Geshe Samten Tsukphud was born in Khyumpo, Eastern Tibet, in 1975. Before the Chinese “Cultural Revolution” his big family of farming nomads was wealthy. They were famous for their special breed of racing horses. His grandfather was a renowned Thanka painter and practitioner. There are also well-known Thanka painters on his mother’s side, among them Yongdzin Rinpoche’s uncle.

For the first eight years of his life Geshe la received no formal training. His father taught him to read and write, and to recite the common prayers. For three years he attended the village school in winter, where he learned the Tibetan alphabet and practiced reading.

1986, when Yongdzin Rinpoche visited Tibet for the first time after his own escape, Tengchen, Yongdzin Rinpoche’s home monastery, was just in the process of rebuilding. Geshe Samten Tsukphud took the basic vows and became monk of Tengchen. He was then 13 years old. He learned the rituals, the ritual instruments, reciting, the monastic rules, and he practiced Kalung Gyamtso (bka’ lung rgya mtsho), which is the Ngön dro by Shardza Rinpoche.

After three years of studies he joined Tsedrug Monastery, which is very famous and dates back to Mutri Tsenpo, the second King of Tibet. There Geshe Samten Tsukphud studied philosophy from Lopön Drangsong Yungdrung, who was the first and oldest of Yongdzin Rinpoche’s students in Menri in Dolanji. After four months of study they left together for Lung kar Monastery in Northern Tibet, as Tsedrug Monastery was facing serious water problems, and also because at that time there were no more qualified teachers of philosophy in Tibet, so the Lopön had to share his time between the two monasteries, and his students (75 students of philosophy at that time, plus a meditation class) followed him.

In 1992 Rinpoche came to Tibet again. The students had finished their Sutra part and were ready to take the highest level of vows, Drangsong. Back in Tengchen, Geshe la had the good chance to study the Nine Ways of Bon from Yongdzin Rinpoche himself. After that he left for Kathmandu together with ten more monks (among them Geshe Gelek). After 24 days of walk they arrived, but Rinpoche had not come back yet, he was still travelling and teaching in Tibet.

When he came back, they asked him whether they should stay or go to Menri Monastery in Dolanji. He advised them to go to Menri, as at that time Triten Norbutse had no school yet and was not able to accommodate and feed so many.

In Menri they studied Sutra again. After three years they went back to Triten Norbutse, where the Philosophy School started with 18 students. Geshe la studied Sutra, Tantra and Rigne nga (rig gnas lnga), the five Noble Sciences, obtained his Geshe degree in 2001, and started teaching the younger students.

He learned typing, when Professor Nagano published a Tengyur Karchag and a Book of Mandalas with the help of monks from Triten Norbutse. Following this, Geshe la together with the group of Geshes teachers from Triten Norbutse published all of Rinpoche’s teachings in Tibetan and new editions of the most important Dzogchen and Tantra texts for the Triten Norbutse library. Up to now there are 32 volumes available. For eight successive years now, Triten Norbutse Library has also issued Drepo’i Beltam (bgres po’i ‘bel gtam), a yearly magazine in Tibetan. He also wrote Yongdzin Rinpoche’s biography, which is soon to be published. Presently Geshe la is trying to raise the money for the publication of a book of 86 originals of certain collected Bonpo Thankas with detailed explanations. The Thankas are painted, sponsored by a Tibetan donor, now the money for photographs and print must be raised.