Special Announcements Issue
Volume 11, Number 3 / March 2011
Prayers for the Earthquake Victims
A Message From Rinpoche
Dear sangha,
Probably all of you are following the news of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis in Japan. This is a moment for us to dedicate our prayers and meditation practice to the benefit of the Japanese people. I recommend lighting candles and reciting the bardo prayer. Those who are familiar with the Tibetan version of this prayer, I would suggest getting together to light candles and sing it as a group. I send all my prayers in this difficult time.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
An Interview With Khen Rinpoche
Abbot of Triten Norbutse Monastery to Visit Serenity Ridge This May
Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche will be leading a very special retreat this May at Serenity Ridge, Ligmincha’s retreat center in Nelson County, Va. Khen Rinpoche is the abbot (khenpo) of Triten Norbutse Monastery in Katmandu, Nepal, a major Bon monastery established in 1987 by H.E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. He is widely known for his command of the English language and for his transmissions that illuminate the teachings of dzogchen. This interview took place at Triten Norbutse in March 2011. More >
Online Teachings in April
Two Free Webcasts and an Online Workshop With Rinpoche
In coming days Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will give two free live Webcasts, followed by a three-week online workshop. Please join us from the comfort of your home computer for these teachings and guided meditations:
- Sunday, April 17, 12 noon Eastern Time (New York Time) — 'Finding a Place of Peace': Rinpoche will teach and guide a calming and centering meditation that can help you find inner refuge during times of transition. For our Internet audience only.
- Wednesday, April 20, 7 - 8:30 p.m. ET — 'Discovering Your Creative Potential': In this live broadcast of a free public talk, Rinpoche will give his first teaching in a 2011 series on how to unleash the free flow of creative expression.
Learn more / enter the broadcast site >
Online workshop starts soon! Beginning Saturday, April 30, Rinpoche will be offering a three-week workshop on Tibetan meditation: “The Nature of Mind — Achieving Great Bliss through Pure Awareness.” Space is limited, so register soon. Offered in partnership with GlideWing Productions.
Learn more / register for online workshop >
More Than 4 Million Recitations of Long-Life Mantra!
Rinpoche’s Birthday Celebration in Nepal
Words of gratitude from Rinpoche on Facebook: “To everyone, thank you for your beautiful words of greeting for my birthday. It is not normally a Tibetan tradition to celebrate birthdays but turning 50 seemed a little significant. I was very happy to be able to travel with family, students and teachers and celebrate. Most important thing I thought of during this time was how grateful I feel for all people in my life. Thank you all.”
International sangha accumulated more than 4 million long-life mantra recitations and offered them symbolically to Rinpoche during his birthday celebration in Katmandu, Nepal, on March 7. The mantras were presented to him after a mandala-offering ceremony. His smile was captured on a video slideshow — see the link in the slideshow article below.
Second International Lishu Retreat
New Slideshows Take You There
Take a walk on the land at the Lishu Institute in Dehradun, India, where you’ll see the progress of the building construction and be with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on this sacred occasion! Then off to Menri Monastery, India, where you can see His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima and the new nunnery. Next, to Triten Norbutse Monastery and other locations in Nepal, marked by a birthday celebration for Tenzin Rinpoche. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so please enjoy these three video slideshows of images and music assembled by Lutz and Bogusia Dausend, including photographs by Pavel Kuzmin.
News From Ligmincha Institute’s Board of Directors
Introducing New Additions to Ligmincha’s Staff and Council
The board of directors of Ligmincha Institute is pleased to announce several new additions to its staff and Council, and invites you to say hello to these new faces! More >
Special Opportunity to Receive Transmissions From His Holiness
Registration Now Open for First Three Days of Summer Retreat
We have good news for those who cannot come for the entire first week of Ligmincha Institute’s 2011 Summer Retreat at Serenity Ridge: Registration is now open for the first three days only, Saturday through Monday, June 25 through 27. Space is limited, so register soon! Please join us for this rare and unique opportunity to receive teachings and transmissions from His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpche, the 33rd Menri Trizen; and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha Institute.
