Venerable Khensur Lobsang Dorjee Rinpoche, a former Abbot of Gyuto Monastery, was born in the 1930s, in the year of the Fire Cow, in the southwest region of Markham Tsakha (Eastern Tibet), to a family living in Martsang Ri. His father's name was Gompo Tsepel, and his mothers was Tselha. When he was seven years of age he began to learn to read and write, and learned without difficulty. In 1954, the year of the Wood Stallion, he came to Central Tibet, the roof of the world and central hub of Dharma study, enrolled in Loseling college of Drepung monastery, and received novice monk's vows from Gyepa Khensur Rinpoche [the former abbot of Loseling]. With several different spiritual guides, such as Sharcho Tara Rinpoche and the former abbot of Loseling, Khensur Yeshe Thubten, he studied and practiced all the subjects of the monastic curriculum, from Introductory Logic (Du-ra) up to the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñaparamita).

In the monastic area of the Buxa refugee encampment in India, he completed his exhaustive studies of an ocean of textual traditions, with many spiritual teachers such as the former Loseling abbot Pema Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Gyalrong Khensur Rinpoche, and the Great Abbot of Shakor, Nyima Gyaltsen; thus he became famous everywhere for his learning. Then, from the Ganden Throne-holder, the former Ling Rinpoche, he received the vows of a monk, becoming a fully ordained Bhikshu. In the Earth-Hen year (1969), when he was thirty-three years old, he went to south India. In 1980, he began his Gelug examinations. After two years he took the second-year exam for the Karam degree, after two more years the Lopen (acharya), and after three, the exam for the Lharam (highest) degree. In all three he finished at the top of his class.
With His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the two Holinesses [Ling Rinpoche and Trichang Rinpoche] primarily, and also with many lamas and tulkus of various lineages, he received in their entirety the empowerments, transitions and deep explanations of Sutra and Tantra.

In 1984, in the course of his Lharam studies he accepted the responsibility of being a spiritual master (Geshe) at the great secret Vajrayana college of Gyuto, at their insistence. In 1993 he accepted the job of Disciplinarian (Geko) and was universally acclaimed for his strict maintenance of the rules and customs of Gyuto. In 1996 H.H. the Dalai Lama bestowed upon him the esteemed office of Master of Ceremonies (Umdze). Having accepted the job of Master of Ceremonies, he saw to it that the profound interpretation and practice of the great Tantric traditions were upheld consistently and without error, thus endearing himself to everyone. After three years, in 1999, the year of the Female Earth Rabbit, H.H. the Dalai Lama bestowed upon him the esteemed office of Abbot (Khenpo) in the lineage, and Lobsang Dorjee accepted as his personal responsibility the Tantric practices and traditions of the lineage. As for giving Tantric teachings, he began to give textual explanations of the generation and completion stages and so forth, distinguishing himself in this respect as if sitting atop a mountain of gold.