Ayang Rinpoche is a Drikung Kagyu lama who holds both Nyingma and Drikung lineage. He was born into a nomadic family in eastern Tibet. A delegation of high lamas, including the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, concluded that he was an incarnation of a Drikung Kagyu lama.

Ayang Rinpoche continues the unbroken line of succession of the Drikung Phowa lamas from the Supreme Guru Dorje Chang to the present time. He has done extensive retreat on Phowa practice and is widely recognized as a Phowa master. Rinpcohe was one of the first Drikung lamas to leave Tibet. After living for five years at Namdrol Ling monastery in Bylakuppe, India, Rinpoche started to build his Thupten Shedrub Jangchub Ling monastery, also in Bylakuppe.

The core of Rinpoche’s vision is compassionate activity (bodhichitta) undertaken from pure purpose and supported by strong practice. These three themes — compassionate activity, pure purpose, and strong practice are woven through all of Rinpoche’s talks, activities, and directions. The three are not separate and one gets a strong sense that each supports, even enables the others. Without all three, there is an imbalance. When asked which of the three is the most important, Rinpoche replied, “…compassionate activity is at the heart of our practice. We can’t ignore it. It is absolutely vital."

Rinpoche is vegetarian.

Sources: AyanRinpoche.Org and AmitabaFounfation.Org

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