Nyala Rinpoche

Nyala Rinpoche Rigdzin Changchub Dorje (1826 – 1961/1978) was a teacher of Dzogchen, terton and practitioner of Tibetan medicine. He was born in the Nyarong (nyag rong) region of East Tibet (Kham). Teachers of Nyala Rinpoche were Adzom Drugpa (1842-1924), Nyala Pema Dundul (1816–1872), and Bon luminary Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859-1934) (shar rdza bkra shis rgyal mtshan).

Nyala Rinpoche organized and lead a community of Dzogchen practitioners in Nyalagar also known as Khamdogar (khams mdo sgar), Dedrol area, Kham. In 1978 he is said to have attained rainbow body. If he was born in 1826 as is claimed, he would have lived to be far older than the oldest man ever documented.

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (b. 1938) is his 'heart-son' or principal disciple (Wylie: snying gi bu). He also had a daughter, Atha Lhamo.