I am Kailash Chandra Bauddha, the Hindi translator for Tenzin Gyatso, and I have the privilege of working directly with His Holiness on a regular basis.
I was born in a very remote Indian village called Nagla Dhaukal, located in the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh, about 100 kilometers east of Agra. At that time, the village had a population of around 250 people and no electricity. I grew up in a farming family with ten siblings, helping to raise cows, buffalo, and other livestock.
Due to the limited resources and lack of educational facilities in my village, attending school was extremely difficult. When I was in the sixth grade, my elder brother, Mr. Suresh Chandra Bauddha, who was studying in Bihar, offered me the opportunity to continue my education in Arunachal Pradesh and Shravasti. There, I began learning English, Pali, and Sinhala languages, which eventually opened the path toward Buddhist studies and translation work.
After completing my intermediate education in Mainpuri, I decided to enroll in university with the intention of studying medicine and becoming a doctor. However, I eventually left those studies because my interests lay elsewhere.
I had long been deeply connected to Buddhism, as my family belongs to the Shakya clan, and I felt a profound spiritual calling to dedicate my life to the study, practice, and preservation of the Buddha’s teachings.
In 2005, along with members of the Youth Buddhist Society of India (YBS), I traveled to Dehradun to attend a teaching by Samdhong Rinpoche, who was then serving as the Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. I was deeply inspired by Professor Rinpoche, who spoke both Hindi and Tibetan fluently and embodied the rare combination of a monk, scholar, and statesman.
During his address, Rinpoche encouraged students to study endangered classical languages such as Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan to preserve and properly understand the ancient Buddhist scriptures that are gradually being forgotten. Seeking his personal guidance, I asked which path I should follow. Rinpoche advised me that, since Hindi is my mother tongue and Sanskrit and Pali are closely related to it, I should dedicate myself to becoming a translator of Buddhist scholarly works—a journey that, he said, would require nearly ten years of disciplined study and practice.
At the age of nineteen, I moved to the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala (McLeod Ganj). There, I was introduced to the Tibetan tradition of monastic debate, an intellectually vibrant practice that deeply inspired me and strengthened my determination to learn the Tibetan language so that I could actively participate in such scholarly discussions.
I subsequently enrolled at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah, marking the beginning of a dynamic and transformative academic journey. I devoted three years to the intensive study of the Tibetan language before joining the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. There, I undertook advanced studies in classical Buddhist philosophy and related disciplines, including Buddhist psychology, logic, collected topics, the Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom) tradition, and Madhyamaka (Middle Way) philosophy, among many other subjects.
In 2023, I completed the Rimé Lopön Chenpo (Great Master of Buddhist Philosophy) degree, marking the culmination of years of rigorous study, contemplation, and scholarly training.
In 2025, I completed my Rimé Geshe (PhD) degree from the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Buddhist Studies at the University of Delhi.
Another important opportunity arose during the course of my studies. I was assigned to accompany a group of visiting Buddhist PhD scholars on a journey through Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra in order to assist them with their limited Hindi language skills. During this experience, I discovered my ability to translate fluently between Tibetan and Hindi, and I found great joy and meaning in the work.
By 2012, I had established a growing reputation as a translator. Around that time, I was informed that the 14th Dalai Lama required a Hindi translator, and I was offered the opportunity to serve in that role. At first, I was both surprised and hesitant, as the responsibility and privilege felt immense. I worried that translating for His Holiness would be extraordinarily challenging because of the depth and breadth of his wisdom and teachings. However, His Holiness’s secretary encouraged me firmly, telling me that it was my duty to undertake the responsibility.
Soon afterward, I performed simultaneous Hindi translation during a five-hour teaching session delivered by His Holiness—an experience that marked a turning point in my life and career. From that time onward, I began serving as His Holiness’s Hindi translator regularly.
Over the years, I had the great fortune not only to work closely with His Holiness but also to develop a personal connection with him. I accompanied him during teachings attended by vast audiences across India and helped organize his visits in 2015 and 2018 to my hometown of Sankisa, where thousands of devotees and followers gathered to receive his teachings and blessings.
Throughout this journey, my leadership role within the Indian Buddhist community continued to grow. I have had the opportunity to teach the Buddhist principles of compassion, kindness, and ethical living to large gatherings of people across India.
My life is wholly dedicated to the revival of Buddhism in India and, more broadly, to the reform of educational systems around the world. In my view, modern education often emphasizes material knowledge while neglecting essential human values such as compassion, kindness, and inner development—principles that should be cultivated alongside intellectual learning. This vision is deeply inspired by the guidance and teachings of 14th Dalai Lama.
I have also been profoundly inspired by the Tibetan language and by Tibetan scholars, whose wisdom and dedication encouraged me to study the Nālandā tradition of Buddhism more deeply. I remain deeply grateful that learning Tibetan proved to be such an enriching and welcoming journey, opening the door to a vast treasury of Buddhist philosophy, literature, and spiritual practice.