Born in 1975 in the border region between Tibet and Nepal, Mingyur Rinpoche was drawn to a life of contemplation at a young age. He spent many years of his childhood in strict retreat and studied with some of the greatest masters in living memory. Today he attends to the monasteries under his care and is head of the Tergar Meditation Community, supporting students in more than thirty countries.
A disciple of His Eminence the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monastic. She also spent twelve years in solitary retreat in a cave in the Himalayas, as detailed in her biography Cave in the Snow. Tenzin Palmo currently spends most of the year at the nunnery she has founded, Dongyu Gatsal Ling.
For over three decades, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche’s brother, has been teaching students worldwide about the innermost nature of mind in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and is particularly committed to supporting female practitioners. Widely recognized as an outstanding meditation teacher, he is the author of many books including Open Heart Open Mind, Carefree Dignity, and Fearless Simplicity.
Sarah Harding has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1974, and she has been teaching and translating since completing a three-year retreat in 1980 under the guidance of Kyabjé Kalu Rinpoche. She was associate professor at Naropa University for twenty-five years in Boulder, Colorado, where she currently resides, and has been a fellow of the Tsadra Foundation since 2000.
At fifteen, Khenpo Kunga spent three years in retreat mastering the contemplative practices of the Kagyu lineage. Later, he studied at the renowned Dzongsar monastic college for eleven years and received his Khenpo degree. In recent years, he has taught in Asia, Europe, and the United States as one of the main teachers for the worldwide network of Tergar monasteries and meditation centers.
A 1-hour wrap-up session open to Q&A with course guides Tsunma Kunsang Palmo and Tim Olmsted, including an introduction to the next course, The Heart of Tantra: Essence.