Governance

FOUNDER, VENERABLE TARTHANG TULKU

Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International was inspired and established by Venerable Tarthang Tulku, founder and Head Lama of the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center in California, USA. Ven. Tarthang Tulku was born in Eastern Tibet, where he studied with many of the greatest Tibetan Buddhist masters of the twentieth century.

After leaving Tibet, he taught from 1962 to 1968 at Sanskrit University in Varanasi, India, where he also established one of the first printing presses abroad to print sacred Tibetan texts. Since 1969 he has lived and worked in America. There he has actualized a long-range vision of preserving ancient teachings of the Buddha and transmitting them to the modern world.

In 1983, Ven. Tarthang Tulku established the Yeshe De Project, which focuses on preservation and translation of sacred texts. In 1989, he founded the annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo, now attended each year by more than 10,000 monks.

The work of the Foundation is carried out by four directors:

WANGMO DIXEY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Wangmo Dixey has a degree in International Relations (UCLA) and an MA in Development Economics (American University). She also serves as a director of the Tibetan Aid Project. She lives in the United States and travels regularly to Southeast Asia to promote the various projects of the Foundation.

RICHARD DIXEY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Richard Dixey has a BA Hons from Oxford, a masters degree in the history and philosophy of science from London University and a PhD from London University. Before retiring to assist in the running of the Foundation, he headed a pharmaceutical company researching new treatments for Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, and obesity. Richard has been a student of Buddhism since 1972.

NELSON CHAMMA, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Nelson Chamma holds degrees in economics and International Relations. A native of Brazil, he currently divides his time between Brazil and Portugal, where he attends to business interests. He has been involved with the Nyingma Institute of Rio de Janeiro from 1990 to the present.

JACK PETRANKER, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Jack Petranker, BA (Stanford), MA (Univ. California, Berkeley), JD (Yale) has been a faculty member at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, CA since 1978 and served as Dean of the Institute from 1988-1991. An active member of the California Bar, he is founder and director of the Center for Creative Inquiry, Managing Director of the Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages, and a director of the Tibetan Aid Project and Dharma Publishing. From 1988-92 he served as North American Vice-President of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.

Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International-Thailand

DR. DISAPHOL CHANSIRI

Dr. Disaphol Chansiri holds a PhD in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He also holds Masters Degrees in Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University), International and Comparative Law (George Washington University), and Business Law (University of Wales).

Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International-India

RAJIV SHARMA

Rajiv Sharma has a degree in Science (B.Sc.) and Law (LL.B.) from the University of Delhi. He is a practicing advocate in India and also serves on the board of directors of the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International-India. He looks after all the legal matters of Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International-India.