Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche was born in Bhutan on August 8, 1964. He was recognized as a tulku by His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa and officially enthroned as the second Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche at the age of six at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. In 1974, Rinpoche received novice vows from the 16th Karmapa, and later bodhisattva vows. He was trained by the great lamas of Rumtek, and attended the 16th Karmapa during his trip to the West in 1981.

Rinpoche graduated from the Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies in 1991, and continued to serve there until 1992 after becoming the abbot at Dilyak Monastery in Nepal. Rinpoche is also the President and a Founding Board Member of The Karmapa Center 16 in Zion, IL. The center is dedicated to commemorating His Holiness the 16th Karmapa with a stupa, meditation hall, and retreat center, while providing a place to learn about the history of the Karmapas.

Since the mid-1990s, Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche has offered an increasing portion of his time to Nalandabodhi. He advises both students and teachers with steady temperament, deep awareness, and practical acumen.