Venerable Khenpo Lobzang Tenzin is a senior teacher in the Karma Kagyu lineage, trained under Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. He’s known for a rare blend of clear scholarship, deep practice, and a cheerful, kind teaching style that meets students where they are.

Early life & ordination

Born in Bhutan (1969) to Tibetan parents, Khenpo-la grew up beside a Thrangu monastery; his father, Kelzang Tenzin, was a Lharampa Geshe (Ganden). Drawn to the Dharma from childhood, he entered Bhutan Thrangu Monastery at age 9. He later moved to Boudhanath (Nepal) to continue training, receiving full ordination from Thrangu Rinpoche in 1985.

Training across the traditions (Rimé breadth)

Khenpo-la’s education spans the classical shedra curriculum and practice lineages across all four Tibetan schools. He studied with Khenpo Konchok Ngedon and Thrangu Rinpoche, completing the five-year Vajra Vidya monastic college course with distinction and serving as a teaching assistant throughout. In 1996, at Namo Buddha, Thrangu Rinpoche bestowed the title Khenpo.

Alongside core Kagyu training (including Kagyu Mahamudra Ngöndro retreat with Drupon Sherab Tendar), he received major transmissions and commentaries such as Longchen Nyingtig and Drikung Fivefold Mahamudra; studied Madhyamaka texts (Adornment of the Middle Way, Buddha-Nature/Highest Continuum, Entering the Middle Way) with Thrangu Rinpoche and Sakya Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk; received the Ju Mipham cycle from H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Rabjam Rinpoche (emphasis on Guru Yoga); trained in logic and reasoning with Khenpo Chokyi Goché; and studied pramāṇa/rhetoric with Gelug masters Geshe Yeshe Taye, Geshe Lhundrup, Geshe Yeshe Tabkye, and Gen Atso Rinpoche. He also mastered ritual arts—umze (chant), sādhana, and torma—under Drupon Lama Sonam Tsering.

Leadership & scholarship

In 2004, Thrangu Rinpoche appointed him Principal Professor and Director of the Vajra Vidya monastic colleges in Nepal and India—a nearly ten-year tenure. He oversaw curriculum and monk training (including preparation for the inter-monastic Karma Guncho debates) while continuing to teach daily classes. He represented the Kagyu lineage at the “Madhyamaka View of Nāgārjuna” conference at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath (2005), then served as a guest lecturer (2005–2006) in Indian Buddhist philosophy. As Director of Vajra Vidya Institute, Sarnath, he taught shedra courses for monks and seminars for international students.

In 2012, he assisted Thrangu Rinpoche during a two-week transmission of Karma Chagme’s Mountain Dharma at Namo Buddha—summarizing and elaborating key points each evening for hundreds of monks, including his own former teachers.

Service in the West & current role

At Thrangu Rinpoche’s request, Khenpo-la began preparing to serve Western students—studying English at Oxford (2009) and teaching at centers in the UK and US. In 2013 he joined Vajra Vidya Retreat Center, Crestone, where he and Khenpo Jigme oversaw the center’s inaugural Kagyu three-year retreat. He now directs the center’s study and retreat programs, offers group teachings and practice interviews, and teaches in English to study groups and Dharma centers across the United States. Long-time colleagues, he and Khenpo Jigme trained together from their teenage years and completed shedra side by side.

Endorsements & approach

Both Thrangu Rinpoche and H.H. the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa have publicly praised Khenpo-la’s intelligence and teaching ability—the Karmapa once writing in calligraphy, “The sun of Excellent Intelligence dispels darkness,” playing on Khenpo-la’s name. Students know him for precise explanations, steady encouragement, good humor, and an unwavering commitment to authentic practice.

Contact: For teachings, practice guidance, or retreat interviews, please contact the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center office at vajravidyacrestone@gmail.com.