Volume 18, Number 4 / August 2018
Letter from the Editors
Openness, Wisdom and Creativity
Sunrise over Kunzang Khang at Serenity RidgeDear Friends,
Happy summer! As you can see in the gorgeous sunrise picture taken above Kunzang Khang, the new building at Serenity Ridge is a beautiful and magical place. Summer retreat was even more extraordinary this year with the addition of this beautifully designed and comfortable space. It was used for meals, for getting together, for the sound and video work, for the wonderfully successful auction and banquet, and much more.
This past spring at Serenity Ridge, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche taught on the Five Wisdoms. In this issue we feature “When the Heart Opens,” an edited excerpt from his oral teachings. Rinpoche continues to teach on the five wisdoms on TWR LIVE, recently hosting a conversation with five women teachers on the topic "Honoring the Feminine: How the Warmth of Wisdom Contributes to Social Change." Another special broadcast on September 6 will feature teachers from six Tibetan spiritual traditions on the topic,“Teachings, Practices and Heart Advice on the Five Wisdoms.” Mark your calendars!
Also included in this issue:
- You can now order Rinpoche's new book: Spontaneous Creativity, Meditations for Manifesting Your Positive Qualities through Amazon.com.
- Find out about upcoming retreats in Europe and see some recent sangha photos.
- TWR LIVE: Special webcast on September 6: Heart Advice on the Five Wisdoms, a conversation with teachers from six Tibetan spiritual traditions.
- Chamma Ling Colorado offers a new Soul Retrieval series.
- Ligmincha has new cameras and sound equipment at Serenity Ridge. See short YouTube videos from Summer Retreat.
- Menri Monastery invites everyone to attend the commemoration for the 33rd Menri Trizin and enthronement for the 34th Menri Trizin this September.
- Early-bird registration is available until August 16 for Serenity Ridge Annual Fall Retreat on "Powa: Transference of Consciousness.”
- Two Trul Khor Retreats: Part 1 for everyone and Part 2 for those who have had instruction in A-Tri Trul Khor, to be held concurrently. Begins November 1 with Alejandro Chaoul.
- Now available: Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being by Alejandro Chaoul.
- See Rinpoche's worldwide teaching schedule for August through October.
- Find out details about Ligmincha Learning's NEW online Tibetan Bön Prayers language course with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen to begin September 22.
- Ligmincha Learning's online course "The Three Heart Mantras" starts August 17.
- Upcoming GlideWing course on "Tibetan Sound Healing" starts August 11 and "Awakening the Sacred Arts" begins September 28.
- Lishu Institute’s new curriculum begins in September. Find out the details.
- The 3 Doors: Research and current programs.
- Ligmincha Europe Magazine: link to the NEW Spring 2018 issue.
- Spanish translation link for June VOCL.
And as always, you can find Rinpoche’s upcoming teaching schedule on Ligmincha's website.
In Bön,
Aline and Jeff Fisher
When the Heart Opens
An Edited Excerpt from Oral Teachings Given by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Spring 2018
We always talk about being open with each other. This is something important. When we talk about being open or not being open, or the importance of being open to someone, when we use this word openness, we recognize a very common, although not particularly clear, secular meaning. But if we think about it in terms of the teachings, openness relates exactly to opening the eye of the wisdom of emptiness.
Experiencing openness is directly related to being more free of your pain identity. If you are more free of your pain identity, then your sense of self is bigger, wider and more indestructible. When you feel that broader sense of self, then you're able to see more; you're able to see through those things that would otherwise limit you. Specific circumstances that you face do not interfere; you go beyond the circumstances. A particular difficult moment doesn't interfere; you are able to go beyond it. A conflict that arises between you and another person doesn't matter; you see beyond the conflict. The eye of the wisdom of emptiness sees that conflict, and these teachings say that you are able to see the essential essence, the Bön essence. Bön essence refers to the essential nature, or what is. You are perhaps able to see that particular person as just a person.
The question is: how often do we see just a person? How many people do we see as just a person? How often do we see just a being? We see white, black, brown, good, bad, educated, not; we project all those things. We label everyone. We just see the labels. That label is not who they are. If you begin to see people as who they are, even just a glimpse, it's beautiful. We know that sometimes when people look at us as just a person, just human, it feels good.
