Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche was born in 1948 in the eastern province of Kham, in Tibet. He was recognized as the 13th incarnation of Lama Chubdak by three most venerated lamas: the 16 th Gyalwa Karmapa, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche (the Junior Tutor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama), and Jedung Rinpoche a highly realized Nyingma master. He was enthroned at Zuru Monastery at the age of seven, which is the seat of all the lamas in the Zasep line of incarnations. Later he was again enthroned at Sera Monastery where he began his studies.

When the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1959 Zasep Rinpoche escaped to Dalhousie in India. Under the advice of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, Zasep Rinpoche resumed his studies under personal tutorship of Geshe Wangyel, a highly realized yogi in Dalhousie. For ten years Zasep Rinpoche completed retreats in the winter and did intensive studies of different texts during the summer under Geshe Wangyel's guidance. Zasep Rinpoche then went to Sarnath to study at the Sanskrit University where he successfully completed an Acharya degree (which is equivalent to a masters degree). After finishing his degree His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama requested Zasep Rinpoche to go to Thailand to study Vipassana meditation techniques of Theravadan monks. For eighteen months he did forest retreats and then was sent to Australia to translate for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Geshe Loden. After three years in Australia he began to teach.

Zasep Rinpoche has now been teaching in the west for twenty-three years. He is spiritual director of more than twelve Buddhist meditation centres in Canada, Australia and the United States (Moscow, ID Golden Blue Lotus Tara Center). When he's not leading a very active teaching schedule he divides his personal time between Nelson, BC and Toronto, Ontario.

Zasep Rinpoche is a unique spiritual master in the West. He is a lineage holder of the main Gelugpa traditions of Tibetan Buddhism -- which extends right back to Shakyamuni Buddha -- and is able to impart the essence of this lineage in appropriate form to Western students. For a more complete biography of Zasep Rinpoche...