Mayum Tsering Wangmo gave birth to Sogyal Rinpoche in 1947 in the Kham region of Eastern Tibet. He was recognized as the incarnation of the renowned master and visionary Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, a teacher to the 13th Dalai Lama. Under the supervision of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, who raised him like his own son, Sogyal received the traditional training of a Tibetan Lama. He studied with numerous prominent masters from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, particularly Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
In 1955, Khyentse Rinpoche left Kham with disciple his for Central Lhasa, where Sogyal met Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, for the first time. They then continued their journey to India on pilgrimage and eventually settled in Gangtok at the invitation of Chögyal, the king of Sikkim. Sogyal attended Catholic School in Kalimpong and later studied at university in Delhi before moving to the West.
In 1971, Sogyal Rinpoche was granted a place to study comparative religion at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. Initially, he served as a translator and aide to his masters before teaching Buddhism on his own. In 1973, he assisted in organizing the Dalai Lama's first visit to the West, which included a meeting with Pope Paul VI in Rome, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. This experience allowed him to observe the reality of people's lives and search for ways to translate Tibetan Buddhist teachings for modern Western societies.
Sogyal Rinpoche is renowned for his unique ability to simplify deep Buddhist teachings in a clear and humorous manner, making them accessible to a modern Western audience seeking orientation in a rapidly changing world. In 1991, he founded a Retreat Center in the South of France, and in 1992, his bestselling book "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" was published, with over two million copies printed in 56 countries and 31 languages.
As the founder and spiritual director of RIGPA, an international network of over 130 Buddhist centers and groups in 40 countries around the world, Sogyal Rinpoche has been teaching for over 30 years and continues to travel extensively throughout Europe, America, Australia, and Asia.
