Click to order

Compassionate Action by Chatral Rinpoche. (2007) Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications.

Chatral Rinpoche, the quintessential "hidden yogi," has been a legend in the Himalayan region for the past seventy years. This is the first English-language book of Rinpoche, and includes his biography and autobiography, six of his essays, five prayers he composed, an exclusive interview, and sixteen pages of photos from throughout his life.
Chatral Rinpoche has been a strict vegetarian for the past 50 years and spends most of the money he receives from his many followers throughout the world on his annual fish release ceremony* in Calcutta, India where he liberates millions of fish into a protected area of the Indian Ocean and offers them profound blessings toward their eventual enlightenment.

Because he has never traveled outside the Himalayan region, this collection of Rinpoche's teachings, prayers, photos and life story is the first opportunity for many English speakers to receive his profound blessings. (For more backgrounds on Chatral Rinpoche as well as two chapters of the book in PDF, please click here.)

Zach Larson
The son of a United Church of Christ minister, Zach Larson had an early interest in religion. Introduction to the works of Chogyam Trungpa in his teens led him to explore Tibetan Buddhist teachings and traditions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he developed a studies program integrating his interests in both Buddhism and Politics. A year of study abroad in Nepal enabled him to meet the elderly Tibetan Buddhist master, Chatral Rinpoche, for whom he began translating writings which were later to become the book, Compassionate Action.

Zach has received teachings, empowerments and blessings from such great masters as Minling Trichen Rinpoche, Dudropchen Rinpoche, Penor Rinpoche, Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche and Trulshik Rinpoche, from whom he received the entire Nyingma Kama empowerment series. Zach studied the Longchen Nyingthig preliminaries for 6 months at Shechen Monastery in Nepal and also studied thangka painting with one of Nepal's great masters. Currently he is studying Dzogchen with his root teacher, Shyalpa Rinpoche, who is one of Chatral Rinpoche's heart disciples.

• See for more infromation CompassionateAction.info

* Please note that Chatral Rinpoche releases native fish only. To avoid ecological destruction it is important not to release non-native species into any water.

« Back