Geshe Gedun Lodro

Geshe Gedün Lodrö (1924–1979) entered Debung Monastic University near Lhasa at the age of nine as a novice monk. He gained the degree of geshe in 1961 in exile in India as the first among three scholars who were awarded the number one ranking in the highest class. A scholar of prodigious intellect, he was famed for his wide learning and ability in debate. In 1967, the Dalai Lama sent him to teach at the University of Hamburg, where he learned to speak German fluently and became a tenured member of the faculty. He served as Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia in 1979.