Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

: ཡོངས་དགེ་མི་འགྱུར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། Wylie: yongs dge mi 'gyur rin po che)Mingyur Rinpoche Bio
/ref> is a Tibetan teacher and master of the

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, ...

and

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and trans ...

lineages 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 ...

. He has authored two best-selling books and oversees the

Tergar Meditation Community Tergar Meditation Community is a Buddhist meditation community led by Tibetan meditation master and writer Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Tergar (tib. གཏེར་སྒར་ gter sgar) means "encampment of the treasure revealer". Lineage The Terga ...

, an 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 ...

meditation centers.

Life

Mingyur Rinpoche was born in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

in 1975 the youngest of four brothers. His mother is Sönam Chödrön, a descendant of the two Tibetan kings Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Deutsen. His brothers are Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche,

Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche was a teacher, writer, religious ritual master, and meditation master of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche has been recognized by the 16th Karmapa as the fourth reincarnation of the 19th- ...

, and

Tsoknyi Rinpoche Tsoknyi Rinpoche ( Wylie ''tshogs gnyis rin po che'') or Ngawang Tsoknyi Gyatso (born 13 March 1966) is a Nepalese Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author, and the founder of the Pundarika Foundation. He is the third Tsoknyi Rinpoche, having been reco ...

and his nephews are Phakchok Rinpoche and the reincarnation of

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Tashi Paljor, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 198 ...

, known popularly as Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche. From the age of nine, his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, taught him meditation, passing on to him the most essential instructions of the

Dzogchen Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...

and

Mahamudra Mahāmudrā ( Sanskrit: महामुद्रा, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". Mahāmud ...

traditions. At the age of eleven, Mingyur Rinpoche began studies at Sherab Ling Monastery in northern India, the seat of

Tai Situ Rinpoche Tai or TAI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tai (comics) a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain *Tai Fraiser, a fictional character in the 1995 film ''Clueless'' * Tai Kamiya, a fictional character in ''Digimon'' Businesses and organisation ...

. Two years later, Mingyur Rinpoche began a traditional three-year retreat at Sherab Ling. At the age of nineteen, he enrolled a
Dzongsar Institute
where, under the tutelage of the renowned Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, he studied the primary topics of the Buddhist academic tradition, including Middle Way philosophy and Buddhist logic. At age twenty, Mingyur Rinpoche became the functioning abbot of Sherab Ling. At twenty-three, he received full monastic ordination. During this time, Mingyur Rinpoche received important Dzogchen transmissions from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. In 2007, Mingyur Rinpoche completed the construction of

Tergar Monastery Tergar Meditation Community is a Buddhist meditation community led by Tibetan meditation master and writer Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Tergar (tib. གཏེར་སྒར་ gter sgar) means "encampment of the treasure revealer". Lineage The Terga ...

Bodhgaya Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment ( ...

, India, which will serve large numbers of people attending Buddhist events at this sacred pilgrimage site, serve as an annual site for month-long Karma Kagyu scholastic debates, and serve as an international study institute for the Sangha and laity. The institute will also have a medical clinic for local people.The Young Monks of Tergar Monastery
Mingyur Rinpoche has overseen the

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

Tergar Osel Ling Monastery Tergar Osel Ling Monastery or Tergar Lungrik Osel Targyé Ling Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal of the Tergar Meditation Community. History The Tergar Osel Ling Monastery was founded in Kathmandu, Nepal by Tulku Ur ...

, founded by his father, since 2010. He also opened a

shedra Shedra is a Tibetan word () meaning "place of teaching" but specifically refers to the educational program in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. It is usually attended by monks and nuns between their early teen years and early twenties. N ...

(monastic college) at the monastery. In June 2011, Mingyur Rinpoche left his monastery in Bodhgaya to begin a period of extended retreat. Rinpoche left in the middle of the night, taking nothing with him, but leaving a farewell letter.Tergar International
Letter from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche When Entering Retreat , Tergar International of Nepal
/ref> He spent four years as a wandering yogi."In exclusive first interview..."
27 Nov 2015, lionsroar.com During the first few weeks of this retreat, Rinpoche had a near-death experience, likely due to a severe form of

botulism Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum''. The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, feeling tired, and trouble speaking. This may then be followed by weakne ...

. This may have been the result of choosing to eat only the meals that were free and available to him after allowing himself to run out of money. The near-death experience, according to Rinpoche, was one of the most pivotal and transformative experiences of his life. After continuing with his retreat for four years, he later returned to his position as abbot.

Books

* ''The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness'' ,

Harmony Books Harmony Books is an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, itself part of publisher Penguin Random House. It was founded by Bruce Harris, a Crown executive, in 1972. The imprint has been used for such books as: * Jill Freedman, ''Circus Days'' ...

(with Eric Swanson) * ''Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom'' ,

(with Eric Swanson) * ''Ziji: The Puppy Who Learned to Meditate'' (with

Torey Hayden Victoria Lynn Hayden, known as Torey L. Hayden (born 21 May 1951 in Livingston, Montana, U.S.), is a special education teacher, university lecturer and writer of non-fiction books based on her real-life experiences with teaching and counseling chi ...

and Charity Larrison) * ''Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism'' ,

Shambhala Publications Shambhala Publications is an independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet". Man ...

under its Snow Lion imprint. (with

Helen Tworkov Helen Tworkov is founding editor of '' Tricycle: The Buddhist Review'', the first and only independent Buddhist magazine, and author of ''Zen in America: Profiles of Five Teachers'' (North Point Press, 1989; Kodansha, 1994). She first encountered ...

) * ''In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying'' (with

)

References

External links

Official biography of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mingyur, Yongey 20th-century Buddhists 21st-century Buddhists Karma Kagyu lamas Nyingma lamas Tulkus Rinpoches 1975 births Tibetan Buddhists from Nepal Living people Tertöns 21st-century Nepalese male writers Nepalese non-fiction writers

Life

Books

See also

References

External links