About Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

Born in Kham, Eastern Tibet in 1952, Ringu Tulku is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher whose scholarship, fluent English, and entertaining, responsive teaching style have become popular among students of Buddhism throughout the world.

Ringu Tulku was recognised by His Holiness the sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa as the incarnation of one of the tulkus of Ringu monastery, a Kagyüpa monastery. He was trained in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In particular he studied with some of the most distinguished masters of the Nyingma and Kagyü traditions, including Thrangu Rinpoche, Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoche and the Gyalwang Karmapa. He was also a close disciple of Khenpo Tsöndrü.

He took his formal education at Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok and Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi, India and has served as Professor of Tibetology in Sikkim for 17 years. His doctoral thesis was on the Ecumenical Movement in Tibet. In 1975 he was awarded the title of Khenpo, and in 1983 the title of Lopön Chenpo.

Since 1990, he has been travelling and teaching in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and Asia. He has taught the Rigpa sangha numerous times, including at the Rigpa shedra. He also participates in various interfaith dialogues.

He is the author of a number of books on Buddhism, including the Lazy Lama series, as well as children’s books in both Tibetan and European languages.

Rinpoche founded Bodhicharya (www.bodhicharya.org), an international organisation that coordinates worldwide activities to preserve and transmit Buddhist teachings, to promote intercultural dialogues and educational & social projects. He also founded Rigul Trust which supports his projects in his birthplace, Rigul, Tibet (www.rigultrust.org).