An hour after his customary daily “pep talk” during a Chime Phakmé Nyingtik drupchen, Rinpoche seized the opportunity to point out to all the practitioners gathered in Lerab Ling’s majestic temple – Palri Pema Ösel Dargyé Ling – just how important it is for Vajrayana practitioners to perform the mudra that accompanies the Inexpressible Ultimate Confession (Yeshe Kuchok).

One evening during a Padma Khandro drupchen in Lerab Ling, Rinpoche gave this rare and exceptional explanation of the Wangdu prayer, which, he told us, he had received from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche more than fifty years before, but had never shared. Although he wasn’t feeling well, he said, “… I offered this explanation the moment I thought of giving it, because who knows how I’ll feel tomorrow? By then, I might not fancy the idea of sharing these very special instructions with anyone”

In The Life and Times of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche describes how Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche burst into his house in Bir “like a whirlwind” and demanded to be told all the stories that Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche knew about Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö that very minute. Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche immediately settled himself in his big leather chair by the window and began to talk. In the end, after several such visits, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche had recorded more than twelve hours of stories – many of us will have heard at least some of these stories before, but by no means all of them.

First thing in the morning on the day we were to celebrate Buddha’s descent from Tushita heaven where he had been teaching his mother – Lha bab duchen in the Tibetan tradition – Rinpoche decided it was time he played his part in promoting women’s rights. The fact that it was election day in the US might also have had something to do with it. The sadhana called the Three Roots needs to be practised every day in this drupchen, because Padma Khandro from the Seven Cycles is only a branch practice of this sadhana, in other words Padma Khandro is only one deity of this Three Root mandala, and this mantra is part of the Three Root sadhana. So, for whatever reason, during the 6am session of the Seven Profound Cycles of Padma Khandro, Rinpoche offered this very short teaching about the Vajrayogini mantra.

In this teaching, given at the beginning of the third Padma Khandro intensive group practice in Lerab Ling, Rinpoche explains where magnetizing activity fit within the Buddhist path, and shows its basic principles, and how to practise it. He stresses the importance of the view of interdependence and the motivation of bodhichitta for the practice to be effective. Once he was asked, “Rinpoche, should I do Kurukulla to get a job?” Rinpoche replied with his usual down-to-earth directness, “No, you need to do Kurukulla to get enlightened! To get a job, you need to go out there and apply.”

Still on the hill that dominates Lerab Ling offering sang, Rinpoche continues his teaching. After presenting the main principles of sang, he now gives a concise and clear explanation of “wind horse”, or lungta in Tibetan.

On a sunny summer morning in South France, faithful to a Lerab Ling tradition to offer an elaborate sang when the weather is clear, on top of the hill that overlooks the Pyrenees 300km south, Sogyal Rinpoche and the Rigpa sangha were joined by Chokling Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal and their monks. They offered sang following the Chokling ‘sang ngen’ practice and the Riwo Sangchö. When it came to the latter, Sogyal Rinpoche asked Orgyen Tobgyal to say a few words about what to do when shouting “ki ki so so lha gyalo”, as is traditionally done on such occasion.

As was a custom in Lerab Ling, everyone would gather on the highest hill and offer sang. It was a glorious summer morning, and Rinpoche used the opportunity to present the main principles of sang to help Western practitioners connect with this Tibetan practice, before explaining about “wind horse”, or lungta.

As is now his habit, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche usually says a few words each day during a drupchen in Lerab Ling, to inspire those participating in the group practice and to clarify essential aspects of the path. Sometimes during the breaks, something happens that encourages Rinpoche to offer simple explanations about practice that might help the whole group. On one such occasion, towards the end of a Kurukulle drupchen, Rinpoche spoke about who Gesar is, and specifically, how to relate to him as we do our Gesar practices.

During a visit to California in July 2002, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche gave a short teaching on the sadhana of the Dakini Guhyajnana from the Treasure Vase of Profound Instructions. This sadhana, which is a terma revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa, is called Fulfillment of All Wishes. The teaching was translated orally by Erik Pema Kunsang who also translated the sadhana inserted here, and transcribed and edited by Steve Gamble, with help and advices from Michael Tweed.

During a Chime Phakme Nyingtik drupchen, Lerab Ling’s chant master, head chopon and few other enthusiastic practitioners took advantage of a pee-break to try to extract information from Rinpoche about the Longchen Nyingtik ritual tradition. Unusually, they made their request quite boldly, which may have been why, much to everyone’s surprise, the moment the break was over, Rinpoche launched into a detailed exposition of the history behind the tradition of practising the Longchen Nyingtik. And this is what he said.

Every year, the Rigpa Sangha and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche combine forces to offer Sogyal Rinpoche a ‘tenshuk’– a ceremony that aims at stabilizing and even lengthening life that’s traditionally offered to a master – following a text Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo compiled called Sweet Droplets of Amrita from the Mouths of Siddhas. This year, 2015, we wanted to do a slightly simpler version of the practice, and to ensure that the potency and authenticity were preserved, asked Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche for his advice. His response was that we should do the Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik...

At Lerab Ling in 1996, prompted by one of His Holiness Sakya Trizin’s divinations, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and his monks performed a Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik drupchen and a ceremony dedicated to Sogyal Rinpoche’s long life. Since then, this drupchen has become an annual event. The long-life ceremony Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche performs is based on a text by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo that involves a sundok and tenshuk, the principles of which Rinpoche explains in this teaching.

Towards the end of the annual Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik drupchen in Lerab Ling in 2015, Rinpoche explained a meditation that is specific to this practice. Over the years, he said, he had given all the instructions necessary for us to practise the Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik, except one very important one: the torma meditation.

Many of us hadn’t realized how uniquely qualified Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche is to explain the authenticity of practising the Chimé Phakmé Nyingtik as a drupchen, until he spoke about the origins of this tradition during such a drupchen at Lerab Ling.