Sogyal Rinpoche

Sogyal Rinpoche
Title	Rinpoche
Personal
Born	1947 Kham, Tibet
Religion	Tibetan Buddhism
School	Dzogchen, Nyingma
Education	Trinity College, Cambridge
Senior posting
Teacher	Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
Reincarnation	Tertön Sogyal
Website	www.rigpa.org

Sogyal Rinpoche (Tibetan: བསོད་རྒྱལ་, Wylie: Bsod-rgyal) (born 1947) is a Tibetan Dzogchen Lama of the Nyingma tradition. He has been teaching for over 30 years and continues to travel widely in Europe, America, Australia and Asia. He is also the founder and spiritual director of Rigpa—an international network of over 100 Buddhist centres and groups in 23 countries around the world—and the author of the best-selling book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, which has been printed in 30 languages and 56 countries. In addition, Rinpoche is a frequent speaker at major conferences in all areas of society, including medicine and healing, universities and educational institutions, interfaith dialogue, movements for peace and non-violence, the world of business and leadership, and the field of serving the dying and hospice care.

Biography

Early life

Born 1947 in the region of Kham by Mayum Tsering Wangmo, 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 of the Rime movement. Jamyang Khyentse supervised his training and raised him as a son. When conditions deteriorated in Kham, Khyentse Rinpoche and his young disciple left for Central Tibet and Lhasa, where in 1955, for the first time, they met Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. They then continued to India on pilgrimage, and finally settled in Gangtok at the invitation of the Chögyal, the king of Sikkim. Rinpoche attended Catholic School in Kalimpong, and then university in Delhi before coming to the west.

1970s

In 1971, he was granted a place to study comparative religion at Trinity College, Cambridge as a visiting scholar. He continued to study with many masters, of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, especially Dudjom Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche. Trulshik Rinpoche (born 1923) is one of his teachers, too.

In 1973, he assisted in organizing the Dalai Lama’s first ever visit to the West, in Rome—including a visit with Pope John Paul II, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The following year he began to teach in London, creating his first Dharma centre, called Orgyen Chöling, in north-west London in 1974.

Rinpoche soon began teaching in Paris and often translated for Dudjom Rinpoche, whom he also accompanied to the United States in 1976. In the summer of 1977, Rinpoche's London centre, known as Dzogchen Orgyen Chöling, found a home at Princess Road in Kilburn. Many great masters taught there: Dudjom Rinpoche, when he taught for a whole month in London in 1979, Sakya Trizin, Gyalwang Karmapa, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and others.

In 1979, Sogyal Rinpoche chose the name Rigpa—the innermost, essential nature of mind—for his work.

1980s

Left to right: Sogyal Rinpoche, Joan Halifax and Richard Gere (Switzerland, 1985)

By 1980, Rinpoche was teaching in the United States, Holland and Ireland, as well as in France and the UK. Gradually, he opened centres in a number of major cities around the world. In many places, study and practice groups evolved and in each country Rigpa was established as a non-profit organization.

At Sogyal Rinpoche's and Rigpa’s request, the Dalai Lama granted the empowerment of Padmasambhava and his Eight Manifestations from the pure visions of the ‘Great Fifth’ Dalai Lama at the Pagode de Vincennes in Paris in 1982.

In 1983, Rinpoche participated in the ‘New Dimensions in Death and Dying’ conference in California. This brought Rinpoche in touch with the work of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Professor Kenneth Ring in the fields of hospice care and near-death research. This inspired Rinpoche to explore further the role that the Tibetan teachings on death and helping the dying could play in transforming modern attitudes towards to death.

In 1987, Rinpoche was invited to become spiritual director of the centre in Co. Cork in the west of Ireland that was to become Dzogchen Beara, Rigpa’s long-term retreat facility. The first closed one-year retreats, following a traditional Tibetan schedule of practice and study, began there in 1994.

In 1989, Sogyal Rinpoche was asked to help organize the Dalai Lama's visit to San Jose, California. Five and a half thousand people, from all traditions and from all over the United States and other countries, attended in what at that time was the largest gathering of practitioners and masters of Buddhadharma in America, and possibly in the West. To mark this occasion, Rinpoche wrote Dzogchen and Padmasambhava.