Rinpoche's New Facebook Page
To Stay in Touch, Press "Like"
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche announces that he has a brand-new Facebook page! To see his occasional postings of videos, photographs, and messages, including updates about his teachings, visit https://www.facebook.com/tenzinwangyalrinpoche and press "Like." If you are already a Facebook friend with Rinpoche via his older page, please be aware that you must "Like" this new page in order to continue receiving his Facebook postings.
Upcoming Retreats
Ligmincha’s Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The retreats described below will take place at Serenity Ridge, Ligmincha Institute’s retreat center in Nelson County, Va. To register or for more information, click on the links below, or contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 434-263-6304.
April 13 - 17, 2011
Living With Joy, Dying in Peace
Gaining Comfort and Intimacy With the Dying Process
Annual Spring Retreat With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Denying our own mortality not only separates us from the vibrancy of living in the moment, it also leaves us ill equipped for the critical moment when death comes to ourselves or to our loved ones. The Bon Buddhist tradition is rich with knowledge and methods for using this Great Moment wisely. Through teachings and guided meditations, in this five-day retreat Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will help us to: recognize death as a doorway to opening the heart and achieving self-realization; prepare for our own death; and learn how to promote a more peaceful, uplifting dying process in others.
Learn more or register >
May 18 - 22, 2011
Self-Purification Through the Five Enlightened Bodies
With Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche
Please join us this May for these special teachings with Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche, abbot (khenpo) of Triten Norbutse Monastery in Katmandu, Nepal. A powerful means of purifying oneself on all levels of experience, these teachings from the ancient Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu cycle of dzogchen teachings have never before been offered at Ligmincha. Read an interview with Khen Rinpoche about these teachings >
Learn more or register >
June 11-24, 2011
Summer Work Retreat
Free of charge. Whether you join us for one afternoon, one day, one week, or the entire two weeks, this is a wonderful time to share with sangha and to be of joyful service. Our work retreat includes vigorous work periods, daily meditation practice, and ample time for a swim in the pool or a walk along the Rockfish River. Participants are provided with free air-conditioned accommodations in Garuda House and free meals. For those who participate in one full week, there will be a 50 percent discount on one week of the summer retreat. If you participate in both full weeks of the work retreat, there will be a 50 percent discount on two weeks of the summer retreat.
For more information or to register,please email Ligmincha at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 434-263-6304.
June 24, 2011 (Friday), 4-8 p.m.
Fundraising Dinner at Serenity Ridge
A special evening with His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche
and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Proceeds from this dinner will benefit the orphans under the care of His Holiness at Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India.
Learn more or register >
June 25 - July 15, 2011
A View From the Heart: Purifying Your Vision Through the Practice of the Six Lamps
Annual Summer Retreat With Honored Guest H.H. Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche
and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Everyone is cordially invited to join us this summer for a rare and unique opportunity to receive teachings and transmissions from His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizen; and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha Institute. Ligmincha's annual Summer Retreat is open to newcomers and longtime students alike. You may attend one, two, or all three weeks of the retreat.
Learn more or register >
Oct. 5 - 9, 2011
Connecting With the Living Universe: The Healing Power of the Five Natural Elements
Annual Fall Retreat With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
According to the ancient Tibetan spiritual traditions, our planet is alive and sacred; and the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space are not just natural resources but can be considered fundamental aspects of a living universe. Please join us for this special opportunity to learn how to connect, revitalize and commune with our living universe in ways that heal ourselves and our world.
Learn more or register >
Oct. 18 - 23, 2011
The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 3
Dzogchen Teachings With H.E. Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
We are honored by this special opportunity to receive dzogchen teachings from His Eminence Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, the head instructor of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India.
Prerequisite: Participants must have received the teachings for Parts 1 and 2 of the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung in order to attend these teachings.
Learn more or register >
Dec. 27, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012
The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 4
Annual Winter Dzogchen Retreat With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Prerequisite: Participants must have received the teachings for Parts 1 and 2 of the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung in order to attend these Part 4 teachings.
Learn more or register >
To register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 434-263-6304, or go to:
