Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche | |
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 Mingyur Rinpoche in 2016 | |
| Title | Rinpoche |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1975 (age 50–51) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | KagyuNyingma |
| Part ofa series on |
| Tibetan Buddhism |
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Institutional roles |
History and overview |
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (Tibet: ཡོངས་དགེ་མི་འགྱུར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ། Wylie: yongs dge mi 'gyur rin po che)[1][failed verification] is a Tibetan Nepali teacher and master of theKarma Kagyu andNyingma lineages ofTibetan Buddhism. He has written five books, including the 2007 bestsellerThe Joy of Living, and oversees theTergar Meditation Community, an international network ofBuddhist meditation centers and programs.
Mingyur Rinpoche was born inNepal in 1975[1] the youngest of four brothers. His mother is Sönam Chödrön, a descendant of the two Tibetan kings Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Deutsen. His brothers areChokyi Nyima Rinpoche,Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, andTsoknyi Rinpoche and his nephews arePhakchok Rinpoche and the reincarnation ofDilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, known popularly as Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche. From the age of nine,[1] his father,Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche,[1] taught himmeditation,[1] passing on to him the most essential instructions of theDzogchen andMahamudra traditions.
At the age of eleven, Mingyur Rinpoche began studies at Sherab Ling Monastery[1] in northern India, the seat ofTai Situ Rinpoche. Two years later, Mingyur Rinpoche began a traditional three-year retreat at Sherab Ling.[1] At the age of nineteen, he enrolled atDzongsar Institute, where, under the tutelage of the renowned Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, he studied the primary topics of the Buddhist academic tradition, including Middle Wayphilosophy and Buddhist logic. At age twenty, Mingyur Rinpoche became the functioning abbot of Sherab Ling.[1] At twenty-three, he received full monastic ordination.[1] During this time, Mingyur Rinpoche received important Dzogchen transmissions fromNyoshul Khen Rinpoche.[1]
In 2007, Mingyur Rinpoche completed the construction of Tergar Monastery inBodhgaya, 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.[2]
Mingyur Rinpoche has overseen theKathmanduTergar Osel Ling Monastery, founded by his father, since 2010. He also opened ashedra (monastic college) at the monastery.[3]
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.[4] He spent four years as a wandering yogi.[5][6]
During the first few weeks of this retreat, Rinpoche had a near-death experience, likely due to a severe form ofbotulism. 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.[5][6]
