Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is remembered less for a single, novel doctrine than for a comprehensive vision of the Buddhist path that honors diversity while pointing to a shared essence. At the heart of his legacy stands the Rimé, or non‑sectarian, approach: the conviction that all authentic Tibetan Buddhist traditions contain valid methods leading to awakening. He actively encouraged the study and practice of teachings from Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug, Jonang, and even Bön, regarding their differences as complementary skillful means rather than grounds for sectarian rivalry. Sectarian bias, in his view, obscures the Dharma and becomes an obstacle to genuine realization, whereas mutual respect among lineages allows the full richness of the tradition to flourish.

This non‑sectarian vision was not merely theoretical; it took shape through vast efforts to preserve and transmit endangered teachings. He sought out, received, and re‑transmitted empowerments, reading transmissions, and oral instructions from many schools, and helped compile and edit large collections of practice materials, including treasuries of revealed treasure teachings. In doing so, he treated both canonical transmissions and terma revelations as worthy of preservation, provided they accorded with the Dharma and bore fruit in practice. His work as a tertön, revealing both earth and mind termas, further expanded the living corpus of practice cycles, especially those related to Guru Rinpoche and other deities, and these were integrated into a broader ecumenical framework.

In terms of contemplative instruction, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo placed strong emphasis on Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā, presenting them as profound means for recognizing the mind’s primordial purity and luminous awareness. At the same time, he insisted that such advanced teachings rest upon the firm ground of Mahāyāna ethics, renunciation, bodhicitta, and the realization of emptiness. Sutra, tantra, and Dzogchen were treated as mutually supportive rather than competing approaches, with a coherent path structure that moves from ethical discipline and mind training through philosophical understanding to the subtleties of Vajrayāna. Study, reflection, and meditation formed an integrated triad, so that scholarship and direct experience would continually inform one another.

His practical guidance extended into the detailed architecture of practice: preliminary disciplines, deity yoga, guru yoga, and retreat were all framed as vehicles for embodying the unity of view, meditation, and conduct. He transmitted and systematized practices from multiple schools, creating liturgies and manuals that drew on Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug sources without diluting their distinct flavors. Guru devotion and reliance on qualified teachers were central, yet always coupled with discernment and responsibility in choosing and relating to spiritual mentors. Through collaboration with other great masters and the preservation of a wide range of transmissions, his life and teachings offered a living demonstration that the many streams of Tibetan Buddhism can flow together without losing their individual clarity.