1990s and controversies

Every year, Rinpoche would return to India and Nepal in order to receive teachings from his masters and seek their advice and clarification. In time he began to teach the Tibetan community in exile in India and Sikkim, especially the young people. Rigpa was established in Delhi in 1990 and Rigpa House opened in 1995.

In August 1990, Sogyal Rinpoche and Rigpa hosted Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche on his final visit to the West, together with a large gathering of Tibetan Buddhist teachers at Prapoutel, a ski resort in the French Alps. The retreat was attended by 1500 people. Over ten days, he gave the most important empowerments and teachings for the complete practice of the Nyingma path and Dzogchen.

In 1991, Sogyal Rinpoche founded the retreat centre of Lerab Ling near Montpellier in southern France. The first three-month retreat was held there in 1992.

In 1992,The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying was published.

In 1993, Christine Longaker established the Spiritual Care Program which is based on the teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche and demonstrates practical ways in which the compassion and wisdom of the Buddhist teachings can be of benefit to those facing illness or death and also to their families and medical caregivers.

Sogyal Rinpoche appeared in the 1993 film Little Buddha by Bernardo Bertolucci in the role of Kenpo Tenzin.

In 1994, a $10 million civil lawsuit was filed against Sogyal Rinpoche. It was alleged that over a period of many years, Rinpoche had used his position as a spiritual leader to induce some of his female students to have sexual relations with him. The complaint included accusations of infliction of emotional distress, breach of fiduciary duty, as well as assault and battery. The lawsuit was settled privately, but related allegations flared up again later.

In 1999, at Sogyal Rinpoche's request, Kyabjé Trulshik Rinpoche, the heart son of Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, gave a series of empowerments at Lerab Ling, and taught in San Francisco, New York and London. He also founded the basis for a monastic sangha within Rigpa by ordaining the first nuns. At the same time, Rigpa Australia acquired land for a new retreat centre at Blueys Beach, on the east coast near Sydney. With some three thousand people already following courses worldwide, 1999 also marked the beginning of a complete, long-term review of the programme for study and practice within Rigpa. Rinpoche has said that his vision is to set in place an authentic, accessible Buddhist study foundation for modern people, based on classical Buddhist teachings and the advice of teachers of all schools, both the senior masters as well as some of the brilliant younger teachers so attuned to modern times.

After 2000

Rinpoche teaching in Lerab Ling, France, 2006

In 2000, Sogyal Rinpoche hosted the Dalai Lama at Lerab Ling, Rigpa's main retreat centre in France. taught on "The Path to Enlightenment" and the event was attended by up to 10,000 students of Tibetan Buddhism from around the world. The teachings given by the Dalai Lama have been published in a book entitled Mind in Comfort and Ease: The Vision of Enlightenment in the Great Perfection.

In 2001, Sogyal Rinpoche began the Rigpa Shedra, or study college. During October 2001, together with Father Laurence Freeman OSB of the World Community for Christian Meditation, Rinpoche also led an interfaith conference at Dublin Castle in Ireland entitled "Finding Compassion in our Changing World". Three hundred people from Christian, Buddhist and other faiths attended the event.

In 2002, Rinpoche started the on-going Practical Wisdom leaders retreats and programme for top Australian CEO's and other leaders in the fields of the Arts and Education to enable them to explore the Buddhist teachings and integrate the principles of wisdom and compassion into their workplaces.

In 2003, 'The First Conference of Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Centers in the Americas' was held in upstate New York. Rinpoche led the first plenary session on "The Experience and Challenge of Teaching and Studying Buddhism in the Americas".

In 2004, Rinpoche served as a keynote speaker at 'The Parliament of the World's Religions', where over 8,000 religious leaders and lay people gathered in Barcelona in Spain to discuss the issues of religious violence, access to safe water, the fate of refugees worldwide, and the elimination of developing countries' debts.

In May 2005, Sogyal Rinpoche founded Rigpé Yeshé, at the first international family retreat and conference, 'Educating Children in the Dharma', to support families who wish to bring up their children in light of the teachings of the Buddha. "Rigpe Yeshe, sometimes mis-spelled Rigpa Yeshé, is an association of parents who are members of the Rigpa sangha, following the teachings of Buddha under the direction of Sogyal Rinpoche." One of the aims cited on the website reads like following: Bring the authentic and appropriate dharma to children, teenagers and families of the Rigpa Sangha, accomplishing Sogyal Rinpoche’s vision of bringing up children in the wisdom of rigpa;

In 2006, a traditional three-storey temple at Lerab Ling was completed, including a seven-metre high statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, and Rinpoche started Rigpa's first three-year retreat with over 400 hundred people taking part, and over 3000 students following a 'home retreat' programme in their own countries.

