Feb 8, 2025

Please note: This broadcast is in Tibetan language only.

Chope Paljor Tsering, Geshe Dangsong Namgyal, Geshe Tenzin Yangton, Youngdrung Woser Gurung, and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal lead this important discussion on the connection between nutrition, tradition, and spiritual vitality in monastic life. The live online dialog addresses current dietary challenges in monasteries, including carb-heavy diets and related health issues. Chope Paljor Tsering, an expert in nutrition and Tibetan medicine, offers practical, culturally respectful solutions, and introduces a campaign to reform monastic diets, emphasizing the importance of balanced nutrition for both physical and spiritual health.

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This event is one of a series of eight “Kathmandu Dialogues” offered by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in conjunction with a February 2025 celebratory event for His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the foremost living teacher and protector of the Yungdrung Bön tradition of Tibet. Learn more

About the Presenters

Geshe Dangsong Namgyal, born in Kham, Tibet, began his Buddhist education at age 5, studying with his uncle and father before entering Lungkar Monastery’s retreat center. After fleeing to India in 1991, he continued his rigorous studies at Menri Monastery and Sera Je College, focusing on major Buddhist subjects like Madhyamaka and Prajnaparamita texts. He completed his studies at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Nepal, receiving his Geshe degree in 2011. Since 2003, Geshe Namgyal Drongyal has been actively involved in international conferences on Tibetan culture, presenting articles in multiple countries and authoring books on nonsectarian Tibetan traditions and other topics. In 2013, he moved to California, establishing the Kunzang Gar Dharma Center in 2016 to teach Tibetan culture and religion to interested students across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

Chope Paljor Tsering served as Kalon for the Department of Health in the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) from 2007 to 2011. Born in 1948 in gNam-ru, northern Tibet, he became a refugee in Nepal in 1959. Tsering held various positions within the CTA and was the longest-serving representative of the Dalai Lama, serving for more than 21 years in Nepal, Eastern Europe, Australasia, and East Asia. During his tenure at the Department of Health, he initiated innovative health care systems for Tibetan refugees, including the Tibetan Medicare System (TMS) and་Tele Services.

Geshe Tenzin Yangton was born into the profound Yangton Lineage in 1974 in Chharka, Dolpo, Nepal. As a child he completed the customary three-year retreat at Yanggon Monastery. In 1990 he became a monk at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, taking his vows from Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. In 1992 Geshe Tenzin arrived at Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, and enrolled in the Bön Dialectic School. There he studied sutra, tantra, and dzogchen. He was awarded the auspicious degree of Geshe in 2006. For several years, Geshe Tenzin served as the resident lama at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, the headquarters of Ligmincha International located in rural Nelson County, Virginia, U.S.A, until health issues led him to seek treatment and support in Asia. He is the coordinator of Yanggon Thongdrop Phuntsog Ling Monastery and Dolpo Tsaga Welfare Healthcare Clinic. He is putting his best efforts towards maintaining and developing facilities in Chharka in order to preserve the culture and teachings of Bön in general and of the Yangton lineage in Chharka in particular.

Youngdrung Woser Gurung is a Tibetan Menpa (traditional doctor) and professor at the Medical College of Sorig Bumzhi Menriling in Dholanji, India. Born in 1991, he began his spiritual journey as a novice Ngagpa at age 5 and became a fully ordained Bön monk in 2008. Gurung holds a bachelor’s degree in Traditional Tibetan Sowa Rigpa Medicine and has extensive experience in Tibetan medicine and acupuncture. He currently serves as the medical director at Sorigtsang Wellness Centre and has played crucial roles in preserving Tibetan medical traditions, including overseeing the preparation of rare herbal medicines for the Drupchen Ceremony. Gurung has presented at international conferences on Tibetan medicine and has been invited as a guest speaker in European countries to share his expertise on traditional Tibetan healing practices and philosophy.

Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (host) was born in India in 1961, following his parents’ journey from Tibet to India in 1959. At age 11 he began formal studies as a monk at Menri Monastery near Dolanji, India, where he completed an 11-year course of traditional studies at the Bön Dialectic School. He was awarded his geshe degree in 1986. He now lives as a householder, and has been living and teaching in the West for more than 30 years. An accomplished scholar in all aspects of sutra, tantra and dzogchen, Rinpoche is an acclaimed author and a respected teacher of students worldwide. As the founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, he has established numerous centers and institutes of learning in the United States, Mexico, South America, Europe and India. Fluent in English, Rinpoche regularly offers online teachings in the form of live webcasts, online workshops and YouTube videos. He is renowned for his depth of wisdom; his clear, engaging teaching style; and his dedication to making the ancient Tibetan teachings highly accessible and relevant to the lives of Westerners.
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