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Sogyal Rinpoche

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	Topics Sogyal Rinpoche Topic Home Sogyal Rinpoche is a TibetTibet Tibet is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people.... an DzogchenDzogchen According to some schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of eve... LamaLama Lama is a title for a Tibetan religious teacher.... of the NyingmaNyingma The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.... 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 RigpaRigpa Rigpa is the primordial, nondual awareness advocated by the Dzogchen teachings.... —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 DyingThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Summary An acclaimed spiritual masterpiece, 'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying', is a manual for life and death and a magnificent sourc... , 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 circa 1950 in the region of KhamKham Kham province is one of several provinces comprising traditional Tibet.... , in Eastern Tibet, Sogyal Rinpoche was recognized as the incarnation of Lerab Lingpa Tertön SogyalTertön Sogyal Tert?n Sogyal Lerab Lingpa was a Tibetan Buddhist tert?n and a teacher of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. ... , a teacher to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö of the Rime movementRime movement The Rim movement is a Buddhist school of thought founded in Eastern Tibet during the late 19th century largely by Jamyang Kh... . 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, His Holiness 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 University, as a visiting scholar. He continued to study with many masters, of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, especially His Holiness Dudjom RinpocheDudjom Rinpoche Dudjom Rinpoche was the supreme leader of the Nyingmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism.... and His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. In 1973, he assisted in organizing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first ever visit to the West, in Rome—including a visit with Pope Paul VIFacts About Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI , , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as s... , 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 1975. Rinpoche soon began teaching in Paris and often translated for His Holiness 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, His Holiness Sakya TrizinSakya Trizin Sakya Trizin is the head of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism... , Gyalwang Karmapa, Tulku Urgyen RinpocheTulku Urgyen Rinpoche Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche 1920-1996. A contemporary Buddhist master of the Kagy and Nyingma lineages, who lived at Nagi Gompa he... and others. In 1979, Sogyal Rinpoche chose the name RigpaRigpa Rigpa is the primordial, nondual awareness advocated by the Dzogchen teachings.... —the innermost, essential nature of mind—for his work. 1980s through mediation. In the wake of the ensuing publicity, women who had previously remained silent began to talk about their experiences with Rinpoche. As one student pointed out, in a report filed by Mick BrownMick Brown (journalist) Mick Brown is a freelance journalist who has written for many British and international publications.... : Sogyal Rinpoche's need for a partner is not in question... Rather the issue concerns the inappropriateness of sexual relationships with his students. In the West it is not considered ethical to engage in sex within the confines of a pastoral or teacher-student relationship where there are clear power imbalances. In 1995, young English woman attended one of Sogyal Rinpoche's residential retreats and was led to believe she had been singled out for special attention, only to discover that she was being invited to join a harem. "At first I was flattered, and very open and trusting. He encouraged me to fall in love with him - but I realised he was toying with me. I noticed several other young, pretty women going in and out of his apartment; when I confronted him with this, he dropped me and ignored me for the rest of the time I was there." Lamas of the NyingmaNyingma The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.... school are not required to take vows of celibacyCelibacy Summary Celibacy refers either to being unmarried or to sexual abstinence.... , and Sogyal Rinpoche does not claim to be a celibate monk. The central role model of the Nyingma school, its founder PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava Padmasambhava, in Sanskrit meaning "lotus-born", founded the Tibetan or Tantric school of Buddhism in the 8th century.... , had five tantric consorts who were also his students. While there is a precept against sexual misconduct in Buddhism, with respect to a non-monastic lama this precept is rather limited in scope and would apply only if the female is not free but rather under the protection of her father, mother, husband, king or herself bound by a vow of celibacy. 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-10: 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 Biography of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (forthcoming). His Holiness 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 BarronRichard Barron Richard Barron is a Canadian-born translator who specializes in the writings of Longchenpa.... ), 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 His Holiness 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 javascript:WikipediaFooter('Sogyal_Rinpoche')