H.H. JIGME PHUNTSOK (1933-2004) was a prominent teacher in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism who was recognized as a terton (treasure revealer) and renowned for his mastery of Dzogchen. Unlike many Tibetan masters who fled to India and the West, Jigme Phuntsok remained in China throughout the Cultural Revolution and played a major role in maintaining and reviving Buddhism in the region. He established a nonsectarian Buddhist community called Larung Gar near the town of Sertar in China's Sichuan Province, where he taught thousands of students, many of Han Chinese ethnicity.

KHENPO SODARGYE is one of the primary leaders of the Buddhist academy at Larung Gar and was H.H. Jigme Phuntsok's chief translator. He has traveled extensively to the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Holland, the United Kingdom, and throughout Asia to offer teachings, and he continues to teach widely at schools and universities in China and abroad. He is also the founder of numerous Chinese schools and charitable organizations.