Lama Lena (Yeshe Kaytup) teaches Direct Mind Perception meditation, including Dzogchen and Mahamudra, and holds lineage in several Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Known for an informal yet exact approach, she is admired by students worldwide for presenting profound teachings with clarity, poetry, and humor.
She began studying in 1972 with Lama Thubten Yeshe at his monastery in Nepal, where she spent three years in training. She then devoted seven years to retreat and practice in a small cave above Tso Pema under the guidance of her root teacher, Ven. Wangdor Rimpoche. After that, she traveled extensively with him, serving as his main translator and assistant.
At the request of H.E. Zigar Choktrul Rinpoche, Ven. Wangdor Rimpoche, and many Western and Tibetan dharma students, Lama Lena has continued to travel, teach, and translate from the lineages she carries.
With a background in Chinese medicine, she also maintained a medical practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, she divides her time between New Orleans and Tso Pema, where she teaches and offers medical assistance to the Tibetan refugee community, local Indian villagers, and mountain tribespeople.