<< Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, above, the spiritual leader of the Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Center in Leggett, will make his annual teaching trip to the center in mid-August and will offer three programs. COURTESY OF CHÖKYI NYIMA RINPOCHE

Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is a realized meditation master and a renowned teacher of the Nyingma and Kagyu Lineages of Buddhism. He is the spiritual leader of Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Center in Leggett. The eldest son of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, who selected the land in Leggett for his California center, Chökyi Nyima was born in Eastern Tibet in 1951.

As abbot of Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery in Nepal, he spends much of the year in Kathmandu, but travels regularly to teach his students around the world.

He currently has Gomde organizations in the United States, Denmark, England, Scotland, Russia, Mexico and Malaysia. He founded the Rangjung Yeshe Institute for Buddhist Studies in 1981 and is the founder of Rangjung Yeshe Publications, with more than 40 Buddhist titles. Rinpoche also heads the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, guiding a number of translators who work to make traditional Buddhist writings available in English.

Rinpoche returns to Rangjung Yeshe Gomde in Leggett each August. This year he will offer three programs: From Aug. 12 to 14, he will present “Opening the Door to Buddhist Practice,” an introductory program about the Buddhist path. On Aug. 15, Rinpoche will preside over the Ocean of Amrita Puja, a one-day ritual celebration, and from Aug. 16 to 19 he will offer “Key Points of Vajrayana Practice” to his advanced students.

For registration and more information, visit Gomde’s website at www.gomdeusa.org, send an email to registrar@gomdeusa.org or call 707-925-0201.

Following major earthquakes in Nepal this spring, Rinpoche is also leading a fundraising effort for relief and reconstruction. Those who wish to support the rebuilding of the Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling Monastery can visit www.shedrubfund.org to make a donation.