H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche in front of
Chagdud Gonpa Amrita

His Emininence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, a highly realized meditation master, artist, and Tibetan physician, was born in Eastern Tibet in 1930. Abbott of the 12th century Chagdud Gonpa monestery, Rinpoche received extensive instructions in all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, completed two three-year retreats, and studied with some of the greatest Vajrayana masters of his time. He fled Tibet at the time of the Chinese Communist occupation in 1959 and helped to establish and administer several refugee camps in both India and Nepal.

At the request of several American students he came to the United States in 1979. Since then, through the Chagdud Gonpa Foundation, he has established over 20 centers in the United State, Canada, and Brazil, including Chagdud Gonpa Amrita in Seattle.

Chagdud Rinpoche entered parinirvana on 17 November 2002 while in residence at his center in Brazil.