Thupten Jinpa, PhD was trained as a monk at the Shartse College of Ganden Monastic University, South India, where he received the Geshe Lharam degree. Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from Cambridge University.

Jinpa has been the principal English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 1985 and has translated and collaborated on numerous books by the Dalai Lama. His own publications include A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives and translations of major Tibetan Buddhist works featured in The Library of Tibetan Classics series.

He has been a core member of the Mind and Life Institute and its Chairman of the Board since January 2012. Jinpa is President and co-Founder of Compassion Institute, founded in 2017.