Our Precious Teachers
HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA
His Holiness is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of inter-religious harmony and the preservation of Tibet's Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence.
GYALWA DRIKUNGPA KYABGON CHETSANG
His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang, the 37th throne holder of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage and the 7th reincarnation of the Chetsang Rinpoche is a manifestation of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara).
GYALWA DRIKUNGPA KYABGON CHUNGTSANG
His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgön Chungtsang, the 36th throne holder of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage and the 8th reincarnation of the Chungtsang Rinpoche is a manifestation of Manjushri.
HIS EMINENCE GARCHEN RINPOCHE
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is a Drikung Kagyu lama who was known in the thirteenth century as the Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon, founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
YOGI DRUBWANG KHYUNGA RINPOCHE
Retreat master Kyunga Sodpa Gyatso Rinpoche (1911-1980), from Kham, was regarded as a realized master. He was a man of indomitable character, strong, strict like Marpa, and had spent thirty-five years of his life in retreat.
HIS EMINENCE CHOJE TOGDEN RINPOCHE
His Eminence Togden Rinpoche is the Choje (Dharma Master), and the spiritual leader of the Drikung Kagyu Tradition in Ladakh.
HIS EMINENCE DRUWANG KONCHOK NORBU RINPOC
Through his great bodhicitta, he led many meritorous Mani Recitation Retreats in the world and benefitted countless sentient beings and disciples all over the world.
VEN. KHENCHEN KONCHOG GYALTSEN RINPOCHE
Khenchen Rinpoche came to the West in the early 1980’s to found the Tibetan Meditation Center in Washington, D.C.
DRUPON SAMTEN RINPOCHE
Drikung Kyobpa Choling was founded in 1996 by Drupon Samten Rinpoche, under the guidance of His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang.
VEN. LAMA NORBU
Ven. Lama Norbu became a monk at a young age and went through many years of monastic training and studying Buddhist philosophy in addition to all the traditional Tibetan Buddhist ritual ceremonial trainings.
Khenpo Tenzin
Khenpo Tenzin became a monk at a young age and went through many years of monastic training and meditation retreat including the 5-Fold Path of Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa.
VEN. ANI CHODRON
Ven. Ani Chodron was ordained on His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon's birthday in 1995 and has been a student of Drupon Samten Rinpoche since 1991. She is currently engaged in the traditional 3-Year Retreat Home Study program under the guidance of Drupon Samten Rinpoche.
VEN. LAMA DORJE
Ven. Lama Dorje lives in Mexico City. He began his studies in 2005 at FPMT. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk by Drupon Samten Rinpoche in 2017. Dorje is engaged in the 3-Year Retreat Home Study project. He has completed the Ngondro practices and Five Fold Path of Mahamudra under the guidance of Drupon Samten. He previously studied at Nalanda in France and also studied in Nepal and India for a number of years.
VEN. ANI TANZIN
Ven. Ani Tanzin has been a Tibetan Buddhist nun since the age of 15. She has trained in all the Buddhist monastic ceremonies and rituals. She studied in India at His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon's Samtenling nunnery for nine years where she was also a teacher for the novice nuns and held the position of disciplinarian. She is the resident chanting master (omzed) at DKC and speaks 4 languages including English.
LOPON DORJE KHANDRO
After several decades of studying and practicing the Dharma in Asia, Europe, and North America with several Tibetan Buddhist masters of different lineages, Lopon Dorje Khandro (Dr. Lourdes Arguelles) was ordained a Ngakma by HE the Eighth Garchen Rinpoche and installed as a Lopon (Dharma Teacher) by HH the 37th Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche. Lopon-la is Professor Emerita of Education and Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University, a licensed California Psychotherapist, and a trained End of Life Doula. She practiced and taught under the direction of the late Drupon Samten Rinpoche for a decade. Lopon-la currently lives mostly in retreat except when supporting the dying and survivors of violence or teaching the Buddhadharma under the direction of Khenpo Tenzin Rinpoche and Ani Chodron.
LOPON KONCHOK WANGDU
Lopon Konchok Wangdu (Dr. Michael Essex) began seriously studying Tibetan Buddhism in 1985 at the Tibetan Meditation Center in Washington, DC.