H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, stood at the confluence of many vital currents within Tibetan Buddhism, especially the Nyingma tradition. As Supreme Head of the Nyingma school in exile, his position linked him formally with all Nyingma lineage holders and placed him alongside other great leaders such as the Dalai Lama, the Gyalwang Karmapa, and the Sakya Trizin in the shared task of preserving Tibetan religion and culture. This institutional role did not exist in isolation; it was grounded in his recognition as a major incarnation in the Dudjom Tersar lineage and as the rebirth of the tertön Dudjom Lingpa. Through this, he was regarded as a key holder of Nyingma Kama and terma transmissions, standing in direct continuity with earlier masters whose teachings he edited, compiled, and propagated.

His relationships with teachers reveal the depth of his spiritual inheritance. Dudjom Rinpoche received extensive teachings from figures such as Phungong (or Phukong) Tulku Gyurme Ngedön Wangpo and Jedrung Trinley Jampa Jungne, as well as from Khenpo Aten and the treasure revealer Degyal Rinpoche. He was also closely connected with the Mindrolling lineage through various masters, and his training was shaped by the nonsectarian, or Rimé, movement through teachers like Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö and other Rimé masters. These connections wove together lineages from Nyingma and other schools, giving his realization and scholarship a broad, inclusive foundation.

As a teacher, Dudjom Rinpoche became a central source of transmission for both Tibetan and non-Tibetan disciples. Among his foremost students were his sons, Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Shenphen Dawa Rinpoche, who themselves became important teachers, as well as other family lineage holders. He taught prominent Western disciples such as Sogyal Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, and Jigme Rinpoche, and he recognized and instructed various tulkus. Many leading Nyingma masters in exile, including Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Trulshik Rinpoche, received transmissions from him, sometimes in mutual exchange, so that he functioned as both teacher and peer within a living web of realization.

His relationships with contemporary masters from other schools further illuminate his role as a bridge-builder. Dudjom Rinpoche maintained a close and respectful relationship with the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, and had connections with Sakya Trizin and other heads of the major Tibetan traditions. He collaborated with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche on various projects and worked alongside other Rimé figures such as Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Through inter-school dialogues, shared empowerments, and joint preservation efforts, he helped ensure that the different Tibetan lineages could stand together without losing their distinct flavors, like many streams converging into a single great river of Dharma.

Seen in this light, his relationship with other prominent Buddhist masters was not merely a network of names, but a living mandala of mutual reliance, respect, and transmission. As a tertön and lineage holder, he was deeply rooted in the visionary heritage of Nyingma; as Supreme Head and collaborator, he was equally committed to the collective survival and flourishing of all Tibetan Buddhist schools. His life illustrates how genuine authority in the Dharma arises from being both a devoted disciple and a generous teacher, holding many lineages in a single, integrated realization and offering them for the benefit of beings.