Michael Lobsang Tenpa

Michael Lobsang Tenpa is a translator of Tibetan Buddhism and a meditation instructor who lived as a monk for more than nine years before returning his vows in 2022 to continue as a lay teacher. He studied Asian regional studies in Moscow and later spent two years at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu learning Himalayan languages and Buddhist interpretation. He has interpreted for many Tibetan teachers, including the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche, and has translated books by Alan Wallace and Thubten Chodron into Russian.

Alongside his Buddhist training he qualified as a teacher of Mindfulness-based Mind Training and of Cultivating Emotional Balance, a secular programme drawing on both emotion research and contemplative practice. His teaching returns often to the four immeasurables, love, compassion, joy and equanimity, and to lojong, the Tibetan tradition of mind training. He also works in EcoDharma, which links contemplative practice with care for the natural world. He teaches mainly online in English, with some sessions in Spanish, through long recorded courses on YouTube, guided practices on Insight Timer, essays on his Substack and trainings hosted by Tibet House US. He is also open to invitations to lead workshops, talks and retreats, and to offer mindfulness coaching.