THE VOICE OF CLEAR LIGHT
News and Inspiration from Ligmincha Institute
Volume IV, Number 5
May 5, 2004
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For easy reading, we recommend that you print out "The Voice of Clear
Light."
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Important Information for Summer and Fall Retreats.
"On The Nature of Mind" - an excerpt from "Healing With Form, Energy
an Light" by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche followed by edited excerpts
from oral teachings given by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at the Winter
Retreat, December, 2002.
"Qualities of the Nature of Mind" - excerpts from the writings of two
Buddhist masters.
Happy Birthday Wishes to Tenzin Rinpoche - May 5!
Come to the Summer Work Retreat at Serenity Ridge: June 27-July 3.
A New Opportunity to study Tibetan Astrology and Calligraphy
with Geshe Nyima Kunchap at Serenity Ridge, August 11-15.
"The Power of Practice - A True Story surrounding a Great Bon
Lama's Passing" by Sandy Sinha of Sikkim, India, edited by Aline
Fisher for VOCL.
New Items available at Ligmincha's Bookstore.
A Letter of Thanks from the Editor.
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Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SUMMER AND FALL RETREATS
Greetings Everyone,
As we expected, and are pleased to announce, the registrations for
both the Ligmincha Summer and Fall Retreats are very high in numbers.
The summer retreat with Tenzin Rinpoche presenting the 21 Nails is
ahead of the usual pace for registrations by the beginning of May,
and the number of registrations for the very special fall retreat
with Yongdzin Rinpoche, Tenzin Rinpoche, Khenpo Tenpai Yungdrung
Rinpoche and Geshe Lugrig Gyaltsen have reached capacity for our
current ability to host the retreat. As of this date, the fall
retreat is closed to new registrations. But as we all know, due to
the truth of impermanence, things change! So please read on.
Ligmincha Institute is grateful for the early and continuing
registrations from all sangha members, dharma students and friends.
We also want to make everyone aware that registration for the summer
retreat is increasing in numbers quickly, and for the first time we
have had to "close" registration for a retreat far in advance of the
dates for these retreats.
Tenzin Rinpoche is very aware of these facts and has asked me to send
this announcement to encourage those of you who believed you
had "more time" to make your plans for summer and fall. We truly do
not wish to disappoint any of you who want to receive teachings on
the 21 Nails and be with Tenzin Rinpoche this summer, nor miss the
final opportunity, this fall, to be with Yongdzin Rinpoche at
Serenity Ridge.
As concerns the summer, you may still register, and we encourage you
do so promptly in order to save a space.
The fall is an entirely different and new situation for us. For those
of you who wanted to attend this retreat we are requesting that you
contact our Ligmincha office and place your name on the waiting list
as soon as possible, and not later than two weeks from today. The
number is (434)977-6161 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
This is quite important!
In two weeks we will determine if the number of people on the waiting
list warrants our exploring ways to increase the total capacity of
how many we can host for the retreat. There are a few options that
Tenzin Rinpoche is considering as to how we might augment our retreat
capacity, but we need to know how many are still wanting to come.
Please make it possible for us to make a decision by adding your name
to the waiting list.
Thank you,
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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Gabriel Rocco
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"ON THE NATURE OF MIND" - AN EXCERPT FROM "HEALING WITH FORM, ENERGY
AND LIGHT" BY TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE:
"Realizing the nature of mind, we find that what we are in [is] the
inseparable state of awareness and emptiness. When we realize that,
we realize the essence of space. If we abide in the nature of mind,
merged with space rather than identified with what arises in space,
there is an effect in life. There is nothing to defend, no self that
needs protecting, because our own nature is spacious and can
accommodate everything. Emptiness needs no defense. Space cannot be
damaged. No one can do anything to it. An opinion or image can be
attacked and hurt but the space in which the opinion or image exists
is indestructible. It does not age, does not develop or deteriorate,
isn't born, and doesn't die. Through this realization, confidence
and fearlessness arise. Though experience arises without ceasing, we
remain connected to the unchanging space in which it arises. We need
not try to own it or claim it. It is here already, beyond hope and
fear. When the nature of mind is realized, the spontaneous
perfection of all phenomena is understood and primordial purity is
realized.
"The practitioner of Dzogchen first tries to understand this space of
the nature of mind. Then he or she must recognize it through
meditation and the pointing out instructions of the teacher, then
develop the connection to it. Finally, the practitioner integrates
with space, which is what 'abiding in the nature of mind' means.
It's not that the practitioner becomes something different. We
have to use the language of development to talk about the path, about
how to get somewhere we want to go. But really there is no place to
go, there is nothing to develop. It's a question of waking, of
recognizing what already is.
"When the space of the nature of mind is realized there is still
a flow. This is the luminosity; there is movement, sensation,
liveliness. Experience is richer than it was, not poorer. Qualities
arise endlessly. Compassion or sadness, anger or love may arise, but
the practitioner doesn't lose the connection to the space from
which they arise."
From "Healing With Form, Energy and Light" by Tenzin Wangyal
Rinpoche. Edited by Mark Dahlby. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications,
2002. Available at Ligmincha's Bookstore.
*****
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EDITED EXCERPTS FROM ORAL TEACHINGS GIVEN BY TENZIN WANGYAL
RINPOCHE,
DECEMBER, 2002:
The nature of mind is not like a place where you go as a subject and
arrive there as if it were an object. There is no place to go.
There is no such place you can visit. There is no such form that you
will experience.
What does that mean 'no form'? If you are expecting to see form you
are not going to see anything - guaranteed. We are so conditioned to
seeing some 'thing,' to having something there. It is very, very
difficult for us to get rid of that mind, to not expect.
***
An experience of the nature of mind is just an experience. It is not
the nature of mind. If I see a cup, I can say, "This is a cup"
because I see it. But with the nature of mind we know we cannot see
it as we see a cup. There is nothing to see there. So you can not
say of anything, "This is the nature of mind." You can find
yourself there when causes and conditions come together, when you
overcome your subtlest perceiver. There, nobody is looking for the
nature of mind; nobody is wanting to look; nobody is interested to
see nature of mind.
