Lama Choedak Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of both Sakya Losal Choe Dzong, the Tibetan Buddhist Society of Canberra, and the Manjushri Buddhist Centre. Rinpoche was born in the yak hair tent of a nomad family on the Tibetan plateau in 1954. His family fled the Chinese Red Army invasion of their homeland to eventually re-establish their lives as refugees in Pokhara, Nepal, where they have remained for the last fifty years. Rinpoche took ordination as a monk while still attending high school and became the first Tibetan refugee to attain a Nepalese secondary education certificate.

As a novice monk Lama Choedak was accepted by the great Tibetan master His Eminence Choegye Trichen (1920-2007), one of a handful of monks helping to establish His Eminence’s new seat in exile, at the birthplace of the Buddha, in Lumbini, Nepal. Rinpoche proved to be a particularly bright student and was close to His Eminence, acting as his personal attendant for six years. He completed twelve years of rigorous monastic training under Choegye Trichen’s guidance, including a traditional three-and-a-half year solitary meditation retreat, which was sponsored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Rinpoche has been conducting Buddhist philosophy classes for more than fifteen years on a vast range of subjects and has published several books on the subjects of Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan history. He promotes the Vajrayana Buddhist meditation practices of the Sakya Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, including Ngondro, White Tara and Medicine Buddha. SLCD has hosted many visits from high lamas including His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, His Eminence Choegye Trichen and Her Eminence Jetsun Kushok-la, all who have bestowed empowerments and given teachings. Rinpoche leads regular study and practice retreats on these special meditations and has translated many of the prayers and rituals into English.

In 2007, Lama Choedak Rinpoche accepted the role of spiritual director of the newly founded Manjushri Buddhist Centre, continuing in this role to this day. The naming and consecration ceremony of the centre took place on October 21, 2007, following the Manjushri Empowerment by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. You can read more of the history of MBC here.

Read More: https://www.sakya.com.au/lama-choedak-rinpoche/