I'm always amazed looking at my puppy. There is so much depth in the eyes. I don't know what they're seeing or not, but it looks profound. You know? The same way, you can see another person. When you see another person beyond the skin, beyond wrinkles, beyond the projection of pain, when you really see the person, it's fun. It's enlightening. It's awakening. You open your heart. The heart opens when you really see someone.
I was just thinking during lunchtime about humanness. What is humanness? Not human-this or human-that, not humanity either – just humanness. I think that it's similar to saying the nature of mind. There is some sense of humanness; in some sense it's essential. That essential humanness can then appear in so many different ways. There should be a place in the world for each and every way that it appears. However, I don't see that in today's society.
In today's society I feel like there's not a place for many, many things. The heart is getting more closed, views are getting more closed, opinions are getting more limited, and the law is getting more strict. There needs to be a place for everything. In Tibet, there is a place for the crazy person – it's in the family. They don't whisk them off to an institution right away. There is a place for old people – they stay at home. There is a place for disabled people. There are places for everyone else. People are not isolated away from society and labeled because of some physical or psychological disability. We all have problems, and we are all labeled as samsaric beings, which is not the best-built being. Everyone has to have someplace to be able to be.
In the teachings, kunzhi means the base of all, and it means a place for everybody. That is suchness. And knowing suchness is a wisdom. The base of all is referring to the essence; it is referring to suchness – like humanness. Humanness itself can not be wrong, but humans can appear to be wrong. Do you see the difference? This is what I believe: that in the ness, no one is wrong, though they appear to be wrong – they sometimes play the wrong roles. Even so, you don't punish them too much for that. Rather, you hold the space for others. Whether it's in the family, in a relationship, in the society, in the country – when there is a place for others, I think it's healthy. We have to learn how to create more space for others. Conflicts arise when there's not a place for everybody.
As a humanness, everyone should have a place in the world – an equal place, an equal opportunity. The pain eye does not see the deep sense of humanness, is-ness, suchness – Bön essense – what is. The pain eye sees only what the pain has projected. The “what is” – the essence – is only able to be seen when your pain identity is cleared. When you're free from the pain identity, you discover the wisdom of emptiness. And with the opening of that wisdom eye, you have a fresh sense of who you are. In the teachings, it is what we call Bön-ku, the eternal body. You can think about it as a fresh sense of you, a new you, a free you, an open you. That open you has a new eye. It sees the world differently. That eye is called the eye of Bön essence. The eye which sees the suchness, the humanness. With that, your heart opens.
Through this opening of your heart that comes when you clear your self-identity, clear your pain identity, you will be able to help or serve others more. When you have the wisdom of emptiness, the teachings say that the opening of your heart plays a vital role in helping others. It is not necessarily through your doing things – that's different. Some people will serve more through their actions; that's how it will manifest. Other people, though, won't necessarily do so much, but their heart will serve more; the openness of their heart serves others more. In some, their speech serves more. For others, their qualities will serve more. These are all different, but they are all service, and in the teachings they are all called trinlé – enlightened activities or enlightened service.
Enlightened here means two things: that one is free of one's own pain body, and that one is fully connected to the potentiality of one's awareness. One is able to change one's role, to have a role or not have a role. One is free from that sense of serving from any one specific door. There is a sense of total flexibility. Flexible conduct is a result of boundless view and infinite awareness. The identity is not stuck in one thing. Be free.
Now Available!
Spontaneous Creativity: Meditations for Manifesting Your Positive Qualities, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s newest book, Spontaneous Creativity: Meditations for Manifesting Your Positive Qualities, is now available either in hardcover or Kindle edition. Rather than the standard definition of creativity, the book looks at creativity through a wider lens, as a dynamic force that animates us and connects us with every being on the planet.
According to Rinpoche, creativity is not just a spark igniting the fire of inspiration. It is a way of living spontaneously from the open spaciousness of being – from the source of infinite potential and positive qualities such as love, compassion and joy.
Praise for Spontaneous Creativity:
“Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is a master at translating advanced teachings from the dzogchen path of Bön Buddhism into readily usable tools. In Spontaneous Creativity, he gives us access to powerful practices for inquiring deeply into our own nature and awakening our creativity for the good of ourselves and the world.”
–Alberto Villoldo, best-selling author of One Spirit Medicine and The Heart of the Shaman
Spontaneous Creativity, published by Hay House, Inc. is Rinpoche’s 10th book in English. Rinpoche’s books have been translated into 19 languages.
