The Mindrolling Monastery was founded in 1676, by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa, the Minling Trichen Gyurmey Dorje (1646-1717). Terdak Lingpa was the son of a Deva and a Tibetan woman. His lineage is known as the Nyo lineage. His termas and those of the Fifth Dalai Lama compliment each other; these two masters were both teacher and disciple to each other.

The Mindrolling Monastery became one of the most important of the six major Nyingma monasteries in Tibet. Terdak Lingpa's daughter, Jetsunma Mingyur Paldron, preserved the lineage. When the Mongol hordes destroyed the monastery, Jetsunma rebuilt it. The Minling lineage originally had two lines, one male and one female. The original male lineage ended when the throne holder Yeshe Wangyal fathered no sons, but instead nine daughters.

In Tibet, the Mindrolling monastery had over one hundred satellites and its throne holder was one of the most revered in Tibet . The Mindrolling Monastery was known particularly for not allowing its monastic community to become too big. Therefore it population never reached into the tens of thousands like other famous institutes in Tibet, and each pupil was properly attended and taught the dharma.

His Holiness the 11th Minling Trichen Rinpoche, Jurmey Kunzang Wangyal, is the supreme holiness of the Nyingma tradition. He is therefore one of the four main throneholders of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, along with the the 41st Sakya Trizin, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, and the 101st Ganden Tripa Khensur Lungri Namgyel.

Minling Rinpoche presently resides in Dehra Dun, in northern India.

For his complete biography, please visit His Holiness' official website.