Volume 20, Number 1 / February 2020
Letter from the Editors
Growing Familiar
Dear Friends,
It is our great pleasure to share with all of you an excerpt from a teaching given by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at the European Summer Retreat in Buchenau, Germany, in 2017. Thank you to all of those in the Ligmincha Deutschland sangha who helped make the translated transcript possible! More
'Recognizing and Shining Through One's Delusions'
An Edited Excerpt from Oral Teachings on ‘The 21 Nails, Part 3’ by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, European Summer Retreat 2017, Buchenau, Germany
I’ve been coming here to Germany and Austria for 27 years. Time has passed really fast, but one thing is clear: this kind of commitment – that I’ve come every year – has continued for a very long time. More
Interview with His Eminence Menri Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
November 2019 at Serenity Ridge
This interview with His Eminence Menri Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, conducted by VOCL editors Jeff and Aline Fisher, took place at Serenity Ridge in November 2019 during His Eminence’s special retreat “Pith Instructions from the Golden Advice.” A renowned scholar and meditation master, His Eminence is the head instructor of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India. More
Full Moon Meditations on Sherap Chamma
Tenzin Rinpoche Launches New Online Series February 9, 2020
In a special 40-minute Facebook Live broadcast on the day of the February 9 full moon, 1 p.m. New York time, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will guide a deep, healing meditation on Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love. Rinpoche also will use the time to introduce a series of 24-hour meditation and mantra recitation sessions, which will take place online via Zoom during each subsequent full moon of 2020. More
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Upcoming Broadcast February 26
Facebook Live Conversation with 3 Doors Senior Teachers
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Facebook Live broadcast “Meet the Teachers: The 3 Doors” on Wednesday, February 26 at 1 p.m. New York Time. Ten years after the birth of the 3 Doors organization, founder Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche meets with its director and senior teachers in this online broadcast. More
Happy Losar!
Ligmincha Celebrates Tibetan New Year February 23
Ligmincha will hold its annual Losar webcast on Sunday, February 23, at 10 a.m. New York time. The event will be livestreamed from Ligmincha’s Facebook page. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will have a message for us, and he will be joined by many of our resident lamas. More
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s Worldwide Teaching Schedule
February Through April 2020
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s 2020 Schedule by Date is available on the Ligmincha website, with location, teaching topic and contact information. Rinpoche's schedule also is available as individual Events boxes on the website More
Four Upcoming Retreats at Serenity Ridge
Annual Spring Retreat on ‘Discovering the Melody of Silence'
Registration is now open for four upcoming retreats at Serenity Ridge: “Sherap Chamma: Mother of Wisdom and Love” with Marcy Vaughn will be held February 21–23. “The Five Precious Wisdom Medicines” with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen will be held March 13–15. “Discovering the Melody of Silence” with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will be held April 2–5. And “Serenity Ridge Dialogues: Body, Breath & Mind” will be held April 5–7. More
A New Translation of the Invocation of Yéshe Walmo
New Translation of Standard Prayer for Use Throughout Ligmincha
As part of a long-term project to standardize the prayers and translations used throughout the many Ligmincha International centers, a translation of the standard version of the Invocation of Yéshe Walmo is now being introduced. Yéshe Walmo is an enlightened deity within the Yungdrung Bön tradition who acts to protect the religious tradition and its practitioners. This new translation is by Raven Cypress-Wood, and in the article below she explains some of the prayer’s history and changes. More
From the Heart
Teacher and Students Share Their Poems
Featured below is a poem by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Who Am I? that he read during a December 2019 Facebook Live broadcast, Poetry of Tibet, which included two well-known Tibetan poets who also read their work in Tibetan. You can see some of the translations into English on the CyberSangha website. We also have two poems that sangha members shared with us during this past winter retreat at Serenity Ridge. More
'Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practice'
Online Course with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen Begins February 29
Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer an online course with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen on “Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practice” from February 29–April 4, 2020. This six-week course is designed for anyone who would like to learn more about, or deepen their existing knowledge of, the ancient, profound tradition of Tibetan Bön Buddhism. More
'Ngöndro: The Foundational Practices'
Ligmincha Learning Online Course Begins March 7
Ligmincha Learning will offer an online course with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, resident lama for Ligmincha Texas, and John Jackson, mentor for many Ligmincha Learning courses, on “Ngöndro: The Foundational Practices” from March 7–December 31, 2020. This nine-month course is much longer than our other online courses, due to the number of meditation practices and the commitment of the practitioners to accumulate 100,000 repetitions of many of the practices. More
'The Truth That Sets You Free' with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
GlideWing Workshop Begins February 15
This three-week online workshop, with personal support and guidance from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is about becoming liberated from fear and other disturbing emotions so you may live more fully and genuinely in all aspects of life. Ultimately, its practices are about achieving liberation, or enlightenment. More
'Walking the Healing Path' Online and a Summer Retreat
3 Doors Courses Led by Teacher Raven Lee
“Walking the Healing Path,” a course with 3 Doors senior teacher Dr. Raven Lee, will be held both online beginning in March and during a residential retreat in Switzerland in June. You are welcome to attend one or both events. More
Student and Teacher
Together on the Path
As students on the Tibetan Bön Buddhist path, we offer our teachers a range of questions from the simple to the complex. Here is a question about one's sense of being during the process of dying. More
Spanish Translation of VOCL
Link to December Issue Now Available
Look for the translations of Voice of Clear Light newsletters at the top of the VOCL website.
Read VOCL in Spanish
Upcoming Retreats
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The events 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, visit the Serenity Ridge website, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 434-263-6304.
February 21–23, 2020
Sherap Chamma: Mother of Wisdom and Love
with Marcy Vaughn
March 13–15, 2020
The Five Precious Wisdom Medicines
with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen
March 28–April 2, 2020
Spring Service Retreat
April 2–5, 2020
Spring Retreat—Discovering the Melody of Silence
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
April 5–7, 2020
Serenity Ridge Dialogues: Body, Breath & Mind
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
June 20–July 4, 2020
Summer Retreat: Tummo, Part 3
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
To register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please visit the Serenity Ridge website, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 434-263-6304.
