Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche teaching in Lerab Ling, August, 2007

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche (b.1964) — the present Dzigar Kongtrul, Jigme Namgyel (Tib. འཛི་སྒར་ཀོང་སྤྲུལ་འཇིགས་མེད་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་, Wyl. 'dzi sgar kong sprul 'jigs med rnam rgyal), was born in Northern India, shortly before the Tibetan community settlement at Bir was established by his father, the third Neten Chokling Rinpoche. When Rinpoche was just nine years old, his father passed away. Soon after this His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche recognized him as an emanation of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great and His Holiness the 16th Karmapa confirmed this. He was soon enthroned at Chokling Gompa in Bir.

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche grew up in a monastic environment and received extensive training in all aspects of Buddhist doctrine. In particular, he received the teachings of the Nyingma lineage, especially those of the Longchen Nyingtik, from his root teacher, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Rinpoche also studied extensively under Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and the great scholar Khenpo Rinchen.

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche then moved to the United States in 1989 with his family and began a five-year tenure as a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University (then Institute) in 1990. Not long after arriving in the United States, he founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, an organization dedicated to furthering the practice of the Longchen Nyingtik lineage. He established a mountain retreat centre, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern Colorado, where he spends much of his time in retreat and guides students in long-term retreat practice.

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche's students include Pema Chödrön, the best-selling buddhist author, his wife Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, and his son Dungse Jampal Norbu. He is also an avid painter in the abstract expressionist tradition.

Publications

• It's Up to You: The Practice of Self-Reflection on the Buddhist Path (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2005). Sogyal Rinpoche said of this book: "An enthralling and practical book that speaks to us all with an exceptional clarity about confusion, uncertainty, and fear, about fearlessness and courage, and about awareness, joy, sanity, and freedom. A book which I cannot recommend highly enough."
• Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to our Natural Intelligence (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2008)
• Uncommon Happiness, The Path of the Compassionate Warrior (Boudhanath, Hong Kong & Esby: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 2009)
• The Intelligent Heart—A Guide to the Compassionate Life (Boston: Shambhala, 2016)
• Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on Tsewa, the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World (Boston: Shambhala, 2018)
• Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience (Boston: Shambhala, 2020)

Teachings Given to the Rigpa Sangha

• Rigpa Amsterdam, Netherlands, 23-25 May 1997, Shamatha and Vipashyana
• Rigpa Paris, France, 31 May-1 June 1997, Compassion Without Limit
• Lerab Ling, France, 4-19 June 1997, The Essential Study Programme
• Rigpa London, UK, 20-22 June 1997, The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva
• Lerab Ling, 2-8 & 11-17 June 2001, Chapter Nine of the Bodhicharyavatara
• Lerab Ling, 9-10 June 2001, Introduction to the Buddhist Philosophy: Perception of Reality
• Rigpa Paris, France, 21 June 2001, What is mind capable of
• Lerab Ling, 2002, Rigpa Shedra West, Uttaratantra Shastra
• Dzogchen Beara, Rigpa Shedra West, 2003, Abhisamayalankara
• Rigpa Paris, France, 3 August 2005, It’s up to you - To go beyond the clinging to the self
• Lerab Ling, 23-27 July 2006, Seven Points of Mind Training based on Changchub Shunglam, the commentary by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Tayé
• Lerab Ling, 21-25 August 2007, Staircase to Akanishtha by Jikmé Lingpa
• Lerab Ling, 16-19 August 2008, Heart Treasure of the Saints by Patrul Rinpoche
• Lerab Ling, 18 August 2008, Little Needs, Much Contentment, View conference here
• Lerab Ling, 12-15 August 2009, Commentary on Bodhichitta by Nagarjuna
• Lerab Ling, 8-10 June 2010, The Heart Sutra, using a commentary by Taranatha
• Lerab Ling, 12-14 July 2011, The Wheel Blade of Mind Transformation by Dharmarakshita
• Dzogchen Beara, 22-24 July 2011, The Great Path of Awakening—teachings on the Seven Points of Mind Training
• Lerab Ling, 21-23 July 2012, The Intermediate Stages of Meditation by Kamalashila
• Lerab Ling, 24 June 2016, The future of the Dharma in the West
• Lerab Ling, 25-26 June 2016, The Intelligent Heart—A Guide to the Compassionate Life
• Dzogchen Beara, July 2017, The Words of My Perfect Teacher
• Rigpa Paris, 12 October 2017, Intelligent heart - Training the Mind in Compassion
• Dharma Mati, Germany, 10-11 August 2019, Tséwa
• Online, 26 September-31 December 2020, Softening the Heart, Awakening the Mind, available here

Further Reading

• View: The Rigpa Journal, July 2010, 'Very Little Needs and Much Contentment'—A Teaching for Troubled Times, and 'A Friend and Guide to the Sangha'

Internal Links

• Summary of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche's teachings on Bodhicharyavatara in Lerab Ling, 2001
• Prayer for the Long Life of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
• Kongtrul Incarnation Line

External Links

• Mangala Shri Bhuti website