Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

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Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche (1934–2024) was a Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the Karma Kagyu lineage. He is remembered as a clear, wide‑reaching teacher who helped bring Tibetan Buddhism to the West, often sharing the teachings through his own songs and poetry.

Early life and training
- Born as Sherab Lodro in Nangchen, Kham, Tibet, on March 1, 1934.
- Left home young to study with his guru, Lama Zopa Tarchin.
- Lived as a yogi, traveling across Tibet, practicing Chöd, and doing intensive retreats in caves.
- Studied at Tsurphu Monastery with the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and other masters.

Exile and life in India and Bhutan
- In 1959, during the Tibetan uprising, he fled Tibet with a group of nuns over the Himalayas to Bhutan.
- He then spent about nine years in the Buxa Duar Tibetan Refugee Camp in northern India, where he studied and earned the Khenpo degree (a high monastic degree) and a Geshe‑level equivalent.
- At the Karmapa’s direction, he settled in Bhutan and helped build a nunnery, a retreat center, and a school.

Teaching and influence
- Became a major teacher of the Karma Kagyu lineage and taught around the world.
- Served as the principal teacher at the shedra (monastic college) at Rumtek Monastery, guiding many senior lineage holders.
- Was the main teacher of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and had strong ties with Nalandabodhi and the Shambhala Buddhist communities.
- Taught many other teachers, including Lama Shenpen Hookham, Rigdzin Shikpo Rinpoche, and Lama Tashi Lhamo.

Shentong and teachings on emptiness
- Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche contributed to the Shentong view, which sees relative reality as empty of its own self‑nature, while absolute reality is not empty.
- He outlined five stages of meditation on emptiness, linking them to different approaches:
1) Shravaka meditation on non‑self
2) Cittamatra (mind‑stream) approach
3) Svatantrika‑Madhyamaka
4) Prasangika‑Madhyamaka
5) Shentong (absolute reality, Buddha‑nature)

Writings
- Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra (with Jamgon Kongtrul and Tsultrim Gyamtso)
- Maitreya’s Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being (with Mipham)
- Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness (translated by Shenpen Hookham)
- Stars of Wisdom: Analytical Meditation, Songs of Yogic Joy, and Prayers of Aspiration
- The Sun of Wisdom: Teachings on Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way
- The Moon of Wisdom: Commentary on Chandrakirti’s Entering the Middle Way

Death and legacy
- Died on June 22, 2024, in Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal, at the age of 90.
- Left a lasting impact as a scholarly teacher, a skilled meditator, and a bridge between Tibetan Buddhism and Western students.