Venerable Gelong Namgyal Wangchen (Phara)

Venerable Phara Gelong Namgyal Wangchen or Thupten Gyaltsen (Christened name) was born in 1934. He joined Drepung Loseling Monastic University at the age of 10 and at 16, he started his studies of ‘Major’ Buddhist Texts’ under the kind supervision of grateful spiritual masters Venerable Khensur Puma Gyaltsen (Ex-abbot of the monastery) and venerable Shakor Khen Rinpoche Nyima Gyaltsen.

And he had completed ‘Madymaka’ (The middle view) out of the ‘Five Treatises of Buddhist Philosophy’ in Tibet starting from basic level. At 20, he received his Bhikhu (fully ordained) vows from Venerable Khensur Pema Gyaltsen. The fateful 1959 saw him following His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile accompanying his Root-Guru Khensur Pema Gyaltsen.

For four year post-1959, at Dalhousie he had lessons on all five major Texts, (shungchen kapoe Nga) especially Vinaya and Abhidharmakosh (not studied in Tibet earlier) from grateful Venerable Shakor Khen Rinpoche Nyima Gyaltsen.

In 1963, he joined the rest of the monks at Buxar and rewarded with invaluable holistic teachings from Venerable Khensur Pema Gyaltsen. Later, he had also studied Tantra with great effort. He is rich in sacred transmission of Sutra and Tantric teachings and empowerments received from well-known lamas including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his two great Tutors. For the sake of many devoted western students, Gen Wangchen – la flew to London and spent seven years teaching at Jamyang Buddhist Center. As recommended by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Gen-la has already authored eight volumes (in Tibetan) on insightful meanings of ‘The Five Treatises’ that serve as an eye opener and reference texts indispensable especially to the beginners in understanding the ‘Root Texts’.

Having mastered English language, he has two books ‘Lamrim Meditation and ‘Emptiness of Emptiness’ to his credit for the wider International readers.

Currently, the great master whole-heartedly teaches hundreds of students at Loseling Monastic University.

As a small indication of his popularity as a spiritual master, all his lessons on all ‘five treatises are recorded and listened not only by all the monks in Loseling Monastic University, but all over the major monastic Universities and beyond. Likewise his books published by our Library Society is in great demand running out of print in an instant and all the proceeds from the sale given to the Library, not making a penny out of it himself. In fact, he has been teaching here declining over-flowing lucrative offers from Centers around the globe, following a noble path treaded by the spiritual masters of yore.