Sogyal Rinpoche
 |
 |
| Rigpa is a Tibetan word which in
general means 'intelligence' or 'awareness'. In Dzogchen, however, the highest
teachings in the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, rigpa has a deeper connotation,
'the innermost nature of the mind'.
|
|
The whole of the teaching of Buddha is directed
towards realizing this, our ultimate nature, the state of omniscience or
enlightenment--a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all
limits, and beyond even religion itself.
|
|
Inspired by this,
Sogyal Rinpoche gave the name 'Rigpa' to his work and to the vehicle he
was developing to serve the Buddha's teaching in the west.
Now an international network with centres and groups in 23 countries
around the world, Rigpa seeks:
|
| To make the teachings of Buddha available to benefit as many people as possible, and |
| To offer those following the Buddhist teachings a complete path of study and practice, along with the environment they need to explore the teachings to their fullest. |
|
|
Born in Kham in Eastern Tibet, Sogyal Rinpoche was recognized as the
incarnation of Lerab Lingpa Tertön Sogyal, a teacher to the thirteenth
Dalai Lama, by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, one of the most outstanding
masters of the twentieth century. Jamyang Khyentse supervised Rinpoche's
training and raised him like his own son.
In 1971, Rinpoche went to England where he studied Comparative Religion
at Cambridge University. He went on to study with many other masters,
of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, especially Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche and
Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, serving as their translator and aide.
With his remarkable gift for presenting the essence of Tibetan Buddhism in
a way that is both authentic and profoundly relevant to the modern mind,
Sogyal Rinpoche is one of the most renowned teachers of our time.
He is also the author of the highly-acclaimed and ground breaking
book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
Over 2 million copies of this spiritual classic have been printed, in
29 languages and 56 countries. It has been adopted by colleges, groups and
institutions, both medical and religious, and is used extensively by
nurses, doctors and health care professionals.
Rinpoche has been teaching for over 30 years and continues to travel
widely in Europe, America, Australia, and Asia, where he addresses
thousands of people on his teaching tours and is a frequent
speaker at major conferences. In 1993, Rinpoche founded the Spiritual
Care Program which, under his guidance, aims to bring the wisdom
and compassion of these teachings to professional and trained
volunteer caregivers who work in end of life care.
