Khenpo Jigphun Rinpoche was born in 1937 in eastern Tibet. He is the reincarnation of the Terton Lerab Lingpa (Sogyal), who a close friend to H.H. the 13th Dalai Lama. Rinpoche is also a Terton in this present lifetime. At the age of fourteen, Rinpoche took vows from Khenpo Sonam Rinpoche and at the age of twenty-two he became a fully ordained monk. Under Khenpo Thupga Yeshe Norbu, Rinpoche was taught Dzogchen and given the Nyingma transmissions. He also studied under Konchok Chopel, a master of the Nyingma and the other Tibetan lineages. For six years, Rinpoche practiced in strict retreat. He has received visions of Sakya Pandita and Manjushri.
Even during the Communist oppression of Tibet, Rinpoche taught at his own life's expense. He ordained thousands of monastics in Tibet and made pilgrimage to Mt. Wutai Shan, the abode of Manjushri. He likewise taught numerous Chinese and Mongolian people.
In 1993, he was able to visit His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India and bestow transmissions to the Dalai Lama.
In 1980, Rinpoche established a renown institute known as Serthar in Sichuan which educates over nine thousand disciples. In 2001, the Communist government arrested Rinpoche due to the flourishing of his monastery. Over ten-thousand students had gathered at the monastery, making it one of the largest in the region.
The Ven. Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche passed away at the age of 72 years on the evening of January 6, 2004, in a military hospital in Chengdu, China. Khenpo Rinpoche was a living terton and one of the most realized Nyingma and Dzogchen masters. He was responsible for revitalizing Buddhism in Tibet and established the renown Sertar Institute which drew thousands of students from Tibet, China and around the world.
The passing of Khenpo Rinpoche is a great loss to the world. May his activity continue to bring many more onto the path of the dharma.
http://www.simhas.org/kjigme.html