Our Teacher

Venerable Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin

Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin, Geshe Wangdak, was born in 1935 in the Kham province in Tibet. At age ten he entered Ba Zingon Monastery. At 18, Rinpoche journeyed to central Tibet and joined the Loseling College at Drepung Monastery near Lhasa, where he studied until 1959. In 1960, after fleeing to India, he resumed his studies at Buxa, where a temporary monastery was established. In 1970, he moved to the newly relocated Drepung Monastic University in Mundgod, South India. After two years of intensive study and practice he moved to Sarnath, studying there until 1977. Rinpoche returned to Drepung to take his Geshe exams, and his scholastic achievement earned him the Geshe Lharampa degree.

Soon after completing his Geshe exams, he was invited to teach at Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India, where he was senior teacher for 14 years, teaching both sutra and tantra. While at Namgyal, Rinpoche received initiations and teachings of tantric practices of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1991, he was appointed Abbot of the monastery by H.H. the Dalai Lama, a position he held until 1994. In 1995, His Holiness appointed Khensur Rinpoche Abbot and Senior Resident Teacher at Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, NY. He retired from Ithaca in 1998, and now resides at the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center in Middletown, Connecticut.

Besides his studies in the core curriculum under his tutor at Drepung, Khensur Pema Gyaltsen, Khensur Rinpoche received tantric initiations from H.H. the Dalai Lama and many other teachers.

Shrine Room Etiquette
As a place intended for hearing teachings, as well as for prayer and meditation, we ask that the Shrine Room be kept a peaceful space at all times. Please consider the following points of etiquette:

  • Please remove your shoes before entering the shrine room.
  • It is customary to stand and bow, holding your hands in prayer, until the Lama/Teacher is seated.
  • It is customary to prostrate before the Teacher once he is seated, however this is not a requirement.
  • Please do not point your feet towards the altar or the Lama/Teacher.
  • Any dharma materials, containing teachings or prayers of the Buddha, should be treated with respect. Please do not place them directly on the floor or allow others to step over them.

In general, please be respectful to the shrine room, the Lama/Teacher, and those attending the meditation and/or teachings. If you have questions, please ask. We are all here to increase our understanding of Buddhism.

Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center
Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center
Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center