Art of Inner Transformation – Keys to Temporary and Ultimate Happiness
This book offers the heart-to-heart transmission of oral instructions on inner transformation, the keys to temporary and ultimate happiness, from Garchen Rinpoche via ZOOM (Online) for Drikung Dharma Surya Center and the international sangha in August of 2021. The current 8th Garchen Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama, a realized yogi, a skillful teacher, and the beloved Guru of many of us. Garchen Rinpoche is the incarnation of a 12th century realized yogi named Gar Chodingpa, one of the heart disciples of the famed Jigten Sumgön, Kyobpa Rinpoche – the founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage, that can be traced back to the great translator Marpa Lotsawa, and the greatest yogi of Tibet, Milarepa.
The book places emphasis on how to transform the inner mind through the holy Dharma with methods and practices, i.e., to generate the causes of happiness and to transform sufferings into happiness, which ultimately pinpoint specific keys and guidance to genuine happiness that each and every one of us strives to obtain as the purpose of life. It also distills the heart essence of the Buddha’s teachings and Garchen Rinpoche’s experiential guidance on the entire BuddhaDharma path – the relative truth infallible law of karma, the altruistic mind bodhicitta with the four immeasurables and the six paramitas, the nature of the mind and the ultimate truth emptiness seeing the nature of afflictive emotions – as the basis of all Dharma practices.
This book, a treasury of precious pith instructions, is not a traditional standard narrative, but rather a compilation of genuine oral teachings from Garchen Rinpoche where the core tenets are often intentionally repeated again and again to help anchor and integrate the established truths, guiding principles, and key practices into your mind with resilience as if they “become second nature”.
Garchen Rinpoche reiterated, “I have said many things but there are two main points. First, you have to see all beings as your beloved. This has an immense benefit, like a wish fulfilling jewel. This is the practice of relative bodhicitta. The second point is absolute bodhicitta. You have to be aware of the nature of mind, no matter how many thoughts arise. You should not be distracted by thoughts, but be mindful. Mindful awareness is the single sufficient remedy that transforms difficulties inside and out. If you have loving kindness, you have understood the essence of the Dharma. It gives you the joy of liberation and lasts throughout your future lives until you are able to achieve enlightenment. When we have developed loving kindness, we have achieved the priceless. If you develop it in your mind-stream, you are the richest person. If you have developed it in your heart, it gives you a lot of happiness. This is how I survived in prison. Loving kindness is the most precious thing.”
This book would not be possible without unconditional support from Ina Bieler for the oral English translation, from my children for transcribing the August 2021 main teachings, as well as from many Dharma teachers, brothers, sisters, and centers around the world for graciously sharing other transcribed teachings of Garchen Rinpoche in the past 25+ years that are added to the August 2021 main teachings to enrich Rinpoche’s spoken guidance available to everyone to study and contemplate. Our gratitude also goes to Sue Sue (Tâm Bảo Đàn) for sharing her work on the Garchen Rinpoche’s Biography Book Two: The Lama of Many Lifetimes: Touching the Living Heart of Garchen Rinpoche, Perfection of Liberation (1958-1980), particularly those personal life transformation experience of Garchen Rinpoche in the prison.
Our deepest gratitude goes to Garchen Rinpoche for all of the profound teachings, instructions and advices, especially the examples and experience of his life, that he has been sharing with all of us in many years.
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More LANGUAGES Available in 2027: Vietnamese – Spanish – Mongolian – Chinese – German – French – Dutch – Polish
I pray that the instructions in this book would come and stay in the heart and the mind of everyone in this very life and in many future lifetimes until attaining the ultimate happiness. May all receive those precious instructions to study, contemplate, practice and accomplish, because each one of us without exception possesses the very same potential to achieve that.
May I never be separated from the precious bodhicitta. May I always follow in the footsteps of the Precious One, Garchen Rinpoche, to benefit all beings and to help eliminate the sufferings for as long as space endures and for as long as living beings remain.
With Prayers and Love,
Quang
Drikung Dharma Surya Center
Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.A.
