Khenpo Yeshi Rinpoche was born in Nakchu, East Tibet in 1969. Since early childhood, he has shown a deep interest in the study of Dharma. At the age of thirteen, he received empowerments, transmissions, and oral instructions in the cycle of Longchen Nyingthig from Tibetan Dzogchen master, His Eminence Lungtok Rinpoche, as well as His Eminence Nidrag Khenpo Konchok Gyaltsen. 

Arriving in South India at the age of twenty, Khenpo Rinpoche studied at Tibetan Buddhist monasteries belonging to a variety of Buddhist traditions—Geluk, Kagyu, and Nyingma—namely Sera Monastery, Dzogchen Monastery, and Drikung Jangchup Ling. He excelled in both sutra and tantra trainings. 

During this time, Khenpo Rinpoche also studied closely with over two dozen eminent Lamas, Khenpos, and Rinpoches, including His Eminence Khenchen Meiwa Tubten Rinpoche, His Eminence Khenchen Pema Tsewang Rinpoche, and His Holiness Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche. Moreover, he received empowerments, transmissions, and oral instructions of both kama and terma of the Nyingma tradition from renowned high Lamas such as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, His Eminence Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, His Eminence Dodrupchen Rinpoche, His Eminence Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, His Holiness Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche, and His Holiness Kathok Moktsa Rinpoche.

In 1993, Khenpo Rinpoche traveled to Nepal to undertake an intensive three-year meditative retreat under the guidance of the renowned Dzogchen master, His Eminence Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. At the time, His Eminence Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche granted him special Dzogchen teachings and personal instructions, placing him in retreat at Asura Cave Retreat Center in Pharping, south of Kathmandu.

Upon completion of his three-year retreat, in 1997, Khenpo Rinpoche was invited by His Eminence Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche to teach at the monastery’s Shedra (a program of advanced Buddhist studies). Teaching the monks at Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling from the Basic Monastic Debate System to Advanced Buddhist Epistemology, Khenpo Rinpoche designed a curriculum involving topics such as Abhidharma, Pramana, and Madhyamaka, systematizing an advanced-level monastic education that continues to train monks today. At the same time, he taught the first group of international students at the Rangjung YesheInstitute (RYI) in Boudhanath, Nepal. As a faculty member at RYI, he both taught and helped develop a new curriculum on the five major treatises: Prajñāpāramitā, Madhyamaka, Pramāṇa, Abhidharma, and Vinaya. In doing so, he contributed to the establishment of a system through which lay transnationals could effectively learn essential texts of traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastic education.

In 1998, Khenpo Rinpoche received teachings and empowerments from His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche in Nepal. In 2001, His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche invited him to participate in the 49-day Yamantaka Retreat at the Garchen Buddhist Institute in Arizona. Since then, Khenpo Rinpoche has resided in the U.S. and received further personal teachings from His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche.

Internationally, Khenpo Rinpoche has taught at many Buddhist centers such as Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Germany-Austria, Da-Yuan (Great Perfection) Buddhist Society (Taipei, Taiwan), Ngedon Tengye Ling Buddhist Society (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), as well as Drikung Namgyal Ling (Tucson, Arizona), Drikung Rinchen Choling (Arcadia, California), Drong Ngur Jangchubling (Tampa, Floria), Dawn Mountain (Houston, Texas), Chicago Ratna Shri (Chicago, Illinois), and Garchen Buddhist Institute (Chino Valley, Arizona). 

Having received his PhD in South and Southeast Asian Studies from UC Berkeley, Dr. Khen Rinpoche is a 2026-2028 postdoctoral fellow at the Ho Center for Buddhist Studies at the Stanford University.