Masters · Nyingma · Longchen Nyingtik · United States
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: Teacher, Painter, Heir of the Rimé Masters
His lineage runs back to Jamgön Kongtrul, one of the architects of Tibetan Buddhism's non-sectarian revival. Born in India in 1964 and trained under Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he taught at Naropa, founded Mangala Shri Bhuti and became Pema Chödrön's teacher. He will be in Gelephu for Project 108 from 1 to 4 November.
In Gelephu · 1–4 November 2026
Updated 1 October 2026 · 3 min read
Jamgön Kongtrul and the Rimé movement
In nineteenth-century eastern Tibet, Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé (1813–1899), with Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and others, led the Rimé movement — a non-sectarian revival that gathered and preserved the teachings of every Tibetan school at a time when many risked being lost. His Five Great Treasuries remain among the great compilations of Tibetan Buddhism. After his death, several incarnations were recognised; one line took its name from the Dzigar valley in Derge.
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
The present Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche was born on 23 October 1964 in Himachal Pradesh, India, to Tibetan refugee parents; his father was the 3rd Neten Chokling Rinpoche. His root teacher was Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and he studied with many of the great Nyingma masters of the exile generation. He holds the Longchen Nyingtik and the Khyentse, Kongtrul and Chokling traditions.
He moved to the United States in 1989 and taught Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University for five years. He founded Mangala Shri Bhuti — named after Dilgo Khyentse’s Sanskrit name — with centres in Colorado and Vermont, in Bir in India, and a mountain retreat centre in Crestone, Colorado. The American nun and author Pema Chödrön has been his student since 1994. He is also an abstract painter and the author of books including Training in Tenderness.
Bhutan
His ties to Bhutan run through his lineage. His root teacher Dilgo Khyentse made Bhutan his home, and his father’s reincarnation, the 4th Neten Chokling Rinpoche, was born in Wangdue Phodrang in 1973.
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche will be in Gelephu from 1 to 4 November 2026 for the raising and consecration of the 108 Jangchub Chortens. The prayers and rituals in Gelephu are led by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, Bhutan’s Chief Abbot. The full list of masters is in Project 108 Masters.