***
If you are able to create the right body, the right energy and the
right mind together, then there is no way not to experience the
nature of mind. As we always say, "There is no power or force
that can stop the result when all the causes and conditions come
together."
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"QUALITIES OF THE NATURE OF MIND" - EXCERPTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF
TWO BUDDHIST MASTERS.
Here are two precious jewels among many more to come:
From "The Heart Treasure Of The Enlightened Ones" by Patrul Rinpoche
and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:
"It is no good looking anywhere outside you for the ultimate nature
of mind - it is within. When we speak of the 'mind,' it is important
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to know whether we are talking about the ordinary mind, referring to
the innumerable chains of thoughts that create and maintain our state
of delusion, or as here, about the nature of mind at the source of
all those thoughts - the clear, void state of awareness completely
free of delusion.
"To illustrate this distinction, Lord Buddha taught that there are
two ways to meditate - like a dog and like a lion. If you throw a
stick at a dog, he will chase after the stick; but if you throw a
stick at a lion, the lion will chase after you. You can throw as
many sticks as you like at a dog, but at a lion only one. When you
are completely barraged with thoughts, chasing after each one in turn
with its antidote is an endless task. That is like the dog. It is
better, like the lion, to look for the source of those thoughts, void
awareness, on whose surface thoughts move like ripples on the surface
of a lake, but whose depth is the unchanging state of utter
simplicity."
"The Heart Treasure Of The Enlightened Ones" by Patrul Rinpoche and
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2002. You
can order this book online at: www.shambhala.com.
*****
From "Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State" by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche:
"The mind is the most subtle and hidden aspect of our relative
condition, but it is not difficult to notice its existence. All one
has to do is to observe one's thoughts and how we let ourselves get
caught up in their flow. If one asks 'What is the mind?', the reply
might be that it is the mind that asks that question. The mind is
the uninterrupted flow of thoughts which arise and then disappear.
It has the capacity to judge, to reason, to imagine and so on, within
the limits of space and time. But beyond the mind, beyond our
thoughts, there is something we call the 'nature of the mind', the
mind's true condition, which is beyond all limits. If it is beyond
the mind, though, how can we approach an understanding of it?
"Let's take the example of the mirror. When we look into a mirror we
see in it the reflected images of any objects that are in front of
it; we don't see the nature of the mirror. But what do we mean by
this 'nature of the mirror'? We mean its capacity to reflect,
definable as its clarity, its purity, and its limpidity, which are
indispensable conditions for the manifestation of reflections.
This 'nature of the mirror' is not something visible, and the only
way we can conceive of it is through the images reflected in the
mirror. In the same way, we only know and have concrete experience
of that which is relative to our condition of body, voice, and mind.
But this itself is the way to understand their true nature."
"Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State" by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche.
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Translated from the Italian by John Shane. Edited by Adriano
Clemente. New York: Arkana, 1989. Available at Ligmincha's
Bookstore.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE!
Although a few days late, this issue now arrives on a very special
date - May 5 ˆ the honorary birthday of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche!
May this be a wonderful day of celebration and of prayer for our
teacher's happiness and long life!
Here is the Long Life Prayer for Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche by
Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, in Tibetan and then English:
Chog sum gyal wa se che chin lab dang
Don dam lu wa me pe den tob dang
Nel jor dag gyi ting dzin nu pe thu
Ten zin kye bu'i ku tse thar chin shog
Through the blessings of the Three Jewels,
the Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas,
The strength of the ultimate unfailing truth,
And the power of the meditation of us practitioners,
Holder of the Teachings, may your lifespan be
perfectly fulfilled.
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NEW OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY TIBETAN ASTROLOGY AND CALLIGRAPHY
Retreat with Geshe Nyima Kunchap, at Serenity Ridge, August 11-15,
2004.
For the very first time, an in-depth introduction to the centuries
old system of Tibetan Astrology will be the focus of a retreat at
Serenity Ridge. It will be the first in a series of dharma arts and
sciences retreats organized by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche to support
students in broadening their understanding of the Bon tradition and
enriching the quality of their lives.
Geshe Nyima Kunchap, an experienced teacher traditionally schooled in
Tibetan astrology, will introduce us to the science of divination and
the study of time cycles, the compilation of the calendar, medical
diagnosis, study of time cycles, and the creation of horoscopes based
on individual birth charts and the cycle of the elements within each
person. Geshe Nyima will discuss specific practices that
traditionally are prescribed to strengthen an individual whose life
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force has weakened or become unbalanced. This holistic system of
analysis and prescription is unique to Tibetan astrology.
Geshe Nyima will also teach and guide us in the art of calligraphy.
The beauty and grace of this art bring the practitioner into the
present moment and touch one deeply. As Tenzin Rinpoche says, "In
practicing calligraphy one develops a deep relationship with the seed
syllables. Gazing at the syllables, or painting them, is a powerful
form of meditation through which one develops many subtle, positive
qualities."
This retreat will be of interest to students of meditation, dharma
arts, astrology, and health related sciences, as well as to those who
simply wish to be on retreat for personal reasons. Please join us in
August!
Geshe Nyima Kunchap Lama was born in 1964 at the border of Tibet and
Nepal in the Dolpo region. At the age of 8, Geshe Nyima began
studying the art of thangka painting with his grandfather and at the
age of 14 he became an ordained monk at Menri Monastery. In 1994 he
received his geshe (doctorate) degree and then became a lecturer in
the Bon department of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan
Studies, Sarnath, Varnasi. Since 2000, Geshe Nyima has visited
Moscow for one month each year and given teachings on elementary
astrology, astronomy, horoscopy, and ritual offering to accomplish
good fortune.
Required Reading: Retreatants will need to obtain the book "Tibetan
Astrology" by Philippe Cornu. The book can be purchased prior to
or at the retreat for $16.95 from the Ligmincha Institute Bookstore.
Call toll-free: (866)522-5269 or visit: www.ligminchastore.org.
