GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche

GarTul Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche (Gar Tulku Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche) was recognized by the 37th Drikung Kyabgon, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, as the reincarnation of the accomplished master Gar Chimi Dorjee and as an emanation of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara). He was formally enthroned at Jangchubling Monastery in 1992 and later became one of the youngest students in the first primary school of the Drikung Kagyu Institute, where he studied Tibetan, English, science, social studies, mathematics, and basic monastic education. At the same time, he received precious empowerments, oral transmissions, and instructions from His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chungtsang Rinpoche, His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, and other outstanding Rinpoches of the Drikung lineage.

Rinpoche took an active part in the Buddhist philosophy program at Jangchubling. From 2005 to 2006, he traveled with His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche through Ladakh and other parts of the region, receiving profound teachings from his precious teacher along the way. This transformative journey inspired Rinpoche to explore the other schools of Tibetan Buddhism more deeply. He then went to Dzongsar Institute in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, where he spent three years studying texts such as the Bodhicharyavatara (The Way of the Bodhisattva), the Mahayanasutralamkara (Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras), and the Madhyamakavatara (Entering the Middle Way), deepening his scholarship.

Later, for health reasons, Rinpoche returned to Jangchubling Monastery. Under the guidance of His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, he received important teachings of the Drikung Kagyu lineage and spent nearly two years completing the preliminary practices in retreat. He also often went to the Kagyu College to deepen his philosophical studies.

In 2012, Chimi Dorjee Rinpoche set out on an extraordinary journey across the Himalayas to the remote snow mountains of Lapchi, the meditation place of the eleventh-century yogi Jetsun Milarepa. He stayed there for six months, following in the footsteps of past and present masters, fully immersed in deep meditation.

Since 2014, Rinpoche has traveled around the world teaching and guiding students in practice, in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Germany, Spain, Poland, Estonia, the United States, and Vietnam, and many future plans continue to unfold.

Rinpoche's broad training and deep interest in meditation retreat go hand in hand with his compassion and aspiration. Living in the modern world, he is open to and keenly aware of the challenges practitioners face. His compassion and wisdom make him a deeply inspiring Dharma teacher for the world today.