Life and Times of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro

An illustrated biography of one of the most outstanding Tibetan Buddhist masters of the twentieth century.

The foremost torchbearer of the ecumenical Rime movement, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893–1959) dedicated his life to the study, practice, and propagation of all the schools and lineages that are collectively known as Tibetan Buddhism. The staggeringly long lists of all the teachings he received and passed on testify to his abiding appreciation for all aspects of the Dharma, and his list of students reveals how his influence transcended sectarian boundaries.

The first half of this volume presents informal stories by many of Chökyi Lodrö’s teachers, students, friends, and relatives, collected by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and translated here into English for the first time. Intimate, funny, and utterly down-to-earth, these stories—supplemented by sixty-one photographs—paint a tender picture of the man behind the great master, introducing readers to the characters and events in his life, and especially the challenges he faced living against the backdrop of the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

The second half comprises an English translation of the spiritual biography, or namtar, by Dilgo Khyentse, one of Chökyi Lodrö’s closest and most brilliant students. In the process of recounting the life and liberation of his belovèd guru, Dilgo Khyentse reveals how he saw Chökyi Lodrö as the Buddha in the flesh and provides, essentially, a blueprint of the entire path to enlightenment.