Retreat Cost(includes meals and materials for calligraphy): $400 if
received by June 23, or $450 if received by July 21, or $500 if
received after July 21. Dormitory Housing is available.
Contact Ligmincha Institute: (434)977-6161 or e-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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COME TO THE SERENITY RIDGE SUMMER WORK RETREAT:
JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2004.
Come enjoy the beauty of rural Virginia as we prepare Serenity Ridge
for our annual summer retreat. This is a wonderful time to share
with sangha and to be of joyful service. Our work retreat will
include vigorous work periods, daily meditation practice, and ample
time for a swim in the pool or a walk along the Rockfish River.
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The work retreat is free of charge and participants are provided with
free tenting and meals. For those who participate in the entire work
retreat there will be a 50% discount on one week of the summer
retreat.
*****
Editor's Note: Here are a few precious reminders from the sangha
about some of the rewards of doing a work retreat.
Jim Clark shared his heartfelt experience that it is through selfless
giving that karma is purified. He stressed that it is only when we
get down to the tasks at hand, to giving without expecting reward, to
not choosing the glamour jobs that our egos want but rather doing
what needs to be done (including cleaning toilets) that we purify
karmic traces.
***
For me, the work retreat is a beautiful practice of devotion. It's
about letting go, of no longer being so wrapped up in my own story
and needs but rather feeling free and open to share and give. It is
a great time for practice in so many ways. When the giving and living
and working comes from that natural place of devotion and
gratefulness, there is nothing better! - Aline Fisher
***
And from senior student Jeff Fisher:
The continued health and well-being of Ligmincha, this ship of the
dharma, which Rinpoche captains, can not be solely his
responsibility. Impossible. Nor does it fall on the shoulders of
our appointed officers. It's too big a task for just this handful of
folks. The huge responsibility for the growth, maintenance and
preservation of this precious ship, he has said, falls primarily on
us, the community of sincere practitioners. It needs our conscious
participation, in whatever capacities we can imagine, to sail long
into the future. It's easy to miss the fact that it has come this
far simply through countless practitioners' individual offerings
of their time, their financial gifts, and their own precious energy
and attention.
Work retreats offer us a great opportunity to invest ourselves
again. And it affords us a beautiful space to practice, to purify,
and to find the view and meditation that we have been nurturing
spontaneously manifest in our best moments as our own flexible
behavior. All for the benefit of a vision much larger than us!
Joyful effort in the best sense! When you feel inspired come join
the fun!
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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There are so many ways you can help at Serenity Ridge. Just call or
write Ligmincha to see how: (434)977-6161 or e-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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"THE POWER OF PRACTICE - A TRUE STORY SURROUNDING A GREAT BON
LAMA'S PASSING" - This article and interview were given to Tenzin
Rinpoche by his friend, Sandy Sinha, of Sikkim, India and then edited
by Aline Fisher, for VOCL.
In the Buddhist and Bon traditions, a lama may choose to die in a
certain posture. The position of the body at death is believed to be
very important in affecting the transference of prana or life-force
from the body. The posture may affect through which chakra the prana
will exit the body and thereby, in which of the six realms rebirth
will occur. Masters prefer to die in the lotus posture. This is
believed to aid them in transferring their prana through the crown
chakra helping them to be reborn in the higher realms.
Here is a true story of a great Bon lama's passing, occurring not
that long ago in Gangtok, the small hilly capital of Sikkim in the
Northeastern part of India. Yungdrung Tenzing, who was about seventy
years old, chose to die sitting in the lotus posture, what is known
in Tibetan as "thugdham." He asked that people not touch his body
for 3 days until which time he would leave his body. He then went
through the outer signs of dying including the cessation of both his
breath and the beating of his heart, but remained in that meditative
posture for thirty-three hours. It was on August 31, 1973, at the
Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok, that this great lama
passed away.
The news of this special passing spread quickly. People of Sikkim
flocked to the hospital with their khatas (silk scarves) paying
respect to the departed lama, draping them on his body at the end of
the three day period. It is believed that lamas who pass away at
their will (in thugdam) have miraculous powers, and a blessing from
such a lama would be very beneficial.
The great Bon lama had been treated by Dr. Pemba Tonyot, a Sikkimese
doctor. The following is an interview of Dr. Tonyot done by Sandy
Sinha. The doctor, now 68 years old and retired, was a bit weak
after a recent operation but showed interest in recalling and telling
the story of the famous Bon lama's passing.
***
Sandy: Dr. Pemba, can you tell us what exactly happened that day?
Dr. Pemba: As far as my memory goes, this lama, who was very old,
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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was brought in for treatment at the hospital. But then quite
suddenly, the lama decided to give up his life sitting in the lotus
posture. To be frank, I don't know much about these things. But I
do know that incarnated lamas can sit in the meditative position for
hours or days called, thugdam in Tibetan, and have the power to give
up their lives at will.
Sandy: From a medical point of view how did you regard this
incident? Were you surprised? Did you object?
Dr. Pemba: As a Buddhist, I was not at all surprised by the lama's
decision. Living here in Sikkim, I took it all very normally. In
terms of medical science, I don't think there is an answer on this
yet. It is difficult to say what happens. The body of a dying
person should follow the usual progression of rigor mortis and
decay. But I saw this lama who sat up in the lotus posture and had
asked that no one touch his body. He had decided to die in that
posture. While the hospital authorities don't allow such things in
the hospital, there were so many people gathering to see the lama and
offering khatas to demonstrate their faith and receive blessings,
that we agreed and allowed it.
Sandy: Do you know of any other incidents like this?
Dr. Pemba: Yes, because I was the only doctor who knew Tibetan, the
treatment of such lamas or Rinpoches was usually assigned to me. I
knew one Tantric lama who practiced in retreat in caves in the hills
of Sikkim for months or years. Once, he was admitted to my hospital
and was under my treatment. He was in the general ward and he too
went into thugdham position and gave up his life in that position.
He was a Nyingma lama.
Once, I was assigned the treatment of the sixteenth Karmapa of Rumtek
in Sikkim. He was under my treatment for three months and I was
witness to his many miraculous powers, which could not be explained
from the medical point of view.
