Lama Sonam Gyatso

Born in England in 1942, Sonam Gyatso is the Spiritual Director and Resident Teacher of the Namgyal Centre of Toronto. 

In 1961, while studying Mathematics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, he met his Root Lama, Namgyal Rinpoche, then known as Bhikkhu Ananda Bodhi, in London, and became his lifelong student.

Graduating from Cambridge in 1963, he moved to London and was ordained as Vanaratana Samanera (forest jewel) by Venerable Saddhatissa Mahathera, learning Pali from Ven. Saddhatissa and meditation from Ananda Bodhi.  Lama Sonam also received ordination from the Ven. Sayadaw U Thila Wunta , with Ven. Ananda Bodhi as Acariya.

In 1965, following two years of intensive training in the Theravada tradition, he came to Toronto as the attendant of the Ven. Ananda Bodhi, assisting him in the founding of the Dharma Centre of Canada, and between 1967 and 1974 embarking on several pilgrimages to India, Burma, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries.

Acknowledged as a Lama by Namgyal Rinpoche in 1972, Lama Sonam then received full ordination from H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, at the Dharmachakra Monastery in Rumtek, Sikkim, and lived as a Buddhist monk for ten years. Returning to Canada in 1982, he received lay ordination vows from the Ven. Kalu Rinpoche, who named him Sonam Gyatso (Ocean of Merit).

During years of continuous travel, meditation and retreat work with Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche, he met and studied with many high Lamas, including H.H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, H.H. Sakya Trizin, H.E. Chogye Rinpoche and the Ven. Kalu Rinpoche.  Lama Sonam has received all the major Empowerments of the Tibetan Buddhist lineages. and has translated numerous Sadhana and Wong Kur texts into English.

After further retreat work, in 1998 Lama Sonam Gyatso was authorized by Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche to transmit the Vajrayana Empowerments. He is Teacher Emeritus of the Dharma Centre of Canada and currently resides in Toronto.