Upcoming Retreats in Europe with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
International Sangha Group Photos
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has traveled and taught in Europe every summer for many years. The sanghas have grown not only in the number of locations, but also in size, as you can see in some recent photos below. The international sangha shines brightly across the world!
Here are the locations and topics for the upcoming retreats in August and September:
August 10–12, 2018
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Subject: The True Source of Healing
Learn more/register
August 14–19, 2018
Location: Wilga, Poland
Subject: Dzogchen Teachings of Tapihritsa
Learn more/register
August 21–26, 2018
Location: Buchenau, Germany
Subject: Twenty-One Nails, Part 4
Learn more/register
September 7–9, 2018
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Subject: The Practice of the Six Lokas
Learn more/register
Heart Advice on the Five Wisdoms
Live on Facebook – A Conversation with Teachers from Six Tibetan Spiritual Traditions
On September 6, 2018, at 9 a.m. New York time, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will host a free TWR LIVE conversation among teachers from six spiritual traditions of Tibet. The topic will be "Teachings, Practices and Heart Advice on the Five Wisdoms."
The esteemed presenters include Chakung Jigme Wangdrak Rinpoche (IANTRT – The International Association of Non-sectarian Tibetan Religious Tradition), Shechen Khenpo Yeshe Gyaltsen (Nyingma), Geshe Rinchen Ngudup (Gelug), Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (Kagyu), Jonang Gyaltsab Rinpoche (Jonang), Sangmo Yangri, Ph.D. (Bön), and Khenpo Dakpa Senge (Sakya). The conversation will be in Tibetan with simultaneous translation to English and many other languages. All are welcome.
TWR LIVE is an innovative way to connect with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, the ancient Tibetan teachings and fellow students around the world through regular live broadcasts that can be easily viewed on Rinpoche’s Facebook page. All broadcasts are free and open to all – you don’t need a Facebook account to view them.
To subscribe to the TWR LIVE Announcements list, email the list administrators at
twr-live-announcements+subscribe[at]googlegroups.com (please copy and paste the email address into your e-mail application TO, replace [at] with @). You’ll receive a return email (check your SPAM folder if needed); this email will activate your subscription.
View live on the Facebook page of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Access simultaneous translation into English and other languages
Honoring the Feminine: Response has been very positive to the July 26 TWR LIVE conversation on the topic "Honoring the Feminine: How the Warmth of Wisdom Contributes to Social Change," with Tsultrim Allione, Traleg Khandro, Anne Carolyn Klein, Sharon Salzberg and Marcy Vaughn.
View recorded conversation
This September: The Bön Lineage Continues
Commemoration for 33rd Menri Trizin, Enthronement for 34th
His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin with Geshe Dawa Dhargye, his successor, the 34th Menri Trizin. Geshe Dawa Dhargye served His Holiness faithfully as a monk, the two men often working closely together. The lineage continues.Everyone is invited on September 3 and 4, 2018, to Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India where a ceremony will be held commemorating one year since the departure of His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, who passed away last year. All followers and disciples are requested to reserve this important date, and are welcome to come to the monastery to pay their respects.
On September 6 and 7, 2018, the grand enthronement ceremony for His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin Lungtok Dawa Dhargye Rinpoche will take place at Menri Monastery. All are invited and welcome to participate in this celebration. Geshe Dawa Dhargye was chosen as the new Menri Trizin on the auspicious day of January 1, 2018, as the throne holder of Menri Monastery and the spiritual leader of the Bön religious tradition.
Read official letters from Yungdrung Bon Monastic Centre.
Commemoration ceremony
Enthronement ceremony
Chamma Ling Colorado Offers Soul Retrieval Series
With Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, Resident Lama of Ligmincha Texas
Three separate retreats are being offered at Chamma Ling Colorado in Crestone to teach participants the ancient Bön methods of divination, meditation and ritual of soul retrieval. The series is being taught by Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, resident lama of Ligmincha Texas.
- Life-Force Ransom (Chi Lu), October 4–7, 2018
- Tséwang Rikdzin Longevity Practice & Sidpa Gyalmo Divination, Spring 2019
- Soul Retrieval (La Lu), Dates TBD
Each of these retreats is a whole and complete teaching in itself and is open to all. However, to gain a certificate of completion all three retreats must be attended, and all the practices and accumulations complete.
