Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (born 1975)[1] is a teacher of the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. He has authored two best-selling books and oversees the Tergar Meditation Community, a global network of Buddhist meditation centers.
His is the seventh incarnation of Yonge Mingyur Dorje.
Background
Mingyur Rinpoche was born in Nepal in 1975. His brothers are Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche and his nephews are Phakchok Rinpoche and 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 and Mahamudra traditions.[1]
At the age of eleven, Mingyur Rinpoche began studies at Sherab Ling Monastery in northern India, the seat of Tai Situ Rinpoche. Two years later, Mingyur Rinpoche began a traditional three-year retreat at Sherab Ling.[1] 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 from Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche.[1] At the age of nineteen, he enrolled at Dzongsar Institute, where, under the tutelage of Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, he studied the primary topics of the Buddhist academic tradition, including Madhyamaka philosophy and Buddhist logic.
Mingyur Rinpoche began teaching Western students in the early 2000s, and he published his first book, The Joy of Living in 2007. This book was an international success, and Rinpoched gained a large following of students from around the world. He also assumed the responsibility for overseeing several monasteries in Nepal and India.
In 2010 and 2011, Mingyur Rinpoche informed his family, friends and students that he would soon enter into a long retreat, and he made arrangements for trusted associates to temporarily take over his responsibilities as an abbot and leader of a worldwide meditation community. Then in early June, 2011, he walked out of his monastery in Bodhgaya, India and began a “wandering retreat” through the Himalayas and the plains of India that lasted four and a half years. Following this retreat period, he resumed leadership of his dharma community.[1]
Mingyur Rinpoche provides an account of his "wandering retreat" in his book, In Love with the World.
He currently oversees several monasteries in India and Nepal, and spends time each year traveling and teaching worldwide.[1]
Books
Books for adults:
- The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret & Science of Happiness, Harmony Books, 2007.
- Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom, Harmony Books, April 2009.
- Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism, Snow Lion, 2014.
- In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying, Random House, 2019.
Children's books:
- Ziji, the Puppy who Learned to Meditate, Tergar International, 2009 (with Torey Hayden and Charity Larrison)
- Ziji and the Very Scary Man, Wisdom Publications, 2018 (with Torey Hayden and Charity Larrison)
Notes
Further reading
Web publications:
- Official Website of Mingyur Rinpoche: tergar.org
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Wikipedia
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsadra Commons
Mingyur Rinpoche, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
Video: