About Rigpa

RIGPA is a Tibetan word which means 'the innermost nature of the mind'. The whole of the teaching of Buddha is directed towards realizing the nature of mind - a truth so universal, so primordial that it goes beyond all limits, and beyond even religion itself. 

Taking its boundless and open qualities as an inspiration, 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 centers and groups in eleven 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 the fullest.

About Sogyal Rinpoche

Born in Kham in Eastern Tibet, Sogyal Rinpoche was recognized as the incarnation of Lerab Lingpa Terton Sogyal, a teacher to the thirteenth Dalai Lama, by Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, one of the most outstanding masters of the twentieth century. Jamyang Khyentse supervised Rinpoche's training and raised him like his own son. Rinpoche went on to study with many other masters, of all schools, especially Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. First as translator and aide to these masters, and then teaching in his own right, he traveled to many countries, observing the reality of people's lives, and searching how to translate the teachings so as to make them relevant to modern men and women, by drawing out their universal message while losing none of their authenticity, purity and power. Out of this was born his unique style of teaching, and his ability to attune the teachings to modern life, demonstrated so vividly in his ground-breaking book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

A million and a half copies of this spiritual classic have been printed, in 23 languages and 34 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 continues to travel widely in Europe, America, Australia and Asia, where he finds himself addressing thousands of people on his teaching tours and is a frequent speaker at major conferences.

See also: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying