Tana Dungsey Rinpoche’s father, Tana Tulku Rinpoche, was the head of the Yelpa Lineage (see Lineage) of Tibetan Buddhism. When he lived in Tibet, he was responsible for a number of important monasteries, including the famous Tana monastery in the Kham region of Tibet. During the Cultural Revolution (circa 1959), the Tana Monastery was destroyed. Tana Tulku Rinpoche, was forced to flee to India.

In recognition of his importance and the importance of preserving the Yelpa lineage, the Indian Government gave land in Kollegal, South India to Tana Tulku Rinpoche where he established a new Tana Monastery. His vision was to re-establish and preserve the Yelpa Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. He was well known for his tireless work helping thousands of people in the Tibetan refugee communities.  And he also found time to visit the United States and Germany to teach. In January 2000, Tana Rinpoche passed away in a New Delhi hospital at the age of 65 after a long illness. During his cremation, there were various unusual relics (http://fpmt.org/education/practice/holy-objects/relics-a-resource-guide/) generated from the ashes – a sign of high spiritual accomplishment.