Chagdud Khadro

Sogyal Rinpoche’s exit from the theater of this life is a sad loss for us as Chagdud Rinpoche’s students, for the Nyingma tradition, and for the Buddha dharma. He was a maestro of activity, an impresario of sacred events, who set a high standard for preservation of teachings and propagation of lineage. He was extremely kind and supportive of me personally and a good dharma brother to Chagdud Rinpoche. In Tibet their monasteries faced each other on opposite mountains for centuries. In 1987, at one of Sogyal Rinpoche’s dynamic retreats in France, Chagdud Rinpoche said to me, “I felt the presence of Vajra Guru.” After that his loyalty to Sogyal Rinpoche was unshakable.

Sogyal Rinpoche’s devoted students are heartbroken, of course. But, they will find, as we did after the passing of Chagdud Rinpoche, that his presence is not absent. Like the glow of the setting sun, his transcendent sacred intention will become clearer, more beautifully luminous. They will know it in their hearts.

Chagdud Khadro