And once, Dudjom Rinpoche, a great lama of the Nyingma sect, also
regarded as a reincarnation of Guru Padmasambhava, was brought to the
hospital. We found that he had appendicitis and that an operation was
needed to remove his appendix. But he refused the operation. A
devotee of Rinpoche's asked me to convince him that the operation
was necessary to save him from the pain. I explained everything
about appendicitis to Rinpoche but he did not agree to the operation.
Instead he asked me to call another Rinpoche, Yangthang Rinpoche.
Yangthang is a village in West Sikkim. Dudjom Rinpoche's devotees
rushed to find Yangthang Rinpoche and upon his arrival Yangthang
Rinpoche started doing some type of puja. He chanted mantras moving
his hand as if throwing something on Dudjom Rinpoche's body. This
process was repeated for three days and Dudjom Rinpoche was healed.
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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From the medical point of view this is very hard to explain. Sikkim
is full of such miracles.
*****
In this next interview, Sandy Sinha spoke with Lama Yungdrung, a Bon
lama and founder of the only Bon monastery in Sikkim. He, too, was
witness to the passing of the great Bon lama, Yungdrung Tenzing, in
1973.
***
Sandy: Lama Yungdrung, what do you remember of that day?
Lama Yungdrung: I was in my puja room that day when someone came and
informed me that a Bon lama had given up his life in the thugdham
position at the hospital. I immediately went there and offered a
khata over his body. He was sitting in the lotus position with lots
of khatas over his body. He was almost submerged in a sea of
khatas. There were lots of people gathered in the hospital to pay
their respect and receive blessings from the departed lama. The king
of Sikkim had also sent his secretary, Mr. Karma Topden, with some
money and a khata to pay respects.
After some rituals by two Kagyu lamas, the lama was taken to the
crematorium and was cremated. It was a bright sunny day and his body
was burning with full flame. In the middle of the flame we noticed a
green flame which was very auspicious.
Sandy: Can you explain how the lama would have acquired such control
over his life force?
Lama Yungdrung: Just as you need preparation for your life, you also
need preparation for your death. In the Bon tradition, we go through
nine ways of lifetime disciplines, which involves the recitation of
mantras, prostrations, meditations and much more, to acquire such
control. This is not very easy. Merely talking about it will not
do. Practice is very important. In the case of this great lama, his
years of practice were evident at his passing. Only those who
through years of practice have acquired such spiritual strength can
actually pass in the thugdham position. So these incidents are not
ordinary occurrences.
***
Editor's Note: There is a picture near the end of Tenzin Rinpoche's
book "Healing With Form, Energy and Light" of the great Bon
lama, Yungdrung Tenzing, taken at the time of his passing.
**************************
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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NEW ITEMS AVAILABLE AT LIGMINCHA'S BOOKSTORE
These new items can be found by going to Ligminchastore.org and
clicking on "Search by Category" and then clicking on "New Items."
You can also call the store toll-free:(866)522-5269.
TRANSCRIPTS OF TEACHINGS BY TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE
"Powa Teachings from the Bon Mother Tantra" Ligmincha Institute's
Annual Fall Retreat, Serenity Ridge, Shipman, Virginia, October 23-
27, 2002. Available only to those who have received transmission.
Price: $16.00.
BOOKS
"Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State," by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
Rinpoche. Price: $12.95.
"My Observations on Tibet" (in Tibetan), by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal
Rinpoche. Price: $15.00.
"The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols," by Robert Beer. Price:
$18.95.
COMPACT DISC
"Melodic Wisdom: Songs of the Garuda," by Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung
Rinpoche and the monks of Triten Norbutse Monastery, Kathmandu,
Nepal. Price: $20.00.
JEWELRY
"Mandala of Sherab Chamma" Dimensions: 1 Π" square. Price: $20.00.
ALSO,
Please note that we have added a new page to our website
listing "Books in Foreign Languages by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche." Our
online store does not carry these books at this time, although there
is contact information listed on the website for those books which
can be purchased directly from the publisher in the countries in
which they are published.
**************************
A LETTER OF THANKS FROM THE EDITOR
This issue is dedicated to my husband, Jeff Fisher and to all those
who support and connect us as we make our way on the path.
It's always great to come home after traveling - to friends and
family, to our teachers and to our supportive community. Coming home
a few days ago after being away on a wonderful trip with my mom, I
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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was nourished once again into the connection of truly coming home. It
was a long day of travel, of planes and buses and rental cars, of
beautiful mountains and crowded airports, of speed and slow lines, of
little food and lots of moving, of dry deserts and the humid,
Virginia air of home. I drove the last hour alone through the moist
night air, exhausted and exhilarated with few thoughts left. Home at
last, I touched that deep space and presence that certain supports
foster, and I felt enveloped and surrounded, at once lost and found.
For me, Jeff is like a live wire to the truth, no longer only about
concepts or effort, but actual behavior over and over and over. I
was again plugged in and inspired to somehow try to write about this
space that is beyond words.
Devoting my energy to this newsletter since coming home has been a
gift to me and now I offer it back to the space - to my teacher,
Tenzin Rinpoche, to the truth of the Bon teachings, to all Dharma
teachers, to the sangha who continuously remind me that "I can," and
to all sentient beings everywhere!
In Bon,
Aline Fisher
P.S. And to set the record straight, I think you all should know that
Jeff is the ghost editor of the Voice of Clear Light, always there
behind me, leading me. He is there late at night and early in the
morning, helping, editing, suggesting, inspiring, reminding, pushing
and praising, but never looking for anything in return. To Jeff, for
helping to bring us a newsletter filled with light - thanks and
surprise!
**************************
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The Voice of Clear Light is a free, e-mail publication of Ligmincha Institute. Your suggestions and
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For more information about Ligmincha Institute, the teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, or retreats at
Serenity Ridge or our regional centers, please contact us:
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
Page 14 of 14
Ligmincha Institute
313 2nd St. SE Suite #207
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434-977-6161 fax 434-977-7020
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supportive to Bon and Buddhist practice, please visit the Ligmincha's Online Store at
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News and Inspiration from Ligmincha Institute
Volume IV, Number 5
May 5, 2004
**************************
For easy reading, we recommend that you print out "The Voice of Clear
Light."
