Thrangu Rinpoche was recognized as a Rinpoche by his Holiness the 16th Karmapa and the Venerable Tai Situpa Rinpoche. He was classically trained at his monastery in Tibet.
Rinpoche is a well-recognized scholar of Buddhism and holds the highest Khenchen Lharampa degree He was teacher of the major tulkus of the Karma Kagyu lineage. In 2000 he was also asked by the Dalai Lama to be a tutor of the 17th Karmapa.
Rinpoche is author of 40 books in English on Buddhism and is well-known for taking complicated texts and making them very understandable and relevant to student’s practice.
Being a great practitioner he has also spread the Buddhist Dharma by giving teachings in over 25 countries. He also has set up center in India, Nepal, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, England, Canada, and the USA.
His activities and centers and teachings can be viewed on the website: www.Rinpoche.com
About five hundred years ago, the seventh Gyalwa Karmapa founded Thrangu monastery. He appointed as its abbot one of his most gifted disciples, the first Thrangu Rinpoche. More recently, incarnations of Thrangu Rinpoche have spent much of their lives in retreat. The present ninth incarnation was recognized at the age of four in 1937 by the Gyalwa Karmapa and Palpung Situ Rinpoche, who prophesied the names of his parents and his place of birth.
In the time from the ages of seven to sixteen, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche learned to read and write, memorized pujas, and studied their practice. He began his formal studies in Buddhist philosophy, psychology, logic, debate, and scriptures with Lama Khenpo Lodrö Rabsel. At the age of twenty-three he received the Gelong ordination along with Garwang Rinpoche and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche from the Gyalwa Karmapa.
Following this, Thrangu Rinpoche engaged in a period of intense practice and retreat and received further instructions from his lama, Khenpo Gyangshar Wangpo. At the age of thirty-five he was given the degree of Geshe Rabjam with honors and was appointed Vice Chancellor of the Principal Seat of the Kagyü Vajra Upholder of the Three Disciplines of His Holiness Karmapa. He is full holder and teacher of all the Kagyü Vajrayana lineages and has a special, very direct transmission of the Shentong philosophical tradition. Being so gifted, he was chosen to educate the four great Kagyü regents.
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche has traveled extensively in Europe, the United Sates, Canada and Asia. He has a three-year retreat centre at Namo Buddha in Nepal, is in charge of long retreats at Samye Ling, Scotland, is abbot of Gampo Abbey.
The Very Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche’s vision of establishing western monasticism on behalf of the Very Venerable Trungpa Rinpoche is a great source of inspiration for establishing KCCL. All monastics of KCCL have been ordained by him, and he has been the three year retreat master of all KCCL residents.