Yangthang Rinpoche, 88, one of the masters of Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and a former political prisoner in Tibet passed away on October 15 in Hydrabad, India. Rinpoche mastered the practice of Nyima lineage through extensive training. Following the Chinese invasion in 1959, he was imprisoned for over two decades with other monks of Kham province. He was released in 1981 and returned to Sikkim to continue his teachings.