Venerable Thupten Rinpoche 
Venerable Thupten Rinpoche was born in 1958 and at age 11 became a monk at Ganden Jangtse Monastery. He took his full ordination (gelong) vows in 1977.
Growing up in the monastery in south India, Rinpoche received the traditional Tibetan monastic training in Buddhist philosophy, religious rituals and chanting. He received teachings, initiations and personal guidance in both sutra and tantra from many highly realized lamas including His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, Trijang Rinpoche, Ling Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche.
After Thupten Rinpoche was awarded his Geshe degree in 1992 he began traveling outside of India giving teachings, attending conferences and performing rituals for the public to raise awareness about Tibet’s religion and culture.
Also around that time he began devoting his attention to the issue of overcrowding at the monastery. His efforts culminated in the building of a spacious new prayer hall at Ganden Jangtse Monastery, completed in 2001.
In 2006 Thupten Rinpoche undertook a 108 Nyung Na retreat which lasted 7 months. Nyung Na is a rigorous practice associated with the deity Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. It involves chanting, prayer, prostrations and fasting that intensify the opportunities for practitioners to deepen their progress on the spiritual path.
Rinpoche has performed more than 250 Nyung Na’s in his life so far, leading monks at the monastery and laypeople in the United States in this beneficial practice.
Thupten Rinpoche has spent his life working tirelessly for sentient beings. Some activities he wishes to accomplish in the future are: to do a 1008 Nyung Na retreat, to reach out to Western students who are interested in dharma practice, and to build Thupsung Dhargye Ling, a temple, school and hospital in Himalayan north-east India.
For information about Thupten Rinpoche's temple, school and medical clinic project in Dirang, India please visit www.thupsung-dhargye-ling.org.
Geshe Lobsang Yarphel 
Geshe Lobsang Yarphel was born in 1960 and became a monk at age 10. He later received his fully-ordained vows from His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama.
At Ganden Monastery Geshe Yarphel studied all the traditional monastic courses in Buddhist principles, logic, debate, moral codes and philosophical tenets. In 1992 he was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree (equivalent to a PhD, of which Lharampa is the highest honors) and then went on to earn the Ngagrampa degree (Dr. of Tantra) from Gyuto Tantric College. Geshe la was elected as Chanting Master while at Ganden Shartse.
In 1989 Geshe Yarphel participated in a world tour with other Ganden monks to introduce Tibetan Buddhism to eleven western countries. Since 1993 he has held a post as lecturer at the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, India, teaching Tibetan Buddhist subjects to laypeople.
Geshe Yarhel's unique qualifications of rigorous traditional monastic training along with experience teaching laypeople make him an excellent resource for the students at our center.
Ani Tenzin Wangmo 
Ani Tenzin Wangmo joins us from Jangchub Choeling Nunnery, an affiliate of Ganden Monastery, south India. At the nunnery she studied the fundamental treatises of Buddhist philosophy and practice, memorization of texts and the monastic codes of conduct.
As a full-time staff member at our center she leads prayer events, manages our altar room and provides religious support for our center’s activities.