Khenpo Namdrol was born in 1953 in Derge. Al the age of seven, in 1959, he fled Tibet and reached Bylakuppe, South India. He began his studies with Nyoshu1 Khen Rinpoche and Khenpo Khedrub, and then continued in Sikkim for five years, where he received various teachings on Prajnaparamita, Madhyamika, Pramana and other topics from Khenpo Tsöndrü.

At 25, along with Khenpo Tsöndrü, he returned to Namdroling Monastery and together they established the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute. In 1983, he received the title of Khcnpo from His Holiness Penor Rinpoche.

In 1988, Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche traveled to Tibet to receive Dzogchen teachings from the Venerable Khenpo Jigme Phuntsog. He returned to Tibet again in 1992 and received further instructions from Khenpo Jigme Phuntsog. In 1998, under the guidance of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Khenpo Namdrol established the Palyul Retreat Center Samten Osel Ling in Pharping, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

In 2002, Khenpo Namdrol founded the Padmasambhava Global Project for World Peace. Khcnpo now spends much of his time at his center, as well as teaching abroad and at the Ngagyur Nyingma institute.

Khenpo Rinpoche has contributed greatly through his work in the administration and by teaching in the institute and abroad with only the single intention of the preservation of authentic dharma in these degenerate times.