[5] Following a revolt led by Dorje Yudon, wife of Gyari Nyima, the Chinese decided to release her husband, but announce that he had escaped.

As a child, Gyari was recognized as a rinpoche, or reincarnated lama, and educated in the monastic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

[3] He was the reincarnation of a Buddhist master of the Nyingma lineage, named Khenchen Jampal Dewé Nyima from Lumorap Monastery in Tibet, his previous incarnation among the main teachers of Dudjom Rinpoche.

[10][3][11][12] In 1973, Gyari went to Switzerland when the Dalai Lama was on his first trip to Europe, and attended his public lectures where he spoke of universal responsibility, compassion and kindness.

[18] In 1988, he became Minister of the Department of Information and International Relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tibetan Government in Exile.

[21] Gari was one of the envoys, along with Kelsang Gyaltsen [fr] sent by Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, to engage in a series of dialogues with China aimed at initiating negotiations on the future status of Tibet.

[23] The 7th meeting was held on 4 May 2008 in Shenzhen, China, ten months after the previous visit, and for the first time since the 2008 Tibetan unrest in March.

[24] On 8 October 2008 at the Asia Society in New York, Lodi Gyari said, "If the problem is not resolved, then I'm afraid that some Tibetans will resort to violence."

[3] On 13 September 2012, the United States Senate passed a resolution commending the contributions of Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari as special envoy of the Dalai Lama and for his promotion of the legitimate rights and aspirations of the Tibetan people.