Rab Wilkie

From the teachings, travels, and spontaneous interactions with his students of Namgyal Rinpoche, a now-deceased Canadian Buddhist monk and teacher of meditation, this skillfully-curated collection of first-hand student recollections conveys a deep level of relationship with a living meditation master rarely experienced outside of monastic life. 

Originally ordained Ananda Bodhi in the Hinayana  Buddhist tradition, Namgyal Rinpoche later became the first westerner to be recognised by His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa and ordained as an incarnate Lama of the Tibetan Kaygu Mahayana Tantric lineage.

Expounding both on eastern religious and western scientific world views, Namgyal Rinpoche declared that his purpose was to encourage “compassionate, non-clinging awareness” in all his students. He vigorously supported any attempt to break free of stagnation and trance, moving them towards the transcendent experience of awakening that Buddhists believe is innate in all living beings. 

Namgyal Rinpoche's teaching embraced many religious and philosophic traditions. Whatever tradition, vehicle, scientific approach, or religious metaphor he used, revealed his students' conditioning, and gave them a glimpse of the vast *dharma* of Compassion and Wisdom embodied in their living Teacher.

The insights Namgyal Rinpoche invoked were immediately relevant to those present at the time. Some insights were realized immediately; some only years after the direct personal teaching; others even as these recollections were being written.

A glimpse of the myriad gems of spiritual insight shared by Namgyal Rinpoche can be gleaned from the over 180 stories and the 110 direct quotes from his Teaching included in this collection. Twenty full colour and black-and-white images dramatically illustrate his evolving appearance over the more than forty active years of his ministry.

At times direct, yet often subtle and intuitive, the essence of Namgyal Rinpoche's teaching begins to emerge from these reminiscences, which invite you to notice, then transcend, trance, habit, and conditioning in your own thoughts and behaviours, shifting attention to pathways which beckon toward awakening.

This book will be useful both for people familiar with an exploration of the deeper aspects of mind, as well as for people with no experience of meditation or spiritual practice.