He began his religious training under his parents, who were both devout practitioners, and at the age of 12 entered Thrangu Monastery to continue his education.

In 1967 Rinpoche was called to Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India to teach the monks and engage in pastoral ministry for the local community.

Rinpoche traveled to New York City and then on to Woodstock, NY, where he founded Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) Monastery and a series of local teaching centers across the United States.

He was joined by the 3rd Bardor Tulku Rinpoche and, together with lay representative Tenzin Chonyi and local practitioners, they progressed from teaching in an old hotel to building both a traditional Tibetan monastery complex and a nearby retreat center with (separate) facilities for both men and women.

[11] Khenpo Rinpoche lived until he was 95 years old (96 by Tibetan reckoning, which counts age from conception) and continued active teaching and his ministerial schedule to the end.

[14] From 22–31 August 2014, he conducted, in English, the transmission of the Pointing Out Instructions for Mahamudra from Torch of Certainty by the 1st Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche.