Our Founder
Tarthang Rinpoche was born in Golok, Eastern Tibet in 1935. Recognized at an early age as a reincarnate lama (tulku), he received an exemplary traditional education in Tibet before leaving for India in 1958. Tarthang Rinpoche received transmission of important Tibetan Buddhist lineages from more than 30 masters, including such extraordinary luminaries as Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Adzom Gyalse Gyurme Dorje, Zhechen Kongtrul, and Tarthang Chogtrul. While in India he also received rare teaching transmissions from H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, H.H. Trulshik Rinpoche, and H.E. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, among others. During this time in India, he taught himself to print and established one of the first printing presses to print sacred Tibetan texts.
In 1968, Tarthang Rinpoche arrived in America as a refugee and became the first lama of the Nyingma lineage to settle in the United States. He possessed nothing of material value, but he held a lineage grounded in wisdom and compassion and was guided by an unshakable commitment to preserving and transmitting the heritage of Tibet and the ancient teachings of the Buddha. From here he set forth on a remarkable path of accomplishment.
Rinpoche established a Mandala of Nyingma organizations to actualize his long-range vision and commitment. Among his many formidable accomplishments:
Head Lama of the Tibetan Nyingmapa Meditation Center (the spiritual center of the Mandala)
Founder of the Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center and Ratna Ling Retreat Center
Founder of the annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India, where since 1989, he has printed and distributed for free more than 5.5 million sacred texts to the over 10,000 Tibetan lamas, monks, nuns, and lay people who participate each year
Founder of Dharma Press and Dharma Publishing, which have produced more than 120 titles in English, translated into a dozen languages
Founder of the Yeshe De Text Preservation Project, which has printed over 6 million books in Tibetan and produced archival copies of the works of the Nyingma Lineage
This Mandala of Organizations embodies Tarthang Rinpoche’s vision for the future of the Dharma in a modern world, unfolding in both innovative and traditional ways, for the benefit of all beings.
