Tulku Sangak Rinpoche is the world lineage holder of the Namchak lineage and the Spiritual Director of Namchak Retreat Ranch and Ewam International Centers worldwide.

Born in 1952 in Chamdo in the Kham region of Tibet, Rinpoche was recognized in early childhood by the great Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö [1893-1959] and the former Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche as the reincarnation of the Gochen Tulku.

Rinpoche’s parents hoped he was the reincarnation of another master instead—the great tertön Tsasum Lingpa, founder of our Namchak lineage. In the past, Tsasum Lingpa was repeatedly reborn in their family, which had been responsible for the local Namchak Ritrö monastery and Tsasum Lingpa’s hermitage.

Imagine their chagrin when, as soon as he was old enough to speak a bit, he insisted he was actually a reincarnation of another lama—the Gochen Tulku! As such, he was head of the Gochen monasteries of the Namchak lineage. Soon after, he was formally recognized and confirmed as the 6th incarnation of the Gochen Tulku. Tsasum Lingpa first predicted and named the site for the first Gochen Monastery, which the first Gochen Tulku, Gyalwa Gyatso, built.

Around the age of three, when Rinpoche was with his family and a large group of others harvesting hay in the fields, he was left sitting on a boulder at the foot of a cliff. There, he imparted the wondrous sign of his realization by leaving his footprint in a rock, as though in soft clay. To this day, it is still visible.

During the Cultural Revolution after 1969, he received essential teachings, including Dzogchen (the Great Perfection), from Tulku Chemchok Rinpoche and practiced them deeply. Later, due to the kindness of HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he spent 14 years studying and practicing under him outside of Tibet. At that time, His Holiness empowered him to take charge and uphold the Namchak lineage by starting the Namchak retreat center in Nepal. He published the Treasure teachings of the Namchak lineage, beginning soon after HH Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche’s parinirvana.

Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, an outstanding meditation master and scholar, is a primary lineage holder of the Namchak lineage and holds other widely practiced lineages of Tibet. Rinpoche is also an expert stupa builder. He has established the Turquoise Leaf Nunnery, a Nepalese convent where more than 50 nuns live and practice.

When he was about seven, he first heard of the land of America. He thought of nothing else for a week and knew he would ultimately move here. He had specific visions of places here in the U.S.

As an adult, on one of his early trips to America, he asked Lama Tsomo to drive him around so that he could look for a place to create a center. Rinpoche recognized from his childhood visions the land on which the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas now sits. That is where he created his first U.S. center.

After living in Montana for many years, he and his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he has established a retreat and practice center, Pema Khandro Ling.

After establishing the first Ewam in the U.S., the center’s Dharma activity prospered worldwide, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bhutan, India, and other places. In the US, Rinpoche later bestowed the Lama title on Sangak Tsomo, and she was given the responsibility to begin the work on building the retreat center and the translations of the Namchak lineage texts, to which he expressed his approval and support for Lama Tsomo’s endeavors.

Welcome letter from Tulku Sangak Rinpoche

Lama Tsomo is an American lama, author, and co-founder of the Namchak Foundation and Namchak Retreat Ranch.

Born Linda Pritzker, Lama Tsomo followed a path of spiritual inquiry and study that ultimately led to her ordination as one of the few American lamas in Tibetan Buddhism.

Under the tutelage of Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, international holder of the Namchak lineage, Lama Tsomo has done extensive spiritual retreats in the U.S. and abroad, and is fluent in Tibetan. Today, she is dedicated to sharing the teachings of the Namchak lineage with Western students, bringing greater happiness and meaning to life through meditation practice, community, and retreat. She is especially passionate about reaching young people and supporting those working for positive social change. Her teaching has inspired American and international students, who appreciate her informal and often humorous style.

