Masters & Teachers
Lama Gangchen Rinpoche was the founder of Kunpen and the initiator of the NgalSo tradition. Lama Michel Rinpoche and Lama Caroline are lineage holders.
Lama Michel and Lama Caroline conduct most of the Dharma teachings and retreats in the centers in Albagnano and Milan.
Several other masters and teachers regularly come to visit and guide Dharma activities.
Lama Gangchen Tulku Rinpoche
Lineage Holders
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Lineage Masters
The highly accomplished teachers and spiritual guides from our tradition.
Resident Lama, Geshes, Monks and Teachers
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Visiting Masters
Ven. Geshe Thubten Trinlay
H. H. Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche
H. H. Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche is the eighteenth in a lineage of eminent Indian and Tibetan pandits and masters. The supreme reincarnation was born on October 15 1982 in a Tibetan family in Dalhousie, Northern India and was officially recognized by His Holiness the 14th. Dalai Lama on April 23, 1985. Rinpoche has completed his primary studies under his root guru H.E. Kyabje Lati Rinpoche and Kyabje Dagom Rinpoche. Presently Rinpoche is doing further studies under the guidance of H.E. Dagpo Rinpoche, H.E. Yongyal Rinpoche.
His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche visited Kunpen Lama Gangchen on several occasions and transmitted various initiations and teachings to the Sangha in Italy.
Luang Por Dattajeevo
Venerable Luang Por Dattajeevo was born Padet Pongsawat on December 21, 1940 to an agricultural household in Pakplaak District of Kanchanaburi province, Thailand. He graduated in agricultural science from Kasetsart University and studied in Australia at post-graduate level.
Luang Por Dattajeevo’s path on his pursuit of Perfections is filled with lots of extraordinary thoughts and ideas. Since a young age, he has always enjoyed practicing meditation and reading books on all subjects, especially about the practice of meditation found in various ancient scriptures. He sought out numerous well known meditation masters to train him in meditation in order to dispel any doubts about ‘merit, demerit, and the existence of heaven and hell’ that remained in his mind.
Luang Por Dattajeevo ordained in 1971 and became known as Luang Por Dattajeevo, which means “He who gives his soul (to Buddhism) and quickly became a well-known teacher and speaker.
Theravada master Luang Por Dattajeevo and Lama Gangchen Rinpoche maintain a long-term friendship, which is expressed in Lama Gangchen’s yearly visits to the Magha Puja celebration in Bangkok. Luang Por Dattajeevo also visited Kunpen Lama Gangchen and gave teachings to the Sangha in Italy.
Lama Nyitrul Rinpoche
Venerable Lama Nyitrul Rinpoche was one of the main disciples of Denma Gonsar Rinpoche. He has always been a friend of Lama Gangchen Rinpoche. He is not only a holder of great knowledge and of the direct lineage of Denma Gonsar Rinpoche; he is also a ‘yogi mahasiddha style’ with great realisations. Currently he is one of the most important lamas in the Kham region in Tibet where Denma Gonsar Rinpoche used to teach.
There is a well-known story about a strong earthquake in Yushu, China. The whole house fell apart but the room in which Nyitrul Rinpoche was meditating remained completely intact. The firemen had to take a ladder to bring him down, cause even the staircase had fallen apart.
Another story is when he was in jail during the Cultural Revolution. He was handcuffed during daytime, but at night-time he removed the handcuffs, got out of his cell and went around to the other cells to help other prisoners with healing and psychological help.
Vajravali – Vajra Garland
In 2018, from the 16th of April until the beginning of June, an extremely rare and precious event took place in Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre. Venerable Lama Nyitrul Rinpoche was invited by Lama Gangchen Rinpoche to give the 45 empowerments of the Vajravali cycle.
The Vajravali – or Vajra Garland – is a compendium of texts of various tantric deities and rituals. The cycle contains empowerments and blessing rituals of various aspects of deities including Kalachakra, Guhyasamaja, Heruka, Yamantaka, Hevajra, Vajrayogini, and the Five Buddha Families. Each of the 45 Vajravali tantras has an associated mandala, which can be found on the ceiling of the Temple of Heaven on Earth in Albagnano.
The event was blessed by the presence of a large international assembly of masters, lamas, geshes and monks from China, Nepal, Mongolia, India, USA, EU, Switzerland, Brazil, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Taiwan.
This auspicious event was dedicated to World Peace, Environmental Peace and the Prosperity of Italy and the World.
Geshe Thubten Trinley
In June 2018 Albagnano was blessed with a visit by Venerable Geshe Thubten Trinley. He gave the transmission and most excellent teachings of the Ganden Mahamudra, the Great Seal, the quick way to attain Enlightenment, following the text and lineage of Panchen Losang Chöky Gyaltsen (author of ‘Lama Chöpa’ or Guru Puja).
Geshe Thubten Trinley was one of the closest disciples of Venerable Geshe Rabten Rinpoche. He spent his early years in Sera Jey Monastery, studying under prominent and eminent teachers including Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche and Kyabje Ling Rinpoche. He is known for his Lamrim retreats in Dharamsala, deep practice and excellence in his Dharma studies.
Over the years, Geshe Thubten Trinley has risen to become a highly revered teacher within the Gelug lineage. Many monasteries and Dharma centres regularly invited Geshe Thubten Trinley to give teachings on Buddhist philosophy, Lojong, Lamrim and Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara, as well as to preside over prominent religious festivals such as the Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo), prayer sessions and initiations. He also gave annual teachings and initiations in Shar Gaden Monastery in Mundgod, Karnataka, India.
Geshe Thubten Trinley gave Dharma teachings in Buddhist centres worldwide.
In recent years he was a resident teacher at Rabten Choeling Monastery in Switzerland, where he taught the Lamrim Chenmo three days a week. Besides the weekly public teachings, Geshe Thubten Trinley also tutored the current incarnation of Geshe Rabten, Venerable Tenzin Rabgya Rinpoche.
Geshe Thubten Trinley left his body in June 2019.
Anuruddha Thero Karuwelagaswewa
The Venerable Anuruddha Thero Karuwelagaswewa is an Insight Dialogue Teacher in Training. He was born in Sri Lanka in 1971. At 8 years old he joined the monastery, was ordained as a monk at age 12, and later studied Buddhist philosophy at the University of Jayawardhanapura and a Buddhist approach to counseling at the University of Kelaniya’s Postgraduate Institute of Pali Buddhist Studies. Bhante Anuruddha earned a postgraduate diploma in counseling in Vellour, India.
Since 2003 Bhante Anuruddha has been the abbot of the Zurich Buddhist Vihara in Switzerland where he teaches Theravada Buddhism and Vipassana meditation to all those who want to expand their knowledge and their horizons. Bhante Anuruddha was first introduced to Insight Dialogue on retreat in 2005. Insight Dialogue is what he had looked for in the counseling field for many years and Bhante Anuruddha is happy to practice the Dhamma in a practical way.
