Erick Tsiknopoulos
Translations of Tibetan texts, Tibetan language courses & publications by Erick Tsiknopoulos and the Trikāya Translation Committee.
Erick Tsiknopoulos (b. 1981) is a translator of Buddhist texts and a scholar-practitioner of Buddhism. A Dharma practitioner since 1999, he began his formal study of the Tibetan language in 2004. Between 2008 and 2019 (and continuing in 2023), he engaged in over eleven years of intensive study in the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal, residing primarily in Dharamsala, Darjeeling, and Kathmandu. This decade of cultural and linguistic immersion allowed him to achieve near-native fluency in colloquial Tibetan and a high degree of literacy in both classical and modern literary Tibetan, which serves as a cornerstone for both his translation work and language instruction.
He has worked professionally as a Tibetan-English translator since 2009, completing hundreds of commissioned works for Dharma centers, academic publications, and private individuals worldwide. His translation expertise encompasses the Kangyur and Tengyur, Tantric ritual practices (sādhanā), Terma literature, philosophical treatises, commentaries, and many other genres. Beyond translation, he also serves as an oral interpreter for Dharma teachings and events internationally, and he has taught classical and colloquial Tibetan to students around the world since 2011.
He is primarily a practitioner in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, beginning with the Chagdud Gönpa and Kathok lineages in 2003, and is familiar with the teachings of all major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. During his time in South Asia, he received numerous teachings, blessings, and empowerments from important masters, including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, His Holiness the 104th Ganden Tripa, His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin (Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche), His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, His Holiness Taklung Tsétrul Rinpoche, His Eminence Lama Zöpa Rinpoche, His Eminence Denma Lochö Rinpoche, and His Eminence Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. His main teacher during this time in India was His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, from whom he received teachings on a regular basis in McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala). While in India, he also studied in private classes with several knowledgeable khenpos and geshes, including Serta Khenpo Chöying and others, and occasionally served as an oral interpreter for a few prominent Tibetan lamas in Dharamsala and Kathmandu. During this period, he also served as the main textual translator for Khenchen Lama Rinpoche (Pelgyepa Dorjé), a distinguished Nyingma master.
His rigorous academic training in India included:
- Colloquial and Modern Literary Tibetan at the Manjushree Centre of Tibetan Culture (2008, 2011-12) and nine years of immersive study with Gen Karma Chubzang (2009-18).
- Buddhist Tenets and Philosophy at the Thösam Ling Institute (2009), the Tibetan Library of Works and Archives (2012), the Institute of Buddhist Dialects and Namgyal Monastery (2012-16).
- Dialectics and Epistemology at Dzongsar Shedra (Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö College of Dialectics, 2010).
- Textual Analysis and Hermeneutics via three years of daily intensive sessions with Gen Lobzang Gyatso at the Esukhia Institute (2012-15).
Aside from his mastery of Tibetan, he has studied Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Romanian, Spanish and other languages. He has completed the equivalent coursework of a Master of Arts degree in Buddhist Studies from the International Buddhist College (Thailand) and the University of South Wales (UK).
Known by the Dharma names Sherab Zangpo (shes rab bzang po) and Könchok Déwai Ngödrub (dkon mchog bde ba'i dngos grub), he has taken Refuge, the Lay Precepts (Upāsaka), and Bodhisattva Vows on numerous occasions, including under the late Drikung Lamchen Gyalpo Rinpoche and HH the 14th Dalai Lama.
His major translation projects include the entire practice cycle of the Yuthok Nyingthik (g.yu thog snying thig), and he is currently undertaking the translation of the Terma collections of Apang Tertön (Pawo Chöying Dorjé) and Terchen Rigdzin Nyima.
Erick is the founder of Trikāya Translation Services, the Trikāya Translation Committee, and the Trikāya Tibetan Language Academy. His life’s work is dedicated to making Tibetan literature and the full spectrum of Buddhist teachings accessible to a global audience.
Since 2005, he has been the most prolific contributor of new entries to the Rangjung Yeshe Dharma Dictionary (under the auspices of the Tsadra Foundation).
Personal: [email protected]
Translation inquiries: [email protected]