A lifelong Buddhist practitioner of the Dudjom Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism and a learned Buddhist scholar, Lama Tsering Gyaltsen received a Master of Arts degree in Buddhist Studies from the Tibetan Institute of Higher Studies in Varanasi, India. Lama Gyaltsen Rinpoche arrived in the USA in 1996. He is an author of one book of Tibetan history, and several publications on various Buddhist subjects. He has also assisted in the editing and translating on numerous Buddhist texts. Lama Gyaltsen Rinpoche assisted or directed the creation of the Padma Charitable Foundation, located in Corvallis, Oregon, where he serves as the founding and head Dharma teacher. He is a Founding Director and Vice-President of the Saraha Nyingma Buddhist Institute.