Both Lhundrub Chime Gatsal Ling and Garje Khamzhung Monastery are branches of Orgyen Mindroling Monastery.

In 1670 or 1676, with the urging and support of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Terdak Lingpa founded Orgyen Mindroling Monastery in the Drachi Valley south of Lhasa. Under Terdak Lingpa, it swiftly emerged as one of the premier Buddhist institutions in Tibet.

There are several distinctive lineages associated with Mindroling. The first is the Southern Terma tradition, the lineage of Terdak Lingpa’s revealed treasures which include the Heart Drop of the Vidyadharas, Ati Vajrasattva and the Gathering of Sugatas. The second is the lineage of the Nyingma Kama traced back to Terdak Lingpa and his son, Gyalse Rinchen Namgyal. The third is a distinctive Atiyoga lineage wherein all three classes of Dzogchen (the divisions of Mind and Expanse as well as that of Pith Instructions) are transmitted. This lineage was passed on by Terdak Lingpa’s daughter, Jetsun Mingyur Paldron. The fourth is the Eastern monastic ordination lineage passed on by Terdak Lingpa’s brother, the great translator Lochen Dharma Shri, who introduced the study of the Vinaya (the monastic rules and regulations) into the curriculum and emphasized its importance.

Although Mindroling was destroyed in 1718 by the Dzungar Mongols it was later rebuilt and its noble tradition continued intact. Though renowned for its scripture college, Mindroling has always emphasized practice, as evidenced by the monastery’s annual performance of the mandala rites for each of the Eight Commands of Sadhana Practice. Mindroling was reestablished in 1965 by His Eminence Khochen Rinpoche outside of Dehra Dun in northern India.