About Us

Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche is a Rimé and Jonang Kalachakra Master of Tibetan Buddhism. Inspired by the Kalki Kings of Shambhala, through his organization, Dzokden, Khentrul Rinpoche works towards the second Golden Age of peace on our earth by transmitting the Kalachakra teachings in every area of the globe, translated in over 13 languages. He has authored over 20 books related to Shambhala, Kalachakra and Vajrayana Buddhism. His most recent book, published by Shambhala Publications, is titled The Realm of Shambhala. His forthcoming book, The Path of Desire, is currently available in Tibetan and will be published in more languages next year.    Read More

Prabha Ng has over 20 years of experience in security & risk management and has worked in the financial, educational and government industries. She currently serves as a Chief Information Security Officer for an insurance corporation. In the past, she held various roles including leading cybersecurity and risk management programs for various financial institutions and worked as an engineer designing robotic submarines for the US Government at Newport, RI. She received a BS from Suny Buffalo in Computer Networks & Systems Engineering and an MBA from Fordham University.

Chloe Bregman has 15 years experience in Product Design, Agile transformation and corporate leadership. Previously she was Enterprise Agile Transformation team working for a fortune 500 company and Dir. Design at Onelogin. She brings her experience building teams and technology products to Khentrul Rinpoche’s global community.  Chloe has over 680 hr in Yoga teacher training. She has completed 2 years of Meditation teacher training with Culadasa. Currently she works full time building Rinpoche’s vision at Tibetan Rime Buddhist Institute. She is also an advisor to the Dzokden Kalapa board. 

Ryan Cortez has more than 14 years of experience in GPU Physical Design Engineering with a Fortune 500 company, regularly interfacing with a diverse global workforce to design cutting edge technology for the world. He co-authored a paper published in IEEE’s International Solid-State Circuits Conference highlighting the pivotal release of the world’s first 3D-stacked processors for exascale computing. He received both his BS and MS from Northwestern University. Ryan developed a keen interest in Philosophy more than 13 years ago and since has received more than 330 hours of Yoga Teacher Training.

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 at the Rime Institute giving classes on meditation and basic Buddhist principals that can be applied to our everyday lives. Julie also manages the temple and arranges a program of courses, tours and fundraising activities to support the temple.

Pete Eby is a systems architect for the R&D Systems Engineering (RDSE) team at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL).

He served as the Scientific Platforms team lead for the R&D Linux team from 2014-2017. Prior to this he worked with the ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for NASA’s Earth Observation Sciences (EOS) program from 2010 to 2014.

From to 2014 to 2019 Pete was a founding architect for the Compute and Data Environment for Science (CADES) which provided self-service cloud, compute, storage, and data lifecycle tools and infrastructure for ORNL’s research communities.

Currently he maintains the tier 2 grid facility supporting DOE participation in CERN’s ALICE project. Additionally, he supports the Atmospheric Radiation Monitoring (ARM) project, a DOE multi-laboratory,  scientific user facility, and a key contributor to national and international climate research efforts.

Sue Passante has over 20 years’ experience in program management for enterprise-wide business transformation enabled with SAP® technology. She has implemented programs for large shared services organizations in finance, HR and supply chain to drive operational excellence and service management. Throughout her career, Sue specialized in organizational change management to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion and employee engagement.

Since 2012, Sue has been wholly devoted to Buddhist practice and Dharma service. She is profoundly grateful to call herself a student of Khentrul Rinpoché and have the precious opportunity to support his mission and the many volunteers around the world. Sue retired from the corporate sector in April 2018 and lives near the Philadelphia-metro area in Pennsylvania USA.

Huong Nguyen has over 9 years of experience in Tax and Finance with additional expanded scope of business controlling and compliance. She worked for one of Big 4 (Audit) Firms after she graduated from the University. After that, she worked as a manager for a global company with a diversified environment of culture and team members. She has committed to the Kalachakra path and has been dedicated her skills and time to Rinpoche’s vision.

Shylton Dias, from Brazil , is an enthusiastic student of the different ancient spiritual traditions and has been studying and practicing the Buddhadharma for more than 10 years. He has been working for over a decade as a facilitator in Self-knowledge and personal transformation, as well as an energetic therapist.

Ngawang Kalsang has more than 10 years of experience in a variety of technical roles, ranging from Deskside support to Full-Stack Software development. With a BS in Software Development from Western Governers University and a background in the world of Federal contracting, he brings a wide range of skills to bear in service of Rinpoches Aspirations and vision as the Dzokden Compliance Officer. Kalsang took refuge at the age of 30, and quickly grew interested in the Jonang School and the Kalachakra tantra.

Danh Cong is a Buddhist from Vietnam.  He is a UI/UX Developer and Designer, who is passionate about bringing great things to the world through a technical perspective.

Mak Kwok Ho, commonly known as Marco, holds a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies from the University of Hong Kong, where he currently resides. He has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1993 which marked the beginning of a profound and transformative journey. In 2017, Marco was ordained in the Buzan Sect tradition of Shingon Tantric Buddhism in Japan. Since 2020, he has been diligently studying the Kalachakra Tantra under the esteemed guidance of Khentrul Rinpoche. Khentrul Rinpoche requested Marco to help form the new Dzokden Monastics program. Additionally, he is proficient in English, Chinese, and Cantonese, translating both written text and live simultanious translatons for Khentrul Rinpoche. 

Stephan has over 15 years of experience delivering AI and Machine Learning solutions in the technology, healthcare and finance industries. His work has spanned from applying cutting-edge research to industry problems, to managing high performing engineering teams. Recently, he has been leading teams to build large scale Generative AI and Machine Learning products. Stephan holds a PhD in AI with contributions in language models and graphs. Stephan has been studying and practicing Vajrayana Buddhism since 2012, starting in the Gelug and Nyingma traditions. Since 2021, he has been practicing in the Jonang tradition under the guidance of Khentrul Rinpoche. Stephan leads Dzokden’s AI efforts around translation, transcription and other applications, and serves on the board of the Rime Institute.

Eli brings a thoughtful approach to her work, and a sincere appreciation for art and cultural heritage.
Her experience includes curating exhibitions and dedicating herself to art-related research, translation, editing and writing, supporting both local and international artists. Drawing from her professional background in academic administration and curatorial work, Eli aims to contribute her skills to curating exhibitions, as well as managing art publications. She holds a BA in Art History and an MA in English Studies from the University of Hong Kong, which inform her understanding of artistic practices and evolving global culture. She aims to craft narratives that respectfully represent the artworks and engage audiences, striving to create insightful and accessible exhibition experience for various cultural contexts.