Biography of His Eminence Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
His Eminence Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a leading scholar in the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as an accomplished meditation master, calligrapher, visual artist, and poet. He travels and teaches widely and is well-versed in Western culture and technology. He is known for his warmth, humor, and lucid presentation of Buddhist teachings in a manner relevant to contemporary life.
Born in Sikkim, India, Rinpoche was recognized by His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the seventh in the line of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoches. In 1979, HH the 16th Karmapa formally empowered Ponlop Rinpoche as one of the lineage holders of the Karma Kagyu school and proclaimed him his heart son.
Rinpoche is the spiritual leader and president of Nalandabodhi, a network of meditation centers located primarily in North America and including centers in three other continents. Additionally, Rinpoche founded and directs a number of other Dharma organizations. In 1994, he established Nitartha international, a nonprofit education corporation, to assist in the integration of computer technology with traditional Tibetan scholarship. In 1995, he established Nitartha Institute, a systematic program of higher Buddhist studies for Western students. Rinpoche has been a visiting professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, since 1996. Nalanda West, in Seattle, Washington, was established as a center for American Buddhism to assist in the integration of the Buddhist Science of Mind into American culture.
In 2008, Rinpoche organized the extraordinary first visit to the United States of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, harmoniously directing the Buddhist Centers throughout the U.S. to work together on the tour. Rinpoche's publications include Wild Awakening: The Heart of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Penetrating Wisdom: The Aspiration of Samantabhadra, and most recently, Mind Beyond Death.