Acharya Lhakpa

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Acharya Lhakpa Tshering was born on the 14th of March 1974, the Year or Wood Tiger, in the Goshi village in the Dagana valley of Southern Bhutan. He went to Goshi Junior High School and at the age of twelfth when he was in fifth grade, left the school and entered the Drukpa Kagyu monastery known as Tsirang Namgay Choeling Rabdey, which is in Southern Bhutan. There he received the novice vow and spent seven years learning monastic arts of torma making, ritual music, lama dance, and chanting.
In 1993 he enrolled in the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute, at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, which is affiliated to Sampuranand Sanskrit University, HP, India. Three years later, before summer retreat, he received the vows of Gelong (bikshu)-the fully ordained monk from His Eminence Gyaltshab Rinpoche. Since then he has received many teachings, empowerments and transmissions from Rinpoche, and also received teachings from Sangay Nyenpa Rinpoche, and Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin.

After completing his studies in 2002, he received an Acharya degree from Karma Shri Nalanda Institute and Sampuranand Sanskrit University. After graduation, he served as co-librarian with Dilyak Dropon Rinpoche and as teacher in the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute. He worked for Nitartha Publication in Katmandu, Nepal as editor during summer and winter breaks, while studying in the Institute.

On March 20, 2006, he arrived to Nalanda West in Seattle Washington to help the center and learn the western culture.