Lama Khyen!

Dear friends,

it is with immense sadness that I communicate that yesterday, on the morning of the 18th of April 2020, our great Master, Essence of all Refuge, Embodiment of love and wisdom, Captain of Peace, World Healer, Lama Marco Polo, the Great Mahasiddha Drubwang Gangchen Rinpoche Lobsang Thubten Trinley Yarphel, left His holy body, thus passing into parinirvana.

As witnessed by all, Rinpoche dedicated His entire life, without exception or rest, to the benefit of the Dharma and every sentient being.
For thousands and thousands of people all around the globe, He has embodied not only a great spiritual guide and master but also a father, a mother, a friend and every other manifestation of friendship, guidance, love, care and healing.
With great love and profound wisdom, with every word, with every touch, with every encounter, He healed, taught, blessed and made a better human being out of each and every one of us who had the great opportunity to have been in contact with such a holy being.

He taught us many things, with words and above all by the example of His own life. To give meaning to life, to care for each other, to respect and care for the environment, to cultivate inner peace as the most solid foundation for world peace. Most of all, He showed us how to rely upon the Guru purely and unwaveringly, guiding us on the path to enlightenment.

Rinpoche has shown us how spirituality goes beyond religion, having dedicated His life tirelessly to interreligious dialogue, world peace and environmental peace. His actions were all-pervasive: from the personal level to the United Nations, being one of the few spiritual masters (and the only Tibetan Lama) to enter the United Nations, going beyond race, culture or religion.

There could not have been a more perfect or more loving Master than Him.

He has touched the lives of each one of us in ways no one else has ever done or will ever do.

I deeply rejoice in the merits of the exceptional life of this great Mahasiddha of our modern times.

I would like especially to express our deepest gratitude to the Great Masters who have been of immense support and guidance in these difficult times, in particular to H.H. Kyabje Pabhongka Rinpoche, H.H. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, H.E. Kyabje Nyima Tulku Rinpoche and H.E. Kyabje Gonsar Rinpoche.

We are united today, not only in grief but mainly in gratitude and love for the most amazing Master and human being we have ever met.

We pray united for Rinpoche’s swift return to this world, to guide us on the path to Buddhahood, for the benefit of the Buddhadharma in general and in particular for the benefit of the Whispered Lineage of Lama Tsongkhapa.

On behalf of all the disciples and friends of the Great Mahasiddha Drubwang Lama Gangchen Rinpoche,

With profound gratitude and love,

Lama Michel Rinpoche