Rinpoche was born in the Kham Province of Tibet. He was born on July 1, 1948. Soon afterward, he was recognized as the 13th incarnation of the Zasep lineage. He was installed as Abbot of the Zuru Gompa at the age of five.
Rinpoche left the Zuru Gompa in the spring of 1957 due to the bad conditions existing in the Kham province following the communist invasion of that year.
He then went to Lhasa, where he met His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama and his two senior tutors, H.H. Yongzin Ling Rinpoche and H.H. Yongzin Trijang Rinpoche. At the age of 10, he entered the Sera Monastery, the largest monastery in Tibet, where his studies included Buddhist philosophy and meditation.
When the Chinese invaded Lhasa, Zasep Tulku Rinpoche escaped from Tibet and in 1961 went to Dharamsala India where he rejoined H.H. Trijang Rinpoche, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and H.H. Ling Rinpoche. He studied and did retreats in India for many years. It was during this time that he received a Masters degree in Buddhist philosophy and psychology. He also spent two years in Thailand where he studied Vipassana meditation.
Rinpoche began teaching westerners in Australia over 20 years ago. He is fluent in English and has a complete understanding of the western lifestyle. Currently, he is the spiritual director of more than 12 centers in Canada, Australia and the United States.
Rinpoche's students love him, not only for his extensive knowledge and
embodiment of the Dharma, but also for his kindness and highly evolved
sense of humor. He now lives part time in both Toronto, Ontario and Nelson,
British Columbia Canada.
Green Tara is the Tibetan deity of active compassion. She is the "Mother of all Buddhas," "The Wish-Granter." Tara is one of the most popular and well loved of the Tibetan mediational deities. When one engages in any meditation practice, one is engaging in an action that will make one's life of benefit to all beings, and is therefore an expression of interest in developing one's mind so that one can be of benefit to a larger community -- namely, all sentient beings. Lama Zopa Rinpoche says in his book, Tara the Liberator:
