Description
Translated by Ani Jinba Palmo
Translation into Spanish by María Lleó Castells
“It gives me immense pleasure to know that this authentic account of the life and activities of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, whom I am fortunate to count among my own precious teachers, has been prepared to be remembered by those who knew him and to inform those who did not. ».
―His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
No matter how simply I try to tell the story of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s life and no matter how sober my presentation of his immense legacy, I am clear that the current generation of students will have a hard time believing that a single person can achieve so much in one single life However, fantastic stories are an intrinsic part of the Buddhist tradition and the Mahayana sutras, and the tantric texts are full of astonishing chronicles about the hardships and difficulties that the great bodhisattvas of the past had to overcome in order to receive teachings and practice, and of descriptions of the enormous number of activities that occupied the great masters during their lives. Some of the most recent examples are the great Rime masters, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thaye, who transformed and revitalized Tibetan Buddhism in the 19th century. We can only marvel at the immensity of what they accomplished. Just the amount of texts they wrote is so extensive that it is difficult to believe that they did anything else in their lives apart from writing; Similarly, the list of teachings they received is so long, one wonders how they could have done anything else; and yet they imparted an incredible number of teachings—more, one might think, than it is possible to give in a lifetime.
Today, many of us find these narratives dubious at best. However, for someone like me, who has had the opportunity to meet a great being like Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, whose activity was just as varied and extensive, it is almost possible to accept the idea that such beings may have existed in the world. prolific and selfless like these. Of course, we read all the time about the remarkable qualities of teachers; There are many books that describe the qualities of highly accomplished teachers, explaining in detail the “correct” way they should live and behave. I, however, would have found it impossible to believe that someone could embody so many virtuous qualities and do so much for others if I had not met Khyentse Rinpoche. He was living proof. Without his example, the biographies of the great masters of the past would be much less credible, rather similar to ancient legends, such as that of the twelve labors carried out by Hercules in Greek mythology. (Still, I have sympathy for the skeptics and those who were not fortunate enough to meet and spend time with Khyentse Rinpoche, because although I witnessed his activities with my own eyes, when I look back there is much that I find difficult to believe; Therefore, it is not surprising that those who were not present harbor doubts!)
―From the foreword by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse (1910 – 1991) was a revered meditation teacher and scholar of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Respected and loved by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism—and by practitioners of other Buddhist traditions—he is considered one of the most important teachers of meditation and compassionate action.
Ani Jinba Palmo was a disciple and translator of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche until his death in 1991. She currently divides her time between conducting retreats in Nepal and India and translating and interpreting for Tibetan teachers in the United States and Europe.
Cover: Photography of Dilgo Khyentse by Christian Bruyat.
