His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is one of the foremost Buddhist masters and accomplished Tibetan Lamas alive in this world today. His compassion, love, wisdom, and spiritual accomplishments are legendary. He is one of the highest  Lamas of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and is revered and respected by all the different lineages of Buddhism, and beloved in numerous countries across various continents all over the world. His disciples number in the tens of thousands and his dharma activities pervade everywhere. He is truly a living example of an authentic enlightened being and a great Bodhisattva. Famous throughout the world for his vast realization and great kindness, Rinpoche is truly a wish fulfilling gem, and one of the greatest authentic spiritual masters in the world.
Garchen Rinpoche was born in Eastern Tibet in 1936 and recognized at a very young age as the 8th incarnation of Garchen Rinpoche. From that time, he entered into monastic life and studied and practiced the dharma under many of the highest lamas of the Drikung lineage until the age of 19. Garchen Rinpoche then entered into a traditional three year retreat, which was interrupted after two and a half years due to the Cultural Revolution in China. At that time, after fighting in war to defend Tibet and preserve the Buddha Dharma, Garchen Rinpoche was captured and imprisoned. Garchen Rinpoche spent the next 20 years in prison and labor camps in Communist China. While in prison, Garchen Rinpoche met his root Guru, the great Nyingma master Khenpo Munsel, who gave him many essential teachings and pith instructions. Enduring unfathomable hardships, Rinpoche practiced secretly in prison until he attained great profound realization and merged his mind with his Guru.
Since his release from prison in 1979, Garchen Rinpoche has worked tirelessly to restore, preserve, and spread the teachings and blessings of the Buddha Dharma across Tibet, and later, throughout the entire world. In 1997, Garchen Rinpoche came to America for the first time. He has established his main center, the Garchen Buddhist Institute, in Arizona as well as numerous other centers throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America. With his immeasurable compassion, vast realization and authentic blessings Rinpoche has inspired and guided thousands of Dharma students and practitioners to cultivate love, bodhichitta, and melt the ice block of self-grasping through dharma practice. He is an eminent master of the practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Tummo, the Six Yogas of Naropa, the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, and many others.

Lhopon Thubten Nima was born in 1965 into conditions of political turmoil and exile associated with the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Lama Thubten Nima had the good fortune to receive instruction at the age of fourteen on the effects of virtuous and harmful actions by the great yogi Tamga, and he completed the four hundred thousand accumulations of the preliminary practices (ngö ndro) according to the Buddhist Yangzab terma.
His family having long been associated with Gar Monastery prior to the Cultural Revolution, Lama Thubten Nima made great efforts to travel to the Gar Monastery where he received refuge ordination from His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche. He then received full monastic ordination and the bodhisattva vow from the great siddha Karma Norbu, and was admitted to the Gar Monastery. There, he trained in the ritual practices of the tantras of Old and New Schools and other diverse religious activities. He was selected for special training at Lho Lungkar Monastery, including the Eight Heruka Sadhanas, the Embodiment of the Masters’ Realization, Vajrakilaya, and Essence of Great Bliss. He served as chant master and, later, as disciplinarian of the Gar monastery.
Thereafter, he received teachings from many of the great living Buddhist masters including Dzogchen trekchod and thogal from Khenpo Munsel Rinpoche, the entirety of the Drikung Kagyu protectors and the higher and lower tantra sections from HE Garchen Rinpoche, and received from Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok his own terma (mind treasure) of the Kilaya cycle of teachings. At Drigung Thil, he received from Drubpon Tendzin Nyima some of the profound teachings of the Drikung Kagyu such as the Fivefold Mahamudra and the Six Yogas [of Naropa]. He studied the Gong Chig (Single Intention), Essence of Mahayana, The Bodhisattva Way of Life, and the Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices with Drigung Khenpo Namzig. Under the elder Drigung chant master Konchog Samten, he trained in the ritual practices of Chakrasamvara, Varahi, the Yangzab, Sarvavid and Akshobhya.
Subsequently, HE Garchen Rinpoche appointed him as Vajra Master and asked him to undertake a series of assignments to help reorganize and reestablish Buddhist practice and monastic discipline in monasteries throughout the region after, in some cases, a twenty-five year breach in the Buddhist practice tradition. These monasteries included Lho Miyel Monastery, Khargo Monastery and later Tseri Monastery in Sichuan where he reestablished the Great Accomplishment (Drupchen) practice of Yamantaka and gave other teachings. At the request of HE Garchen Rinpoche, he also served as Lama (religious teacher and minister) for two years at Tamgo Monastery in Central Tibet, the former dwelling place of Chung Dorje Dragpa, the fourth lineage holder of the Drikung Kagyu. There, Lama Thubten Nima established the summer retreat, set up a yearly teaching schedule and appointed a chant master, disciplinarian and shrine master.
Later, at Gar Monastery, Lama Thubten Nima took responsibility for instructing the nuns at the Fivefold Mahamudra Meditation Center of Gargon Nunnery.  He then came to America to do a Yamantaka Retreat with HE Garchen Rinpoche.  At present, he serves as the a Teacher and Chant Master for the Garchen Institute in Arizona. He is also the founder of the Drikung Rinchen Choling Foundation in Los Angeles and Gar Jangchub Choling Sacramento, California, where he continues to oversee the center as the Spiritual Director

Lama Sonam Gyatso was born in Eastern Tibet, in 1978. In 1997, he joined Gar
Monastery, where he was ordained as a monk. He served as the shrine-master from 2000
to 2003. He completed the traditional three-year retreat from 2008 to 2011. From 2015 to
2018, he held the position of disciplinarian at the monastery. In 2022, he came to the
United States, bringing his dedication to Gar Jangchub Choling, where he now supports our community