Lama Tsomo holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Jungian studies. She is the author of Why Is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling?,  an introduction and guide to Tibetan Buddhist Practice, and winner of a 2016 Independent Publisher award. In addition, she’s authored the Ancient Wisdom For Our Times series, an exploration of Tibetan Buddhism meditation that includes: Why Bother? An Introduction; Wisdom & Compassion (Starting with Yourself); and book three of the series, Deepening Wisdom, Deepening Connection. This wise and accessible series based on the Vajrayana path gifts readers tangible ways to cultivate joy, compassion, focus, and fulfillment in everyday life. Along with the Namchak Community, she created Taking a Breath: A Meditation and Reflection Journal, a hands-on guide for developing and improving meditation practice.

Lama Tsomo teaches a variety of events and retreats, such as The Four Immeasurables and Waking Up in Community. Passionate about making Tibetan Buddhist teachings and practices accessible for Westerners, she is known for her stories, humor, and real-life applications of meditation practice.  

Khen Rinpoche is one of the younger brothers of Tulku Sangak Rinpoche. They are descendents of the Great Treasure Revealer Tsasum Lingpa, nearly three centuries ago, and became known as the Namchak family. The Namchak family originates from the Sum (pronounced “soom”) family of the Tong clan, one of the six original clans of the Tibetan people.

After entering the Namdroling Monastery Shedra of HH Penor Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche completed the study of all the Indian Buddhist philosophical traditions and the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism under numerous great teachers. He also completed nine years of rigorous training and served at the Namdroling monastery for several years. Enthroned as Khenpo by HH Penor Rinpoche, he taught at the Shedras of Ringo Tulku and Shechen Monastery for many years. Khen Rinpoche strictly abides by his precepts in everyday life and is diligent in his practice.

As it was necessary to assist Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, Khen Rinpoche was sent forth from Namdroling by HH Penor Rinpoche. He taught at the Nunnery and Purbaling retreat centers in Nepal, beginning from the Preliminary Practices through the generation and completion stages, and then to Tsalung. Besides representing Tulku Sangak Rinpoche as his spiritual heir, he visits and teaches a variety of places around the world, including the Namchak Foundation and the Namchak Retreat Ranch, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other locations. While in the U.S., he resides and meditates at the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee, Montana.

Khen Rinpoche teaches a variety of retreats and programs, including The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind, and our two-year Shamata Vipassana program, Walking the Path. His students revere him as a teacher who thoroughly answers questions and infuses profound wisdom with humor and levity.

Aaron Stern is a key faculty member at Namchak, playing a vital role in the development and stewardship of our Sangha Strand, which is integrated into all of our programs and our Sangha at large. The Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—are central to the Buddhist path. While all three are essential, at Namchak, we emphasize the jewel of Sangha, cultivating spaces where people can come together, form meaningful connections, and engage in deep, harmonious practice. Aaron strongly supports this focus, providing guidance, practices, and frameworks for learning as a practice for personal and collective awakening.

A musician, teacher, and internationally recognized consultant on learning, Aaron is the president and founder of the Academy for the Love of Learning®, an organization dedicated to reimagining learning as a lifelong journey of transformation.

Aaron first envisioned the Academy during the early 1980s while serving as Dean of the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where he pioneered experiential learning programs that received national recognition. During this time, he connected with the legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, who was inspired by Aaron’s vision of learning as a liberating force. Over the following decade, Bernstein and Aaron became close friends and collaborators: Aaron provided Bernstein with new insights into his own life journey, and Bernstein offered Aaron key support for his vision of an institute dedicated to awakening the natural love of learning in all people, fostering greater meaning, well-being, and collective awakening.

In 1998, Aaron founded the Academy, which is located on a beautiful campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Here, Aaron works with Academy faculty and staff to design innovative curricula, learning experiences, initiatives, and projects that nurture each person’s innate Learning Spirit, awaken deeper awareness, and inspire meaningful engagement with the world. Aaron also teaches and consults internationally and is a Fellow and Board Member of the Mind & Life Institute, co-founded by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, where he contributes to the global conversation on contemplative education and the intersection of science and wisdom traditions.

