Beginning in 1971, Larry Mermelstein became a close student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and he has since been empowered as a senior teacher, or “acharya,” by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Executive director of the Nalanda Translation Committee for over 25 years, he has also been a long-time consulting editor to Shambhala Publications.