Tour Biographies

Venerable Geshe Kunchok Tenzin

Venerable Geshe Kunchok Tenzin is the spiritual leader and teacher on the tour. He was born in 1960 in the hills of Darjeeling in North Eastern part of India. He joined Gaden Shartse Monastery and took monastic vows in 1972. At the monastery he excelled in 20 year curriculum of Buddhist philosophy leading to a Geshe degree. This includes the following:

Primary Level – The study of Foundational Buddhist knowledge building for the future educational growth.

Having mastered these topics, Venerable Geshe Kunchok Tenzin earned the highest level of Geshe degree, Geshe Lharam, (equivalent to valedictorian) in 1996. The following year he attended Gyuto Tantric College where he mastered the ancient tantric rituals.

Venerable Geshe Kunchok Tenzin has traveled and taught many countries including Great Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Scotland, Ireland and has done two previous tours in the United States. Very humble by nature, he radiates compassion and teaches with great wisdom and personal experience.

Venerable Geshe Tenzin Dhonag

Venerable Geshe Tenzin Dhonag spent his childhood with his family in Tibetan refugee settlement in India. At the age of 12, as per his desire and with the support of his family, he chose monastic life and joined Gaden Shartse Monastery. Since then he attended Monastery’s school and with great enthusiasm progressed through the full 20 curriculum (outlined in Geshe Kunchok Tenzin’s biography) earning his Geshe degree in 2009.
In addition to his academic achievements, Venerable Geshe Dhonag excels in all the ritual arts from musical instruments, dance, tantra, and sand mandala to name a few. Though highly skilled and trained, what is most notable about him is his deep, personal warmth and genuine kindness.

Venerable Nima Dhondup

Venerable Nima Dhondup was born and raised in Tibetan refugee settlement in India. In 1994, at age 13, he chose the monastic life and joined Gaden Shartse Monastery. Since joining the monastery, Venerable Nima Dhondup has excelled in his studies obtaining the first division results in all of final exams in the curiculum of Pramanavidya, (Buddhist Logic & Epistemology), Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), and Madhyamika (Middle-Way Buddhist Philosophical study of Emptiness). Currently he is studying Abhidharma (Buddhist Psychology, Phenomology, Metaphysics, and Cosmology).

In 2005 Venerable Nima Dhondup took full ordination vows (Gelong) with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He was selected for the tour due to his exceptional abilities in sand mandala creation and sacred dance. With an easy going nature and quick with a smile, Venerable Nima Dhondup is a joy to be around and brings a pleasant harmony to the group.

Venerable Lobsang Tengyal

Venerable Lobsang Tengyal was born in 1978 at the same Tibetan Refugee Settlement the monastery is located in – Mundgod. At the age of 11 he joined Gaden Shartse Monastery and took monastic vows. In addition to his academic achievements, Venerable Lobsang Tengyal attended five years of ritual training to master the sacred arts of chanting, tormas, symbols, sand mandala, music, and dance.
Venerable Lobsang Tengyal has served with honor in every part of monastery and has distinguished himself as both a scholar and an artist. Currently he is studying the ABHIDHARMA: Buddhist Philosophy to Metaphysics and Cosmology.
This is Venerable’s second United States tour. He was on a previous tour in 2004 in which his warm smile, kind heart, and humble nature earned him many friends here. Although Venerable Lobsang Tengyal is skilled in all the ritual arts, he is specialist in the sacred art of sand mandala and as such will be the sand mandala master on the tour.

Venerable Kunchok Sangey

Venerable Kunchok Sangey was born in Bomdila, India in 1984. He originally ordained at Bomdila monastery as a child and initiated his Buddhist studies there under the guidance of his teacher, Venerable Karma Lama. After ten years, he decided he needed a more intensive education program and joined Gaden Shartse Monastery.

At Gaden Venerable Kunchok Sangey applied himself to his studies and received high marks in the Philosophy of the Perfection Wisdom courses. He especially excelled in Logic where he secured first class division. Along with his academic studies, Venerable mastered the sacred arts of chanting, tormas, butter sculpture, sand mandalas, as well as music and sacred dance.

On the tour he will be participating in all the ritual events and alternating as chant master with Venerable Jampa Palden.

Venerable Jangchub Chophel

Venerable Jangchub Chophel , also known as John Bruna, has spent most of his adult life working with teenagers as both a counselor and a teacher. Most recently he was a high school history teacher in Long Beach, California from 2001 to 2008. A popular teacher working at a low-income school, Venerable Chophel was noted as being inspirational, motivating his students to achieve. His students are still very much a part of his life and he continues to have contact with many of them.
Having been a student of Buddhism for many years, Venerable Chophel was inspired to become an ordained monastic after attending a teaching by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2004. After the teachings he received permission from his spiritual teacher Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen to take monastic vows. In 2005 he traveled to Gaden Shartse Monastery in India and was ordained by His Eminence Lati Rinpoche.
Returning from India, he continued his monastic studies at Thubten Dhargye Ling under the guidance of his teacher, Venerable Geshe Gyeltsen. Venerable Chophel also returned to the classroom, teaching another 3 years while in monastic robes. Now he is setting aside teaching and is joining the tour full-time with the aspiration to help spread peace, compassion, and tolerance to all those they encounter.