Geshe Sonam Rinchen

Geshe Sonam Rinchen was born in Kham in Eastern Tibet in 1933. In 1945, he joined Dhargyey Monastery, and entered Sera monastery in Lhasa in 1952, where he studied until he was forced to leave Tibet in 1959.
In India he completed his studies for the degree of Geshe Lharampa which he received in 1980. He also received the degree of Acarya from the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath. He was appointed resident teacher at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India in 1978, where he teaches Buddhist philosophy and practice, mainly to westerners. He has also taught in Japan, Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland.