Alejandro Chaoul-Reich to Speak at Chöd Conference in July
Hosted at Tara Mandala in Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Alejandro Chaoul, Ph.D., senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, will be a presenter at the Historic First International Chöd-Zhijé Conference to be held July 12-16, 2017.
Alejandro is also a senior teacher for the 3 Doors, a nonprofit organization founded by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with the goal of transforming people’s lives through meditation. He holds a doctorate in Tibetan Religions from Rice University and teaches various meditation practices, including Chöd and Tibetan Yoga through Ligmincha International. He is the author of Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition.
The conference will be held at beautiful Tara Mandala, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, founded by Lama Tsultrim Allione. This Historic First International Chöd-Zhije Conference will draw together leading scholars and practitioners researching and teaching this unique lineage in its various manifestations. Keynotes, panel discussions and small group sessions will be held. They will explore the teachings of 11th century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön and her teacher, the renowned Indian yogi Padampa Sangye; the developments of the lineage over the last millennium; the role of women; and the application of these teachings to our modern world. Dharma teachings and performances of Chöd songs and dances will foster a rich and engaged experience. Follow-up retreats will offer the opportunity to learn some of the different Chöd practices.
Here is a short description of Alejandro's workshop on “Cutting Through Boundaries: A Workshop on the Bönpo Chöd (gcod) “ that is given on the conference website:
In the beautiful autumn of 1989, a striking melodious voice accompanied by powerful bells and drums reached my room in Zilnon Kagye Ling monastery in Dharamsala, India.
This was Alejandro Chaoul’s introduction to Chöd, leading him on an in-depth journey to research and learn Chöd from different traditions, primarily among Nyingma and Bön lineages. Inspired by his teachers, Yeshe Dorje Rinpoche, Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, Lopon Tenzin Namdak, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, he pursued an exploration of Chöd and its origins in the Bön tradition from both an academic and practitioner’s perspective.
In this workshop Dr. Chaoul will share his experience of the various Bönpo Chöd lineages and how one can practice it in a simple way, without needing a bell or a drum. This practice can become a powerful tool for the practitioner to confront their fears and limitations, finding support in a state of mind that is more open, luminous, and warm.