H. E. Kalu Rinpoche (1905-1989)
The Enlightenment Stupa at Kagyu Thubten Choling Monastery, Wappingers Falls, NY
H. E. Kalu Rinpoche (1905-1989) was born in the Kham region of Eastern Tibet. He was the abbot of the meditation center at Palpung Monastery where he received the rare Shangpa Kagyu lineage. He established two Monasteries in West Bengal, India: Sonanda (Samdrug Darjay Choling) and Salugara (Droden Kunchyab Chodey). He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West. He started many dharma and retreat centers throughout America as well as erected traditional stupas across the country and in Hawaii to bring the blessings of the Buddhas to the West. His main center in the USA, Kagyu Thubten Choling Monastery, overlooks the Hudson River at Wappingers Falls, NY. Bokar Rinpoche was Kalu Rinpoche’s heart-son and entrusted with the training of Kalu Yangsi Rinpoche.