His Holiness Lhalung Sungtrul Tulku Rinpoche is the 11th speach incarnation of the King Tertön Pema Lingpa.
Rinpoche was born in 1968 in the Chumi Valley of the Zhemgang district of Bhutan where his father was governor at the time. In 1969 Sungtrul Rinpoche was recognized by H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and H.H. The 16th Karmapa as the 11th speach incarnation tulku of Pema Lingpa.
At the age of four Rinpoche was brought to the monks of Tharpaling Monastery. At this early stage he studied with Kathog Rinpoche during the cold season and during the warm months he studied at Tamshing Monastery under Lopen Tseten and Tenzin Nyima. By the age of 10, as a student of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Rinpoche he traveled with Namkha Ningpo studying throughout Bhutan and Nepal. For 3 years starting in 1983 Rinpoche studied in Rumtek at the Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies for Tulku’s, followed by five years studying at the Ngagyur Nyingma Shedra in Mysore, India. Rinpoche then undertook the 3 year sealed retreat at Gangtey Gompa.
The main seats of Sungtrul Rinpoche are at Tamshing Monastery in Bumthang, Dramitse Monastery in Eastern Bhutan and and Lhalung Monastery in Tibet.
H.H. Lhalung Sungtrul Tulku Rinpoche is the spiritual head along with Lhalung Thuksey Tulku Rinpoche at historic Tamshing where he oversees 250 monks and the new Könchogsum Shedra established in 2008. Of the 3 main Pema Lingpa emantations Sungtrul Tulku Rinpoche is the father Pema Lingpa, Thuksey Tulku Rinpoche the son of Pema Lingpa, Thuksey Dawa and Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche the grandson of Pema Lingpa, Gyalse Pema Thinley.