Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987): Obituary

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The following article is from the Spring, 1987 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje (1904–1987)

The Passing of H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche

His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche died January 17th, 1987, in Dordogne, southern France, at the age of 82. H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche was one of the greatest scholars and tantric masters of Tibetan Buddhism. The direct reincarnation of Padmasambhava himself, his life was foretold in the predictions of the great tantric master when he arrived in Tibet in the eighth century. He said that he would be reborn in our time as Dudjom Rinpoche, giving details of date, place and specific signs.

His Holiness was born on June 10th, 1904 in the province of Pemakod in southeastern Tibet. He was recognized as the reincarnation of the great Tibetan master and yogi, Dudjom Lingpa, famous for his discovery of many secret texts which had been hidden many centuries before by Guru Padmasambhava.

Considered the greatest terton (discoverer of hidden texts, or terma) of our time, His Holiness has also made a thorough and critical study of all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, realizing the wisdom of all lineages.

His Holiness made many visits to the United States to give teachings, the last in 1984. Although he was not well at that time, he was able to give profound blessings to hundreds of persons.

His Holiness is survived by his wife, Sangyum Kusho Rigdzin Wangmo; his sons the Ven. Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche and the Ven. Thinly Norbu Rinpoche; his daughters Chimay and Tsering; and several other children who live in Tibet.

For more information:

Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje (1904–1987) was a highly revered Buddhist meditation master and the leader of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He also traveled and taught extensively, proving instrumental in bringing Buddhism to people in Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. He founded a teaching and meditation center in Dordogne, France in 1980, where he lived until his death in 1987.

See also our Dudjom Rinpoche Reader's Guide.

The Books

His Holiness's major work in English is his The History of the Nyingma School, which until the recent publication of The Complete Nyingma Tradition (three volumes thus far with several more on the way), was the largest work published on any school of Tibetan Buddhism. It remains an indispensable resource. A significant chunk of it has been re-translated as part of another work due out in 2019 as well.