Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche was a unique figure in the recent history of Buddhism.  Along with Chogyam Trungpa, he founded Kagyu Samye Ling in Scotland, the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West.  When Trungpa Rinpoche left for America it was Akong Rinpoche who oversaw the construction of the temple and monastic complex at Samye Ling which has grown into one of the foremost Centres of Buddhist study and practice in Europe. Early Life of Akong .