Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche was born in eastern Tibet in 1955. At the age of two he was recognized by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, head of the Kagyu lineage, as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg tulkus. Traleg Rinpoche was enthroned as the Abbot of Thrangu Monastery in Tibet and following the Chinese invasion of his country was taken to safety in India. Rinpoche settled in Australia in 1980. Since 1988, Rinpoche has been traveling and teaching in the United States, Europe, Canada, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.