Born into the family of Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa,[1] he is the brother of the late 14th Shamar Rinpoche, Mipham Chokyi Lodro.

During this visit, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje designated a property donated to him by Bernard Benson[13] in Dordogne as his central seat of activity.

[15] Jigme Rinpoche acted as the representative of Rumtek in several European countries (the seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in India after leaving Tibet) starting in 1980.

[19] In addition, Dhagpo Kagyu Ling has acted as a repository for Buddhist teachings, with 20–30,000 microfiche texts stored in its libraries.

[21] He is the author of four books about Buddhism: The Manual of Ordinary Heroes; The Bodhisattavas' Way, A Path of Wisdom, and Working with Emotions.

[22] Excerpts of Jigme Rinpoche's public lectures about various Buddhist subjects, including accomplishing benefit or merit,[23] the Karma Kagyu transmission,[24] guru yoga meditation,[25] the 16th Karmapa and Karma Kagyu Buddhism in the West,[26] his experiences with the 16th Karmapa,[27][28] and working with emotions[29] have been translated and published in English in the periodical Buddhism Today.