Biography of Chagdud Rinpoche
Chagdud Rinpoche, abbot of Chagdud Gonpa, fled Tibet during the
Chinese invasion and worked tirelessly over the next twenty years in
Tibetan refugee camps in India and Nepal. At the urging of Western
students, he came to the United States in 1979 and has dedicated his
remaining years to the preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist arts and
teachings.
Rinpoche is a highly realized meditation master and accomplished scholar, artist and poet. As part of his lama training, which began at
the age of five, he received extensive instruction in all aspects of
Tibetan Buddhism, completed two three-year retreats, and studied with
some of the greatest Dzogchen and Vajrayana masters of his time. His
extensive training, along with his humor, compassion and skill as a
teacher, has made it possible for him to transmit his profound
insights to people of widely divergent backgrounds and interests.
Chagdud Rinpoche's generation is the last to have absorbed the full
cultural and spiritual heritage of Tibet and he is among those few who
are bringing this knowledge to the West.
