The Rimé movement (Wylie: Ris-Med) is a Buddhist
school of thought founded in Eastern Tibet during the late
19th century largely by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye , the latter of whom is often
respected as the founder proper. It seeks to unify the various
traditions and their philosophies into one coherent school of
thought, and is responsible for a large number of scriptural
compilations.
The school's name is derived from two
Tibetan words: Ris (sectarianism)
and Med (refutation), which combined expresses the idea of
unification, as opposed to sectarianism. The Rimé movement
therefore is often mistaken as trying to unite the various
sects through their similarities, which was not the case.
Rather, Rimé was designed to recognise the differences between
traditions and appreciate them, while also establishing a
dialogue which would create common ground. It is considered
important that variety be preserved, and therefore Rimé
teachers are generally quite careful to emphasise differences
in thought, giving students many options as to how to proceed
in their spiritual training.
Students who associate with Rimé do not leave their old
traditions, but rather continue practising as their regular
tradition would ascribe. Two of the founding voices of Rimé
were Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye,
both from different schools. Thaye was from the Nyingma
and Kagyu traditions, while Wangpo had been raised within
the Sakya order. At the time, Tibetan schools of thought
had become very isolated, and both Wangpo and Thaye were
instrumental in reinitiating dialogue between the sects. Rimé
was, to some extent, the re-establishment of a fading rule in
Tibetan Buddhism: That to ignorantly criticise other
traditions was wrong, and that misunderstandings due to
ignorance had to be immediately alleviated.
Rimé is not a spiritual lineage, but rather a
philosophical movement which seeks to establish, preserve,
and cultivate dialogue between varying traditions, appreciating
their differences and emphasising the need for variety. It was
initially created to counteract the growing suspicion and
tension building between the different traditions, which at the
time had, in many places, gone so far as to forbid studying one
another's scriptures. Rimé became thereafter an integral part
of the Tibetan tradition, and continues to be an important
school of philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism.
Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyatso and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
are two recent Rimé masters, known for their public influence
and as being advisors to the 14th Dalai Lama. Other modern
adherents include the late 16th Karmapa and
Dudjom Rinpoche , both of whom gave extensive teachings from
the works of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro, as well as the late
Akong Rinpoche who, with Chogyam Trungpa helped
establish Tibetan Buddhism in Britain. The lineage of the
late Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, also a venerable master of the rimé
tradition, is represented today in the teachings of Lama Surya Das.
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