Ven. Jampa's life story begins like that of many young Tibetan monks. After 1959 and the Chinese invasion of Tibet, his life in exile also becomes the story of the re-establishment of the Gyuto Monastery in India.

Early Life and Going Into Exile

Ven. Jampa was born in 1938 in Phenpo region, a town about 50 miles north of Capital Lhasa, Tibet. His parents, Phuntsok and Karma, named him Bagdo. He had two brothers and two sisters. His family were farmers, growing wheat and barley and raising goats, cows and sheep. At the age of 8 he entered Drepung Gomang Monastery where his uncle was a Geshe. Because his uncle traveled a great deal, he returned home and at age 10 enrolled in the local monastery Chang Lung Chu Teh. Here, now known as Jampa Thaye, Infinite Love, Ven. Jampa studied the sutras and tantras until he was 21.