Teaching Issue
Volume 14, Number 3 / June 2014
Letter from the Editors
Dear Friends,
Although we are happy to have this issue available after a lot of work by our team, we have unfortunate news about the Voice of Clear Light website. It has been hacked! Because the website version that we've been using is old, it requires major rebuilding and lots of hours of work to resolve this issue. (See the special announcement below on VOCL website help needed.) So until the new website is created, we are using Ligmincha International’s website to post this issue’s articles. We are sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience. As well, you will notice a slightly different format, but still all the great content is there, including a wonderful excerpt by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche!
It is always a joy to share with you Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s words. Here are a few gems from his book Awakening the Luminous Mind shining rays of light along the path. Enjoy!
Rinpoche’s vision continues to manifest in many new ways, including having a resident lama, Geshe Tenzin Yangton, at Serenity Ridge. Read about Geshe Yangton’s plans and please join us in making him feel welcome!
We have new live webcasts with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche to announce, so be sure to see the schedule of new dates. Don’t miss the next webcast on June 8. You can also learn more about the story behind the webcasts and how they continue to evolve and grow, and also how you may be able help.
It never ceases to amaze us how much there is to report within just two months! We have articles featuring an update on Serenity Ridge’s new resident lama, Ligmincha’s international resident lamas participating in the Summer Retreat, Lishu Institute, The 3Doors Academy, Ligmincha Texas’ 20th anniversary, new online courses through both Ligmincha Learning and GlideWing, the link to the latest Spanish translation of VOCL, recent results about Tibetan yoga and cancer research, a YouTube video link of teachings on Sherap Chamma given by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in Mexico and an inspired poem featured in our Sangha Sharing column. Remember, you, too, can share your writing, poetry or pictures! Please submit them to us at
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In Bon,
Aline and Jeff Fisher
Keep VOCL Shining!
Volunteer Help Needed for Singular Website Project
The Voice of Clear Light website has been hacked. The version of this software by Joomla is old enough that we need to rebuild the entire site to protect it. So we are looking for help for this one project! The estimated time that it will take is 120-160 hours, and we would like to have it up and running by this summer.
We are looking for individuals who are knowledgeable with Joomla to help rebuild the VOCL website. If you have the time to help us, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director of Communications.
Advice Along the Path
Excerpts from Awakening the Luminous Mind by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Changing your life is a matter of connecting with aces in yourself you may have never fully connected with, and understanding things you may never have fully understood or trusted. Do you recognize and honor the space of being, the truth of who you are, in the life in which you find yourself? This space within yourself is not a passive place where nothing happens. The whole universe arises, rests and dissolves in that single space. Everything in your body arises, rests and dissolves in that space. Surely we can trust that there is a deeper intelligence at work than the intelligence of ego with all its plans and proposals. Solutions will come naturally from the connection with the open space of being, which is boundless and infinitely full of potential.
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Many people find it difficult to become aware of the space of being itself rather than simply being aware of the sensations they are feeling, the inner dialogue they are having or the contents of the moving mind altogether. What kind of shift are we describing? First, it is necessary to open and simply experience your discomfort. Can you be fully open, as the sky is with the clouds? In this analogy, clouds can refer to your thoughts, feelings, sensations or memories. Does the sky have a problem with the clouds? Is the sky agitated? Does the sky say, “You have been here too long! Why are you still here? What does it mean that you are here?” No. The sky simply allows the presence of clouds, and when the clouds eventually dissipate, the sky does not comment. The sky is not lonely when the clouds leave. Can you be like that sky and host the clouds? If you are able to do that--to be with your pain directly—t the pain heals itself: it self-liberates. As your pain or discomfort shifts, it is important to simply remain present and aware of the openness itself.