**************************
IN THIS ISSUE:
Important Information for Summer and Fall Retreats.
"On The Nature of Mind" - an excerpt from "Healing With Form, Energy
an Light" by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche followed by edited excerpts
from oral teachings given by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at the Winter
Retreat, December, 2002.
"Qualities of the Nature of Mind" - excerpts from the writings of two
Buddhist masters.
Happy Birthday Wishes to Tenzin Rinpoche - May 5!
Come to the Summer Work Retreat at Serenity Ridge: June 27-July 3.
A New Opportunity to study Tibetan Astrology and Calligraphy
with Geshe Nyima Kunchap at Serenity Ridge, August 11-15.
"The Power of Practice - A True Story surrounding a Great Bon
Lama's Passing" by Sandy Sinha of Sikkim, India, edited by Aline
Fisher for VOCL.
New Items available at Ligmincha's Bookstore.
A Letter of Thanks from the Editor.
**************************
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SUMMER AND FALL RETREATS
Greetings Everyone,
As we expected, and are pleased to announce, the registrations for
both the Ligmincha Summer and Fall Retreats are very high in numbers.
The summer retreat with Tenzin Rinpoche presenting the 21 Nails is
ahead of the usual pace for registrations by the beginning of May,
and the number of registrations for the very special fall retreat
with Yongdzin Rinpoche, Tenzin Rinpoche, Khenpo Tenpai Yungdrung
Rinpoche and Geshe Lugrig Gyaltsen have reached capacity for our
current ability to host the retreat. As of this date, the fall
retreat is closed to new registrations. But as we all know, due to
the truth of impermanence, things change! So please read on.
Ligmincha Institute is grateful for the early and continuing
registrations from all sangha members, dharma students and friends.
We also want to make everyone aware that registration for the summer
retreat is increasing in numbers quickly, and for the first time we
have had to "close" registration for a retreat far in advance of the
dates for these retreats.
Tenzin Rinpoche is very aware of these facts and has asked me to send
this announcement to encourage those of you who believed you
had "more time" to make your plans for summer and fall. We truly do
not wish to disappoint any of you who want to receive teachings on
the 21 Nails and be with Tenzin Rinpoche this summer, nor miss the
final opportunity, this fall, to be with Yongdzin Rinpoche at
Serenity Ridge.
As concerns the summer, you may still register, and we encourage you
do so promptly in order to save a space.
The fall is an entirely different and new situation for us. For those
of you who wanted to attend this retreat we are requesting that you
contact our Ligmincha office and place your name on the waiting list
as soon as possible, and not later than two weeks from today. The
number is (434)977-6161 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
This is quite important!
In two weeks we will determine if the number of people on the waiting
list warrants our exploring ways to increase the total capacity of
how many we can host for the retreat. There are a few options that
Tenzin Rinpoche is considering as to how we might augment our retreat
capacity, but we need to know how many are still wanting to come.
Please make it possible for us to make a decision by adding your name
to the waiting list.
Thank you,
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
Page 3 of 14
Gabriel Rocco
**************************
"ON THE NATURE OF MIND" - AN EXCERPT FROM "HEALING WITH FORM, ENERGY
AND LIGHT" BY TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE:
"Realizing the nature of mind, we find that what we are in [is] the
inseparable state of awareness and emptiness. When we realize that,
we realize the essence of space. If we abide in the nature of mind,
merged with space rather than identified with what arises in space,
there is an effect in life. There is nothing to defend, no self that
needs protecting, because our own nature is spacious and can
accommodate everything. Emptiness needs no defense. Space cannot be
damaged. No one can do anything to it. An opinion or image can be
attacked and hurt but the space in which the opinion or image exists
is indestructible. It does not age, does not develop or deteriorate,
isn't born, and doesn't die. Through this realization, confidence
and fearlessness arise. Though experience arises without ceasing, we
remain connected to the unchanging space in which it arises. We need
not try to own it or claim it. It is here already, beyond hope and
fear. When the nature of mind is realized, the spontaneous
perfection of all phenomena is understood and primordial purity is
realized.
"The practitioner of Dzogchen first tries to understand this space of
the nature of mind. Then he or she must recognize it through
meditation and the pointing out instructions of the teacher, then
develop the connection to it. Finally, the practitioner integrates
with space, which is what 'abiding in the nature of mind' means.
It's not that the practitioner becomes something different. We
have to use the language of development to talk about the path, about
how to get somewhere we want to go. But really there is no place to
go, there is nothing to develop. It's a question of waking, of
recognizing what already is.
"When the space of the nature of mind is realized there is still
a flow. This is the luminosity; there is movement, sensation,
liveliness. Experience is richer than it was, not poorer. Qualities
arise endlessly. Compassion or sadness, anger or love may arise, but
the practitioner doesn't lose the connection to the space from
which they arise."
From "Healing With Form, Energy and Light" by Tenzin Wangyal
Rinpoche. Edited by Mark Dahlby. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications,
2002. Available at Ligmincha's Bookstore.
*****
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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EDITED EXCERPTS FROM ORAL TEACHINGS GIVEN BY TENZIN WANGYAL
RINPOCHE,
DECEMBER, 2002:
The nature of mind is not like a place where you go as a subject and
arrive there as if it were an object. There is no place to go.
There is no such place you can visit. There is no such form that you
will experience.
What does that mean 'no form'? If you are expecting to see form you
are not going to see anything - guaranteed. We are so conditioned to
seeing some 'thing,' to having something there. It is very, very
difficult for us to get rid of that mind, to not expect.
***
An experience of the nature of mind is just an experience. It is not
the nature of mind. If I see a cup, I can say, "This is a cup"
because I see it. But with the nature of mind we know we cannot see
it as we see a cup. There is nothing to see there. So you can not
say of anything, "This is the nature of mind." You can find
yourself there when causes and conditions come together, when you
overcome your subtlest perceiver. There, nobody is looking for the
nature of mind; nobody is wanting to look; nobody is interested to
see nature of mind.
