Kundeling Rimpoche was born to a Tibetan Nepalese couple on January 13th, 1959, in Kolkata City, West Bengal, India. At seven, his parents admitted him to St. Anthony’s High School, an institution run by Jesuit priests. He received his secular education there for nine years, until December 1975.
A prodigy with unusual qualities and spiritual leanings since his youth, he left home at seventeen. In Dharamsala, he undertook spiritual instructions from his first Guru, the Venerable Geshe Ngawang Dhargye (1920-1995).
In this same town, he eventually met with the celebrated Gelugpa Savant, Kyabje Song Rinpoche (1904-1984), who would change the course of his destiny. On the advice of this and other great masters and an oracle, Kundeling Rimpoche travelled to the South-Indian Tibetan Settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka State.
In 1979, he was officially enrolled as a reincarnate (nirmanakaya,skrt, tulku,tib) member within the Gomang Faculty of the Drepung Monastic Seat. Here, he underwent the religious training and study curriculum of the age-old spiritual tradition of the Gelugpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Under the tutorship of nineteen masters, he pursued studies for twelve years, further sustained by the spiritual care and direction of his three highly acclaimed principal Gurus. During those years, he volunteered services to his Faculty as an English teacher and secretary.
In 1986, Kundeling Rimpoche began his career as a Buddhist teacher. For almost two decades since then, he has widely travelled to the United States, European destinations, Southeast Asian countries and throughout the breadth and length of the Indian continent, teaching, lecturing, counselling and giving interviews at Buddhist centres, libraries, universities, colleges, schools, public and media platforms, besides private homes.
Rimpoche simultaneously contributed his efforts and funds towards numerous religious and philanthropic activities, along with active support for sponsorship and facilitating secular education and medical care for monastics and civilians, both Buddhists and those of other faiths alike.
In 1992, he became a participant and advocate for interfaith dialogue and harmony movements. By taking a stand and actively agitating for civil rights and freedom of religion and conscience—particularly on the issue of the practice of the Dharmapala Dorje Shugden—he became the focus of a vilification drive.
He, nevertheless, would steadfastly persevere through the decades, holding on to the causes dear to his heart. In the event, the hardships and tribulations had worked towards metamorphosing his profile into one with a unique persona—a pioneer of diverse goals.
Rimpoche is unique as the first amongst Tibetans to teach Indian and Western audiences and the first to encourage vigorous social interactions by Buddhist Monastics towards civil society and its welfare. He spoke out against the parochial orientations in the monastic hierarchical system, against monopolising, politicising and misusing Tibetan Buddhism for nationalist and economic gains.
Rimpoche advocated for Tibetan Buddhists to share their wealth with scheduled castes and poor Indians. He designates his community as adherents of the ‘Ganden Oral Transmission Lineage’ — an off-shoot of Mahayana Vajrayana—rather than ‘followers of Tibetan Buddhism’.
Kundeling Rimpoche is a rare breed amongst Buddhists and monastics who strongly advocate secular education and the rejuvenation of Buddhist ideals to suit the third millennium. He is a reformer, social activist, philanthropist, Buddhist practitioner and teacher.
Gelugpa masters recognised him as the reincarnation of the 12th Kundeling Tagtsa Jetung Thongshan Hotukutu, considered an emanation of the historical Baso Chokyi Gyaltsen, the sixth successor to the Master Tsongkhapa. Therefore, he is known as the 13th Kundeling Rimpoche, Losang Yeshi Jampel Gyatso, the Sanskrit equivalent of Sumati Gyana Manjushree Samudra.
Regardless of his standing and accolades, he chooses a simple lifestyle to pursue his spiritual practice, study, and goals and prefers the simple appellation of Sumati Gyana. To pursue his unique objectives, he has designated his abode and monastic community to the vicinity of a village called Arasinakere, outside the city of Mysore, India.