A view of Rudam Valley, with Dzogchen Monastery in the distance (picture by Sangye Trinley)

Dzogchen Monastery, located in Eastern Tibet in the Rudam Valley, was founded at the end of the seventeenth century by Dzogchen Pema Rigzin, the first Dzogchen Rinpoche, and Ponlop Namkha Ösel, the first Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.

Dzogchen developed into one of the six major seats of the Nyingma lineage, with thousands of monks and hundreds of branch monasteries. The Shri Singha monastic college and retreat center are renowned throughout Tibet.

Dzogchen has been home to many great masters, such as Dzogchen Patrul Rinpoche, author of the famous text, The Words of My Perfect Teacher, and many scholars, such as Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche. This great monastic institution continues to play an important role in Tibet.

A view of Dzogchen Monastery from the side (picture by Sangye Trinley)

In this section you will find a short history of Dzogchen Monastery, an overview of the Dzogchen lineage of teachers, and a synopsis of the Six Major Seats of the Nyingma Lineage

A brief history of Dzogchen Monastery