New Sacred Sky Books Available August 15 Through Online Bookstore
The 33rd Menri Trizin’s Dzogchen Teachings and the Journey of Tonpa Shenrap’s Daughter
Two new books published by Sacred Sky Press, a division of Ligmincha International, will be available online through Ligmincha’s Bookstore & Tibet Shop after August 15. Living Wisdom: Dzogchen Teachings from the 33rd Menri Trizin, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, contains excerpts from His Holiness’s teachings at Serenity Ridge. Escape from Darkness: The Spiritual Journey of the Buddha’s Daughter, Shenza Nechung, is the translation by Sangmo Yangri, Ph.D., of part of an ancient text about Tonpa Shenrap.
Check back here after August 15 for a new link to the online Bookstore and these two books.
Living Wisdom: Dzogchen Teachings from the 33rd Menri Trizin, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche
Living Wisdom presents selected, edited excerpts of teachings from four visits of His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizin, to Serenity Ridge in 1999, 2001, 2011 and 2013. The first copy of the book was presented to His Holiness Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, the 34th Menri Trizin, during the first week of his visit to Serenity Ridge in June.
The topics taught by the 33rd Menri Trizin focus on dzogchen, the highest among the Tibetan Bön teachings, which points out the true nature of mind. They include profound teachings from retreats on the Twenty-Four Masters, subsequent Lineage Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, and the Six Lamps.
His Holiness was the abbot of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, and spiritual leader of the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition from 1968 until his passing on September 14, 2017. Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly to preserve the ancient Bön tradition and culture. In addition to his formal teachings, His Holiness’s wisdom, warmth and presence shines through in the book through the questions he answered and the stories he told. Numerous full-color photos of His Holiness are featured throughout the book.
From the Foreword by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:
It is hard to fathom just how much gratitude His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche is due. Every Bön practitioner alive today, and especially those in the West, should keep his Holiness in their hearts. He has left his body, but his works are still here. His spirit is here. His compassion and his wisdom are very much alive for anyone who wants to connect with him.
Escape from Darkness: The Spiritual Journey of the Buddha’s Daughter, Shenza Nechung
In the Tibetan Bön tradition, there have been numerous female lay and nun practitioners who attained high spiritual states. Their stories are included in Bön texts and also are a part of local folklore but have not been extricated from the texts or recorded from the folklore. This book is an attempt to begin to fill the void that has been left for centuries.
In Escape from Darkness, the first story of a female Bön practitioner is brought to light by translating the life story of Buddha Tonpa Shenrap Miwo’s younger daughter, Shenza Nechung, and describing her spiritual journey. The book tells the tale of how the demon Khyappa Lakring attempts to defeat the teachings of the Yungdrung Bön by seducing Shenza Nechung, and how she is eventually rescued and reconnects with the dharma.
The book is translated by Sangmo Yangri, Ph.D., a scholar, teacher, translator and the first Tibetan female to receive a Ph.D. in the area of Tibetan Bön studies. In 2015, she was appointed to the position of teacher and translator at Lishu Institute in northern India, founded by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for the intensive study and practice of Bön.
The book also includes a foreword by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, commentary by Sangmo Yangri, and reflections by Tsering Wangmo and Marcy Vaughn.
