On not holding the throne:reflections on succession from the Sakya Khön family

Ngawang Kunga Thegchen Palbar Trinley Samphel Wangyi Gyalpo (1945-) ascended to the throne of Sakya as the 41st Sakya Trizin in 1950. In 2017, he stepped down from the position per an agreement between the two ruling houses of Sakya, the Dolma and Phuntsok Phodrangs. For the foreseeable future, the Sakya Trizin will no longer be a life-long position, but a temporary responsibility for eligible members of the Khön family. This paper will investigate the history of the Sakya Trizin position in the 20th century, including the tensions between the two royal houses, and the efforts made to develop a sense of unity and collaboration in the 21st century. It considers how structural contradictions in Tibetan Buddhist praxis, especially hierarchy via nobility versus merit via individual effort both produced tensions in the 20th century and served as the basis for collaborative innovation in the 21st. The paper will end with reflections on the value of temporary leadership in an era of longer lifespans, greater public scrunity, and the globalization of Buddhist organizations.