***
If you are able to create the right body, the right energy and the
right mind together, then there is no way not to experience the
nature of mind. As we always say, "There is no power or force
that can stop the result when all the causes and conditions come
together."
*************************
"QUALITIES OF THE NATURE OF MIND" - EXCERPTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF
TWO BUDDHIST MASTERS.
Here are two precious jewels among many more to come:
From "The Heart Treasure Of The Enlightened Ones" by Patrul Rinpoche
and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:
"It is no good looking anywhere outside you for the ultimate nature
of mind - it is within. When we speak of the 'mind,' it is important
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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to know whether we are talking about the ordinary mind, referring to
the innumerable chains of thoughts that create and maintain our state
of delusion, or as here, about the nature of mind at the source of
all those thoughts - the clear, void state of awareness completely
free of delusion.
"To illustrate this distinction, Lord Buddha taught that there are
two ways to meditate - like a dog and like a lion. If you throw a
stick at a dog, he will chase after the stick; but if you throw a
stick at a lion, the lion will chase after you. You can throw as
many sticks as you like at a dog, but at a lion only one. When you
are completely barraged with thoughts, chasing after each one in turn
with its antidote is an endless task. That is like the dog. It is
better, like the lion, to look for the source of those thoughts, void
awareness, on whose surface thoughts move like ripples on the surface
of a lake, but whose depth is the unchanging state of utter
simplicity."
"The Heart Treasure Of The Enlightened Ones" by Patrul Rinpoche and
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2002. You
can order this book online at: www.shambhala.com.
*****
From "Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State" by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche:
"The mind is the most subtle and hidden aspect of our relative
condition, but it is not difficult to notice its existence. All one
has to do is to observe one's thoughts and how we let ourselves get
caught up in their flow. If one asks 'What is the mind?', the reply
might be that it is the mind that asks that question. The mind is
the uninterrupted flow of thoughts which arise and then disappear.
It has the capacity to judge, to reason, to imagine and so on, within
the limits of space and time. But beyond the mind, beyond our
thoughts, there is something we call the 'nature of the mind', the
mind's true condition, which is beyond all limits. If it is beyond
the mind, though, how can we approach an understanding of it?
"Let's take the example of the mirror. When we look into a mirror we
see in it the reflected images of any objects that are in front of
it; we don't see the nature of the mirror. But what do we mean by
this 'nature of the mirror'? We mean its capacity to reflect,
definable as its clarity, its purity, and its limpidity, which are
indispensable conditions for the manifestation of reflections.
This 'nature of the mirror' is not something visible, and the only
way we can conceive of it is through the images reflected in the
mirror. In the same way, we only know and have concrete experience
of that which is relative to our condition of body, voice, and mind.
But this itself is the way to understand their true nature."
"Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State" by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche.
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
Page 6 of 14
Translated from the Italian by John Shane. Edited by Adriano
Clemente. New York: Arkana, 1989. Available at Ligmincha's
Bookstore.
**************************
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE!
Although a few days late, this issue now arrives on a very special
date - May 5 ˆ the honorary birthday of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche!
May this be a wonderful day of celebration and of prayer for our
teacher's happiness and long life!
Here is the Long Life Prayer for Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche by
Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, in Tibetan and then English:
Chog sum gyal wa se che chin lab dang
Don dam lu wa me pe den tob dang
Nel jor dag gyi ting dzin nu pe thu
Ten zin kye bu'i ku tse thar chin shog
Through the blessings of the Three Jewels,
the Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas,
The strength of the ultimate unfailing truth,
And the power of the meditation of us practitioners,
Holder of the Teachings, may your lifespan be
perfectly fulfilled.
**************************
NEW OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY TIBETAN ASTROLOGY AND CALLIGRAPHY
Retreat with Geshe Nyima Kunchap, at Serenity Ridge, August 11-15,
2004.
For the very first time, an in-depth introduction to the centuries
old system of Tibetan Astrology will be the focus of a retreat at
Serenity Ridge. It will be the first in a series of dharma arts and
sciences retreats organized by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche to support
students in broadening their understanding of the Bon tradition and
enriching the quality of their lives.
Geshe Nyima Kunchap, an experienced teacher traditionally schooled in
Tibetan astrology, will introduce us to the science of divination and
the study of time cycles, the compilation of the calendar, medical
diagnosis, study of time cycles, and the creation of horoscopes based
on individual birth charts and the cycle of the elements within each
person. Geshe Nyima will discuss specific practices that
traditionally are prescribed to strengthen an individual whose life
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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force has weakened or become unbalanced. This holistic system of
analysis and prescription is unique to Tibetan astrology.
Geshe Nyima will also teach and guide us in the art of calligraphy.
The beauty and grace of this art bring the practitioner into the
present moment and touch one deeply. As Tenzin Rinpoche says, "In
practicing calligraphy one develops a deep relationship with the seed
syllables. Gazing at the syllables, or painting them, is a powerful
form of meditation through which one develops many subtle, positive
qualities."
This retreat will be of interest to students of meditation, dharma
arts, astrology, and health related sciences, as well as to those who
simply wish to be on retreat for personal reasons. Please join us in
August!
Geshe Nyima Kunchap Lama was born in 1964 at the border of Tibet and
Nepal in the Dolpo region. At the age of 8, Geshe Nyima began
studying the art of thangka painting with his grandfather and at the
age of 14 he became an ordained monk at Menri Monastery. In 1994 he
received his geshe (doctorate) degree and then became a lecturer in
the Bon department of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan
Studies, Sarnath, Varnasi. Since 2000, Geshe Nyima has visited
Moscow for one month each year and given teachings on elementary
astrology, astronomy, horoscopy, and ritual offering to accomplish
good fortune.
Required Reading: Retreatants will need to obtain the book "Tibetan
Astrology" by Philippe Cornu. The book can be purchased prior to
or at the retreat for $16.95 from the Ligmincha Institute Bookstore.
