14th Shamar Rinpoche


Shamar Rinpoche (1952-2014) was the 14th Shamarpa, or Red Hat Lama of Tibet. The Shamarpa lineage is the second-oldest reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, dating to the thirteenth century. Shamar Rinpoche spent many years studying in India with Buddhist scholars. He began to travel and teach in various Buddhist centers throughout Asia and the west in 1980.

In 2005, Shamarpa founded the retreat center of Shar Minub in Kathmandu, Nepal. At Shar Minub, twenty resident monks strictly maintain the full 253 vows of the vinaya. These monks are total renunciants and dedicated meditators.

Shamar Rinpoche authored several books. In ‘The Path to Awakening’, Shamarpa provides an extensive commentary on Chekawa Yeshe Dorje’s Seven Points of Mind Training, based on the Mind Training (lojong) teachings brought to Tibet by Atisha in the 11th century.