Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: In Praise of Spiritual Teachers
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In this episode, we hear from Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher of the Longchen Nyingtik tradition and founder of Mangala Shri Bhuti. Raised in a religious family in northern India, Rinpoche was deeply influenced by both his parents. His mother was a highly revered practitioner of the Nyingma tradition, while his father was recognized as the third incarnation of the great treasure discoverer, or tertön, Chogyur Lingpa. Immediately following the tragic passing of his father when he was only 9 years old, Rinpoche was recognized as an incarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye by the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa. You’ll hear Rinpoche give an account of these crucial years of his childhood that eventually led him to spend years of study under his root teacher, the great Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, as well as revered scholar Khenpo Rinchen. Rinpoche eventually moved to the United States with his family in 1989 where he became World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University before founding Mangala Shri Bhuti.
About the Interviewee
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher of the Longchen Nyingtik tradition. At the age of nine, Rinpoche was recognized as an incarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye by Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa. In 1989, Rinpoche moved to the United States with his family, and in 1990, began five-year tenure as the first holder of the World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University. During that time Rinpoche founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, an organization dedicated to establishing a sangha of the Longchen Nyingtik Lineage in the West.
Rinpoche is the author of four books: It’s Up to You: The Practice of Self-Reflection on the Buddhist Path, Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to our Natural Intelligence, Uncommon Happiness: The Path of the Compassionate Warrior, and The Intelligent Heart: A Guide to the Compassionate Life.
Biography courtesy of the Mangala Shri Bhuti website: http://www.mangalashribhuti.org/
Images courtesy of Olivier Riché
