Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin was born in Lhasa, Tibet in 1921 and entered Sera Monastery there at an early age. He proceeded through the rigorous 25 year program of monastic studies under the guidance of Pabongka Rinpoche and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. Upon successful completion of public examination by the best scholars of the day, Rinpoche was awarded the highest degree of Hlarampa Geshe (Doctor of Theology) with honors, and is one of the last living Hlarampa Geshes educated in Tibet. He proved to be the best debater of his graduation year in all of Tibet, making him the "First among the First."
Khen Rinpoche then entered Gyu Mey Tantric College, where he completed its course of advanced tantric studies and attained a high-ranking administrative position. In 1959 Rinpoche escaped from Tibet into India along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He became actively involved in resettlement, and compiled a series of textbooks used in the Tibetan refugee schools.
Khen Rinpoche came to the United States in 1972 and became Abbot of Rashi Gempil Ling Temple in New Jersey. After going to South India in 1991 and serving as Abbot of Sera Mey monastery for some time, he returned to the United States. Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin was a lifetime director and an abbot emeritus of Sera Mey monastery, as well as founder of the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Center, which has branches in New Jersey and Washington, DC. He was also the spiritual director of the Asian Classics Institute, the Asian Classics Input Project, Diamond Abbey, and Godstow. Khen Rinpoche passed on from this life on Je Tsongkapa Day, Dec. 7, 2004.
Geshe Michael Roach is a fully ordained American monk who received his geshe (Doctor of Theology) degree from Sera Mey Monastery in India after 22 years of study there and in the United States with his root Lama, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin. Geshe Michael has been teaching Buddhism since 1981. He is a scholar of Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Russian, and has translated and published numerous works. Geshe Michael received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and worked in New York City as a director of a large diamond firm for many years.
Geshe Michael is the founder of the Asian Classics Institute, the Asian Classics Input Project (probably the world's largest database of ancient Asian manuscripts), Godstow Retreat Center, the Yoga Studies Institute, The Enlightened Business Institute, and the Diamond Mountain University and Retreat Center. Geshe Michael is the author of several books including The Garden, The Tibetan Book of Yoga, The Diamond Cutter, and a new translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. He completed a three-year isolated meditation retreat in the Arizona desert in 2003.
Lama Christie McNally has studied yoga from some of the world's most renowned masters, and has trained in several major Tibetan monasteries. She teaches Buddhism and yoga all over the world, has published several books with Doubleday, has translated and taught numerous Tibetan and Sanskrit texts, and completed a three-year deep retreat in the Arizona desert in 2003.
The three-year retreatants: Lama Trisangma, Lama Ora, Geshe Michael, Lama Christie, and Lama Pelma
Our Founder: Lama Ani Pelma
Lama Ani Pelma (Venerable Debra Ballier) is an American Tibetan Buddhist nun who for the past 15 years has wholeheartedly dedicated her life to serving her teachers. She very kindly founded the Three Jewels in NYC, which has been a place of refuge for serious Dharma practitioners as well as spiritual seekers.
For the past ten years Lama Pelma has been a student of the masters at Sera Mey Monastery, in southern India. In 2003 she completed a silent three-year retreat in the high desert of Arizona. She currently resides at Diamond Mountain University where she serves as the Retreat Master. She is also a qualified yoga instructor, certified by Dharma Mittra.
Lama Pelma's daily activities include translating and preserving traditional Tibetan scriptures, studying the ancient practices of yoga and, when she has a moment to herself, writing heartfelt poems. She is also the proud and loving owner of a Shih Tzu puppy named Tsering.
