Mingyur rinpoche biography of william
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He is working with professionals from a wide range of disciplines to adapt his Joy of Living retreats for use in different contexts, including hospitals, schools, prisons, and leadership training. When not attending to the monasteries under his care in India and Nepal, Rinpoche spends time each year traveling and teaching worldwide.
For nearly three years, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche guided him experientially through the profound Buddhist practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, teachings that are typically considered highly secret and only taught to advanced meditators.
Early Life & Spiritual Calling
Born in 1975 in a remote Himalayan village near the Nepal-Tibet border, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was drawn to contemplative life from his earliest years.
This universal approach reflects his conviction that meditation’s benefits transcend religious boundaries, offering practical tools for anyone seeking greater wellbeing and resilience.
From 2011 to 2015, Rinpoche undertook a transformative ‘wandering retreat’ through the Himalayas and Indian plains, deepening his practice whilst maintaining his global teaching commitments.
Publications & Ongoing Impact
Rinpoche’s writings make profound Buddhist insights accessible to modern readers.
To replace him, Tai Situ Rinpoche appointed Mingyur Rinpoche as the monastery’s next retreat master, making him responsible for guiding senior monks and nuns through the intricacies of Buddhist meditation practice in the next three-year retreat. For three years, he received experiential guidance in the advanced practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen—teachings normally reserved for senior practitioners.
His dedication culminated in his being granted permission to enter the traditional three-year retreat at Sherab Ling Monastery at age thirteen.
Follow-up studies were carried out at Harvard University, MIT, and other important research centers. By age twenty, he was overseeing Sherab Ling Monastery’s activities, simultaneously serving as assistant professor in the new monastic college whilst guiding senior practitioners through three-year retreats.
His unique combination of deep meditative realisation and scholarly understanding positioned him as a bridge between traditional Buddhist wisdom and contemporary needs.
He received full monastic ordination at twenty-three and continued to receive rare transmissions from the greatest masters of his time.
Pioneer in Meditation Science
Rinpoche’s collaboration with Western neuroscience began early through conversations with famed researcher Francisco Varela. When he was twenty years old, he was asked to oversee the activities of Sherab Ling Monastery while its abbot, Tai Situ Rinpoche, was away for an extended period.
He is an adviser to the Mind and Life Institute and participates as a research subject in the ongoing studies of the neural and physiological effects of meditation.
Rinpoche’s teaching style has been deeply influenced by his knowledge of science. For a total of one hundred days, spread over a number of years, this great meditation master transmitted the “oral lineage” of the Heart Essence of the Great Perfection.
Much like he had studied with his father years before, Mingyur Rinpoche received a pithy meditation instruction and returned for more teachings only once he had directly experienced what was taught. He was formally enthroned as the 7th incarnation of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche by Tai Situ Rinpoche when he was 12 years old.
Three Year Retreat
When Mingyur Rinpoche turned 13, he begged both his father and Tai Situ Rinpoche for special permission to enter the traditional three-year retreat that was set to begin at Sherab Ling Monastery.
He was formally enthroned as the 7th incarnation of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche by Tai Situ Rinpoche when he was twelve years old.
Three Year Retreat
When Mingyur Rinpoche turned thirteen, he begged both his father and Tai Situ Rinpoche for special permission to enter the traditional three year retreat that was set to begin at Sherab Ling Monastery.
At this time, he completely overcame the panic attacks that had troubled him as a child, discovering first-hand how meditation can be used to deal with challenging emotional problems.
>When Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche completed his three-year retreat, his beloved teacher Saljey Rinpoche passed away, leaving vacant his key position at Sherab Ling monastery.
He leads the growing international network of Tergar Meditation Centres and Groups, adapting ancient practices for contemporary contexts.
His teaching extends beyond Buddhist centres into hospitals, schools, prisons, and corporate environments. At an early age, he began a series of informal discussions with the famed neuroscientist Francisco Varela, who came to Nepal to learn meditation from his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.
At this time, he completely overcame the panic attacks that had troubled him as a child, discovering first hand how meditation can be used to deal with challenging emotional problems.
When Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche completed his three-year retreat, his beloved teacher Saljey Rinpoche passed away, leaving vacant his key position at Sherab Ling Monastery.
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Detailed Biography
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was born in 1975 in a small Himalayan village near the border of Nepal and Tibet.