Acharya Jampa is the teacher and spiritual director of Nalandabodhi Taichung’s center Namkha Ösal. Born in Taichung, Taiwan, Acharya Jampa learned about Buddhism from his parents at a very young age. When he was about seven years old, his father’s sister became a nun at Dharma Drum (法鼓山). Seeing her in robes and spending time with her and his grandmother, who took care of him at the time, Acharya was deeply inspired to do the same. Since Dharma Drum does not offer the possibility to become a monk at a young age, he became a monastic in the Chinese Mahāyāna order of Fo Guang Shan (佛光山) when he was twelve. This became the foundation for his dharma studies and practice.
During this time and to deepen his training, at the age of fifteen, his main teacher sent him abroad to study Tibetan and through the Tibetan language the Mahāyāna scriptures. His studies began in Nepal. It was also there, at Marpa House, where Acharya Jampa met Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche for the first time. Together with teachings by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen and Khenpo Rinpoche’s book The Sun of Wisdom, this impacted the future course of Acharya’s path while continuing to study mainly at Namdröling Monastery.
Acharya started to resort to Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche as his guide and familiarize himself with Nalandabodhi’s Three Paths Curriculum, which was already available in Chinese. Perhaps in a somewhat different style, Ponlop Rinpoche suggested to him to teach this curriculum in stages to students in Asia, especially Taichung and China, similar to a shedra of a monastery like Lekshey Ling. From this point onwards, Acharya Jampa, who had returned his monastic vows, started to dedicate all his effort to accomplish this aspiration.
In 2016, Jampa was given the title “Acharya” by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Two years later, in 2018, the plan was made to buy a place in Taichung to build Nalandabodhi Taichung’s own center, Namkha Ösal, and make it possible for everyone who is interested to study and practice the teachings of the Tripiṭaka through the Three Higher Trainings with all resources available in Chinese-language. NB Taichung’s Namkha Ösal was officially opened by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on the auspicious Lhabab Düchen, 2024. Acharya Jampa continues to teach at Taichung’s Namkha Ösal and guide Nalandabodhi students throughout Asia on Nalandabodhi’s path that is rooted in the Vajryana tradition of the Nyingma and Kagyü schools of Buddhism.