Call toll-free: (866)522-5269 or visit: www.ligminchastore.org.
Retreat Cost(includes meals and materials for calligraphy): $400 if
received by June 23, or $450 if received by July 21, or $500 if
received after July 21. Dormitory Housing is available.
Contact Ligmincha Institute: (434)977-6161 or e-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
**************************
COME TO THE SERENITY RIDGE SUMMER WORK RETREAT:
JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2004.
Come enjoy the beauty of rural Virginia as we prepare Serenity Ridge
for our annual summer retreat. This is a wonderful time to share
with sangha and to be of joyful service. Our work retreat will
include vigorous work periods, daily meditation practice, and ample
time for a swim in the pool or a walk along the Rockfish River.
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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The work retreat is free of charge and participants are provided with
free tenting and meals. For those who participate in the entire work
retreat there will be a 50% discount on one week of the summer
retreat.
*****
Editor's Note: Here are a few precious reminders from the sangha
about some of the rewards of doing a work retreat.
Jim Clark shared his heartfelt experience that it is through selfless
giving that karma is purified. He stressed that it is only when we
get down to the tasks at hand, to giving without expecting reward, to
not choosing the glamour jobs that our egos want but rather doing
what needs to be done (including cleaning toilets) that we purify
karmic traces.
***
For me, the work retreat is a beautiful practice of devotion. It's
about letting go, of no longer being so wrapped up in my own story
and needs but rather feeling free and open to share and give. It is
a great time for practice in so many ways. When the giving and living
and working comes from that natural place of devotion and
gratefulness, there is nothing better! - Aline Fisher
***
And from senior student Jeff Fisher:
The continued health and well-being of Ligmincha, this ship of the
dharma, which Rinpoche captains, can not be solely his
responsibility. Impossible. Nor does it fall on the shoulders of
our appointed officers. It's too big a task for just this handful of
folks. The huge responsibility for the growth, maintenance and
preservation of this precious ship, he has said, falls primarily on
us, the community of sincere practitioners. It needs our conscious
participation, in whatever capacities we can imagine, to sail long
into the future. It's easy to miss the fact that it has come this
far simply through countless practitioners' individual offerings
of their time, their financial gifts, and their own precious energy
and attention.
Work retreats offer us a great opportunity to invest ourselves
again. And it affords us a beautiful space to practice, to purify,
and to find the view and meditation that we have been nurturing
spontaneously manifest in our best moments as our own flexible
behavior. All for the benefit of a vision much larger than us!
Joyful effort in the best sense! When you feel inspired come join
the fun!
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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There are so many ways you can help at Serenity Ridge. Just call or
write Ligmincha to see how: (434)977-6161 or e-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
**************************
"THE POWER OF PRACTICE - A TRUE STORY SURROUNDING A GREAT BON
LAMA'S PASSING" - This article and interview were given to Tenzin
Rinpoche by his friend, Sandy Sinha, of Sikkim, India and then edited
by Aline Fisher, for VOCL.
In the Buddhist and Bon traditions, a lama may choose to die in a
certain posture. The position of the body at death is believed to be
very important in affecting the transference of prana or life-force
from the body. The posture may affect through which chakra the prana
will exit the body and thereby, in which of the six realms rebirth
will occur. Masters prefer to die in the lotus posture. This is
believed to aid them in transferring their prana through the crown
chakra helping them to be reborn in the higher realms.
Here is a true story of a great Bon lama's passing, occurring not
that long ago in Gangtok, the small hilly capital of Sikkim in the
Northeastern part of India. Yungdrung Tenzing, who was about seventy
years old, chose to die sitting in the lotus posture, what is known
in Tibetan as "thugdham." He asked that people not touch his body
for 3 days until which time he would leave his body. He then went
through the outer signs of dying including the cessation of both his
breath and the beating of his heart, but remained in that meditative
posture for thirty-three hours. It was on August 31, 1973, at the
Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok, that this great lama
passed away.
The news of this special passing spread quickly. People of Sikkim
flocked to the hospital with their khatas (silk scarves) paying
respect to the departed lama, draping them on his body at the end of
the three day period. It is believed that lamas who pass away at
their will (in thugdam) have miraculous powers, and a blessing from
such a lama would be very beneficial.
The great Bon lama had been treated by Dr. Pemba Tonyot, a Sikkimese
doctor. The following is an interview of Dr. Tonyot done by Sandy
Sinha. The doctor, now 68 years old and retired, was a bit weak
after a recent operation but showed interest in recalling and telling
the story of the famous Bon lama's passing.
***
Sandy: Dr. Pemba, can you tell us what exactly happened that day?
Dr. Pemba: As far as my memory goes, this lama, who was very old,
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
Page 10 of 14
was brought in for treatment at the hospital. But then quite
suddenly, the lama decided to give up his life sitting in the lotus
posture. To be frank, I don't know much about these things. But I
do know that incarnated lamas can sit in the meditative position for
hours or days called, thugdam in Tibetan, and have the power to give
up their lives at will.
Sandy: From a medical point of view how did you regard this
incident? Were you surprised? Did you object?
Dr. Pemba: As a Buddhist, I was not at all surprised by the lama's
decision. Living here in Sikkim, I took it all very normally. In
terms of medical science, I don't think there is an answer on this
yet. It is difficult to say what happens. The body of a dying
person should follow the usual progression of rigor mortis and
decay. But I saw this lama who sat up in the lotus posture and had
asked that no one touch his body. He had decided to die in that
posture. While the hospital authorities don't allow such things in
the hospital, there were so many people gathering to see the lama and
offering khatas to demonstrate their faith and receive blessings,
that we agreed and allowed it.
Sandy: Do you know of any other incidents like this?
Dr. Pemba: Yes, because I was the only doctor who knew Tibetan, the
treatment of such lamas or Rinpoches was usually assigned to me. I
knew one Tantric lama who practiced in retreat in caves in the hills
of Sikkim for months or years. Once, he was admitted to my hospital
and was under my treatment. He was in the general ward and he too
went into thugdham position and gave up his life in that position.
He was a Nyingma lama.
