Linda Pritzker


Linda Pritzker also known by the name Lama Tsomo is an American lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She is a spiritual teacher, author, philanthropist, and co-founder of the Namchak Foundation and Namchak Retreat Ranch in Missoula, Montana. She is a member of the Pritzker family, known for the Hyatt Hotel fortune.

Early life

Pritzker was born in 1953 in Oberlin, Ohio, the second of three children born to Jewish-American businessman, Robert Pritzker, and Audrey Gilbert. She has two siblings: Jennifer N. Pritzker, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and founder of the Pritzker Military Library, and Karen Pritzker.
Her parents divorced in 1979. In 1981, her mother remarried Albert B. Ratner, the co-chairman of Cleveland-based real estate developer Forest City Enterprises. In 1980, her father remarried to Irene Dryburgh with whom he had two children: Matthew Pritzker and Liesel Pritzker Simmons.

Career

After earning a master's degree in Counseling Psychology and working as a psychotherapist for several years, Pritzker began a spiritual path to Tibetan Buddhism.
Pritzker was ordained a lama in February 2005 by Tulku Sangak Rinpoche, a Tibetan meditation master and world holder of the Namchak Lineage, a branch of the Nyingma path of Tibetan Buddhism. She began studying with Rinpoche in 1995 and became fluent in Tibetan. Her journey to Buddhist practices has been documented by ABC News' Dan Harris in his podcast 10% Happier.
She is the author of Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? A Westerner's Introduction and Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Practice and The Princess Who Wept Pearls: The Feminine Journey in Fairy Tales. She is also the co-author of The Lotus & The Rose: A Conversation Between Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Christianity and a contributor to The Dharma of Dogs: Our Best Friends as Spiritual Teachers edited by Tami Simon. Why is the Dalai Lama Always Smiling? has a foreword written by the Dalai Lama and was a 2016 silver medal winner in the Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Today, Pritzker's work revolves around the initiatives of the Namchak Foundation. While the Namchak Retreat Ranch is still under construction, Namchak has several offerings for students looking to begin or strengthen their meditation practice including two online courses, guided meditations, Learning Circles, and several live events per year.
As of July 2018, Pritzker's net worth is estimated to be $1.77 billion.

Personal life

Pritzker is divorced and has three children: Rachel, Roland, and Rosemary. She lives in Missoula, Montana. She is a Tibetan Buddhist.

Publications