Born in Lhasa, Tibet, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche was recognized as an incarnation of the previous Jamgon Kongtrul by the late Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, the supreme head of the Kagyu lineage. At the age of six, the young tulku left Tibet to join H.H. the Karmapa at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim where he was raised by the Karmapa as one of his four heart sons. Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche accompanied the Karmapa to the United States in 1976 and 1980 and in recent years carried out the Karmapa's work, inspiring and teaching large numbers of students in Asia as well as in Europe and the United States.