September 2026
Meditation Pith Instructions
This book offers a rare view into the heart-to-heart transmission of oral instructions on meditation from His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche at Drikung Dharma Surya Center in August of 2015.
The current, 8th, Garchen Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama, a realized yogi, a skillful teacher, and the beloved Guru of many of us. He is the incarnation of a 12th Century realized yogi named Gar Chodingpa, one of the heart disciples of the famed Jigten Sumgon, Kyobpa Rinpoche—founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage, that can be traced back to the great translator Marpa Lotsawa, and the greatest yogi of Tibet, Milarepa.
The book contains an exposition of the practices of Shamatha and Generation Stage meditations, which have the nature of relative bodhicitta, and the practices of Vipassana and Completion Stage meditations, which have the nature of absolute bodhichitta—the ultimate nature of the mind. The practices of Shamatha and Vipassana are foundations for Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and Madhyamaka.
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“Although the book places greater emphasis on the meditation methods and practices from the perspective of meditative experience, this collection distills the heart essence of the Buddha’s teachings and Garchen Rinpoche’s guidance on the entire Buddha Dharma path—the infallible law of karma, emptiness, and bodhicitta as the basis of all Dharma practices. Garchen Rinpoche often says, “Love is the only cause of happiness…Love is the sunlight of the mind…The Buddha is nowhere apart from your own mind…Whenever you meditate, our minds are one…When you have boundless love for all sentient beings, you naturally realize the nature of the mind.”
This book would not be possible without unconditional support from Ina Trinley Wangmo for the oral translation, from my children for transcribing and endeavoring to make a text true to Rinpoche’s spoken words available to everyone, and from Kay Candler for diligently editing the transcriptions into book form. Our deepest gratitude goes to Khenpo Samdup for sharing his hard work on the Stages of Meditation book, and especially to Garchen Rinpoche for the precious teachings, personal experience, and profound instructions and advice that he has compassionately offered to us all.
Glorious, holy, venerable, precious, kind root and lineage lamas, divine assembly of yidams and assemblies of buddhas, bodhisattvas, yogins, yoginis, and dakinis dwelling in the ten directions, please hear our prayer: “May this treasury of sacred Dharma spread far and wide with our sole wish to benefit all sentient beings without exception and bring peace and happiness to the world.”
With Prayers and Love,
Quang
Drikung Dharma Surya Center
Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.A.
July 2018
Quotes from the Precious One
This book is a collection of insightful quotes, inspirational sayings and heartfelt advices from His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche – a Tibetan lama of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage, a highly accomplished and realized yogi, a skillful teacher, and the beloved Guru of many of us – whom I dearly call “Apa-la”.
The current 8th Garchen Rinpoche was the incarnation of a 12th century highly realized yogi named Gar Chodingpa, one of the heart disciples of the famed Jigten Sumgon, Kyobpa Rinpoche – founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage that traces back to the great translator-yogi, Marpa Lotsawa, and the greatest poet-yogi of Tibet, Milarepa.
Garchen Rinpoche, well-known for his vast realization, kindness and compassion, is highly revered not only by masters and disciples of his own lineage but also masters and disciples of other traditions.
The book contains 108 exceptional insights and wisdom on the essence teachings of the Buddha, addressing the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, the infallible law of karma, and the ultimate practices of the relative Bodhicitta and the absolute Bodhicitta. It is hoped that these quotes of love and wisdom can spread far and wide with the sole wish to bring peace and happiness into the world and to benefit all sentient beings without exception.
Each quote is illustrated with a special photo of Garchen Rinpoche – just that we always remember vividly and diligently follow the wonderful qualities, enlightened activities, profound teachings and direct instructions of our Guru.
This book is not possible without the unconditional support from many Dharma teachers, brothers, sisters, translators, friends and Centers around the world that have graciously shared these special words and photos of Garchen Rinpoche through various media channels and social networks. Special Thanks go to Ina Dhargye for translating and transcribing Rinpoche’s quotes and making them available to everyone.
Our deepest gratitude goes to Garchen Rinpoche for all of the precious teachings especially the examples and experience of his life that he has been providing and sharing with all of us.
