Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche
Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche is the reincarnation of Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche, a highly accomplished lama born in Tibet in 1914. In 1948, having received his Geshe Lharampa degree, Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche was appointed one of the seven tsenshap, or master debate partners to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche, who passed away in 1983, served His Holiness in this capacity for the rest of his life and imparted to His Holiness many lineages, initiations and oral transmissions.
The FPMT website has inspiring information about Rinpoche's past incarnation, who also had a strong connection with our spiritual guide, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and early FPMT students, which continues in his new incarnation.
In this incarnation, Rinpoche was born in the Spiti Valley in India in 1984.
Sera Mey Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Tashi Tsering
Khensur Rinpoche (Precious Retired Abbot) Geshe Tashi Tsering was born in West Tibet in 1958, and after escaping the occupation with his family, received his early education in schools run by the exile Tibetan Government in India. In 1970, he was among the first to become a monk at the newly established in exile Sera Mey college of Sera Monastic University in south India. Under extremely hard physical conditions at the time, he helped rebuild this famous monastery and college.
After following the traditional study programme, he graduated with the highest honours, becoming a Geshe Lharampa in 1990, and went on to study at Gyuto Tantric Monastery from 1990.
Khensur Rinpoche has taught in the West since 1991, first at Nalanda monastery in France, then from 1994 to 2018 at Jamyang Buddhist Centre London, also as the main teacher at Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds and Jamyang Bath. He has traveled internationally to lead Buddhist courses, conferences, and interfaith dialogues, and is known for his understanding of the western mindset, and for his ability to present the most complex Buddhist teachings with clarity, authenticity and sophistication.
He has created The Foundation of Buddhist Thought campus and online courses, and is the author of a six-volume series by the same name, published by Wisdom Publications. He has also created the Lam Rim Chenmo campus and online courses.
He received an MA in Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University, graduating in 2017.
In May 2018, he was appointed the 91st Abbot of Sera Mey Monastic University, and in 2024 it was announced that he would step down as abbot of Sera Mey to become the Director of the Dalai Lama Centre for Tibetan and Ancient Indian Wisdom in Bodhgaya.
Charok Rinpoche
Charok Lama, officially known as Ngawang Rigdzin Gyatso Rinpoche, was born in 1995 in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal and, at the age of two, was recognised as the reincarnation of Kusho Mangden, one of the most highly revered Nyingma yogis from the area. At the age of eight, Charok Lama moved to Sera Je Monastery in southern India to pursue a Geshe degree.
Rinpoche has become known for his wisdom, compassion, and dedication to the teachings of the Buddha. His humility, insight, and compassion are experienced through his teachings that are not just the product of study in books but of deep personal experience and reflection.
Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul
Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul is one of the most popular teachers of the Tibetan Buddhist Nalanda tradition and a distinguished Buddhist scholar whose interest lies in the relation between Buddhism and science, especially in physics. Geshe la is currently the Director of Tibet House, New Delhi, The Cultural Centre of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has a Geshe Lharampa degree (equivalent of a PhD) from Drepung Loseling, in Mundgod, Karnataka, and was an interpreter for His Holiness for five years.
Geshe Tenzin Zopa
Geshe Tenzin Zopa holds the honoured Geshe (Doctorate) degree from Sera Jey Monastic University, South India.
He was born in the remote Himalayan region of Tsum valley in Nepal and was ordained at the age of 9 in Kopan monastery by the late Great Mahasiddha Geshe Lama Konchog. He received novice ordination from Geshe Lundrup Rinpoche and full ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Geshe la possesses vast scriptural knowledge, holds many rare transmissions and initiations lineages, has completed many retreats, has extensive teaching experience, and is skilled in rituals and astrology. He is the principal and focal point of the award winning documentary film ‘Unmistaken Child’ which chronicles the search for the reincarnation of his teacher, Geshe Lama Konchog. He is currently taking responsibility of overseeing the overall wellbeing of Tulku Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, the reincarnation of Geshe Lama Konchog.
Venerable Sarah Thresher
Venerable Sarah Thresher met Buddhism in 1982 at Kopan, and made her first trip to Lawudo in 1986 after being ordaining as a nun by His Holiness Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya.
She has travelled and taught around the world, but her special focus is preserving and spreading the teachings, practice and chanting lineage of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Venerable Lozang Drolma
Venerable Drolma studied Buddhist philosophy at Chenrezig Institute, Australia, for ten years before coming to India in 2015 to learn Tibetan and debate.
She is currently studying at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamshala. She is an FPMT Registered Teacher and an accredited facilitator for Building Inner Strength Level 1 course through The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW).
Venerable Thubten Wangdu
Born in Austria, Venerable Thubten Wangdu initially worked as a musician, composer and filmmaker. He came into contact with Tibetan Buddhism in 2012 during his travels through India and participated in his first one-month November course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal in 2015.
He went on to facilitate meditations for two years at Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamshala before enrolling in a five-year Buddhist philosophy program (FPMT's Basic Program) at Instituto Lama Tsongkhapa in Italy, which he sucessfuly completed in 2022 at Nalanda Monastery in France.
In December 2022, Venerable Wangdu was ordained by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery after which he served as the resident teacher at Tushita Meditation Centre for two-and-a-half years. He is currently enrolled in the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program, an intensive two-year Tibetan language course in Dharamshala.