Lopon P. Ogyan Tanzin Rinpoche is a senior lama and scholar of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Originally from a family of ngakpas (non-celibate tantric priests) in Pemakö, he studied under Dudjom Rinpoche, one of the most renowned masters of the Nyingma tradition in recent history, and went on to study both at the Sanskrit University in Varanasi and at the University of Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan, where he obtained his BA and two MA degrees, respectively.

He taught at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) in Sarnath for 15 years, and also served as Visiting Lecturer in Kelaniya University (Sri Lanka). He has worked as an academic consultant on Tibetological projects at the universities of Cardiff, Oxford, and Bochum.