Dzokden

He started his contact with Buddhism in 2008, after practicing in other systems of spiritual practice in his homeland Brazil. In Europe, India and Tibet he had precious opportunities to receive teachings, transmissions and empowerments from masters from almost all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and from the Theravada Tradition as well, and took part in different group and solitary retreats. He was fortunate to met his precious Guru Jamphel Lodrö (Khentrul Rinpoche) in She Drup Ling-Austria in 2015, from whom he has been receiving a vast and profound wealth of Dharma, since the foundational subjects until the Kalachakra Vajra Yogas. Since 2016 he has been teaching Lu Jong (Tibetan Healing Yoga). In 2018 he received authorisation from Rinpoche to teach the Kalachakra-Ngöndro. Recently he reduced his professional activities as a composer in order to serve the altruistic ideals of his Guru as a full-time volunteer at our Dzokden community. He serves the community a.o. as a translator, editor and coordinator for the translations’ groups for both German and Portuguese languages.

=Yeshe Wangmo is the co-founder and CEO of Dzokden and a devoted practitioner of the Jonang Kalachakra lineage. She has dedicated her life fully to preserving, practicing, and supporting the transmission of these rare and precious teachings. Since 2015, she has studied closely with Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche, serving as a senior student, assistant instructor, and ritual coordinator. Since 2017, she has organized and assisted with Kalachakra Empowerments and major international teachings, arranging the majority of Rinpoche’s rituals and supporting the flourishing of the lineage worldwide. Yeshe Wangmo has received nearly every empowerment, transmission, and major teaching Rinpoche has offered, including the Second Vajra Yoga Transmission. She is an authorized teacher of the Jonang Kalachakra Ngondro and guides students with integrity, clarity, and deep reverence for the lineage. Her training reflects a genuine Rime spirit. In addition to her primary grounding in the Jonang tradition, she has received teachings and empowerments in the Gelug, Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu lineages. She has also trained in the Burmese Mahasi Sayadaw meditation tradition under Kenneth Folk, cultivating a strong foundation in insight practice. Earlier in her life, she undertook extensive study in yoga and contemplative disciplines, completing over 650 hours of yoga teacher training and teaching within the Kalachakra Tantra tradition. She also trained in meditation under John Yates (Culadasa). She currently resides at Tashi Gadu House in the United States, where she continues to serve the vision of a Golden Age rooted in authentic Dharma. With deep gratitude to her teachers — especially Segyu Chopel Rinpoche and Khentrul Rinpoche — she remains committed to ensuring these teachings endure and benefit future generations.

At an early age, Julie searched for a deeper meaning to life until finally at the age of 22 found the precious Buddhist path of Dharma. She dedicated her life to the practice, living in temples and serving teachers from around the world practicing the Buddhist teachings and living according to its principles. Julie has spent the last 34 years practicing this ancient path and for the past twelve years has lived at the Tibetan Buddhist Rime Institute in Tecoma helping the resident teacher Khentrul Rinpoche. Julie is now one of the senior teachers in Dzokden giving classes on meditation and basic Buddhist principals that can be applied to our everyday lives. Julie also manages the Tibetan Rimé Buddhist Institute. She arranges a program of courses, tours and fundraising activities.