A handful of the closest attendants and students of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche gathered in Bhutan to exchange stories and memories of this great master.

During the last week of October, Rabjam Rinpoche convened this unusual meeting in an effort to collect and record precious moments of the life of his grandfather. Some of those present included Khenpo Pema Sherab who left Tibet as a young boy with Rinpoche, Chime Wangmo, Rinpoche’s daughter, Matthieu Ricard, his translator, secretary and interpreter, Lama Yonten who served both Trungpa Rinpoche and Khyentse Rinpoche for many years, Tsewang Lhundrup who traveled with Rinpoche to Europe and the USA and was his attendant for many years, Tulku Kunga, his personal secretary, Lama Ngodrup who was insturmental in building Shechen Monastery in Nepal, and Lopon Pema, previously of the Bhutan National Library. Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche also was present to hear the stories of his previous incarnation.

Their lively and personal stories and accounts were all recorded and will be eventually available as a book in both Tibetan and western languages. They reveal many amazing details of what Rinpoche’s life was like and his sense of humor, compassion, and overflowing wisdom. In the future, more information will be gathered from other close students.

We are grateful to Rabjam Rinpoche to have the foresight to collect these memories for future generations.

Lama Yonten