Joyce Lam
17 May 1950 – 19 July 2025
Dear Nalandabodhi Vancouver Members and Friends,
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of our dearly beloved long-time Nalandabodhi Vancouver member, Joyce Lam. After a lengthy cancer journey, Joyce was admitted to hospice on Saturday morning, July 19, and she passed away peacefully not long after, in the afternoon, at 4:05 pm Vancouver time.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche, and all of our Nalandabodhi Lamas, Acharyas, and Mitras are offering their kind support, prayers, and guidance.
As is explained in Tibetan Buddhism, the period of time (of approx. 49 days) that follows one’s physical death, known as the bardo, is a critical time. During this time, our altruistic thoughts, prayers, aspirations, and dedications have a profound impact on the consciousness of the departed person. During this time, it is advised to engage in practices that will support our loved one’s journey.
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has offered the following guidance on which practices would be particularly supportive during this time. These are:
- Reciting the Heart Sutra
- Reciting the verses on perfect purity from the Prajñāpāramitā Sutras
- Amitabha sadhana practice
- Meditating on Mahāmudrā
- Sadhana of Mahāmudrā by Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
We have organized group practice sessions in support of Joyce’s journey. Please refer to our online events calendar for specific practices/dates/times.
Joyce was a truly inspiring and exemplary dharma student. She was one of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s very first students, requesting him to be her Teacher in the 1990s, not long after Rinpoche first came to the West.
Over the decades, she translated the entire Nalandabodhi study curriculum into Chinese, as well as many more of Rinpoche’s teachings and books. She would often host and facilitate regular study group gatherings for Chinese speaking students. For a long time, she was the sole practice instructor (PI) for all of Nalandabodhi’s Chinese speaking students — not just in Vancouver, but the rest of Canada and Asia too!
She also served as our finance person at Nalandabodhi Vancouver for many years, and too she was a member of the Nalandabodhi Canada Executive Board until just a few months ago.
There are so many more dharma activities that Joyce engaged in that simply cannot be listed, but we can say without a doubt that her contributions to our community, and her devotion to our Guru and to dharma, has been profound and vast.
Thank you for keeping our dear Joyce in your heart during this time.
OṂ AMIDEVA HRĪḤ
DPR with Joyce in the assembly (Nitartha 2015)
Joyce and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen (Nitartha 2014)