May I never be separated from the precious Bodhicitta. May I always follow in the footsteps of the Precious One to benefit all beings and to help eliminate the sufferings for as long as space endures and for as long as living beings remain.
With Prayers and Love,
Quang
Drikung Dharma Surya Center
Centreville, Virginia, U.S.A.
November 2013
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VIDEO CLIP OF GARCHEN RINPOCHE BLESSING THE BOOK and THE TRANSCRIBERS
VIDEO CLIP OF GARCHEN RINPOCHE BLESSING THE BOOK
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Garchen Rinpoche’s Biography (Book One & Book Two – English)
WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE ALWAYS . . .
To our readers . . .
DECEMBER 2022 – JANUARY 2023
BOOK 1 IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD – READ STORIES ONLINE – CLICK HERE (1/2023)
TUYỂN TẬP 1- ĐỌC TRUYỆN TRÊN MẠNG – BẤM VÀO ĐÂY (12/2022)
To each and every reader of Garchen Rinpoche’s biography, may we traverse the same pathway in our reading, from the darkness of a pupa to the light of a butterfly, as he did in his real life. May whatever doubt and disturbance that arise for us as we encounter Garchen Rinpoche’s openly communicated life stories transform into the great power of truth that brings us closer to our own genuine realization.
May we develop and be in absolute awe of Bodhicitta at the end of this journey!
*** READ ONLINE: Garchen Rinpoche’s Biography (Book One-English)
https://garchenbiography.us/read-online-english-1
*** PLEASE CLICK BELOW to view more photos or click on the photo itself to enlarge on screen
*** ĐỌC ONLINE: Tiểu Sử Garchen Rinpoche (Tuyển Tập Một-Việt Ngữ)
https://garchenbiography.us/%C4%91%E1%BB%8Dc-online-vi%E1%BB%87t-ng%E1%BB%AF
LAMA’S HEART, YOUR HEART, MY HEART, ALL BEINGS’ HEARTS… ONE AND THE SAME.
MAY PALDEN GARCHENPA FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JETSUN MILAREPA AND BE DEATHLESS!
Book sales to benefit the SOUTHWEST BUDDHAFIELD ENDOWMENT FUND, the LAPCHI RESTORATION PROJECT, various charitable and Dharma activities as well as writing and translation projects.
BOOK 2: PERFECTION OF LIBERATION (1958-1980)
BOOK TWO IS AVAILABLE IN PRINT – JUNE 2019
Excerpt from Book Two – Chapter 8:
“The first encounter I had with my Lama in prison was as simple as that, but due to this great blessing, I was saved from my downfall. In the beginning, prison to me was the worst of hell. In the middle, after I met Khenpo Munsel Rinpoche, the hard labor which I had thought as painful and fruitless ever so slowly became my daily Dharma practice. At the end, due to the unrepayable kindness and profundity of my master, prison became like a land of jewels, and the hatred and anger toward my enemies ended up being completely transformed. I did not return from the prison empty-handed. Suffering, the source of pain, became the catalyst. I was able to develop genuine altruistic aspiration under the guidance of Khenpo Munsel, and through that, to fulfill the purpose of my human birth in this lifetime. But I also would not hesitate to say that the real Lama, the real teacher who gave me the most invaluable instructions was actually suffering. Suffering was my greatest teacher.”
From the very depths of our hearts, we pray that our collective efforts and aspirations, as writer and readers of the 8th Garchen Rinpoche’s life stories, become a source of never-ending dedication toward the full awakening of everyone—our enemies, our loved ones, ourselves, and all beings—now and for all lives to come. As we read, may true comprehension take hold of us, and through the living transmission and teaching Garchen Rinpoche has entrusted us with, through his life stories, may trust in karma and Bodhicitta arise, deepen & spread!
Crafted with love . . .
Book Two, designed and crafted with great care, aesthetic flair, and with love and gratitude, consists of 480 pages, including forewords from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Garchen Rinpoche and Mindrolling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, and over 58 pages of full-color photos, some of which have been collected by the author on her lone trip to Lhasa in 2014 and have never been released in the past, and many other beautiful elements of surprise!
