Shamar Rinpoche, Mipham Chokyi Lodro (1952-2014), was the 14th Shamarpa. Born in Derge, Tibet, Shamar Rinpoche was recognized by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa in 1957 and by the 14th Dalai Lama. Shamar Rinpoche was an accomplished Buddhist master and teacher, respected and cherished by many students of Buddhism the world over. In 1996, he began organizing Bodhi Path Buddhist Centers, a network of centers covering many continents, in which a non-sectarian approach to meditation is practiced. In addition, over the years, Shamar Rinpoche founded several non-profit organizations worldwide engaged in charitable activities, including projects to provide schooling for children born into poverty, and an organization committed to promoting animal rights. Dr. Tina Draszczyk, M.A.

, studied Tibetology and Indology at the University of Hamburg. Since the early 1980s, she learned and practiced mainly under the guidance of Shamar Rinpoche. Since the late 1980s, she repeatedly interpreted for him. From 1992 to 2005 she acted as an interpreter at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI) in New Delhi while continuing her own studies there at the same time. She completed her doctoral thesis at the Department for South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies of the University of Vienna on the integration of the notion of buddha nature in meditation practice.