Patrick John Gaffney (born 6 February 1949) is an English author, editor, translator, and teacher of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

who studied at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He was one of the main directors and teachers of

Rigpa In Dzogchen, ''rigpa'' (; Skt. vidyā; "knowledge") is knowledge of the ground. The opposite of ''rigpa'' is ''ma rigpa'' ('' avidyā'', ignorance). A practitioner who has attained the state of ''rigpa'' and is able to rest there continuously ...

—the international network of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

centres and groups founded by

Sogyal Rinpoche Sogyal Rinpoche (; 1947 – 28 August 2019) was a Tibetan Dzogchen lama. He was recognized as the incarnation of a Tibetan master and visionary saint of the 19th century, Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa. Sogyal Rinpoche was the founder and forme ...

. As of April 2019, Gaffney has been disqualified by the UK Charity Commission from acting as a trustee in all charities for a period of 8 years.

Writing and editing

Together with Andrew Harvey, Gaffney was the co-editor of Sogyal Rinpoche's book ''

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying ''The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying'', written by Sogyal Rinpoche in 1992, is a presentation of the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism based on the '' Tibetan Book of the Dead'' or ''Bardo Thodol''. The author wrote, "I have written ''The Tibetan B ...

''. He has also edited two of the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

's books, ''Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'' and ''Mind in Comfort and Ease: The Vision of Enlightenment in the Great Perfection''.

Translation

Also a written translator of teachings from

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

into English, he translated the

Bodhichitta In Mahayana Buddhism, bodhicitta, ("enlightenment-mind" or "the thought of awakening"), is the mind (citta) that is aimed at awakening (bodhi), with wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings. Bodhicitta is the defining qualit ...

chapter of ''A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher'' by

Khenpo Ngawang Pelzang Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, also known as Khenpo Ngagchung, is considered by the Tibetan tradition to be an emanation of Vimalamitra. His teacher was the master Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (1829–1901), an incarnation of the abbot Shantarakshita, w ...

under the auspices of the Dipamkara and

Padmakara Translation Group Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...

s. He is also the senior editor of the Rigpa Translation group.

Teaching

Gaffney teaches regularly at retreats and public events in Rigpa centres around the world and assisted Sogyal Rinpoche in guiding students during the three-year retreat at Rigpa's main international retreat centre,

Lerab Ling Lerab Ling is a Tibetan Buddhist centre founded in 1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche in Roqueredonde, near Lodève in Occitanie, France. It contains perhaps the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Europe, which was officially inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in ...

, in France, which concluded in November 2009. As a teacher, he mainly focuses on

compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

and

bodhichitta In Mahayana Buddhism, bodhicitta, ("enlightenment-mind" or "the thought of awakening"), is the mind (citta) that is aimed at awakening (bodhi), with wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings. Bodhicitta is the defining qualit ...

. He is considered the senior-most teacher amongst Sogyal Rinpoche's students. Regarding Gaffney, Rinpoche has said: “He is one of my oldest and closest students; and if anyone were to understand my mind or my work, it is him.” He is also an adviser on a number of Rigpa's major international projects such as the Tenzin Gyatso Institute of which he is the President and chairperson. He was a speaker at the Empathy and Compassion in Society conference held in London in November 2012.

Disqualification

Following an independent report into sexual abuse in Rigpa, the

Charity Commission for England and Wales , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , d ...

conducted their own investigation and issued a statement in June 2019 that included

Bibliography

* ''

: A New Spiritual Classic from One of the Foremost Interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism to the West'' (co-editor), 1992

References

External links

Speech at Empathy and Compassion in Society conference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaffney, Patrick 1949 births Living people Buddhist translators Tibetan Buddhists from England Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teachers