Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub was born in 1455 in the ruling house of Lo Monthang to the third King Amgon Zangpo and was dedicated to the religious life at birth.
Sonam Lhundrub studied Madhyamaka, Prajnaparamita and Pramana for six year with Raton Yonten Pelzangpo. In 1472, the famous Sakya master Serdog Panchen Shakya Chokden arrived in Lo and stayed for two years, during which time he taught Sonam Lhundrub Vinaya and Prajnaparamita.
Among his disciples were the 22nd Sakya Trichen Jampai Dorje, Kunga Drolchok and the 9th and 10th abbots of Ngor: Lhachik Sengge and Konchok Lhundrub. His first works were two commentaries on Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen’s Tsema Rikter (tshad ma rigs gter) in 1482. These were the first of several commentaries of Sakya Pandita’s works, which were so highly regarded that Sonam Luhundrub later became considered an incarnation of Sakya Pandita.
In 1527, he composed a long commentary of Sakya Pandita’s Entrance Gate for the Wise (mkhas pa rnam ‘jug pa’I sgo) at Samdrubling, requested by his patron, Namgyel Pelzangpo, the religious preceptor to the Guge King.
The most complete edition of the works of Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub contains two hundred fifty eight small texts collected into seven volumes, of which the first five are manuscript and the last two are of Derge block prints. In addition to his commentarites on the works of Sakya Pandita and other diverse topics are a history of the Sharpa lineage of Sakya and a study of Tathagatagarbha theory. Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub passed away at Samdrubling in 1532.
The former crown prince of Mustang’s younger son Ngawang Palbar Bista was enthroned as the incarnation of Lowo Khenchen the highly distinguished Sakya scholar from Lo. Shabdrung Ngawang Trinley Palbar Rinpoche passed 8th grade from the monastic school and in the gracious presence of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin, Shabdrung Rinpoche gave the major oral examination of ritual prayers at Sakya Centre, the seat of the Sakya order. Shabdrung Rinpoche is currently pursuing advanced Buddhist Philosophy at Sakya Institute of Vajrayana at Manduwala.