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Chamtrul Rinpoche biography highlights
Venerable Chamtrul Lobsang Gyatso was born in the year of the water rabbit, the third son of a highly respected family that originated in Golok, Eastern Tibet. Rinpoche was recognized at a young age as the reincarnation of the second Kathok Chamtrul Pema Nangsal Dorje Rinpoche, from Mardo Tashi Choling Monastery, a branch of the Kathok Monastery (Nyingma).
He began his education at the age of 9 by going to the local elementary school. At the age of 14, he took the Upashika (Gemnien) vows (lay people renunciation vows) from his first Root Guru, the highly realized Dzogchen master Naljor Yeshe Wangcheuk Rinpoche. He received teachings from him on the preliminary practices (Ngondro) and subsequently completed the 500,000 accumulations of the Ngondro three times, mostly in retreat, over a period of three years. Following this, Rinpoche studied and practiced Tummo and Dzogchen teachings intensively under the direction of his Root Guru. During this period, Rinpoche undertook a five month pilgrimage of prostrations from Mardo Tashi Choling to Tugchen, the statue of Avalokiteshvara situated at the top of the Holy Mountain of Tsako Takyab.
At the age of 19, he received ordination from Getse Khenpo Wangchen and became a monk. For the next few years, Rinpoche continued studying at his monastery with his first Root Guru. He then moved to the Institute of Buddhist Philosophy (Shedra) of the Kathok Monastery where he stayed for two years. He then joined the Shedra of Serta Larhong Monastery. After studying the Five Major Sciences curriculum (intensive training in Sutra, Tantra, logic etc...) under the supervision of His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, his second Root Guru, he obtained the title of Khenpo (Doctor in Buddhist Philosophy) from the Serta Lharong Institute.
Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche asked him to create a Shedra in Mardo Tashi Choling. In 1990, Rinpoche returned to his original monastery to establish the Shedra, where he mainly taught and worked for the next six years.
At the end of 1996, Chamtrul Rinpoche left Tibet to undertake a pilgrimage of two years in Nepal and India. During this period, he gave occasional teachings and learned to speak English, but principally he received teachings from many High Masters. Over the course of his lifetime, Rinpoche has received teachings from more than 25 different Masters.
In 1999, he settled in Dharamsala, Northern India, and it is mainly from there that he carries out his dharma activities. These include teaching and supporting his monastery in Tibet and the regions’ nomads, with projects related to health and education and helping the needy, both monks and lay people in Tibet and India.
During the last ten years, Rinpoche has taught students from many different countries including Tibet. Besides India, Chamtrul Rinpoche travels around the world to teach Dharma at the request of his many students.
Chamtrul Rinpoche has taught for over 16 years to thousands of Tibetan monks and foreign students (monks, nuns and lay people), in Tibet, India and other countries. In the words of Rinpoche himself: “Teaching is what I do in this life. Wherever someone asks me to teach, I am there.”
More details on Chamtrul Rinpoche’s life can be found in the page “autobiography”.
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