Tsoknyi Rinpoche

I have had the good fortune to hear the Tibetan Dzogchen teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche give teachings both last weekend in Berkeley and at Spirit Rock this week (where I now work). Today he discussed "rigpa" and how to work with it (pure awareness). Below I am including a basic bio on him. He is pretty young (maybe 35) and has a great sense of humor.

Here's the bio:

"Tsoknyi Rinpoche III was recognized by His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa as the reincarnation of Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche I. He is a renowned master of the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma traditions and the lineage holder of the Ratna Lingpa Lineage and the Tsoknyi Lineage.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s teachers were Kamtrul Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, his farther Tulku Urygen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, as well as Adhi Rinpoche. Rinpoche is the abbot of Ngesdon Osel Ling Monastery in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. He is the abbot of two nunneries in Nepal, Chimey Gyatsa Gorgon Nunnery and Institute and Gechak Nunnery, as well as the abbot of one of the largest nunneries in Tibet, Gechak Gompa. Rinpoche also heads fifty-five monasteries in the eastern Tibetan region which practice exclusively the Tsoknyi Lineage and the Ratna Lingpa Lineage.

Ngesdon Osel Ling Monastery is his seat in the East. Yeshe Rangsal in Crestone Colorado is his seat in the West. Since 1991 Tsoknyi Rinpoche has been teaching in the Dzogchen tradition. He has students in many countries in Asia, Europe, the Near East, and South America, as well as Australia, Canada, Mexico and United States. Tsoknyi Rinpoche, communicating from the ancient teachings into the modern mind, is one of those rare teachers whose lighthearted yet illuminating style appeals to both beginners and advanced practitioners. This unique style is reflected in his books, Carefree Dignity and Fearless Simplicity."

Link