Tashi Lhunpo Foundation

The Tashi Lhunpo Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in northern California, formerly known as the Panchen Lama Tashi Lhunpo Project. Its patron is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The foundation respects and supports the scholarly lineage and culture of Tibetan Buddhism, and is committed to supporting Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in exile in Bylakuppe, India, as it re-establishes itself to its former greatness, in anticipation of the return of His Holiness the Panchen Lama.

The project was founded by Khensur Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan, retired Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, and its official birth year was 2006. Its early focus was building the monastery's Main Prayer Hall, completed in 2015. As the work grew, the project took the name Tashi Lhunpo Foundation. Joji Arellano-Santos serves as its Chair.

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama and is the seat of the Panchen Lamas. It was re-established in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, in 1972 under the guidance of the 14th Dalai Lama. Under Abbot Zeekgyab Rinpoche, the monastery works to preserve Buddhism and Tibetan heritage, educate and care for its monks, and reach out to the wider community, from international teachings and scientific research to local food distribution during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The foundation helps build awareness of the significance of Tibet's ancient wisdom and traditions. It shares this through its history pages, photo galleries and a video gallery that includes the Tibetan Prayer-Will-Travel series, which follows Khen Rinpoche on his travels and shows that meditation is possible anywhere.