The soul is composed of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and space. These elements pervade all of life and are the essential components of our worldly existence. The shamanic rites of life force retrieval (tse lu) and soul retrieval (la lu) are methods of calling on the essence of the elements—elemental spirits—to balance and heal the individual.
Through the ritual of soul retrieval, one can bring back the positive qualities of the elements that are missing or weakened. With the addition of life-force ransom, the cooperation of spirits and dharma protectors is recruited to help sustain the energy of the recovered elements.
The retreat will be held at the Chamma Ling Colorado Community House within the retreat center. A limited number of cabins and dorm beds are available for participants, as well as camping on site. Participants also may choose to stay off site during the retreat.
Coming in November: “The 7 Mirrors of Dzogchen” with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn about Chamma Ling Colorado
New Video and Sound Equipment at Serenity Ridge
View Short YouTube Videos from Summer Retreat
With the latest in new camera technology and recording equipment, Salvador Espinosa and friends created beautiful videos of Rinpoche and surroundings at the Serenity Ridge Summer Retreat. Here are a few gems:
July 14: Serenity Ridge Welcomes You
July 6: The Best Question: Who is Suffering?
July 5: Doubt and Answers
July 5: Clearing, Connecting, Enjoying the 5 Tsa Lung Exercises
July 3: Flipping the Switch of Awareness in Meditation Practice
Upcoming Fall Retreat at Serenity Ridge October 16–21
'Powa: The Transference of Consciousness'
Register by August 16 to receive the early-bird discount for this six day retreat October 16–21 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on "Powa: The Transference of Consciousness." The powa teachings, from the Bön Mother Tantra, or Ma Gyü, are known to be particularly detailed, powerful and in-depth.
For a dedicated practitioner on the spiritual path, nearly any moment of transition provides a potent opportunity for positive transformation, and never more so than at the moment of death. Join us this fall to engage in the powa practice of the Bön tradition of Tibet, which prepares one to transfer one's consciousness directly into a pure realm at the time of death.
In these teachings, students learn how to accept death as a natural and expected process; how to adopt the right attitude in preparation for death; and how to perform the powa practice at the time of death. The powa training prepares the practitioner to transfer consciousness through the crown of the head at the time of death. This transfer of consciousness increases one’s chances for liberation in a single lifetime.
Both beginners and those experienced in meditation are warmly welcomed.
Two Tibetan Yoga Retreats in November at Serenity Ridge
Part 1 for Everyone Plus Concurrent Part 2 Training
Two Tibetan Yoga (trul khor) retreats will be offered at Serenity Ridge in November. The retreats will be held concurrently, with Part 1 set for November 1–4 and Part 2 held November 2–4. Similar to last year, they will be taught by Alejandro Chaoul-Reich,, Ph.D, a senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche who has been teaching these retreats for more than 20 years. He will be assisted by Rob Patzig, president and board chair of Ligmincha International, an experienced yoga teacher and trul khor practitioner.
Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being, Part 1 November 1–4, 2018
Beginners and experienced students alike are invited to Serenity Ridge November 1–4, 2018 for instruction in the ancient practice of Tibetan yoga, from the Bön A-tri Dzogchen tradition. This course can stand alone and also will be the first in a series of teachings to take place over the next three years.
In the Tibetan spiritual traditions, body, speech/breath and mind are known as the three doors to enlightenment or the natural state. The contemplative physical movements of Tibetan yoga (trul khor) of the A-tri tradition enable participants to enter all three doors through a single practice, offering a powerful, skillful means for clearing the obstacles and obscurations to openness and clarity in meditation practice. All students are warmly encouraged to learn these movements and benefit from practicing them. There is no prerequisite for attending this retreat.
For those interested in deepening their practice of Tibetan yoga, this retreat will serve as the first in a series for trul khor training based on the Bön A-tri Dzogchen tradition. An intermediate training program will be offered over the following two years, followed by an advanced training for two more years. All trainings will be held at Serenity Ridge. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Trul Khor Graduate Training November 2–4, 2018
This three-day retreat is open to anyone who has previously taken on A-Tri Trul Khor training in the past within Ligmincha, including last year's participants. The retreat will take a more detailed approach to the practice and is a foundation for those wishing to deepen their practice or become certified in guiding A-tri Trul Khor.
New Book by Alejandro Chaoul Now Available
Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being
A new book by Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D., director of research for Ligmincha International and senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is now available.
Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being: The Science and Practice of Healing Your Body, Energy, and Mind, focuses on the five principal breaths of Tibetan yoga and how special body movements for each of these breaths engage the five chakras in our body. Photos of each of the 16 movements are provided for reference, plus tips on how to keep your practice alive in the midst of your everyday life.
Tibetan yoga has been known to slow the effects of aging as well as enhance memory, improve physical strength, and support positive emotional and mental health. It enables practitioners to remove obstacles from their lives and welcome health and well-being.
Alejandro shares his experiences of daily practice in different settings and cultures, with a focus on simplicity, accessibility and ease. Alongside his thorough and clear guidance for Tibetan yoga’s core movements and breathing methods, he provides a contextual understanding of the history and lineage of Tibetan yoga.
The book is available through amazon.com and other venues.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's Worldwide Teaching Schedule
Upcoming Teachings for August–October 2018
Rinpoche’s 2018 teaching schedule by date and location is available on the Ligmincha International website.
The schedule includes Rinpoche’s in-person teachings at Ligmincha International retreat centers or other locations throughout the world. It also includes his online teachings offered through Ligmincha Learning and GlideWing, plus information about free TWR LIVE teachings offered regularly through Rinpoche’s Facebook page.
Here is a list of Rinpoche’s retreats and presentations in six countries during the months of August through October. The online schedule will be updated as teachings are added or revised.
• Aug. 10–12: Helsinki, Finland: The True Source of Healing
• Aug. 11–Sept. 2: GlideWing online course: Tibetan Sound Healing
• Aug. 17–Sept. 22: Ligmincha Learning online course: The Three Heart Mantras
• Aug. 14–19: Wilga, Poland: Dzogchen Teachings of Tapihritsa
• Aug. 21–26: Buchenau, Germany: Twenty-One Nails, Part 4
• Sept. 7–9: Budapest, Hungary: The Practice of the Six Lokas
• Sept. 14–16: Seoul, Korea: The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen;
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• Sept. 29–Oct. 28: GlideWing online course: Awakening the Sacred Arts
• Oct. 16–21: Serenity Ridge Shipman, Virginia: Powa: The Transference of Consciousness
• Oct. 25: San Jose, CA: Science & Nonduality (SAND) Conference, The Science and Mystery of Being Human
Schedule by date
Schedule by location
New Online Tibetan Language Bön Prayers Course
September 22–October 21 with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen
Students from across Ligmincha’s international sangha can deepen their connection to the practice and study of Bön by participating in a new online Tibetan Language Bön Prayers course through Ligmincha Learning. The course, to be held on five Sundays from September 23–October 22, 2018, will be taught by Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, resident lama of Ligmincha Texas.
Students will learn the correct pronunciation and melody of Bön daily prayers and encounter their meaning through Tibetan stories and word study. No prior knowledge of Tibetan is needed. Course materials include English translation, phonetic transliteration and Tibetan script. New materials have been designed specifically for non-Tibetan readers to understand line by line the meaning of the Tibetan words in five prayers.
The course implements a blended approach to online learning with both self-paced study and a live weekly class that also will be recorded. The course was co-designed with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen as the lead teacher and Bob Clark, an English teacher and longtime student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, as teaching assistant.
The class will be held through Zoom videoconference on Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern (New York) time.
- September 23: Guru Yoga Prayer
- September 30: Refuge Prayer (from the Bön Mother Tantra)
- October 7: Bodhicitta Prayer (from the Bön Mother Tantra)
- October 14: Prayer to Nyamé Sherap Gyaltsen
- October 21: Dedication Prayer
A second six-week session planned for spring 2019 will focus on two longer prayers: the Inner Refuge Prayer by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and the Invocation of Yeshe Walmo.
Register for the course
Ligmincha Learning's 'The Three Heart Mantras' Starts Soon!
August 17–September 22 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer a five-week online course, “The Three Heart Mantras,” from August 17–September 22, 2018. The Three Heart Mantras are used in many different meditations in the Tibetan Bon Buddhist tradition and play a major role in the ngöndro (preliminary) practices.
The Three Heart Mantras are said to be the essence of enlightenment in sound and energy. As as we sing or chant the mantras, our awareness is transformed to be in union with the Buddhas. They are used for purification, protection and as primary practices toward self-realization.