In 2007, ground was broken for the Spiritual Care Centre at Dzogchen Beara, designed as a place where people facing illness or death can come for periods of rest in a welcoming and healing atmosphere. Sogyal Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director. Dr. Balfour Mount is a patron.

On 12 September 2007, the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, visited Dzogchen Beara, along with Sogyal Rinpoche, to give an address in support of the Spiritual Care Centre that is in process there. Although by 2009, President McAleese was seen to distance herself from the Rigpa organisation, after learning of the 1994 $10 million civil lawsuit.

On 21 August 2008, the Dalai Lama visited Lerab Ling, Lodève for the temple consecration ceremony, together with many Tibetan spiritual masters and guests from other fields, including Carla Bruni, wife of French president N. Sarkozy.

On 23 May 2011, an episode of the documentary series, Sex Scandals In Religion aired on Canadian television VisionTV. It was an investigative look at a series of allegations and court cases involving women around the world who alleged that they had first hand experiences of sexual inappropriateness from Soygal Rinpoche. The Rigpa Organization flatly denied the accusations.

Publications

Books

• Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, ISBN 0-06-250834-2
• Sogyal Rinpoche, Dzogchen and Padmasambhava, Rigpa Publications, 1990, ISBN 0-96-248840-2
• Sogyal Rinpoche, Glimpse After Glimpse, ISBN 0712662375, ISBN 978-0712662376
• Sogyal Rinpoche, The Future of Buddhism, Rider & Co, 2002, ISBN 0-71-261564-4

Articles and contributions

• Himalaya: Personal Stories of Grandeur, Challenge and Hope, National Geographic Books, 2006
• Jonathon Cott, On the Sea of Memory: A Journey from Forgetting to Remembering, Random House, 2005, ISBN 1-40-006058-3
• Reginald A. Ray (ed.), The Pocket Tibetan Buddhist Reader, Shambhala Publications, Boston, Mass. 2004, ISBN 1-57-062851-3
• Kathryn Meeske (Author), Sandra Scales (Photographer), Sacred Voices of the Nyingma Masters, Padma Publishing, California, 2004, ISBN 1-88-184735-7
• Charles A. Tart, Living a Mindful Life, A Handbook for Living in the Present Moment, Shambhala Publications, Boston, Mass. 1994, ISBN 978-1570620034

Forewords and introductions

• Dilgo Khyentse; Ani Jinpa Palmo (trans), 2008. Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse. Shambhala. ISBN 9781590302842.
• the Dalai Lama, Mind in Comfort and Ease, Wisdom Publications, 2007, ISBN 0-86-171493-8
• Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Blazing Splendor: The Memoirs of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, North Atlantic Books, 2005, ISBN 9-62-734156-8
• Don Farber, Portraits of Tibetan Buddhist Masters, University of California Press 2005, ISBN 0-52-023973-3
• Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje (translated by Richard Barron), A Marvelous Garland of Rare Gems: Biographies of Masters of Awareness in the Dzogchen Lineage (A Spiritual History of the Teachings on Natural Great Perfection), Padma Publications, 2005, ISBN 1-88-184741-1
• Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Fearless Simplicity: The Dzogchen Way of Living Freely in a Complex World, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, Nepal, 2003, ISBN 9-62-734148-7
• the Dalai Lama, Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection, Snow Lion Publications, 2000, ISBN 1-55-939219-3
• Khenpo Namdrol The Practice of Vajrakilaya, Snow Lion Publications, 1999, ISBN 1-55-939103-0
• Christine Longaker, Facing Death and Finding Hope: A Guide to the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying, Arrow Books, 1998, ISBN 0-09-917692-0
• Mordicai Gerstein, The Mountains of Tibet, Harper Trophy, 1989, ISBN 0-06-443211-4

External links

• The Official Biography of Sogyal Rinpoche
• Lotsawa House Biography of Sogyal Rinpoche
• Sogyal Rinpoche - Rigpa Wiki
• Buddhist Masters and Their Organisations: Sogyal Rinpoche
• Trailer for Cogent/Benger Productions 'Sex Scandals in Religion' documentary about Sogyal Rinpoche