Wisdom Dharma Chat | Lopen Karma Phuntsho – December 2025
DECEMBER 10, 2025
In this episode of Wisdom Dharma Chats, Lopen Karma Phuntsho shares his journey as a devout Buddhist living in Bhutan and a rigorous education in India. Join Daniel and Lopen Karma as they discuss the significance of emptiness in meditation and the role of education in fostering compassion. The conversation explores the relevance of Buddhist principles in modern society, addressing self-love, interdependence, and so much more.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Tsadra Foundation: https://www.tsadra.org/
- Buddha-Nature A Tsadra Foundation Project: https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Main_Page
- Loden Tewa: Centre for Social Ventures: https://www.lodentewa.com/
Meet Our Guest
Lopen Karma Phuntsho
Lopen Karma Phuntsho is one of Bhutan’s leading intellectuals. He finished his monastic training in Bhutan and India before he pursued a M.St in Classical Indian Religions and a D.Phil in Oriental Studies at Balliol College, Oxford. He was a researcher at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, a Research Associate in the Department of Social Anthropology at Cambridge University, and the Spalding Fellow for Comparative Religion at Clare Hall, Cambridge University.
He was also a Research Consultant at the University of Virginia.
An author of over one hundred books and articles, including the authoritative History of Bhutan and Mipham’s Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness, he speaks and writes extensively on Bhutan and Buddhism. His work has received extensive media coverage by the BBC, BBS, Kuensel, The Bhutanese, Science, Radio Free Asia, Oxford Today, Times of India, India Today, and Channel News Asia. He is also the President and founder of Loden Foundation, a leading educational, entrepreneurial, and cultural initiative in Bhutan. He is currently based in Thimphu, Bhutan.
Bio Courtesy of https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/People/Phuntsho,_Karma