Each section of the course includes a video of original teachings created by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche especially for this course, and guided meditation videos led by Rinpoche. The course also features meditation assignments designed for each part of the course, and online discussions led by John Jackson, director of the Chamma Ling Colorado retreat center.
The course is structured in five parts, with six days devoted to each section. Learners can study at their own pace and have access to all materials as they are released, so it is easy to review earlier sections.
Topics for each week include:
1. Introduction to the Three Heart Mantras
2. Refuge, Bodhicitta and Guru Yoga
3. OM MA TRI MU YE SA LE DU – mantra explanation and meditation
4. A KAR A ME DU TRI SU NAG PO SHI SHI MAL MAL SO HA – mantra and explanation
5. A OM HUNG A A KAR SA LE OD A YANG OM DU – mantra explanation and meditation
Learn more about the course
Register
GlideWing 'Tibetan Sound Healing' Begins August 11
'Awakening the Sacred Arts' Begins September 29
The next GlideWing online workshop with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, “Tibetan Sound Healing," will be held August 11–September 2, 2017. With Rinpoche’s personal guidance you will learn to use the healing power of five sacred syllables known as the Five Warrior Syllables.
The Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition is one of the most ancient spiritual traditions to use sound and its vibration as an essential tool for healing and spiritual development. Guided by the mind and carried by the breath through subtle channels within the body, the power of sound can open the potential to bring joy and love to your life, facilitate personal healing, dissolve energetic disturbances and awaken positive action in the world around you.
Changing life for the better isn’t easy – especially when we’re trying to change by thinking or worrying our way out of problems. Overcoming a nagging physical issue, bad habit, negative emotion or harmful thought pattern can take months, years, even decades of trying. The Tibetan spiritual traditions offer a faster route to lasting happiness and well-being. Through the ancient practice of the Five Warrior Syllables, you will discover the power of pure, primordial sound to quickly cut through the obstacles to lasting change and to open the space for profound healing of body, energy and mind.
Tenzin Rinpoche’s teachings are based on his popular book Tibetan Sound Healing.
Learn more/register
Upcoming: "Awakening the Sacred Arts—Discover Your Creative Potential" with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, September 29–October 28.
Lishu Institute’s Fall Curriculum
Sangmo Yangri Discusses Bön Lam Rim
The June issue of VOCL contained an article about the new curriculum of Lishu Institute starting this fall. Lishu, founded by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is Ligmincha’s residential retreat center in northern India dedicated to intensive practice and study of Tibetan Bön Buddhism. Here, Lishu’s resident translator and teacher Sangmo Yangri discusses one of the texts that will be studied during the fall 2018 session.
In September 2018, within the framework of a new curriculum, Lishu Institute will offer during the fall 2018 session a new teaching, on the Bön Lam Rim combined with an intensive Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü Ngöndro (preliminary practices) retreat practice.
The text of Lam Rim, written by the great 11th century Bön master Me sTon Sherab Woser, contains foundational teachings in the Bön tradition. Yet, it is generally not well-known in the West. This article contains a condensed biography of Me sTon Sherab Woser and gives an overview of the teaching contained in the Lam Rim text. (For the complete biography, see Ligmincha Europe Magazine, Spring 2018.
Me sTon Sherab Woser
Me sTon Sherab Woser was born in 1058 A.D. to a nomad family in a region Taklung Ra Wa Marpo from the “Me” clan. Given the name Namdrag, he was the youngest son of Yungdrung Nyen (father) and Gur Za Dhar Re (mother). When he was born, he had a circle of hair between his eyebrows, in the middle of his forehead like a fine feather of vulture. At the time of his birth, the sky was filled with light and rainbows. The earth was trembling and blissful sound was echoing from everywhere. Witnessing all these auspicious signs, the villagers generated a great devotion. When he was young, he was calm and inherited a great nature of wisdom.
When he was 6, he learned to read and write, and received several sacred instructions from his grandfather. By age 11, he had attained a great understanding in all the higher texts. Over the next years, he studied Tibetan sciences and received many sacred instructions from various masters.
When he was 21 years old, he received teachings from master Drol Wa Shen Gyal from Zhu clan, followed by seven years of more study in the monastery. He also recorded all of his master’s (Drolwa Shen Gyal ) teachings in a written form and spread them throughout Tibet.
