Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned Buddhist teacher and meditation master. He was born in Tibet in 1951 as the oldest son of his mother Kunsang Dechen, a devoted Buddhist practitioner, and his father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, an accomplished master of Buddhist meditation. As a young child, he was recognized as the seventh incarnation of the Tibetan meditation master Gar Drubchen and installed as the head lama of Drong Monastery in the Nakchukha region, north of the capital city, Lhasa.

In 1959, following the occupation of Tibet, Rinpoche fled with his family to India and Nepal where he spent his youth studying under some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most illustrious masters, including the Sixteenth Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. In 1976 he was enthroned as the abbot of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, which remains the heart of his ever-growing activity. Today, more than 500 monks and nuns are under his care in this and other monasteries in Nepal. Drong Monastery, which was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, has recently been rebuilt and is again home to a monastic community.

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual head of numerous centers for Buddhist study and meditation in Asia, Europe, and North America. In Nepal, he runs Rangjung Yeshe Institute, an international center of learning where students can obtain BA, MA, and PhD degrees in Buddhist Studies. For those who wish to study and practice from home, Rinpoche also offers an online meditation program, Tara’s Triple Excellence, that covers the entire Buddhist path. At home in Nepal, he is deeply involved in social work through his local charity organization, Shenpen.

To read more about Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and his activities, visit www.shedrub.org.