Khyentse Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the renowned Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and author Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, announced that it will mark its 25th anniversary of working in the service of the Buddhadharma in 2026. In its quarter-century of Dharma activity, the foundation has established a multitude of Dharma-based initiatives and projects in the realms of translation, academia, text preservation, training, and beyond, as well as establishing networks of support for Buddhist teachers, scholars, and practitioners.
“In the beginning, Khyentse Foundation’s (KF) purpose was to pool funds to support traditional monasteries and institutes, but Rinpoche’s aspiration to find new ways to spread the Dharma to all corners of the world was clear even then,” KF executive director Lynn Hoberg wrote in a recent announcement celebrating the foundation’s silver jubilee.
“Rinpoche’s dedication to planting the seeds of Dharma where they do not exist, and to nurturing and strengthening the roots of Dharma where they do, has always been at the center of the foundation’s work,” Hoberg observed. “As KF grew, we devoted ourselves to becoming a modern patron of Buddhism so that we could help to realize Rinpoche’s vast vision. Twenty-five years later we have much to be thankful for, and even more still to do.”
Khyentse Foundation was founded by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in 2001 with the aim of promoting the Buddha’s teaching and supporting all traditions of Buddhist study and practice. The foundation’s activities include major text preservation and translation projects, support for monastic colleges in Asia, a worldwide scholarship and awards program, development of Buddhist studies at major universities, training and development for Buddhist teachers, and developing new modes of Dharma-inspired education for children.
“Since 2001, Khyentse Foundation has been a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the United States, dedicated to supporting the study and practice of Buddhism,” Hoberg remarked. “Like many charities we have a Board of Directors, advisors, and working committees, and we are governed by our own organizational guidelines and bylaws. But from the start, Rinpoche hoped that KF would be a way for people to make offerings and actively participate in helping others to find and uphold the Dharma. What makes KF a unique organization is that we continually aim to view our work through the lens of the three supreme methods: setting our motivation, being unattached to outcomes, and dedicating any merit that may be generated to the benefit of all beings. The foundation’s work is an unusual mix of aspiration and detachment—truly a rich yet paradoxical practice.”
Khyentse Foundation’s achievements over the last quarter century include: more than 15 million pages of Buddhist texts preserved and made available online; education provided for the children of more than 1,000 families; support for Buddhist studies at more than 35 major universities through endowed chairs and professorships, graduate support, and the establishment of Buddhist studies centers; more than US$1 million in sponsorship for Buddhist teacher-training granted; sacred Buddhist texts translated into more than 15 languages, thanks to the efforts of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, the Kumarajiva Project, and the Khyentse Vision Project; over US$1.8 million in funding granted to uphold Buddhism in its mother countries, including grassroots partnerships to revitalize interest in Buddhism in India; more than 2,000 scholarships and awards in recognition of excellence in Buddhist study and practice; support for over 3,000 monks and nuns to maintain the tradition of Buddhist scholarship in a monastic setting; and more than 120 open-access Ashoka and Trisong grants distributed to support Dharma and well-being programs.
Hoberg explained: “In preparation for the coming 25th anniversary year, many of us have been reflecting on the tradition of offering at KF—the real root of the foundation—and the joy that comes from this practice. KF is a funder and supporter of others, and at the same time, is staffed by volunteers. Since the beginning, we have invited you to participate in the foundation’s work, by contributing financially, by offering your time, or simply by remembering us in your daily prayers. . . .
“To mark and celebrate KF’s silver jubilee, we look forward to sharing stories of our successes and challenges and to expressing our deep appreciation for your support. We also invite you to join us for many special events throughout 2026, including a Tara puja in India and an Ushnishavijaya puja in Canada. More information on these special events will come soon. Since our inception, Rinpoche has always said that KF is under the care of Arya Tara, our guardian deity. We are very pleased to partner with our sister organization, Siddhartha’s Intent, in inviting you to join the many online opportunities to practice the sadhana of Green Tara (Zabtik Drolchok). We hope you will keep KF in mind during your Tara practice, in thanks for her guidance and her blessings and to request her continued protection. Please join us for these anniversary year practices.”
Born in Bhutan in 1961, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is the son of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and was a close student of the Nyingma master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910–91). He is recognized as the third incarnation of the 19th century Tibetan terton Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892), founder of the Khyentse lineage, and the immediate incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959).
In addition to Khyentse Foundation, his projects include Siddhartha’s Intent, an international collective of Buddhist groups supporting Rinpoche’s Dharma activities by organizing teachings and retreats, distributing and archiving recorded teachings, and transcribing, editing, and translating manuscripts and practice texts; 84000, a non-profit global initiative to translate the words of the Buddha and make them available to all; Lotus Outreach, which directs a range of projects to ensure the education, health, and safety of vulnerable women and children in the developing world; and Lhomon Society, which promotes sustainable development in Bhutan through education.
Rinpoche is the author of several books, including: What Makes You Not a Buddhist (2006), Not For Happiness (2012), The Guru Drinks Bourbon? (2016), and Poison is Medicine: Clarifying the Vajrayana (2021), and has garnered renown inside and outside of the global Buddhist community for the feature-length films he has written and directed: The Cup (1999), Travellers and Magicians (2004), Vara: A Blessing (2012), Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait (2016), and Looking For A Lady with Fangs and a Moustache (2019).
See more
Khyentse Foundation
A Quarter Century of Aspiration, Dedication, and Patronage (Khyentse Foundation)
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