrul, Dongyu Nyima (1931–1980), went into exile in 1958 and founded Tashi Jong in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Two children were later recognised as the 9th incarnation. One, Shedrub Nyima, heads Tashi Jong. The other is the Bhutan-based Gyalwa Dokhampa.

The 9th Gyalwa Dokhampa

Jigme Pema Nyinjadh was born in 1981 into the family of the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the Drukpa lineage, and was recognised by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Gyalwang Drukpa and the late Thuksey Rinpoche. He studied in Darjeeling and completed the nine-year course of Tango Monastic University above Thimphu, and he represents the Gyalwang Drukpa across Asia.

Since 2010 he has led Druk Ralung Shedrup Choling at Kabesa, Thimphu, on land granted in the time of the Third King, in consultation with Bhutan’s Central Monastic Body. From there he runs retreats and public conversations that reach young and urban audiences, and he is the author of The Restful Mind, a book on bringing meditation into everyday life.

In Gelephu

In the Gelephu Mindfulness City, Gyalwa Dokhampa leads one of the spiritual projects granted by Royal Kasho: the Druk Yoga and Mindfulness Centre. In 2026, with Druk Ralung Shedrup Choling and followers of the Drukpa lineage, he came forward in support of Project 108. The full list of masters is in Project 108 Masters.