Lama Gelong Sangyay Tendzin, originally known as Lama Norbu Repa, was born in Europe in 1949. As the middle child in a large family, he faced significant personal loss during his early teens, leading to a profound understanding of the Law of Impermanence and guiding him towards the practice of Dharma.

In the early 1980s, recurring dreams of Tibet inspired him to visit Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India. There, he took Refuge and participated in a three-day Thousand-Arms Chenrezig initiation led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He received initial teachings of the Buddhist Path from His Eminence Tai Situpa and committed to the traditional Vajrayana training, receiving teachings and initiations from eminent masters of the Kagyud lineage.

In June 1992, following the recognition of the XVIIth Gyalwang Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, Lama Norbu Repa left his hermitage for Tibet. He spent several years restoring the Tashi Khang Monastery in the Nyetang Valley, Central Tibet, and providing essential support to a dozen monks, enabling them to resume their monastic duties.

Lama Norbu Repa also founded the NCF Foundation in Kham-Nangxian, Eastern Tibet, initiating various projects to assist the nomads of the QingHai province. These included the construction of an orphanage for 150 children in the village of Dritog, an itinerant clinic, and school dormitories to support children from impoverished families.

In 2000, Lama Norbu Repa returned to Southern France, where he established a Tibetan Dharma Centre. He is the founder and Resident Lama of "Theg-Chog Norbu Ling" Karma Kamtshang Monastery, under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness the XVIIth Gyalwang Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje.

In 2014, Lama took full ordination as a Bhikkhu (Gelong) from His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche, receiving the name Gelong Sangyay Tendzin. Since then, he has been practicing in open retreat, guiding a small community of six monastics and six lay practitioners.

Lama Gelong Sangyay Tendzin also teaches the sacred dharma at several Dharma centers he established over the past 25 years, including TNG-SUISSE in Switzerland, TNG-IPOH in Malaysia, and TNG-Phoenix in Arizona.