Once, I was assigned the treatment of the sixteenth Karmapa of Rumtek
in Sikkim. He was under my treatment for three months and I was
witness to his many miraculous powers, which could not be explained
from the medical point of view.
And once, Dudjom Rinpoche, a great lama of the Nyingma sect, also
regarded as a reincarnation of Guru Padmasambhava, was brought to the
hospital. We found that he had appendicitis and that an operation was
needed to remove his appendix. But he refused the operation. A
devotee of Rinpoche's asked me to convince him that the operation
was necessary to save him from the pain. I explained everything
about appendicitis to Rinpoche but he did not agree to the operation.
Instead he asked me to call another Rinpoche, Yangthang Rinpoche.
Yangthang is a village in West Sikkim. Dudjom Rinpoche's devotees
rushed to find Yangthang Rinpoche and upon his arrival Yangthang
Rinpoche started doing some type of puja. He chanted mantras moving
his hand as if throwing something on Dudjom Rinpoche's body. This
process was repeated for three days and Dudjom Rinpoche was healed.
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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From the medical point of view this is very hard to explain. Sikkim
is full of such miracles.
*****
In this next interview, Sandy Sinha spoke with Lama Yungdrung, a Bon
lama and founder of the only Bon monastery in Sikkim. He, too, was
witness to the passing of the great Bon lama, Yungdrung Tenzing, in
1973.
***
Sandy: Lama Yungdrung, what do you remember of that day?
Lama Yungdrung: I was in my puja room that day when someone came and
informed me that a Bon lama had given up his life in the thugdham
position at the hospital. I immediately went there and offered a
khata over his body. He was sitting in the lotus position with lots
of khatas over his body. He was almost submerged in a sea of
khatas. There were lots of people gathered in the hospital to pay
their respect and receive blessings from the departed lama. The king
of Sikkim had also sent his secretary, Mr. Karma Topden, with some
money and a khata to pay respects.
After some rituals by two Kagyu lamas, the lama was taken to the
crematorium and was cremated. It was a bright sunny day and his body
was burning with full flame. In the middle of the flame we noticed a
green flame which was very auspicious.
Sandy: Can you explain how the lama would have acquired such control
over his life force?
Lama Yungdrung: Just as you need preparation for your life, you also
need preparation for your death. In the Bon tradition, we go through
nine ways of lifetime disciplines, which involves the recitation of
mantras, prostrations, meditations and much more, to acquire such
control. This is not very easy. Merely talking about it will not
do. Practice is very important. In the case of this great lama, his
years of practice were evident at his passing. Only those who
through years of practice have acquired such spiritual strength can
actually pass in the thugdham position. So these incidents are not
ordinary occurrences.
***
Editor's Note: There is a picture near the end of Tenzin Rinpoche's
book "Healing With Form, Energy and Light" of the great Bon
lama, Yungdrung Tenzing, taken at the time of his passing.
**************************
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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NEW ITEMS AVAILABLE AT LIGMINCHA'S BOOKSTORE
These new items can be found by going to Ligminchastore.org and
clicking on "Search by Category" and then clicking on "New Items."
You can also call the store toll-free:(866)522-5269.
TRANSCRIPTS OF TEACHINGS BY TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE
"Powa Teachings from the Bon Mother Tantra" Ligmincha Institute's
Annual Fall Retreat, Serenity Ridge, Shipman, Virginia, October 23-
27, 2002. Available only to those who have received transmission.
Price: $16.00.
BOOKS
"Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State," by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
Rinpoche. Price: $12.95.
"My Observations on Tibet" (in Tibetan), by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal
Rinpoche. Price: $15.00.
"The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols," by Robert Beer. Price:
$18.95.
COMPACT DISC
"Melodic Wisdom: Songs of the Garuda," by Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung
Rinpoche and the monks of Triten Norbutse Monastery, Kathmandu,
Nepal. Price: $20.00.
JEWELRY
"Mandala of Sherab Chamma" Dimensions: 1 Π" square. Price: $20.00.
ALSO,
Please note that we have added a new page to our website
listing "Books in Foreign Languages by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche." Our
online store does not carry these books at this time, although there
is contact information listed on the website for those books which
can be purchased directly from the publisher in the countries in
which they are published.
**************************
A LETTER OF THANKS FROM THE EDITOR
This issue is dedicated to my husband, Jeff Fisher and to all those
who support and connect us as we make our way on the path.
It's always great to come home after traveling - to friends and
family, to our teachers and to our supportive community. Coming home
a few days ago after being away on a wonderful trip with my mom, I
Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
Page 13 of 14
was nourished once again into the connection of truly coming home. It
was a long day of travel, of planes and buses and rental cars, of
beautiful mountains and crowded airports, of speed and slow lines, of
little food and lots of moving, of dry deserts and the humid,
Virginia air of home. I drove the last hour alone through the moist
night air, exhausted and exhilarated with few thoughts left. Home at
last, I touched that deep space and presence that certain supports
foster, and I felt enveloped and surrounded, at once lost and found.
For me, Jeff is like a live wire to the truth, no longer only about
concepts or effort, but actual behavior over and over and over. I
was again plugged in and inspired to somehow try to write about this
space that is beyond words.
Devoting my energy to this newsletter since coming home has been a
gift to me and now I offer it back to the space - to my teacher,
Tenzin Rinpoche, to the truth of the Bon teachings, to all Dharma
teachers, to the sangha who continuously remind me that "I can," and
to all sentient beings everywhere!
In Bon,
Aline Fisher
P.S. And to set the record straight, I think you all should know that
Jeff is the ghost editor of the Voice of Clear Light, always there
behind me, leading me. He is there late at night and early in the
morning, helping, editing, suggesting, inspiring, reminding, pushing
and praising, but never looking for anything in return. To Jeff, for
helping to bring us a newsletter filled with light - thanks and
surprise!
**************************
***********************
The Voice of Clear Light is a free, e-mail publication of Ligmincha Institute. Your suggestions and
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For more information about Ligmincha Institute, the teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, or retreats at
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Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:49 AM
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Ligmincha Institute
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