Born in Bhutan, Neten Chokling was brought down to India at the age of four at his predecessor’s monastery in Himachal Pradesh. He was recognized by the sixteenth Karmapa as well as Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as being the reincarnation of Neten Chokling Pema Gyurme. The fourteenth Karmapa named him Gyurme Dorje.
Neten Chokling and Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche are the reincarnations of the nineteenth-century master Chokgyur Lingpa. This lineage traces back to Trisong Detsen, the Tibetan king who invited Padmasambhava to Tibet.
He acted in Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s films 'The Cup' (1999) and Travelers and Magicians (2003). In 2006, he directed his own first film, Milarepa—Magician, Murderer, Saint. The film portrays the early life of Thopaga, the young Milarepa, before he encounters the spiritual path. Neten Chokling also made Brilliant Moon, a documentary on the life of his teacher, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He is currently in the midst of a production on Padmasambhava.