When We Met

“Elizabeth and I met in Nepal. We were very young, deeply in love, and learning about life, as well as learning how to integrate the Buddhadharma into our lives. I was in the privileged position of knowing more about the Buddhist teachings, having had exposure to the study and practice of Dharma with many great masters of our time. I was able to share that with Elizabeth, and she became my first Dharma student. Over the many years of our life together, which included coming to the West, raising our son, and starting Mangala Shri Bhuti, our Dharma community, we made an effort to be true to ourselves in the vision of the Dharma, amid a worldly life.

In keeping with these principles, Elizabeth was able to do an immense amount of study of the classical texts of Indian and Tibetan philosophy. While in school, she would rise at four o’clock every morning in order to have a full session of practice before the family awoke. Later, when we moved to Crestone, Colorado, she began seven years of intensive practice, at her retreat cabin in the mountains near the family home. Throughout this time, she continued to contribute to our community by serving as an example and guiding students in retreat. Her dedication to study and practice has paved the way for many others to move forward on their paths.”

~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche traveled throughout India to study with various masters, carrying all his belongings in a simple sack and sleeping on hemp cots on the roadside. Later, he met and married his American wife Elizabeth, and a surprising turn of events led them to settle in the U.S.A. Here, Rinpoche continues to follow what he calls his “life-long assignment”: to offer the revered wisdom of the Buddhist teachings to those who have an interest. Rinpoche integrates his practice and his life -- to be flexible, courageous and exploratory in the face of life’s joys and paradoxes, while never losing touch with a connection to its deepest meaning.

“I first met my husband and teacher when I was twenty-three at Tulku Urgyn’s Tibetan Buddhist nunnery in Nepal. When I met him he wore plain clothes and I didn’t know who he was but his presence and the way he spoke about the dharma touched me deeply. I felt that all the questions I had about my life resolved on the spot. As I was actively searching for a teacher at that time I thought to myself: “I wish to meet a teacher just like him.”

It turns out that in fact, he was a lineage holder and became my teacher. Over the years Rinpoche has continued to guide me with patience, tenderness, urgency and a lot of fierceness too. It has been a challenging, rugged and gorgeous ride! I feel moved and speechless at the thought of it. Truly, I could not imagine a more perfect teacher.”

~ Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel is the wife of Tibetan Buddhist master Dzigar Kongtrül and the editor of two of his books (It’s Up to You and Light Comes Through). She has studied and practiced in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for twenty-five years under his guidance and completed years of solitary retreat. As a Buddhist teacher, she leads weekend retreats throughout the United States and Europe.