Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche is remembered above all for a style of instruction that goes straight to the heart of the matter: direct introduction to the nature of mind, or rigpa. Rather than building elaborate conceptual systems, he emphasized pointing-out instructions that allow a practitioner to distinguish clearly between ordinary, thinking mind and pure awareness. This direct introduction is not confined to formal sessions; it is meant to be recognized in the immediacy of present experience, again and again. In this way, the empty, cognizant, and unconfined quality of awareness becomes something tasted directly rather than merely understood intellectually.

Within this direct approach, he taught a way of practice often summarized as “short moments, many times.” Instead of relying solely on long, highly structured meditations, he encouraged brief but repeated recognitions of rigpa throughout daily life. Thoughts and emotions are not treated as enemies but as opportunities: by observing them without judgment and letting them arise and dissolve naturally, their empty, self-liberating nature becomes evident. This is closely related to his Mahamudra-style integration of shamatha and vipashyana, where calm abiding and insight are joined in a relaxed, open awareness that looks directly at the arising, abiding, and ceasing of thoughts.

As a Dzogchen master, he placed particular emphasis on trekchö, the practice of “cutting through” to the primordial state by resting in rigpa without fabrication. Here, the task is not to improve or alter the mind, but to relax completely into its natural condition and allow all phenomena to self-liberate. For advanced and suitably prepared disciples, he also transmitted tögal, the “direct approach,” which works with the luminosity of awareness, including visionary experiences related to natural light phenomena. Both trekchö and tögal are always grounded in stable recognition of rigpa and are framed as methods for recognizing the display of awareness rather than as mere visionary pursuits.

Although renowned for these essence teachings, Tulku Urgyen did not neglect the traditional foundations. He upheld the importance of ngöndro—refuge, bodhicitta, Vajrasattva purification, mandala offerings, and especially guru yoga—as a way to prepare and soften the mind. Refuge and bodhicitta cultivate trust and compassionate motivation, while guru yoga and devotion open the heart to blessings and transmission, allowing one’s mind to merge with the wisdom mind of the lineage. In this context, shamatha–vipashyana, Dzogchen, and Mahamudra are not isolated techniques but expressions of a single path in which view, meditation, and conduct are integrated.

A distinctive feature of his guidance is the insistence that realization must permeate ordinary life. Recognition of awareness is to be maintained during walking, talking, working, and resting, so that there is no sharp divide between meditation and post-meditation. Techniques for maintaining awareness in activity, for applying recognition amid responsibilities, and for allowing even strong emotions to remind one of rigpa all serve this integration. In this way, the path he presented is both uncompromisingly direct and deeply practical, inviting practitioners to discover the nature of mind in every facet of experience.