Thubten Wangchen

Thubten Wangchen is a Tibetan Buddhist monk and a disciple of the Dalai Lama. He was born in Tibet in 1954 in the village of Kyirong, which means Valley of Happiness. In 1959, when he was five years old, his country was invaded by China, forcing him into exile. He had to live as a child beggar on the streets of Kathmandu and later in India. At the age of nine, thanks to the Dalai Lama and the Indian government, he was able to attend the Tibetan school in Dalhousie.

At sixteen, he entered Namgyal Monastery, the private monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to deepen his studies in Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan culture. For eleven years, he had the opportunity to receive teachings directly from the Dalai Lama.

In late 1981, he arrived in Spain for the first time as translator for the Tibetan lama Geshe Lobsang Tsultrim. In 1994, he founded The Tibet House Foundation of Barcelona, a Tibetan cultural center inaugurated by the Dalai Lama, with the presence of Richard Gere and Penélope Cruz.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an Honorary Member of the Tibet House Foundation. As its director, Thubten Wangchen has organized over the years numerous seminars, courses, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural activities.

In 2011, he was elected a Member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, a position to which he was re-elected in 2016 and again in 2021.

Thubten Wangchen travels around the world to promote Buddhist philosophy, Tibetan culture, and to raise awareness of the human rights situation in Tibet, working tirelessly for peace and nonviolence.