Chogyam Trungpa

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1940-1987), was born in Tibet and was regarded as a tulku (“incarnation”) of the 14th-century Tibetan lama Kunga Gyaltsen. He was abbot of the Surmang Monastery in Tibet, but fled Tibet after the Chinese took control of the region in 1959.

After his daring escape to India, he moved to England where he was educated at Oxford University, later moving to Scotland and the United States, founding monasteries and meditation centers. He also founded Shambhala International as an organization to disseminate Buddhist teachings- especially the practice of meditation. He is renowned for his contribution to the understanding of Buddhism in North America and the introduction of authentic Buddhist practice throughout the West.