Diana Mukpo Foreword to
Chögyam Trungpa: Sa vie et son oeuvre by Fabrice Midal

I am delighted to be able to say a few words about the wonderful book that Fabrice Midal has written about my husband Chögyam Trungpa and his life's work. It is quite extraordinary that such a clear, accurate and heartfelt portrait of Trungpa Rinpoche's life and his achievements has been created by someone who never knew him. To the best of my knowledge, everything that Fabrice has written here is completely accurate.
This is precisely the book about Trungpa Rinpoche that has been needed for a long time. I feel that it is absolutely what Rinpoche would have wanted written about his major accomplishments and teachings. My husband was so brilliant in being able to use many different media to express his teachings. Rinpoche demonstrated that the awakened mind can be expressed in many ways, through various art forms, as well as in all the forms and details of everyday life. His approach made the buddhadharma available to all kinds of people who have different interests in their lives. As well, it is a hallmark of the Vajrayana teachings that you fully engage everything in your world. My husband was a master of this, and Fabrice Midal has beautifully captured this quality in his book.
On behalf of my family and myself, I would like to commend Fabrice Midal and to thank him for having written this book. I am quite amazed by the amount and the quality of the research that he did. He has really looked into every corner of Rinpoche's life. It is clear that Fabrice has put tremendous effort into this project, and the results speak for themselves.
It is interesting that the first book about my husband's life has been written in French, a language that he did not speak. This shows how far his teachings and influence have spread. I hope that Chögyam Trungpa: Sa vie et son oeuvre will be translated and published in many other languages, as I think it will be of interest to many people - both those who knew my husband and studied with him, as well as many who never met him. I think that readers will find it to be helpful, enjoyable and illuminating, as I did myself.

With the blessings of the Mukpos, I remain,

Diana Judith Mukpo
Providence, Rhode Island
27 December, 2001