Lama Thupten Dorje Gyaltsen Rinpoche (Jerry Gardner) has studied the Buddhist Dharma for over 45 years with an emphasis in the Long-chen Nying Thig tradition of the Nyingma sect and the Chokling tradition. In 1970 he began his formal training with Geshe Wangyal in New Jersey and with Lama Sonam T. Kazi in New York City. In 1988 Lama Thupten Rinpoche traveled to Nepal and became a disciple of the late Venerable Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Over the past 27 years Lama Thupten Rinpoche has traveled annually to Nepal and India to study and do retreats with Chatral Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Konchok Monlam Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Dzogcehn Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, Dupsing Rinpoche
and Lama Dawa Rinpoche. Lama Thupten Rinpoche was ordained as lama in 1997 by the late Khenpo Thupten Oser Rinpoche of Ngagyur Samten Chokhorling Institute in India and was recognized as Rinpoche in 2013 by Konchok Monlam Rinpoche and Dupsing Rinpoche. In 1993, under the guidance of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Lama Thupten Rinpoche established Urgyen Samten Ling Gonpa in Salt Lake City and is presently the resident teacher there. He is also a theatre professor at the University of Utah where he teaches dance, movement and theatre; and is master instructor of Wing Chun Kung-Fu, T’ai Chi Chu’an, and Qi Gong at his Red Lotus School of Movement in Salt Lake City.
