Namgyal Khang (Victory House) to Open in April
New Multipurpose Building at Serenity Ridge
View of the new building from the gompa in fresh snow on March 21. Photo by Maria Quintana.
The following article was written by Rob Patzig, president of Ligmincha International.
After years of planning, fundraising and more than 15 months of construction, the new multipurpose building at Serenity Ridge, the headquarters of Ligmincha International, will open soon. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing of the new building will take place on April 12 at 4:30 p.m., the first day of the Spring Retreat.
Replacing our existing kitchen and dining hall, this facility also will provide a new registration and welcome area, a large outdoor meditation deck, a recording studio, office space for Ligmincha International, large multipurpose room, indoor practice area and a lounge area for our residents.
Finishing touches, such as carpeting and cabinets, are being made to the building now. If there are no further delays, the move into the new space will occur the end of March or the beginning of April and it will be open for Spring Retreat (April 12–15, on “The Five Wisdoms”).
Front entrance of Victory HouseThe name for the building is Namgyal Khang, or “Victory House,” and it came about in the following way. During Fall Retreat at Serenity Ridge in October 2017, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Ligmincha resident lamas, and many visiting geshes and lamas were preparing rituals for the 100,000 offerings to Nampar Gyalwa, whose name means “Complete Victory.” As the lamas were preparing the rituals in the Garuda House shrine room at Serenity Ridge, the name came spontaneously to Rinpoche, and all present immediately agreed that the name was perfect. In English, the full translation would be “Excellent House of Victory,” but Rinpoche selected “Victory House” for the English as it flows more easily from the tongue.
The story of Nampar Gyalwa is found in chapter 50 of the Ziji, a 12-volume, 61-chapter biography of Tonpa Shenrap. In it, a king named Kongtse Trulkyi Gyalpo is found building a temple on the great ocean west of Olmo Lungring, with the intention of acquiring merit for his next life. Due to a misunderstanding, demons destroyed the temple when it was half completed. The king prayed to Tonpa Shenrap Miwoche (the Supreme Teacher) for assistance, and Tonpa Shenrap then manifested in the form of Complete Victory (Nampar Gyalwa), blue in color with an angry expression, one face and two hands, his right hand held up in the gesture of Complete Victory and the left placed on the knee. The demons were defeated and the completed temple was named the “White-Black Shimmering Temple.” The chief of the demons became the protector, and the temple became a library for the teachings of Tonpa Shenrap.
Nampar Gyalwa is particularly associated with the conquering of negativities, of healing and the clearing of obstacles, and the blessing of property. May Victory House be a place of blessing for all who come to Serenity Ridge in the future!
Example of outdoor bollard
Front door design
