New September Retreat on Tapihritsa Prayer Scheduled at Serenity Ridge
Taught by Yangton Lama Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche
Yangton Lama Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche will offer teachings on the Invocation of Tapihritsa on Saturday, September 16, and Sunday, September 17, 2017, at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center. Everyone is welcome to join us for this powerful dzogchen teaching from the Yungdrung Bön Buddhist lineage of Tibet.
Lama Tashi is the uncle of Serenity Ridge’s resident lama, Geshe Tenzin Yangton. He arrived this summer at Serenity Ridge for an extended visit.
The Invocation of Tapihritsa expresses the essence of dzogchen, the "great perfection," with Tapihritsa representing the true nature of reality. Considered both a historical figure and enlightened being, Tapihritsa was born around the 7th or 8th century CE and was one the 25th early Bön master of dzogchen to achieve the rainbow body. He allowed his student, Nangzher Lopo, to write down the lineage teachings for the benefit of future generations. The Invocation to Tapihritsa, written by Nangzher Lopo, has been translated into English and is a powerful teaching that guides the practitioner to realize the nature of mind.
In his clear, sensitive and direct teaching style, Lama Tashi will present the Invocation of Tapihritsa and explain its significance in a manner that will help develop and deepen our connection to our own essential goodness and compassion. Lama Tashi will teach in Tibetan, and translation will be provided Geshe Tenzin Yangton.
Registration is expected to open in August.
Yangton Lama Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche was born into the profound Yangton lineage in 1954 in Chharkha, in the remote region of Dolpo, northwest Nepal. He is the cousin of H.E Menri Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche and the first Chharkha-pa to come to Menri Monastery in India at the behest of H.E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, in later years bringing his cousin and others. At present, he is the head lama of Yanggon Thongdrol Phuntsog Ling Monastery. Lama Tashi is known as an accomplished meditator and scholar. Along with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Lama Tashi received his geshe degree (similar to a Ph.D. in religious studies) in 1986, graduating from the first class of geshes at Menri Monastery. He gained profound knowledge in the dzogchen teachings and many others from Yongdzin Sangye Tenzin, Yondgzin Tenzin Namdak and Tsundue Rinpoche. After that, he returned back to his native village of Chharka. There he constructed Yanggon Thondrol Phuntsok Ling Monastery in 1988. He relocated the temple of Tardzong Phuntsok Ling Monastery in 1993 and also constructed a prayer-wheel room, kitchen, monk’s residence and treasure room (storeroom), thus reestablishing a perfect environment for the three-year retreat practitioner and practitioners in general.