Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche interviewed by teenagers

During Yangsi Rinpoche's recent inaugural visit to Lerab Ling, Rigpa Youth had the incredible honour to take part in a special interview with him. Organised in collaboration with Rigpa Yeshe, the interview was a chance for Yangsi Rinpoche to meet the teenagers at the All Mandala Retreat and answer their questions, as well as questions from Rigpa Youth members from around the world.

Before the interview the film 'Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche' was shown, creating a beautiful atmosphere and reminding us all how privileged we were to have the opportunity to meet Yangsi Rinpoche in person. He generously spent an hour with us answering our varied questions, such as what kind of practice he most recommends for young Western students and about how to deal with the transition into adulthood. We hope to share the interview more widely in the near future (watch out for it at a Rigpa Youth meeting at your next local retreat!), and also asked that Yangsi Rinpoche return again and again to teach and answer more of our questions.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Question: Most of us cannot or do not want to become a monastic or yogi in a cave. So, how can we take work and family life onto the path and make a positive contribution to society?

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche: "In this case, you don't have to become a yogi or join the monastery to become a Buddhist. That is one of the things that needs to be clarified. You know, you can have your own family and your work. But you should always have the effort of practice, the path of dharma and being positive, we can always do that. So how do we do that?

In daily life, even though we have little time, we can always remind ourselves that we should use this time as something special, like a gift. So we should use each and every moment that we have. Not waste it. So, we always try to remind ourselves to have positive thoughts. Because, through having positive thoughts and by helping others it will change our way of life. So I think that is really possible."

The public teaching that Khyentse Yangsi gave in Lerab Ling, on "The lineage of Good Heart" is now available for viewing online!