Geshe Sonam Rinchen (1933–2013) was born in Trehor region of

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. Kham ...

in Eastern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

in 1933. He died in Dharamshala, India, 5 October 2013. In 1945, he joined Dhargyey Monastery, and entered the monastic university of Sera in

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...

in 1952, where he studied until he was forced to flee Tibet in 1959. In India he completed his studies for the degree of

Geshe Geshe (Tib. ''dge bshes'', short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, ...

Lharampa which he received in 1980. He also received the degree of Acarya from the

Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS; ), formerly called Central University for Tibetan Studies (CUTS), is a Deemed University founded in Sarnath, Varanasi, India, in 1967, as an autonomous organisation under Union Ministry of ...

Sarnath Sarnath (Hindustani pronunciation: aːɾnaːtʰ also referred to as Sarangnath, Isipatana, Rishipattana, Migadaya, or Mrigadava) is a place located northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pr ...

. He was appointed resident teacher at the

Library of Tibetan Works and Archives The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) is a Tibetan library in Dharamshala, India. The library was founded by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama on 11 June 1970, and is considered one of the most important libraries and institutions of ...

Dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1978, where he taught Buddhist philosophy and practice, mainly to westerners. He has also taught in Japan, Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Bibliography

* Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, * The Bodhisattva Vow, * Eight Verses for Training the Mind, (formerly 1559391650) * Eight Verses for Training the Mind
Spanish-language edition
* The Heart Sutra, * How Karma Works, * Nagarjuna's "Seventy Stanzas", * The Six Perfections, * The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, * The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, * Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas, Current Edition, Aryadeva's Four Hundred Stanzas on the Middle Way * Buddha Nature, 2003 Library of Tibetan Works & Archives,

External links

Library of Tibetan Works and Archives

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rinchen, Sonam 1933 births Geshes 2013 deaths Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet