Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel
Encyclopedia
Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel is abbot of Kopan Monastery
in Nepal
. He was born in Tibet
in 1941, to a poor peasant family, and joined Sera Monastery
while still a boy. In 1959 he fled from the Chinese invasion of Tibet and went to India
.
In Buxa, a refugee camp in Northern India, he met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa. In the late sixties he went to South India to start clearing land for the new Sera Monastic University. He received his Doctor of Divinity in Buddhist studies from Sera.
In 1972 Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel was called to Kopan Monastery
by Lama Yeshe, to teach Buddhist philosophy
to the monks. The Dalai Lama
appointed him abbot of Kopan Monastery in February 2000. As of 2011, Geshe Rigsel is on the board of directors of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
.
On September 7, 2011 Lama Lhundrup passed away due to cancer
Kopan Monastery
Kopan Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery near Boudhanath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. It belongs to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition , an international network of Gelugpa dharma centers, and once served as its headquarters.The monastery was established...
in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. He was born in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
in 1941, to a poor peasant family, and joined Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located north of Lhasa. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The origin of the name 'Sera' is attributed to a fact that the site where the monastery was built was surrounded by wild roses in...
while still a boy. In 1959 he fled from the Chinese invasion of Tibet and went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
In Buxa, a refugee camp in Northern India, he met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa. In the late sixties he went to South India to start clearing land for the new Sera Monastic University. He received his Doctor of Divinity in Buddhist studies from Sera.
In 1972 Geshe Lhundrup Rigsel was called to Kopan Monastery
Kopan Monastery
Kopan Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery near Boudhanath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. It belongs to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition , an international network of Gelugpa dharma centers, and once served as its headquarters.The monastery was established...
by Lama Yeshe, to teach Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, phenomenology, ethics, and epistemology.Some scholars assert that early Buddhist philosophy did not engage in ontological or metaphysical speculation, but was based instead on empirical evidence gained by the sense organs...
to the monks. The Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
appointed him abbot of Kopan Monastery in February 2000. As of 2011, Geshe Rigsel is on the board of directors of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition is a network of Buddhist centers focusing on the Gelugpa tradition of Tibet. Founded in 1975 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who began teaching Buddhism to Western students in Nepal, the FPMT has grown to encompass...
.
On September 7, 2011 Lama Lhundrup passed away due to cancer
External links
- A Day in the Life of an FPMT Lama
- Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup, Mandala Magazine, 2011.