Sogyal Rinpoche was born in Tibet and raised as a son by one of the most revered spiritual teachers of this century, Jampayng Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. As a youth, he enjoyed an intimate relationship with his teacher. His spiritual upbringing instilled a deep understanding of the heart-essence of the Buddhist teachings.
Rebirth is a basic tenet of Tibetan Buddhism. But interest in reincarnation has actually been rising in the United States for about a quarter of a century. And Tibetan Buddhism seems to be attractive to growing numbers of Americans who find the belief comforting when illness and death loom near. Sogyal sees his life's work as that of transplanting the teaching of Buddhism by offering a training in the vision set out in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. This training can enable people who follow it to understand, embody, and integrate the teachings in their everyday lives and so be of the greatest possible benefit to otters and to the world.
In Sogyal Rimpoche's book "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche explains:
It is said that the twelve syllables Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum carry the entire blessing of the twelve types of teaching taught by Buddha, which are the essence of his Eightyfour Thousand Dharmas. Therefore to recite the Vajra guru mantra once is the equivelent to the blessing of reciting.....or practicing the whole teaching of the Buddha.
After Jamyang Khyentse passed away, Sogyal Rinpoche continued to study with his two other principal masters, Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who were the main inspiration behind his work in the West.
In 1971 he went to England, where he studied Comparative Religion at Cambridge University. He began to teach in 1974, and has since been in increasing demand, teaching continuously in western and eastern Europe, the United States, Australia, and the East.
Today Sogyal Rinpoche embodies the dynamic energy, generosity of spirit, and directness of communication that are the hallmark of the great Dzogchen tradition to which he belongs. By sharing, his personal experiences, with compelling examples drawn from everyday life, he is able to evoke a vivid feeling and flavor of the inner truth of the teachings by relating them directly to each student's own experience. He is known for the warmth, humor, and clarity with which he cuts through religious, cultural, and psychological barriers to reveal the heart of the teachings of Buddhism.