His Holiness Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa is an incarnate lama in a line of great masters that began with the enlightened translator of Tibet, Marpa Lotsawa (1013-1097). The 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa Pema Donyo Nyinje was born in Tibet to a family of farmers. He was recognized and enthroned at the age of 18 months, according to the Palpung monastic tradition. The political hostilities at the time forced the child lama to move to Bhutan and later to India in 1959 at the age of 6. He received novice monk vows at the age of 13, and full ordination at age 20 from His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa.
The Tai Situpa incarnations have had a very close connection with the Karmapas since the 12th century: from one lifetime to the next, they have alternated as teacher and disciple. At the age of 22 years His Holiness Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa founded his own monastic institution, Palpung Sherab Ling at Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh, India which has now grown into a leading Tibetan Buddhist institution with about 1200 resident monks and nuns and several hundred others who study and practice Buddhism in a traditional monastic environment in a beautiful pine forest landscaped to protect and preserve the environment.
Since 1981, His Holiness Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa has traveled widely in North America, Europe, South-East Asia and New Zealand lecturing on Buddhist philosophy and meditation. In 1989 he led the “Pilgrimage for Active Peace “to inspire people to take an active involvement in world peace. A renowned scholar, poet, artist, calligrapher, architect, and geomancer, His Holiness speaks fluent English and is the author of over 40 books in which he illuminates Buddhist teachings in commonsense terms using down-to-earth examples. He is currently involved in the advancement of inter-faith and inter-cultural humanitarian efforts.