Lama Yonten passed away in Nepal on February 7. Yonten was Trungpa Rinpoche’s attendant during their escape from Tibet, 1959-1960. He also attended Trungpa Rinpoche’s root guru, Shechen Kongtrul Rinpoche. Years later in India, he attended Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Here is a recent passage from Rabjam Rinpoche’s Facebook page
In Loving Memory of Lama Yonten, Personal Assistant to Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
We are deeply saddened to share that Lama Yonten passed away this morning at 8:30 a.m. in Nepal.
For many years, Lama Yonten served with extraordinary devotion as personal assistant to Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He accompanied Rinpoche on his first journey to America, carrying his responsibilities with steadiness and grace. To be entrusted with such sacred service speaks profoundly to his character—his unwavering loyalty, spiritual maturity, and the deep trust he inspired.
Lama Yonten was a person of quiet strength and gentle dignity. Those who knew him recognized something rare: a truly good human being. He was honest to his core, dependable in every circumstance, and possessed of a kind heart that sought only to be of benefit. His presence brought reassurance and peace.
Though he lived humbly and spoke little of himself, Lama Yonten’s life was a quiet testament to what it means to serve with integrity and to embody the teachings through one’s very way of being.
He will be deeply missed.
Lama Yonten also served Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and his life and service are chronicled in the memoir Born in Tibet.
–from Rabjam Rinpoche’s Facebook page
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