Along with this wealth of experience, Aaron brings to Namchak his heart-centered wisdom and a commitment to profound transformation, supporting students and facilitators to cultivate engaged awareness, connection, and compassionate action.  He has mentored Namchak facilitators and staff in the Academy’s methodologies. and in partnership with Lama Tsomo, co-designed the Ancient Wisdom Engaged (AWE) program, in which he still serves as a guiding teacher for students as they integrate Tibetan Buddhist practices with Engaged Awareness in Action. He also co-teaches Namchak’s Waking Up in Community retreat, offering insights into collective awakening, and shares his Clearing the Lens framework with the Namchak Sangha through various courses. Aaron is a Compassion in Action® Network faculty member, dedicated to nurturing the next generation of mindful leaders.

Justin began his study and practice of Buddhism and the Tibetan language in his home state of Indiana. Soon after, he set off with a one-way ticket to India. By living with Tibetans and avoiding the English language at all costs, he quickly became fluent in Tibetan and began his studies in earnest. After studying more fundamental topics of Buddhist philosophy at Sera Monastery and the Thosamling Institute (where he also served as interpreter), he ordained and formally entered the Sherabling Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies (Lungrik Jampeling), where he studied for three years. Following his studies, he spent another couple of years receiving practice instructions and doing retreats in Tsopema, an important pilgrimage site of Padmasambhava. He finally returned to the United States after eight years in India. Justin now lives in Montana, where he serves as an interpreter for both Tulku Sangak Rinpoche and Khen Rinpoche and as a dharma teacher for the Namchak Foundation.

Dorlop Choenyi Sangmo is a Tibetan Buddhist nun and an esteemed Vajra Master (Dorje Lopön) in the Namchak lineage. With decades of rigorous training, including two intensive three-year retreats, she embodies deep spiritual commitment and expertise in Buddhist philosophy, ritual, and meditation.

Born in a farming village in Shikatse, Central Tibet, Dorlop’s devotion to the Dharma emerged at an early age, despite familial and societal obstacles. As a child, she secretly studied dharma texts while working in the fields, nurturing an unshakable aspiration to take monastic vows. At 23, facing religious persecution, she courageously fled Tibet, enduring a harrowing 10-day journey on foot through the Himalayas to reach Nepal.

Once in Nepal, she joined Tulku Sangak Rinpoche’s Turquoise Leaf Monastery, where her deep study and practice flourished. She later moved to Siliguri, India, to complete further studies and monastic training. Over time, she took on various roles, from monastery worker to chant leader and, eventually, a teacher, guiding up to three daily classes.

Dorlop completed her first three-year retreat at 30, a transformative period of intensive meditation and practice. She later served as the Vajra Master for her second three-year retreat, an honor reflecting her mastery of the teachings and her ability to guide others through the profound depths of retreat practice.

Following retreat training, she continued studying, teaching, and performing ceremonial duties at Turquoise Leaf Monastery and Namdroling Monastery for seven years. In 2023, she relocated to Montana to support establishing the Namchak Three-Year Retreat.

Currently, Dorlop is focused on deepening her personal practice and learning English while residing in Missoula, Montana. She is dedicated to helping create a strong foundation for retreatants at the Namchak Retreat Ranch and continues to serve as a guiding presence in the sangha.

Her journey—marked by unwavering perseverance, profound devotion, and a deep well of wisdom—inspires practitioners navigating the Buddhist path.

Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo spent nine years in a monastic university program studying all of the major subjects of Buddhism. She then followed her studies by spending nine years in closed retreat. For this reason, Tulku Sangak Rinpoche offered her the honored title of Jetsunma. She is the director of the study and practice centers of Turquoise Leaf Nunnery and Kusum Khandro Ling in Nepal. It is Rinpoche’s hope that she will be uniquely qualified to be entrusted with upholding this dharma lineage in the future. Jetsunma has been living in the U.S. for the last few years, where she previously spent two years studying psychology and Western philosophy at Harvard University. She currently divides her time between living in Montana and New York.