Tenzin Nawang Rinpoche on the occasion of his enthronement, Dear Park, Center, Oregon, WI, USA. Photo by Kalleen Mortensen.

By Namdrol Miranda Adams

In late September 2025, a historic event took place at Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wisconsin: the enthronement of Tenzin Nawang Rinpoche, a seven-year-old boy recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of Geshe Lhundub Sopa. The occasion drew hundreds of attendees—monks, lay students, and members of the Tibetan and Western Buddhist communities—who gathered to honor the return of one of the most influential figures in the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to the United States.

Geshe Sopa’s Enduring Legacy

Geshe Lhundub Sopa (1923–2014) was among the first generation of Tibetan monastics to teach in the West after 1959. Having fled Tibet after the Chinese invasion, Geshe-la was invited to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he became the first Tibetan to receive tenure at an American university. Through decades of teaching, Geshe Sopa trained a generation of scholars, introducing Western students to the depth of Buddhist philosophy while founding Deer Park Buddhist Center as a locus of authentic study and practice near Madison.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche doing prayers with Geshe Sopa Rinpoche a month before Geshe Sopa passed into clear light meditation, Deer Park Buddhist Center, Wisconsin, US, July 2014. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

Geshe Sopa’s legacy extends deeply into the global FPMT community. Besides training many of the most influential American Buddhist Studies scholars of the 20^th Century, Geshe-la was an early teacher and mentor of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Their relationship exemplifies the lineage continuity that FPMT upholds. For the FPMT mandala, the recognition of Geshe Sopa’s reincarnation carries not only historical but also spiritual significance: it represents the renewal of a karmic relationship foundational to the spread of Dharma in the modern world.

The Ceremony: Tradition in the Heartland

The enthronement ceremony, held at Deer Park, was presided over by senior monks and the Dalai Lama’s representative to North America, Namgyal Choedup.

For the local and Tibetan communities, the event symbolized both continuity and homecoming. Geshe Sopa had been instrumental in establishing Deer Park as one of the first monasteries and Buddhist centers in the United States, and the temple at Deer Park remains a sacred site for all.

The young tulku, Tenzin Nawang, lives with his family in Toronto. The ceremony combined ritual solemnity with moments of simple humanity, as the young Rinpoche sat among senior monks and community elders—at one point quietly turning a Rubik’s Cube in his hands with the same focus as others gave their prayers. This gentle contrast between childlike presence and the profound spiritual significance of this time embodies the living continuity of Tibetan Buddhism in a new cultural context, where ancient lineage and modern life meet with ease and authenticity.

A Global Gathering of Students

The enthronement drew a remarkable international assembly of students and disciples who had studied with Geshe Lhundub Sopa over the decades. Many traveled from across North America, Taiwan, Mexico, and beyond to Deer Park to honor their teacher’s reincarnation. Their presence reflected the global reach of Geshe Sopa’s influence and the deep respect his students continue to hold for his scholarship and compassion. For these practitioners, the recognition of Tenzin Nawang Rinpoche was not only a joyful reunion but also a living affirmation that lineage endures—not as an abstract idea, but as an ongoing transmission of wisdom from teacher to student, and now, across lifetimes.

The Tibetan community was in “full strength” at the enthronement of Tenzin Nawang Rinpoche. Photo by Alfredo Pineiro.

The Tibetan community was also present in full strength, bringing with them the characteristic warmth, sweetness, and gentle humor that define their gatherings. The atmosphere, while reverent, was filled with laughter and ease—children moved freely among rows of elders, smiles were shared without reserve, and the flow of tea never ceased. This balance of devotion and lightheartedness created a space where sacred ceremony and ordinary human connection met naturally, embodying the heart of the Dharma in daily life.

Within all of this, the young Rinpoche held the throne, at times absorbed in the ceremony’s gravity and at others quietly turning his Rubik’s Cube.

As Namgyal Choedup, the Dalai Lama’s representative to North America, explained, the purpose of a reincarnation such as this is to continue the life and work of the previous master. The young Rinpoche’s path will blend traditional monastic study with modern education, preparing him to serve both Buddhist and secular communities in the years ahead. Plans were announced for Tenzin Nawang to travel to India soon to begin his formal training, marking the next step in the continuation of Geshe Sopa’s enduring legacy.

A Bridge Between Worlds

The enthronement also represented the unique integration of Tibetan Buddhist tradition within contemporary American society. Local officials from Dane County were present to extend greetings and recognize the event’s cultural importance—an acknowledgment of the decades of bridge-building initiated by Geshe Sopa himself in Wisconsin.

For the FPMT mandala, the enthronement of Tenzin Nawang Rinpoche is both a cause for rejoicing and a moment of reflection. Geshe Sopa’s connection with Lama Zopa Rinpoche situates this recognition within FPMT’s living lineage—a reminder of the intricate web of relationships that sustain the transmission of the Mahayana tradition.

Ven. Roger Kunsang offering to Tenzin Nawang Rinpoche on behalf of the FPMT organization during the enthronement. Photo by Alfredo Pineiro.

FPMT’s CEO, Ven. Roger Kunsang, attended the ceremony on behalf of the organization, extending the mandala’s prayers and respect to the young tulku and his family. His presence symbolized the ongoing link between Deer Park, FPMT, and the wider international community that Lama Zopa Rinpoche helped to build.

During this event, it was evident and overwhelming to understand how Geshe Lhundub Sopa was, in every sense, a bridge—linking worlds, traditions, and hearts. Geshe-la bridged the vast distance between Tibetan monastic scholarship and Western academic inquiry, translating profound Dharma into forms that could be understood and lived by new generations. He bridged cultures, embodying humility and warmth that allowed Western students and Tibetan elders alike to meet in mutual respect. And he bridged eras—carrying the wisdom of pre-1959 Tibet into the modern world, ensuring that it could take root in places as unexpected as the American Midwest.

In his life and teaching, and now through his reincarnation, Geshe-la continues to show how compassion and understanding can span every divide.

As the final prayers concluded and the afternoon light filled the grounds, the moment seemed to embody a teaching I’ve heard often: that the Dharma flows where causes and conditions ripen, carried forward by the steady devotion and aspiration of those who practice it. From Tibet to India to the American Midwest, the stream of this lineage endures—alive, luminous, and present to guide generations yet to come.

Namdrol Miranda Adams is Dean and a Founder of Maitripa College, in Portland, Oregon. She teaches Buddhism, contemplative pedagogy, and engagement with faith and service at Maitripa. She practiced and studied as a Buddhist nun for seven years, and completed her doctoral work in Education at the University of Portland in 2021. She met Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Yangsi Rinpoche in 1998, and since then has dedicated herself to their projects. Namdrol has been Chair of the Board of the FPMT North America Regional Office since 2024.

Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.