The Lho Mon Society was founded by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in 2010 and formally registered as a Civil Society Organization (CSO) in 2012. Our mandate is to uphold, support, and promote sustainable development in the Kingdom of Bhutan through grassroots, holistic education and training initiatives. Lho, in Bhutanese, means south or southern, and ‘Mon’ refers to the people of the region south of the Tibetan plateau, meaning Bhutan and the surrounding subtropical regions of Assam and Burma. Rinpoche chose the name to indicate that people are unified not only by government country borders but by the natural environments in which they live.
The Lho Mon Society carries out this mandate through two projects: The Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative (SJI) and Lho Mon Education.
Bhutan is facing a tidal wave of consumerism, conflicts, and waste that comes with modernization. There is no turning back and no way to keep the floods at bay. Through Lho Mon’s grassroots initiatives, we are creating small islands of refuge, beacons to guide, and essential skills training to help the people chart a sustainable course that encourages equitable economic development, environmental conservation, cultural promotion, authentic education, and good governance.
“Bhutan is a democracy now. So far things have gone well. But we citizens now have to shoulder responsibility without someone else having to tell us. It is a matter of fulfilling our responsibilities without the prodding of a cowherd.”
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Bhutan in 1961 and was recognized as the main incarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (1894-1959). From early childhood, he has studied with some of the greatest contemporary masters, particularly H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
From a young age, he has been active in preserving the Buddhist teachings, establishing centres of learning and practice, supporting practitioners, publishing books, and teaching all over the world. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche supervises his traditional seat of Dzongsar Monastery and its retreat centres in Eastern Tibet, as well as his new colleges in India and Bhutan. He has also has established centres in Australia, North America, and the Far East.
Visit www.khyentse.org for more information about Rinpoche’s other activities.
- Dasho Ugen Chewang, Vice Chairman
- Dasho Pema Thinley, Board Member
- Dasho Kinley Dorji, Board Member
- Sonam Chuki, Board Member (Paro)
- Sonam Jamtsho, Board Member (Thimphu)
- Kunzang Wangmo, Board Member (Thimphu)
- Pasang Lham Dorjee, Board Member (Paro)
- Kinley Wangmo, Board Member (Thimphu)
- Kencho Namgyel, Treasurer (Thimphu)
- Tashi Tshering Dukpa, Secretary (Thimphu)
Samdrup Jongkhar