Lama Pasang Gurung was born in 1968 in the village of Sal Dang in Dolpa, Nepal. At the age of 16 he entered Namdroling Monastery in Mysore, India and spent the next four years learning Buddhist practice, grammar, writing, and dharma history before entering shedra in 1990.
After completing the shedra in 2000, Lama Pasang was asked to become the umdze, or chant master, for His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. From 2000 until the passing of His Holiness in 2009, Lama Pasang traveled with His Holiness to Palyul centers in the United States and throughout the world.
In 2003, he became a teacher at the yearly Palyul Retreat in upstate New York, where he continues to instruct first year students in the Ngöndro or preliminary practices.
In addition to the many blessings, lung and wang he received from his root teacher His Holiness Penor Rinpoche; Lama Pasang received the Mipham Rinpoche Ka Bum lung and wang from His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse in 1989, and the Northern Treasure lung and wang from Taklung Tsetrul Rinpoche in 1990. He is currently the resident lama at the Austin Palyul Centre.