Akong Rinpoche
A Tibetan monk who planted a flourishing Buddhist monastery in the Scottish Highlands, creating a Western sanctuary for ancient teachings.
1939–2013 (age 74)·Tibetan Buddhist tulku·Birthday: December 25·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born in eastern Tibet, Akong Rinpoche was recognized as a reincarnated lama as a child. His early life of monastic training was shattered by the Chinese invasion, forcing a harrowing escape over the Himalayas into India. In 1967, with little more than determination, he and Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche arrived in Scotland, transforming a dilapidated country house into Samye Ling, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West. More than a spiritual leader, Akong was a pragmatic builder and a compassionate humanitarian. He channeled Buddhist principles into direct action, founding the ROKPA International charity to support education and healthcare across Tibet and the developing world, and developing Tara Rokpa Therapy, a secular method integrating contemplative practice with psychological healing. His legacy is one of tangible refuge, proving the adaptability of ancient wisdom to modern needs.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Akong was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Akong Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Akong's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2013Died at 74
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland, establishing a major center for Tibetan Buddhism in the West.
- Founded the international humanitarian charity ROKPA, which operates in Tibet, Nepal, and Africa.
- Developed Tara Rokpa Therapy, a therapeutic system blending psychological methods with Buddhist contemplative practices.
- Authored 'Taming the Tiger', a practical guide to Tibetan Buddhist ethics and meditation.
Did You Know?
He worked as a hospital orderly in Oxford after first arriving in the UK.
His name 'Akong' means 'Lord of the Tent' in Tibetan.
He was a trained Tibetan doctor (amchi) and incorporated this knowledge into his charitable work.
He was murdered in Chengdu, China, in 2013 under circumstances that remain unclear.
“The essence of compassion is to want to relieve the suffering of others and to promote their well-being.”
