Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, the Very Venerable 7th Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, is a Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher. His channel describes him as a teacher with a rare ability to present the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, engaging way, whose profound teachings and playful sense of humor have endeared him to students around the world.

In a letter written on entering a long retreat in 2011, he recalled a strong connection with the tradition of retreat since boyhood in the Himalayas. Though he did not yet know how to meditate, he would often run away from home to a nearby cave, where he sat quietly and chanted the mantra "Om Mani Peme Hung" in his mind. He wrote of his love for the mountains and the simple life of a wandering meditator.

His students describe him as a master of teachings in both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages. He has taught Mahamudra and Great Perfection retreats and the Path of Liberation (Mahamudra) in levels. In 2001 he traveled to Northern California to consecrate an Enlightenment Stupa. His students there describe him as personally attending to every detail of the month-long consecration, and they asked him to return each year as their Dharma teacher. The community that grew from that invitation became the Yongey Buddhist Center in Milpitas, California.

His first book, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, reached the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into over twenty languages. He cares for monasteries in India and Nepal, including Tergar Osel Ling Monastery, and spends part of each year traveling and teaching worldwide. His Tergar Meditation Community offers programs for students, including Anytime Anywhere Meditation, which he designed to make meditation clear, practical and accessible whatever a person's background or experience.