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Not many people stop for even a moment to discover stillness, few listen to the silence, and even fewer recognize the truth of emptiness or spaciousness. Yet how simple it is to recognize and benefit from the experience of the inner refuge. You don’t need to read many books about emptiness or engage in philosophical discussions. You can just draw your attention inward. As you rest with your attention drawn inward, you may begin to hear many voices in your head. I need silence, you think. Okay, so don’t talk back to the inner dialogue that seems to be running by itself. Begin to listen to the silence around and within those voices. Be aware of space.Perhaps you are having a very strong, active thought. I am not feeling any space! Stop. Don’t think further. Feel the spaciousness around and within that very thought. The moment you connect with the space, the thought dissolves. The moment you hear the silence, the voice is gone. The moment you connect with stillness in your body, the tensions begin to release.
You can feel that things are coming up within you. As sensations, thoughts, emotions or memories come into awareness, as you notice them arising within you, allow them all. Everything that comes eventually dissolves. Anything arising in open spaciousness dissolves in that spaciousness. That is why it is called inner refuge. Do you have to go anywhere? No. Do you have to take your laptop or cell phone or remember the address or number of the inner refuge? No. You have everything you need: your body, speech and mind are the doors to the inner refuge, accessed through the experiences of stillness, silence and spaciousness.
Excerpts from Awakening the Luminous Mind by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Available at Ligmincha Institute Bookstore.
Serenity Ridge New Resident Lama Arrives!
Welcoming Geshe Tenzin Yangton
We are excited and honored to welcome Geshe Tenzin Yangton as our new resident lama at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, the headquarters of Ligmincha International. Geshe Yangton arrived at the end of May. He will be leading retreats and practices at Serenity Ride and, in the future, will be visiting other Ligmincha centers to offer teachings.
Plans to welcome Geshe Yangton as resident lama at Serenity Ridge have been under way for close to two years. Ligmincha Institute and Geshe Yangton had to participate in a lengthy evaluation process before he was approved for an R-1 religious visa.
A part of the ancient Yangton lineage that dates back to ancient times, Geshe Yangton comes to Serenity Ridge from Dolpo, a remote region in western Nepal bordering Tibet. There he was coordinator of Yanggon Thongdrol Phuntsog Ling Monastery, Dolpo Tsaga Welfare Healthcare Clinic and many other projects. He also has served as an assistant to His Eminence Yangton Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, head instructor of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India.
Born in 1974 in Charkha, a village between Dolpo and Mustang in Nepal, Geshe Yangton completed the customary three-year retreat. In 1990 he became a monk at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, taking his vows from Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. In 1992 he arrived at Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, and enrolled in the Bon Dialectic School. There he studied sutra, tantra and dzogchen, completing all those courses and attaining the Geshe Degree (equivalent to a Ph.D.) in 2006.
Serenity Ridge is preparing a new schedule of regular meditation practices to be led by Geshe Yangton. He will be participating in the annual Summer Retreat at Serenity Ridge, scheduled for June 22–July 12, and will give a special evening talk during each of the three weeks of the retreat, along with other visiting lamas.
Geshe Yangton also plans to travel around the United States and to other Ligmincha centers and sanghas, where he will be hosted to give teachings in their areas. If you would like to host Geshe Yangton in your area, email the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out more details.
More information about Geshe Yangton’s activities will be posted on the Serenity Ridge website as it becomes available. Look for an in-depth interview with Geshe Yangton in the August issue of Voice of Clear Light.
Ligmincha Resident Lamas to Participate in Summer Retreat
Fundraising Auction Set for June 27 During First Week
Resident lamas from Ligmincha’s international community will be attending the three-week Summer Retreat, scheduled for June 22–July 12, and giving talks during the evening.
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will teach the profound dzogchen teachings from the Bon Buddhist text, The Twenty-One Nails, Part 2, at Serenity Ridge, Retreat Center, headquarters of Ligmincha International. This important text has only been taught a handful of times in the West. The Twenty-One Nails is among the innermost secret cycles of dzogchen, directly cutting through doubts about one’s natural state of mind by tracing the nature of mind back to its source. Each nail describes this natural state from a different point of view. The views are called “nails” or “seals” because they stabilize the experiential understanding of the natural state.
