The Venerable Gonsar Rinpoche was born in Shigatse, Tibet in 1949. When
he was three years old he was recognized as the fifth incarnation of
the Gonsar lineage and was confirmed as such by HH the Dalai Lama.
At the age of six his traditional education began in Sera Monastery
under the guidance of the Venerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche. Gonsar
Rinpoche received many teachings and transmissions from HH the Dalai
Lama and many other masters, particularly his root gurus Trijang
Rinpoche and Geshe Rabten.
In 1959 he flew from the Chinese together with his teacher and many
other Tibetans. In India he was able to continue his studies under the
care of Geshe Rabten despite the hardships they had to endure for many
years while living first at a refugee camp in Buxa, and later in
Dharamsala. As part of his studies, he learned English and Hindi. In
1969 he began translating Geshe Rabten's teachings into English for
Western students.
Due to many requests on part of Geshe Rabten's Western students, in
1974 he and Gonsar Rinpoche came to Switzerland, where they founded
The
Center for Higher Tibetan Studies Rabten Choeling.
After the death of Geshe Rabten in 1986 the guidance and responsibility
for Rabten Choeling as well as for the affiliated centers in Austria,
Germany and Italy was assigned to Gonsar Rinpoche. He is also the abbot
of Zongkar Choede, a small monastery in South India. In Winter 1996,
Gonsar Rinpoche visited the city of Bloomington, Indiana, where he gave
teachings on Lam Rim (Stages of the Path). Gonsar Rinpoche is a
co-founder of Dagom Gaden Tensung Ling Monastery which he inaugurated
on July 5th, 1998.
Rinpoche's teachings are exceedingly clear, precise and logical and his
presence is invaluable. He is the only Tibetan spiritual master
currently giving teachings in three languages: English, German and
Tibetan.
The first Gonsar Rinpoche, who lived in the times of 7th Dalai Lama,
was famous for his particularly wise and comprehensive teachings about
the complete path to enlightenment. All Gonsar Rinpoches are
significant yogis of the Hayagriva Tantra. The present Gonsar Rinpoche
is reknowned as one of the few living masters capable of transmitting
every aspect of Buddha's teachings as a clear and moving experience to
Western and Tibetan students alike.