About THE ORGANIZATION

 Spiritual Director 

Thondup Rinpoche was born in 1973 in Humla, Nepal, in a small Tibetan ethnic community on the Nepali/Tibet-China border near Mt. Kailash. He is the youngest Tulku son of the second Degyal Rinpoche, the venerable reincarnation of Ananda, Shakyamini Buddha’s closest disciple and cousin. At age five, Thundup Rinpoche was enthroned as the reincarnation of Lerap Rinpoche, one of the senior-most disciples of the first Degyal Rinpoche. After being recognized, he began receiving teachings from his holy father and from his uncle Kusho Tsewang Rinpoche on the ritual aspects as well as meditation instructions of his lineage.  He also received teachings from his brothers Shiva Rinpoche and Pema Rigtsal Rinpoche, both well recognized and prolific masters in their own right. As he grew of age, Rinpoche then received empowerment,  transmission and teachings from some the greatest masters of the Nyingma Tibetan Buddhist tradition:  HH Thrulshig Rinpoche, HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, HH Domang Yangthang Rinpoche, HH Taklung Tsatrul Rinpoche,  HH Dudjom Sangye Pema Shepa Rinpoche, Rabjam Rinpoche, and Dungsey Garab Rinpoche as his lineage teachers. Rare in comparison to many in the present generation of Tulkus, Rinpoche takes the importance of embodying the practices before teaching them seriously, having spent years in retreat in remote caves and monasteries in the Himalayas. He spent years with the hidden yogis in the Himalayas from whom he  acquires extensive learning on living a simplest life and yet with higher wisdom.  Thundup Rinpoche is a family holder Lama with a wife and daughter. He lives a simple life of prayer and meditation with great aspirations for the enlightenment of humanity. In addition to spending much of his time in hermitages in the Himalayas, he also gives teachings to numerous disciples throughout the region. Rinpoche has an unusual ability to address diverse audiences. It is his wish to present the Dharma in modern terms, to make it more accessible for his students in many diverse cultures and to encourage both men and women as well as children, to become more engaged in the Dharma. 

Program Coordinator,  Meditation Instructor   

  Born in West Nepal, Lama Jigme (NB) worked in rural development for more than 18 years. His quest for finding real answers to the challenging issues of societies and individuals faced with tough times led to his interactions with the meditation masters of his homeland, where he eventually became a long-term practitioner under their guidance. He received transmissions on preliminary practices' from Ven Pema Rigsal Rinpoche in 2004 completing its requirements in 2006 and continuing its further accumulations. He then received empowerment, instructions and teachings from Pema Rigtsal Rinpoche, HH Dungsey Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, HH Domang Yangthang Rinpoche and HH Dudjom Rinpoche III Sangye Pema Sepa. Lama Jigme then received instructions and practiced from the preliminaries up to higher culminating stages of Atiyoga practices under close guidance of Lama Ngodup Gyamtso Rinpoche. He has also received a Bachelor's Degree with a major in Buddhist studies and an M.A. in Rural Development. His interest is in drawing and sharing Vajrayana meditation in a way that makes it easily accessible to today’s tech savvy urban population, seeking to reconnect with their spiritual roots. Lama Jigme is a resident of San Francisco Bay area and is adept at addressing the various issues of our times.  Since 2019,  he has been working with Thundup Rinpoche in bringing ancient wisdom practices in the west. He is also affiliated with Wild Pedagogies, a network of educators from Canada, Norway working to develop alternative styles of education. He also contributes articles to ‘Levenkunst Art of Life’ and Om Times.