(1952–2014)
“All in all, it is important that, based on kindness and compassion, we lead a life with an ethical framework that is conducive for meditation practice.” —Boundless Awakening: The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, 2013
Shamar Rinpoche was the 14th Shamarpa, Mipham Chokyi Lodrö. The Shamarpa, or “Red Hat Lama of Tibet,” is Tibetan Buddhism’s second oldest reincarnate lineage after the Karmapa’s lineage. Shamar Rinpoche was a teacher, author, and activist, who encouraged a non-sectarian approach to meditation. Born in 1952 in Tibet, Shamar Rinpoche was recognized by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa in 1957, and by the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1996, he started to organize Bodhi Path Buddhist Centers, a network of centers covering many continents, which practice a non-sectarian approach to meditation. In addition, over the years, Shamar Rinpoche founded several non-profit organizations worldwide engaged in charitable activities such as education and animal rights. Shamar Rinpoche published several books during his lifetime. Creating a Transparent Democracy: A New Model (2006) is the first book written about democracy by a Tibetan Buddhist teacher. It lays out a framework for establishing a genuine democratic system of governance that promotes the welfare and prosperity of a country’s citizens. In The Path to Awakening (2009, re-released through Delphinium Books, 2014), Shamar Rinpoche elucidates Chekawa Yeshe Dorje’s Seven Points of Mind Training, crafting both a guide to living a fulfilling life and a manual of meditation techniques. In 2012, Shamar Rinpoche wrote a biographical work called A Golden Swan in Turbulent Waters: The Life and Times of the Tenth Karmapa Chöying Dorje, and in 2013 his meditation text Boundless Awakening: The Heart of Buddhist Meditation laid the basis for understanding calm abiding and insight meditation in direct, concise language. Several of Rinpoche’s most recent books are available through Bird of Paradise Press.
