Preparing
LoadingPreparing
LoadingA Bhutanese contemporary cultural figure
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (also known as Khyentse Norbu) is one of the more-distinctive contemporary Bhutanese cultural figures — a senior Vajrayana-Buddhist lama in the Nyingma and Sakya traditions, an internationally-acclaimed filmmaker (director of The Cup, Travellers and Magicians, and other films), the author of Buddhist works for the contemporary international audience (What Makes You Not a Buddhist among others), and the founder of multiple Bhutanese cultural-and-religious institutions. Born in 1961, he is a bridge figure between the traditional Bhutanese religious register and the contemporary international cultural register.
contemporary-cultural · Nyingma / Sakya / Khyentse lineage · 1961
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in 1961 in Bhutan, the eldest son of the Nyingma lama Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and the grandson of His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche (one of the principal Nyingma masters of the 20th century). He was recognised in his early years as the principal incarnation of the real 19th-century Nyingma master Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo — one of the most-significant tulku recognitions of the contemporary Bhutanese-Tibetan tradition. His religious training included meaningful study at the principal monastic establishments of the Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu traditions across Bhutan, India, and Nepal; he holds the principal religious authority within the contemporary Khyentse lineage and presides over multiple major monasteries and dharma centres internationally.
Rinpoche's filmmaking career is one of the principal contemporary Bhutanese international cultural achievements. **The Cup** (1999) — his debut feature, the story of young Tibetan-Bhutanese monks attempting to watch the 1998 FIFA World Cup final at their serious monastery; international acclaim including Cannes selection, the principal entry-point of contemporary Bhutanese cinema to the international audience. **Travellers and Magicians** (2003) — his second feature, the principal contemporary Bhutanese film, shot entirely in Bhutan with Bhutanese cast and locations; the cultural-and-philosophical narrative is one of the more-distinctive contemporary Asian films. **Vara: A Blessing** (2013) — the Indian-classical-dance feature, the South Asian cultural. **Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait** (2016) — the contemporary-Bhutanese psychological-philosophical feature. Rinpoche's filmmaking sits at the intersection of Vajrayana-Buddhist content and contemporary international cinema; the films are widely regarded as one of the more-significant contemporary international religious-cinema bodies of work.
Rinpoche's publishing work is the principal contemporary Bhutanese contribution to the international Buddhist popular-literature. **What Makes You Not a Buddhist** (2007) — the principal introductory work, international audience, multiple translations and editions. **Not for Happiness** (2012) — the follow-up on the principal Vajrayana practice. **The Guru Drinks Bourbon?** (2016) — the work on the student-teacher relationship in the Vajrayana tradition. **Living is Dying** (2020) — the contemporary work on the principal bardo-and-death-practice. Rinpoche's sizable international teaching schedule includes principal dharma centres across Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia; the contemporary international Buddhist audience is one of the principal contemporary Bhutanese cultural-export registers.
Rinpoche is the founder and patron of multiple Bhutanese cultural-and-religious institutions: **the considerable 84000 translation project** — the principal contemporary Tibetan-Buddhist canonical translation initiative, translating the Kangyur and Tengyur into significant English over the multi-decade project. **The Khyentse Foundation** — the international Buddhist education and translation foundation, principal contributions to Buddhist scholarly and educational establishments across the world. **Bhutanese monastic establishments** — including notable monasteries and shedras (monastic colleges) in Bhutan and the broader region. **The contemporary cultural scene** — Rinpoche is one of the more-notable contemporary public-intellectual presences from Bhutan, with engagement on the principal contemporary religious-cultural questions internationally.
Common questions
Five questions. A bespoke draft back within a day or two.