Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s website: www.pundarika.org

Born in 1966 in Kathmandu into the family of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche was recognized by the 16th Karmapa as the third incarnation of an important lama of the Drukpa Kagyü and Nyingma lineages. He is the lineage holder of the Ratna Lingpa and Tsoknyi lineages.

Following extensive academic training in India, Tsoknyi Rinpoche returned to Nepal in 1990 and established his seat at Ngedon Osel Ling Monastery, which he planned and built in consultation with with his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Ngedon Osel Ling is the site of ongoing traditional three-year retreats as well as an International Buddhist Meditation Center. It also serves as headquarters for the Pema Karpo Translation Committee and for the Drukpa Kagyü Heritage Foundation, which is working to preserve the written texts of the Drukpa Kagyü lineage.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche also has a Western seat, Yeshe Rangsal in Crestone, Colorado. He is abbot of two nunneries in Nepal and the largest nunnery in Tibet. Rinpoche also heads 55 monasteries in the eastern Tibetan region which practice the Tsoknyi and Ratna Lingpa lineages. A lay practitioner with a wife and two children, Tsoknyi Rinpoche is widely recognized as a brilliant meditation master. He is one of the rare teachers whose lighthearted yet illuminating style appeals to both beginners and advanced practitioners. His unique style is reflected in his books, Carefree Dignity and Fearless Simplicity.

“Tsoknyi Rinpoche speaks to us with an exhilarating freshness, being fully aware of the complexity of modern life and the needs of men and women today. He is gifted with an ability to unravel the most profound of topics in a way that is clear and easy to understand, and as he maps out the teachings, he draws listeners constantly back to their own experience, allowing them to discover the truth of the Dharma within themselves.” — Sogyal Rinpoche