His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. His Holiness was born on 6 July 1935 in Taktser village in northeastern Tibet to a peasant family. His Holiness was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation the 13th Dalai Lama and is an incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion. His Holiness began his monastic education at the age of six. At twenty three he passed his final examination with honours and was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, equivalent to a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy. His Holiness describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. In 1959, with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising by the Chinese, His Holiness was forced to escape to India. Since then he has been living in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government in exile.
His Holiness has received over 84 awards, honorary doctorates and prizes in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. In October 2007, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the Government of the United States of America.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche was born in Thami, Nepal, in 1946. At the age of three, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama, who had lived nearby. At age ten, Rinpoche went to Tibet, where he stayed until the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 forced him into exile in India, where he met Lama Yeshe. The Lamas went to Nepal in 1967 and started teaching Dharma to Westerners. In 1974, they began traveling around the world to teach and establish centers of Dharma. When Lama Yeshe passed away in 1984, Rinpoche took over as spiritual head of their organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), which continues to flourish under his peerless leadership. From time to time, TCL and our sister centers are extremely blessed to host teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. May he live a long life and return to the Bay Area again soon.

Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa

Venerable Emeritus Abbot Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa (known as Geshe Trinley Topgye) was born in 1937 in Nyaktren, a sector of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. In 1947 at the age of 10, he gained admission to Sera Mey Monastery of the Sera Mahayana Monastic University near Lhasa – one of the three major seats of highest Buddhist studies.

In 1952, he received his novice monk vows from the late 95th Ganden Tripa, Minyag Tondues Rinpoche. In 1959, he received the complete Bhikshu vows from His Eminence, the late Yongzin Ling Rinpoche, the 97th Ganden Tripa and senior Tutor to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Khensur Rinpoche studied in Tibet until 1959 when he fled to India after China invaded and forcefully occupied Tibet.

From 1959-70, he resided with more than 1500 monks from four Tibetan Buddhist sects at Buxar in West Bengal. In 1970, the monks of Sera Mey relocated to Mysore district in Karnataka State in southern India. Khensur Rinpoche continued his studies and in 1986, he completed the final exam for a Geshe degree, and received the esteemed honor of Geshe Lharampa (equivalent to a Ph.D.), the highest level awarded.

Then in 1990, he received the advanced degree of Ngagrampa (highest degree in Buddhist Tantra studies) from Gyumed Tantric College after extensively studying the secret teachings of the Mahayana tradition. In 1996, the Dalai Lama appointed him as the honorable Abbot of the Gyumed Tantric College.

On completion of his term, Khensur Rinpoche returned to his teaching position at Sera Mey Monastic University, and continues to teach sutra and tantra to students and senior Geshes while in India.

A living example of Buddha's teachings, Rinpoche divides his time between personal meditation and practices, and teaching a growing network of Western and Tibetan students. He is highly qualified to teach on all levels of Buddhist practice and to conduct all Buddhist rituals. ​

​Geshe Ngawang Dakpa

The Tse Chen Ling Community is fortunate to have a resident teacher of the caliber of Geshe Ngawang Dakpa. The title of Geshe is conferred upon a master who has completed a comprehensive and arduous academic program in Tibetan Buddhism, akin to a doctorate degree. Geshe-la, as he is affectionately called by his students, was selected to come teach at TCL by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1999. Originally from Tibet, Geshe Dakpa became a monk at age ten. In 1959, he fled Tibet to India. After earning a Masters with honors at Sanskrit University in Benares, he was invited by the queen of Sikkim to teach Tibetan and Buddhism in Sikkim for nearly 20 years before returning to Sera Je Monastery in South India to earn his Geshe degree. He has taught extensively in Asia, Europe and the United States. May he continue to grace us with his wisdom and compassion for many years to come.
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In the words of our Spiritual Master Lama Zopa Rinpoche: “Geshe-la is an extremely well qualified teacher… (Geshe-la) is an expert in most aspects of Tibetan education – grammar, poetry, all these things. Therefore, he’s an extremely good person to teach the basic program, all the philosophical subjects that are commentaries to the lam-rim (stages of the path to enlightenment). You now have a great opportunity to learn all this. The idea is to start a four-year program in these subjects at our San Francisco center, Tse Chen Ling. I’m just telling you this to make you aware of the possibilities, these great opportunities to learn Buddhism more deeply and extensively.” – Lama Zopa Rinpoche (April 30, 1999)