RigDzin Dharma Foundation
Tibetan Buddhist Center
Venerable Traga Rinpoche:
A Brief Biography
Traga Rinpoche founded RigDzin Dharma Foundation in February 2005. Rinpoche is an accomplished Dzogchen master, having received profound teachings from some of the greatest masters of Tibetan Buddhism -- including His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, Khenchen Jigme Phuntsog and many others. He has completed more than ten years of retreat.
From Garchen Rinpoche, Traga Rinpoche received teachings on all Drikung Kagyu texts on regular Dharma service and practice, the five-fold Mahamudra, the entire Dzogchen Yangzab teachings, and many profound pith instructions. He then did his Dzogchen Yangzab retreat at Lho Miyel Gon monastery.
In early 1984, Traga Rinpoche received full gelong ordination from the Nyingma master Khenpo Munsel, who gave him the detailed teachings on Dzogchen Cutting Through the Resistance to Primordial Purity. Khenpo Munsel gently looked at Traga Rinpoche and said, your karmic propensity is to practice Dzogchen. I am your karmic lama. If you can meditate, you have today found the way to liberation in one life. You will never find something like this even if you went to look for it with your horse's hooves encased in steel. Spend one year near me and meditate. For the next seven years, he did retreat near Khenpo Munsel, and practiced Cutting Through, Passing Over, and many other advanced practices.
In 1998, Lamchen Gyalpo Rinpoche -- determined to make Traga Rinpoche's vast knowledge and profound experiential understanding of the highest level of Dzogchen teachings accessible to as many students as possible -- enthroned him as Lopon Rinpoche (Precious Master), with lavish praise for his hard work and outstanding achievements. Currently, Venerable Traga Rinpoche is the resident lama at RigDzin Dharma Foundation in Albuquerque.
Click here to see Venerable Traga Rinpoche's teaching schedule.
Other Distinguished Visiting Teachers
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
February '10
Tulku Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche March '08
Khenpo Tsultrim
Tenzin Rinpoche
January '09
Khenpo Nyima Gyaltsen Rinpoche
June '08