Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin was born in Lhasa, Tibet in 1921 and entered Sera Monastery there at an early age. Khen Rinpoche came to the United States in 1972 and became Abbot of Rashi Gempil Ling Temple in New Jersey. After going to South India in 1991 and serving as Abbot of Sera Mey monastery for some time, he returned to the United States. Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin was a lifetime director and an abbot emeritus of Sera Mey monastery, as well as founder of the Mahayana Sutra and Tantra Center, which has branches in New Jersey and Washington, DC. He was also the spiritual director of the Asian Classics Institute, the Asian Classics Input Project, Diamond Abbey, and Godstow Retreat Center. Khen Rinpoche passed on from this life on Je Tsongkapa Day, Dec. 7, 2004.

Geshe Michael Roach is a fully ordained American monk who received his geshe (doctor of Theology) degree from Sera Mey Monastery in India after 22 years of study there and in the United States with his root Lama, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin. Geshe Michael has been teaching Buddhism since 1981. He is a scholar of Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Russian, and has translated and published numerous works. Geshe Roach received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and worked in New York City as a director of a large diamond firm for many years. He is the founder of the Asian Classics Institute, the Asian Classics Input Project, Diamond Abbey, Three Jewels Bookstore, Godstow Retreat Center, Diamond Mountain and Retreat Center and the Enlightened Business Institute and has been active in the restoration of Sera Mey Monastery.