Phakchok Rinpoche is the eldest son of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and a holder of the Ka-Nying and Riwoche lineages. He was recognised as the seventh incarnation of the Phakchok Rinpoche line by HH Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche, and enthroned at Riwoche Monastery in eastern Tibet.
Rinpoche received the full transmission of the Ka-Nying lineage from his father, his grandfather Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and his great-uncle Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche. He completed traditional retreat at the seat of Riwoche, where his predecessor practised, and received teachings from masters across the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya lineages.
He is the founder of Samye Institute and Samye Hermitage, an international Vajrayana training program that has students in over thirty countries. The Samye approach emphasises traditional ngöndro and Mahamudra instruction delivered in a form accessible to contemporary lay practitioners, with substantial commitment to ethics, meditation, and view. His teaching style is direct, frequently humorous, and unsparing about the conditions of contemporary distraction.
Rinpoche has been instrumental in modernising the Vajrayana student-teacher relationship for a global audience while preserving the traditional commitments. He travels constantly between Kathmandu, North America, Europe, and East Asia, teaching at scale through Samye and through retreat appearances with his lineage brothers — Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, and the next generation of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche descendants.
He is also the founder of the Loving Kindness Initiative, a humanitarian project supporting health, education, and rural development in eastern Tibet and the Himalayan regions. The initiative funds Riwoche's school, monastery, and medical clinic.
Phakchok Rinpoche accepts applications for personal time on a quarterly cadence, with priority for students who have completed the Samye ngöndro. The Promised Studios Pilgrim Circle members receive priority routing.
