Mirror of Wisdom Video-Gyatrul Rinpoche

Photo of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, copyright © Diana Church

The Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche was born in 1925 in the Sichuan Province of China near the Tibetan border. At the age of seven he was recognized by Jamyang Khentse Lodro Thaye to be the incarnation of Sampa Kunkyab, a Palyul lineage meditator who spent his life in retreat and later gave empowerments and transmissions from his retreat cave to multitudes of disciples. Gyatrul Rinpoche was traditionally educated and spent many years in retreat with his root guru. He received important transmissions directly from the great Palyul Chogtrul Rinpoche and other accomplished masters in Tibet. He spent much of his life practicing and accomplishing the practices. Upon the Chinese occupation of TIbet in 1959, he fled to India. In 1972, at the request of both H. H. the Dalai Lama and H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche, he came to the West to transmit and propagate the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings. Since then, Gyatrul Rinpoche has worked selflessly to establish the buddhadharma in the West. Especially, the care and guidance he has shown and provided for his hundreds of Western students is unique and inconceivable.

Gyatrul Rinpoche is well-known for his wit and humor, his ceaseless compassion, his insight and genuine humility, and for presenting the traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings in a way that is accessible and contemporary yet true to the traditions he embodies and upholds. Through uniquely skillful teaching techniques he continues to bring students to the profound Vajrayana path and provide the watchful guidance that is indispensible to practitioners on the path.

DVDs
Shiney: Peaceful Abiding (#VGR1) An introductory teaching on the training in shamatha (peaceful abiding) meditation, from a text of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche. Sangye Khandro translates. Ashland, Oregon, 1990.
	Dream Yoga (#VGR2) Teaching on the practice of dream yoga, from The Mind Treasure of Vajrasattva: Releasing Oneself from the Essential Delusion. Mindröling tradition. Sangye Khandro translates. Ashland, Oregon, 1990.
Chimed Sog Thig (#VGR3) Teaching on the Practice of the Immortal Life Essence. Sangye Khandro translates. Unitarian Church, Ashland, Oregon, August 1991. (Requires empowerment/permission.)
Manjushri Empowerment (#VGR4) Empowerment for the Jampal Shidrub of H.H. Jigmed Phuntsog, with a brief teaching. Sangye Khandro translates. Boston, Massachusetts, August 1993.
	A Prose Introduction to the Nature of the Mind (#VGR5) From Karma Chagmed Rinpoche’s Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga. Orgyen Dorje Den, San Francisco, CA, April 1995. B. Allan Wallace translates. To quote from Gyatrul Rinpoche's commentary, "Without concepts, leave your awareness, just as it is, in the steady vision of appearances. If you can do so, that is the best of meditations. In terms of recognizing the nature of awareness, the spiritual mentors of the past stated that it could be ascertained in the interval following the cessation of one thought and prior to the arising of the next thought. In that interval there is an emptiness. How long is this interval? It's a mistake to think it is short in duration. Rather, it is the very nature of both samsara and nirvana. In the very steady vision of appearances, right in the instant, in the instantaneous vision of the instantaneous moment of appearances, you can recognize the essential nature of the mind."
Introduction to Vajrayana Buddhism (#VGR6) An introduction to Buddhism, in general, and specifically, to the Vajrayana. Sangye Khandro translates. Ashland, Oregon, May 1993.
	Bardo Teachings (#VGR7) Teaching on the six transitional stages as well as teachings on Buddhist practice in general. Sangye Khandro translates. Ashland, Oregon, June 1996.
	Dudjom Tersar Ngöndro (#VGR8) Gyatrul Rinpoche gives teaching on the Tersar ngöndro of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche. Sangye Khandro translates. Tashi Chöling, summer 1996.
	Spontaneous Teaching (#VGR9) At the 1997 annual Vajrasattva retreat at Tashi Chöling, Gyatrul Rinpoche gave an inspiring, spontaneous instruction on pith points of practice. Sangye Khandro translates.

When the mind begins to become still, we then begin to truly see it. When you first try to stabilize and pacify the mind, initially it will become very busy because it’s not accustomed to being still. In fact, it doesn’t even necessarily want to become still, but it is essential to get a hold of the mind to recognize its nature. This practice is extremely important...

Eventually you will find yourself in a state where your mind is clear and open all the time. It is just like when the clouds are removed from the sky and the sun can clearly be seen, shining all the time. This is coming close to the state of liberation, liberation from all traces of suffering. Many people like to say, “Leave me alone”, or “Give me some space.” This way you can create that space yourself and you don’t have to blame anyone else.

The truth of this practice is universal. It isn’t necessary to call it a religion to practice it. Whether one is a Hindu or a Moslem or a Christian or a Buddhist simply doesn’t matter. Anyone can practice this because this is the nature of the mind, the nature of everyone’s mind. If you can get a handle on your mind, and pacify it in this way, you will definitely experience these results, and you will see them in your daily life situation. There is no need to put this into any kind of category, any kind of "ism."

Exerpt from Introduction to Buddhism by the Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche
the inspirational guide of this archive of video teachings.