Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is remembered above all as a central architect of the Rimé, or nonsectarian, movement in Tibet. Together with masters such as Jamgön Kongtrul and Chokgyur Lingpa, he worked to honor and preserve the full breadth of Tibetan Buddhist traditions, encouraging the study and practice of teachings from all major schools without sectarian bias. This nonsectarian vision did not seek to blend traditions into a single system, but rather to safeguard their distinct lineages while fostering mutual respect. In this way, his life became a living demonstration that diversity of methods can serve a single liberating aim.

A striking feature of his activity was the sheer scope of the transmissions he received, preserved, and passed on. He gathered empowerments, instructions, and scriptural transmissions from many lineages, often focusing on teachings that were rare or in danger of disappearing. By then transmitting these to a wide circle of disciples, he ensured that hundreds of lineages remained alive and accessible. His role as a revered teacher meant that practitioners from different schools sought him out, and many later lineage holders traced crucial aspects of their training to his guidance.

Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo was also renowned as a tertön, a revealer of terma, or hidden spiritual treasures. He discovered numerous such treasures—texts and practices regarded as having been concealed by great masters such as Padmasambhava for the benefit of future generations. Among these were important cycles of tantric and Dzogchen teachings that became central to the practice of many communities. These revelations complemented his nonsectarian work, adding fresh streams of inspiration to the already vast river of Tibetan Buddhist doctrine and meditation.

In addition to his activity as a treasure revealer and lineage holder, he contributed significantly to Tibetan Buddhist literature. He composed and compiled texts, including liturgies, practice manuals, and works on philosophy and tantra, thereby helping to systematize and preserve key teachings. His editorial and compilatory efforts, often in collaboration with close contemporaries, supported the formation of major collections of revealed teachings and ensured that they were transmitted in a coherent, usable form. Through these combined labors—nonsectarian vision, preservation of endangered lineages, revelation of terma, and extensive literary work—he helped shape the landscape of Tibetan Buddhism for generations to come.