Geshe Thubten Soepa sitting with some friends near Vulture Peak Mountain, Rajgir, India. Photo courtesy of Geshe Thubten Soepa Facebook page.

Geshe Thubten Soepa. 67,  passed away at a hospital in Mysore, India, on November 2, 2022 from a heart attack.

Geshe Soepa was well regarded as a scholar with extensive knowledge about both sutra and tantra, and not only well versed in the Gelugpa texts, but also in those of the Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu schools. A cremation ceremony occurred on November 7, 2022. We share a brief account of his life below for rejoicing and inspiration:

Geshe Thubten Soepa was born in Zanskar, India in 1955. As a young child he and his mother were advised by His Holiness Ling Rinpoche and His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche that it would be good if he ordained, and he soon followed their guidance. Geshe Soepa began his Dharma studies at age 14 at Domo Geshe Rinpoche’s monastery in Kalimpong, India, where he studied and learned ritual for four years. From there he transferred to Sera Je Monastery in Bylakuppe, India, where he would complete his geshe studies 21 years later, earning the highest honor of Geshe Lharampa, in 1993.

In his first three years serving as a geshe, he taught philosophy and Tibetan grammar at Sera Je and Dzongkar Chose monasteries.  Geshe Thubten Soepa then received a request from Lama Zopa Rinpoche to teach in the West. Geshe Soepa agreed to Rinpoche’s request and moved to Munich, Germany. For ten years he continuously taught at FPMT centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, while also traveling to other centers around Europe to offer teachings. After his time in Europe, the next decade of his life was mostly spent in North America, offering teachings at FPMT centers in Canada, Mexico and the United States. 

Geshe Thubten Soepa meditating at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India. Photo courtesy of Geshe Thubten Soepa Facebook page.

Recognized as a Tulku

In his short autobiography, Geshe Soepa shared that he was told that he was the reincarnation of a high lama on three separate occasions. The first declaration was made by His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche in 1974, then again by His Eminence Zong Rinpoche in 1978. The last affirmation came from the great yogi Choden Rinpoche, during a public teaching Rinpoche was giving on the Six Yogas of Naropa in Munich, 2004. Geshe Soepa shared his shock and disbelief at hearing the news each time, even asking Choden Rinpoche if he was teasing him. Choden Rinpoche looked at Geshe Soepa and forcefully confirmed it was not a tease! Despite being recognized, Geshe Soepa was never formally enthroned or named after the particular teacher. In 1974, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche shared with Geshe Soepa that a formal enthronement would not be necessary, foretelling that Geshe Soepa would “spontaneously be doing well at Dharma, and that [he] would like it.”

Promoting Vegetarianism and Protecting Life

Geshe Thubten Soepa was deeply passionate about promoting vegetarianism, especially to those living a monastic life. He would go on to write a number of books and articles on the practice of not eating meat, relying on sources such as the Lankavatara Sutra, Great Cloud Sutra, Great Nirvana Sutra, and the Anguli Mala Sutra, to communicate the Buddha’s teachings. His first book was titled Protecting the Lives of Helpless Beings: The Udamwara Lotus Flower, which is now available as an ebook through the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. In 1996, while His Holiness the Dalai Lama was visiting Munich, Geshe Soepa was able to offer His Holiness a copy of his book. His Holiness told Geshe Soepa that he read the whole book, was very pleased by the text, and encouraged Geshe Soepa to continue his efforts on the topic. 

In the years following, he would write four texts on vegetarianism that were translated in five languages and distributed freely. In 2012, Geshe Soepa published a short text on the Hinayana Vinaya teachings on monastics refraining from eating meat. During the 2017 Kalachakra initiation offered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya, India, Geshe Soepa was able to meet with Lama Zopa Rinpoche and offer Rinpoche this short text. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was also quite pleased by Geshe Soepa’s writing. Geshe Soepa told Rinpoche that he was planning to write another text to clarify further points, and Rinpoche expressed that the text should be translated into English, in order to be easily translated into many languages later. Geshe Soepa would go on to publish another text in Tibetan in 2018 for monastics. The text included teachings on performing animal liberations and advice for working to free people who were wrongly imprisoned.

Geshe Soepa concluded the short telling of his life story with the message: “I sincerely wish that all of our mother sentient beings be free from suffering and being killed.”

Geshe Thubten Soepa at the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya, India. Photo courtesy of Geshe Thubten Soepa Facebook page.

Read Geshe Thubten Soepa’s short autobiography, dictated to Robert Baptist, from which the above obituary was based, courtesy of Land of Compassion and Wisdom FPMT study group in Austin, Texas, who had a strong connection with Geshe Soepa and have hosted him often. 

We invite you to download the ebook, Protecting the Lives of Helpless Beings: The Udamwara Lotus Flower, through the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, and read an article by Geshe Soepa called “Protecting Animal Welfare“. A French translation of his text Heart of Joy, Message of the Buddha, is also available as a free PDF.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche requests that students who read obituaries pray that the person mentioned finds a perfect human body, meets a Mahayana guru, and becomes enlightened quickly, or be born in a pure land where the tantric teachings exist and they can become enlightened.” While reading obituaries we can also reflect on our own death and impermanence prompting us to live our lives in the most meaningful way. More advice from Lama Zopa Ripoche on death and dying is available, see Death and Dying: Practices and Resources (fpmt.org/death/).

To read more obituaries from the international FPMT mandala, and to find information on submission guidelines, please visit our new Obituaries page (fpmt.org/media/obituaries/).