About Lama Govinda

Lama Govinda was born as Ernst Lothar Hoffmann in the kingdom of Saxony nowadays Germany. At the age of 16 he became interested in the study of different religions and published a few years later his first book, “ The basic Ideas of Buddhism and its relationship to Ideas of God “.

Shortly after the First World War, Ernst Hoffmann went to Capri, Italy, an international artist colony of its time. In Capri he became deeply involved with Buddhism and painting. 

He then went to Ceylon in 1928, with the idea to become a Buddhist monk. He studied under the German monk Nyanatiloka Thera, mastered Pali and became general Secretary of the International Buddhist Union. He gave up his name and called himself Govinda. Govinda took the yellow robe in Burma in 1929, with the religious vow of an Anagãrika (homeless pilgrim). He later became Lama Govinda when he met his great Tibetan teacher Tomo Geshe Rimpoche in the monastery of Yi-Gah Chö-Ling, in Sikkim. In the land of turquoise lakes and golden hills he found his destiny. 

He stayed in India for 30 years where he worked in universities, established Buddhist associations, published books and wrote for various journals worldwide plus showed his art work. His dream came true with his pilgrimage to the old Guge kingdom of West Tibet. He undertook this remarkable two-year journey through Tibet with his wife Li Gotami, prior to the Chinese invasion.

He lived through the period of the great European changes that lead to the Second World War. He also witnessed the fall of the British Empire, the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese, the collapse of Colonisation in general and the centre of power changing over to the United States of America. Through the tragic Tibetan events, Buddhism has grown on a global scale and is easily compatible in the western world through its scientific thinking.

The Dalai Lama, Buddhism and the cause for Tibet is now an ever-present reality of modern society.

Because of these happenings, Lama Govinda felt the need to give the world a better understanding about Buddhism. He started his lecture tours around the world and finally took up his last residence in the USA, where Lama Govinda lectured intensively, before leaving his final legacy to the 21st century.

Govinda was a scholar of considerable aptitude, as well as being an accomplished painter, poet and writer, publishing more than 22 books on Buddhism.

As a World citizen he is a very important figure, possible a genius, because he understood the need to increase a greater sense of universal responsibilities and harmony as well as inter-religious understanding.