Sonam Gyatso is a senior student of the Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche, his root guru, with whom he studied and traveled the planet for 38 years.

In 1961, while studying Mathematics at Cambridge, he met the Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche, then known as Ananda Bodhi, and subsequently received novice ordination as Vanaratana Samanera from the Venerable Saddhatissa Mahathera in London, England in 1963.

Following two years' intensive training in the Theravada tradition in England, in 1965 he accompanied his teacher, Namgyal Rinpoche, to Toronto where he became a founding member of the Dharma Centre of Canada. Later, he made several pilgrimages to India, Burma, Sri Lanka and other Far Eastern lands with Namgyal Rinpoche.

Having received the higher ordination as Karma Konchog Sonam Gelong, from H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, at the Dharmachakra Monastery in Rumtek, Sikkim, in 1972, Sonam then lived the life of a Buddhist monk for ten years. Returning to Canada in 1982, he received the lama couple ordination from the Ven. Kalu Rinpoche, the Ven. Sayadow U Thila Wunta and the Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche, and now lives, works and teaches in Toronto.

During twenty years of constant travel and meditation retreat work with Namgyal Rinpoche, he met and studied with H.H. Gyalwa Karmapa, H.H. Sakya Trizen, the Ven. Kalu Rinpoche and other high lamas, receiving all the major Empowerments of the Tibetan lineages, and translating numerous Sadhanas and Wongkur texts into English.

In 1998, after further retreat work, Sonam Gyatso was authorized by Namgyal Rinpoche to transmit the Vajrayana Empowerments and has since visited several Centres to give WongKur and teachings.