Phakchok Rinpoche was born in 1981 and is a lineage holder of the Profound Treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa from the Nyingma School of Early Translations and one of the throne-holders of the Riwoche Taklung Kagyu Lineage. Phakchok Rinpoche’s primary root gurus are his grandfather, the late Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and late Kyabje Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche.
Phakchok Rinpoche received a traditional education from the Dzongsar Shedra in India, the complete Chokling New Treasures lineage from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Kyabje Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, and the Great Perfection lineage from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. Rinpoche’s teaching style is direct, addressing the needs of those present; traditional, not compromising the methods of practice and transmission in the slightest; and, accessible, teaching the profound meaning in a way that is able to be understood and glimpsed by people of diverse backgrounds.
Presently, Phakchok Rinpoche is the abbot of several monasteries in Nepal. He lends assistance to various monasteries and practice centers in Tibet, presides as head of numerous dharma centers in North America and Asia, and teaches widely at centers around the world. Through organizations such as the Chokgyur Lingpa Foundation, he energetically oversees a wide range of humanitarian projects in South Asia. He is also the vajra master at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.
As a yogi practitioner with a family and the responsibility of monastic institutions, Rinpoche is deeply familiar with both ways of life and practice. Rinpoche’s life defines what it means to be a dharma practitioner in today’s world by emphasizing that a practitioner should find a balance in their life. There should be a base of study and contemplation in order to understand the profound views of the Buddha’s teachings, and practice should be emphasized in a way that genuinely reduces ego-clinging and negative emotions through a range of methods and practices. Altruistic activity should address the needs of those in one’s community and beyond as an expression of the compassion and wisdom cultivated in practice. These are some of the main principles that Rinpoche practices and teaches to his own students.
