Our Teachings and Teachers
The teachings
To gain insight and wisdom for the benefit of all living things
The Dharma - the teachings of the Buddha
2500 years ago, after extensive studies and meditation Buddha Shakyamuni realized what the true cause of suffering is, that there is a way out of suffering and that this path leads to happiness. read more
The lineage masters
Authentic meditation masters right on your doorstep!
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche
The founder and director of our center is Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. This well-known meditation master and teacher has been teaching students around the world for more than 30 years. read more
Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche
The second son of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche was born in eastern Tibet in 1953. He was recognized by the Karmapa as the fourth reincarnation of the great 19th-century treasure revealer Tertön Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa. read more
Phakchok Rinpoche
Born in 1981 to Chokling Rinpoche and his wife Dechen Paldron, Phakchok Rinpoche is the grandson of Tulku Ugyen Rinpoche and the eldest brother of the Yangsi Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. read more
Official Teachers
Learn from experienced practitioners from East and West
KHENPOS AND LOPÖNS
We are regularly visited and taught by scholars who are highly trained in Buddhist monastic higher education.
They bear the title Khenpo or Lopön, which is comparable to a professor or doctorate.
These teachers know how to present and discuss complex philosophical content from a variety of perspectives, and at the same time have a great deal of experience in the practice of meditation.
They are learned practitioners.
MONKS AND NUNS
It is of great concern to Gomde to pass on Tibetan Buddhism as authentically as possible.
To this end, Gomde regularly invites well-trained and experienced nuns and monks from the monasteries of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.
These teachers are often distinguished by decades of meditation practice and life as ordained nuns and monks.
They know the human mind very well, from their practice but also from living together in the monastery.
Therefore, they can be an inspiration and role model for us, both in formal ritual practice and in the everyday application of Buddhist wisdom teachings.
Lama Öser
Lama Öser is one of the longest standing monks of our monastery and has been studying and practicing the Dharma since childhood. He has also been teaching in the West and happily visits us at least once a year.
His warm, easygoing attitude makes it easy to sit down with him and discuss one’s practice.
In addition to his deep philosophical knowledge, he also has a great deal of knowledge about the benefits of Tibetan medicine.
Lama Thierry
He reaches from his own experience, finds vivid examples from everyday life which we can easily relate to, and he shares his extensive knowledge of the Tibetan scripture.
He is an avid reader, film and music expert with a sense of humor and a great teacher with infinite devotion to the Dharma.
Erik Pema Kunsang
In his youth, deep curiosity and a thirst for knowledge awoke in Erik, leading him to the teachings of Buddhism in general and of Padmasambhava in particular. Since then Erik has had the great fortune to learn the wisdom traditions from many of the great Buddhist masters of our time.
His main teachers are the great Dzogchen masters Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and his son Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Their personal guidance has resulted in him becoming one of the most revered translators of his generation. His books and translations are indispensable and have inspired countless practitioners.
In 2010, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche officially assigned Erik the task of teaching the Dharma. During meditation retreats, Erik focuses on discovering a simple and natural presence. He helps people to become familiar with the nature of the mind and the freedom that goes along with such awareness. This simple mode of being enables the unfolding of the noble qualities of compassion, love and insight.
In addition to his tireless efforts to share his knowledge, he is also the founding editor of Levekunst: The Art of Life, which publishes essays on various spiritually-related topics.
For more on Erik’s activities and publications please visit
Ulli Olvedi
Ulli Olvedi is a renowned author, but not only an artist of language. In her seminars, she conveys Buddhist philosophy, Western psychology and energy work in a way that makes them understandable to and applicable by anyone. She has been a Buddhist practitioner since 1972 and studied with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Tarab Tulku Rinpoche and Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Ulli founded the College of Traditional Tibetan Medicine, the Shelkar Tibetan Medical Institute in Kathmandu, and is head of spirituality at the Aidenried Academy am Ammersee near Munich.