Akong Rinpoche: what we know

On 8 October 2013 Dr Choje Akong Rinpoche was killed in the city of Chengdu, China.

He co-founded the Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery in Eskdalemuir, the biggest of its kind in Europe, but what else do we know about the man, and his death?

• Akong Rinpoche was born in eastern Tibet, 1939.

• He left for exile to India in 1959, in the aftermath of the Tibetan Rebellion.

• Moved to western Europe in the early 1963, to learn English at the University of Oxford on a scholarship, where he also worked as a hospital orderly.

• In 1967 he co-founded Samye Ling Monastery in Eskdalemuir, with Trungpa Rinpoche.

• In the following years Akong Rinpoche wrote three books, and the first, "Taming the Tiger", was translated into 17 languages.

• He also made several visits to Tibet and China to launch humanitarian projects.

• On October 8, 2013, he was killed in Chengdu, China, along with his nephew and a friend. Three men were arrested for allegedly stabbing him to death, and it was confirmed that one of the men had been a resident at the Monastery for five years.

• Early reports suggested the alleged murder was prompted by a dispute over money. This was strongly denied by Akong Rinpoche's brother.

• The three men are currently on trial in China.

• Special events are being held on the one-year anniversary of Akong Rinpoche's death, to remember his life. A special lunch will be followed by prayers in the Temple, and the lighting of 1,000 lamps in Butterlamp House.