Geshe Yeshe Tobden was born near Lhasa, in Tibet, in 1926. He entered Sera Me Monastic University at the age of 12 and he studied there until 1959 when, due to the Chinese invasion he was arrested and imprisoned. He escaped and spent two years crossing the Tibetan plateau on foot until he reached the Indian border. He finished his studies and achieved the Larampa Geshe (highest possible) degree at Sera Me Monastery that had been rebuilt in exile.
For several years he taught Buddhist philosophy at Sera Me and at Varanasi University. Then he was able to fulfil his wish to go to the mountains to meditate. For the last 30 years he has spent most of his life in a single-room meditation hut above Mcleod Ganj.
He not only mastered the subjects of philosophy, logic, wisdom, metaphysics and morality, but he also gained experiential understanding. His combination of knowledge and experience is greatly needed today.
In 1979 he was the first resident lama in Italy at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute where he taught for two years. His knowledge and great compassion conquered the hearts of many disciples who began their spiritual practice under his guidance.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said about him: “Geshe Yeshe Tobden had the rare distinction of being not only qualified as a scholar, but also of having gained long acquaintance through many years of meditation in the mountains. As a result his explanation of the teachings had the special flavour of heart-felt personal experience.”
Geshe Yeshe Tobden passed away in July 1999 in Dharamsala. From that moment, for 12 days his mind remained in deep absorption, and his body showed no sign of decay, instead emitting a fragrance and luminosity. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama this demonstrated the tremendous power of Geshe Tobden's meditative concentration. After the sign of the last phase of absorption of subtle awareness had manifested and the entire death process had come to an end, the cremation ceremony began in the presence of various monks and disciples. The burning lasted more than two hours without producing any smoke, and shortly before sunrise a half-rainbow appeared, considered particularly auspicious for a swift reincarnation.
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