Khenpo Rinchen Gyaltsen, born on February 17, 1972, in Montevideo, is a distinguished Buddhist teacher and translator. Appointed by His Holiness Gongma Trichen Rinpoche in 2012 as the resident Lama at the Sakya Buddhist Center (Paramita), he runs the Sakya Foundation in Spain and serves as the primary representative of the Sakya tradition for the Spanish-speaking world. His mission is to transmit the teachings of Buddha with rigor and clarity, a task entrusted to him by his root teacher and the highest authority of the Sakya Tradition, H.H. Gongma Trichen.

Born to Spanish parents, Lama Khenpo Rinchen Gyaltsen emigrated with his family to New Jersey, USA, in 1980. He graduated in Art and Psychology from Rutgers University in 1995. At 18, he became a vegetarian and began practicing meditation. In 1993, at the age of 21, during a retreat in New York, he met Khenpo Pema Wangdak, a master from Tibet belonging to the Sakya Tradition, and received his first teaching on the “Heart Sutra,” sparking his deep interest in Dharma. Under Khenpo Pema Wangdak’s guidance, he continued his studies on traditional Buddhist texts and completed his initial training retreats.

In 1997, he traveled to India for the first time and continued his education. Between 2000 and 2003, he studied at the Pema Tsal Institute in New York, focusing on philosophy, rituals, classical Tibetan, and Sanskrit, completing a three-year training program in 2003.

In 2003, S.E. Chogye Trichen Rinpoche ordained him as a monk in Lumbini, Nepal, and gave him the Tibetan name Ngawang Lekshe Rinchen Gyaltsen, meaning “Power of the Word, Proverb, Jewel, Insignia.” From 2003 to 2012, Lama Khenpo Rinchen traveled through India, Nepal, and Tibet, residing in various monasteries and receiving teachings and initiations from great masters, including H.H. Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, H.H. Ratna Vajra, H.H. Gyana Vajra, Khenchen Appey Rinpoche, Khenpo Jamyang Tenzin, S.E. Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, and S.E. Jetsun Kushok. He studied Buddhist philosophy for seven years at the International Buddhist Academy (IBA) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

In 2009, he designed and participated in IBA’s “Intensive Translation Program,” the first classical Tibetan program aimed at training translators. He was also a founding member of the Chodung Karmo and Sakya Pandita translation groups, which helped launch the 84000 project to translate the entire Buddhist canon.

In 2011, Lama Rinchen continued his meditative training in India through regular Sakya Tradition retreats under H.H. Gongma Trichen’s guidance. After completing these retreats, H.H. Gongma Trichen granted him the title of Tantric Master (Dorje Loppon) in 2012. Subsequently, he was appointed by His Holiness as the resident teacher (Lama) at the Sakya Buddhist Center in Pedreguer, Spain, to transmit Buddha’s teachings in Spanish. In 2013, he moved to the center.

In 2014, Lama Khenpo Rinchen founded Paramita, an online platform offering fundamental teachings of the Sakya Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism for free. He also created the Paramita Translation Team, enabling Spanish speakers to study and practice ancient texts of the Tradition. Under his leadership, he organized tours to invite top Sakya Tradition authorities, such as H.H. Gongma Trichen Sakya Trizin 41, H.H. Ratna Vajra Sakya Trizin 42, and H.H. Gyana Vajra Sakya Trizin 43, to Spain.

From 2017 to 2019, Venerable Lama Rinchen collaborated with IBA and H.H. Ratna Vajra Sakya Trizin 42, creating a seven-year study program called “The Complete Path,” following the meditation and philosophy foundations of the Sakya Tradition. During the pandemic, he continued offering online courses and later organized tours for his teachers to give teachings in Latin America for the first time. He served as a translator for H.H. Ratna Vajra Sakya Trizin 42 in five Latin American countries and taught in various Spanish-speaking countries.

On January 25, 2024, Lama Rinchen was honored with the title of Khenpo (Abbot) in Bodh Gaya, India, by the highest authorities of the Sakya Tradition. This recognition marks a lifetime dedicated to spreading the Dharma and his commitment to Buddha’s values. Currently, besides teaching philosophy and meditation at the Sakya Buddhist Center (Paramita), he is the spiritual director of Sakya Rinchen Ling (Bolivia), Paramita Trevelin (Argentina), and Paramita San Juan (Argentina). He oversees the Paramita Community, with nearly 300 study groups and circles of practitioners within the Spanish-speaking community, and continues teaching at universities and institutions across Spain, Latin America, Europe, Nepal, and the USA. His successful implementation of the EMI (Integral Mental Training) course, now in its 7th edition, provides tools for anyone to improve their life and personal environment.