CHÖKYI NYIMA RINPOCHERevered Buddhist Teacher & Meditation Master

Born in Tibet in 1951 as the eldest son of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, one of the greatest Dzogchen masters, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned Buddhist teacher and meditation master. His profound teachings, known for their accessibility, alongside his wide-ranging initiatives and humanitarian efforts, continue to inspire wisdom and compassion around the globe.
“Become like the sun, and let the healing warmth and radiance of your intrinsic loving-kindness embrace all sentient beings without discrimination.”
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche outside the main hall at Lindholme Hall Estate.

Lineage and Initiatives

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche


Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned teacher and meditation master in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Tibet in 1951 as the oldest son of his mother Kunsang Dechen, a devoted Buddhist practitioner, and his father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, an accomplished master of Buddhist meditation. As a young child, Chökyi Nyima—“Sun of the Dharma”—was recognized as the 7th incarnation of the Tibetan meditation master Gar Drubchen.

In 1959, following the Chinese occupation of Tibet, Rinpoche’s family fled to India where Rinpoche spent his youth studying under some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most illustrious masters, such as His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and his father, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

In 1974, Rinpoche left India to join his parents in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he assisted them in establishing Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. Upon its completion in 1976, H.H. the Karmapa enthroned Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche as the monastery’s abbot. To this day, Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling remains the heart of Rinpoche’s ever-growing mandala of activity.

Rinpoche’s Activities

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche with a Buddhist practitioner


Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, referred to as the Ocean of Refuge, has founded and guided some extremely successful and significant Dharma initiatives:

  • Shedrub Development Fund – supporting Rinpoche’s monasteries and nunneries
  • Rangjung Yeshe Institute – the cause of a ‘golden age’ in Buddhist translation, now the centre of Buddhist Studies at Kathmandu University
  • A large group of international Gomde centres and Dharma houses
  • Dharmachakra Translation Group – a committee of expert Dharma translators
  • DharmaSun – an online Buddhist resource which hosts the widely acclaimed Tara’s Triple Excellence programme
  • Shenpen – a welfare and educational charity based in Nepal