Jakob Leschly

Jakob was born in Denmark and developed an interest in Buddhism at a young age, taking refuge with Ven. Kalu Rinpoche in 1974. He traveled to India and Nepal in the mid and late 1970s, where he met his root teacher, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, as well as other great lamas, including Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Chagdud Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Khamtrul Rinpoche Dongyü Nyima, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.  He was also present at the cremation ceremony of Kangyur Rinpoche, where he met Kangyur Rinpoche’s family and students. As a student of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Jakob benefited from studies with the numerous great lamas who surrounded Rinpoche, and also from the western students of these lamas. He also considers Chögyam Trungpa as one of his teachers; the writings of Trungpa Rinpoche were essential in clarifying the nature of the Buddhist view and practice for him.

Jakob completed a three-year retreat at Chanteloube in Dordogne, France between 1980 and 1984, and lived in Dordogne until 1990. He has collaborated on translations, including The Life of Shabkar and Wondrous Dance of Illusion: The Autobiography of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang. He has also served as interpreter for a number of lamas. Since 1993, he has primarily served and studied with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, and has translated various works on philosophy and practice instructions, including an early translation of Candrakīrti’s Madhyamakāvatāra. Since 1998, he has worked as an instructor in Buddhist theory and practice for Siddhartha’s Intent, and during this time also completed a BA in Tibetology at the University of Copenhagen. Jakob has spent years in France, Italy, India, Nepal, the United States, and his native Denmark, and has also traveled in Tibet. He presently lives in Switzerland.