The Legacy of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
On June 22, 2024 Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche passed away, leaving his physical body behind.
His departure has been a time of both sadness and inspiration for his students, who feel his presence even more intensely in their hearts and minds.
After the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the sun of dharma, disappeared from view, his followers experienced a long period of darkness and confusion.
They endeavored to maintain the tradition and continue the practices he had established.
Years later, the moon of dharma appeared unexpectedly in the form of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.
This great yogi began illuminating their path, starting at RMDC in 1991, then at Karmê Chöling, and throughout the Shambhala mandala.
Khenpo Rinpoche never attempted to eclipse Trungpa Rinpoche.
When asked if someone could be his student, he consistently replied that it was possible only if they could see him as inseparable from Trungpa Rinpoche.
For over fifteen years, Khenpo Rinpoche poured the heart treasures of the Kagyu and Nyingma teachings into the Vidyadhara’s world, instructing students in Mahamudra, Dzokchen, and the Six Dharmas of Naropa.
He guided his students through such profound teachings as “The Ocean of Definitive Meaning,” “The Gradual Path to the Heart of Wisdom,” “The Profound Inner Reality,” “The Hevajra Tantra,” “Entering the Middle Way,” “The Treasury of Knowledge,” and the vajra songs of Milarepa and other great lineage teachers.
His focus was always on the practical application of these teachings, rather than mere academic study.
By 2006, the conditions for Khenpo Rinpoche to continue teaching were exhausted.
Now, with the moon of dharma having disappeared from view, the responsibility falls on his students.
They are fortunate to have many great teachers to assist them, but it is up to them to continue the path illuminated by both the sun and the moon.
