Interviewee Bio: Gyeltshen Tulku Rinpoche

Gyeltshen Tulku Rinpoche holds numerous spiritual and practical duties and pursues many activities in that center. Even before that he has effectively supported the strengthening of the Dharma in East Bhutan as an appointed retreat master of the Bhutanese government: he set up nine retreat centers. Besides that he built sanctuaries and more than 100 houses for practitioners of Buddhism, he trained and guided about the same number of Buddhists in the monasteries and centers in his whole country, as himself had been trained, guided and blessed by five enlightened spiritual masters. He always and successfully championed equal treatment and opportunities for nuns and monks in terms of H.H. and the Drukpa order.​

For instance in the Jasharung nunnery in Pema Gatshel/Bhutan, which he is leading since 1992, by now almost 50 nuns are living, about 15 of whom have finished their 3-years retreat in 2002. Under the guidance of H.E. Gyeltshen Tulku Rinpoche within only 15 years the infrastructure of the retreat center was improved in many ways to the benefit of all nuns who live there: among others improvements an access road and a system to provide safe drinking water were built as well as electricity and a telephone connection installed.​