Rinpoche

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

Rinpoche or Rimpoche (Tibetan: རིན་པོ་ཆེ་; Wylie: rin po che; IPA: [rinˈpotʃe]) is a Tibetan Buddhist religious/theological honorific title. "Rinpoche" literally means "precious one" ^[1]. The title is generally reserved for tulkus (incarnate lamas) and those recognized by the proper authorities within a lineage as "choje lamas" ("superior dharma masters").

In Tibet and Bhutan, when used as "Guru Rinpoche" it refers to Padmasambhava, who first brought Tibetan Buddhism to the Himalayas. When used as Je Rinpoche, it refers to Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug School.

Rinpoche, epithet for a Tulku, that is, one who has intentionally taken rebirth in samsara to benefit sentient beings on the path to enlightenment. Sometimes this title is also given to spiritual teachers, who are not necessarily Tulkus, but are held in very high esteem by their students.

By historic measures the title "Rinpoche" may be considered over-used and indicates little other than a title of respect, especially in cases where the title is self-applied.