At age 27 he received lay practitioner vows. He sometimes did retreat in monasteries and sometimes practiced living a life like a mendicant. When he heard that the great master Je Gong Zod Ri Trod Chenpo was in the Shang Phug Le region, he traveled to meet him and received several sacred dzogchen instructions. He practiced dzogchen consistently and had a great experience of the awareness of the nature of the mind. At age 29, he received novice monk vows from his master and was named Sherab Woser. He received further vows from other teachers and worked to preserve their teachings.
Returning to his homeland, he gave all his property and land to his brother and practiced in a cave to cut through the connection to worldly affairs and people. He then turned the wheel of doctrine three times to his devotees in his homeland Tag Lung. As one of the four disciples of Je Gongzod Ri Trod Chenpo, he was entrusted with all of the teachings. According to the needs and request of his disciples, he gave 9 to 15 teaching sessions a day. He died in 1132, at age 75, while preaching to his disciples.
The Teaching
Among Me sTon Sherab Woser his many great commentaries, one of the most popular was revealing the great method to accomplish the stages of the path to enlightenment. Though there are many commentaries available on the 320 root verses of this teaching, Lishu has chosen to teach next fall from the commentary of Shen ton Namkha Gyaltsen (A.D 1088–1163), a close disciple of Me sTon Sherab Woser.
Jangchub Drub Thab Lam kyi Rim Pa literally means “a great method to accomplish the stages of the path to enlightenment.” Through the diligent practice of this teaching, the disciple will be able to enter the path of enlightenment and reach the ultimate liberation. This text provides a complete map to follow, starting from the very beginning of the journey. It reveals the different stages of the path and explains the methods to apply.
The teaching will cover the following topics:
- Relying on (qualified) teacher
- Revelation of the precious human life
- Revelation of the fault of samsara
- Revelation of the great aspect of devotion
- Revelation of the refuge in triple gems
- Revelation of the adopting and abandonment of virtuous deeds and nonvirtuous deeds
- Revelation the afflictions and its antidotes
- Revelation of the generating the mind of enlightenment
- Revelation of the contemplation
- Revelation the lack of inherent existence of self and phenomena
- Revelation of the sacred oral instruction
Although this text is based on the higher sutric vehicle, these are fundamental teachings that also are found in the preliminary teachings of tantra and dzogchen. The former great masters as well as our current masters have insisted that these teachings are crucial, as path on their own but also as opening door to high tantric and dzogchen teachings and practices.
The view from Lishu’s back balcony
Sangmo Yangri with students
Visit the Lishu website
Email Sangmo for more information
The 3 Doors
Research and Current Programs
Within the rapidly expanding field of research on mindfulness and meditation, The 3 Doors research team is studying the effects of 3 Doors Tibetan meditation programs and practices on people’s lives in relation to self, others (family/friends/colleagues) and the larger community. Research projects are being conducted in the fields of healthcare, education, and physical and emotional well-being in everyday life in order to understand the short-term, cumulative and lasting benefits.
Registration is open for these 3 Doors programs:
- North American Academy at Serenity Ridge, VA, starts in October 2018, with Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco
- 9-month Compassion Project in Philadelphia, PA, starts in September 2018, with Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco
- Exploring Your Wisdom Breath Energies, August–September 2018 (online in Spanish, with English translation), with Alejandro Chaoul
- The Awakening Power of Breath (online), October 2018, with Laura Shekerjian
- Walking the Healing Path (online), September–November with Raven Lee
View Ligmincha Europe Magazine's Spring 2018 Issue
Featuring Worldwide Sangha News
Download the magazine as a PDF here
Read it on your screen here
Spanish Translation of VOCL
Link to June Issue Now Available
Look for the translations of Voice of Clear Light newsletters at the top of the Voice of Clear Light website.
Read VOCL in Spanish
Upcoming Retreats
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The retreats listed below will take place at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Ligmincha International headquarters located in rural Nelson County, Virginia. To register or for more information, click on the links below, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 434-263-6304.
October 16–21, 2018
Fall Retreat: Powa: The Transference of Consciousness
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register
November 1–4, 2018
Trul Khor: Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being, Part 1
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
Learn more
November 2–4, 2018
A-Tri Trul Khor: Part 2
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
Learn more
December 26, 2018–January 1, 2019
Winter Retreat: The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 5
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Prerequisite: Previous completion of Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung series.
To register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , call 434-263-6304 or visit the Serenity Ridge website.