In addition to receiving these precious teachings and spending time together with our worldwide sangha, we will be joined by Ligmincha’s resident lamas. Among them will be Geshe Tenzin Yangton, the new resident lama for Ligmincha Institute at Serenity Ridge. Also attending the Summer Retreat will be Lama Kalsang Nyima and Lama Yungdrung Lodoe, the resident lamas for Ligmincha Mexico. They will give talks each week in the evenings in the gompa. This will be a wonderful way to meet the lamas, and for them to meet those who attend the Summer Retreat.
There is no prerequisite to attend the Summer Retreat, and you are welcome to attend one, two or all three weeks. If you did not attend the retreat last year, you are encouraged to attend week one (June 22–28) this summer, when Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will provide a pith review of chapters 1–10, and will continue with the teachings. All 21 chapters will be completed by the end of the three-week retreat.
Ligmincha’s annual Summer Fundraising Auction will be held on June 27, during the first week of the Summer Retreat. All are welcome to attend the auction. If you are unable to attend, you will be able to bid on fundraising items online, or consider making a donation to Serenity Ridge.
Schedule of Live Webcasts with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Next Webcast Is on June 8
Mark your calendar for these upcoming webcasts with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. You can participate in any of these free events by visiting the live-broadcast page on the Ligmincha International website.
You can also click here to view any webcasts you’ve missed.
All webcasts times are listed in Eastern (New York) time U.S.
June 8, 2014 (Sunday), 1–2:30 p.m.
Shifting Your Pain Identity
Learn how to tap into your own inherent love and wisdom and transform your world with the Sherap Chamma practice. Teaching and guided meditation with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Learn more
June 15, 2014 (Sunday), 1–2:30 p.m.
Breaking the Cycle of Family Pain
You can be the first in your family to break the cycle of negative emotions and interactions. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche discusses how to become a cause for both collective and individual healing.
June 29, 2014 (Sunday), 3–4:30 p.m.
The 21 Nails: Guided Dzogchen Meditation
This meditation integrates the essential elements of Rinpoche's teachings on the 21 Nails. Broadcast live from the 2014 Summer Retreat (not a public talk).
July 6, 2014 (Sunday), 3–4:30 p.m.
The 21 Nails: Guided Dzogchen Meditation, Part 2
This meditation integrates the essential elements of Rinpoche's teachings on the 21 Nails. Broadcast live from the 2014 Summer Retreat (not a public talk)
Aug. 30, 2014 (Saturday), 2–3 p.m. New York time (8–9 p.m. local time)
Topic To Be Announced
Broadcast live from Buchenau, Germany.
Sept. 27, 2014 (Saturday), 2:30–3:30 p.m. New York Time (1:30–2:30 p.m. local time)
Topic To Be Announced
Broadcast live from Tepotzlan, Mexico.
Oct. 11, 2014 (Saturday), 3–4:30 p.m.
The Healing Power of Primordial Awareness
Broadcast live from the Fall Retreat at Serenity Ridge (not a public talk).
Nov. 8, 2014 (Saturday), 1–2:30 p.m.
Topic To be Announced
Broadcast live from California.
Dec. 28, 2014 (Sunday), 3–4:30 p.m.
Topic To be Announced
Broadcast live from the Winter Retreat at Serenity Ridge (not a public talk).
The Story Behind the Live Webcasts
Translating Rinpoche’s Dream
More and more we can enjoy the live webcasts by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche from our computers. Lourdes Hinojosa tells us how this project began and how you can help.
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| Members of the Malaga, Spain sangha view a recent live webcast. |
In December 2012, while having dinner with a small group of students after teaching in Santiago, Chile, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche suddenly gave me a deep look and said: “Lourdes, I've been thinking about a new project, and I would like you to coordinate it. I want my live broadcasts to reach people all over the world, in their own languages. Many people cannot come to the teachings. They either do not have the resources or the spare time to do so, or are confined to their homes or perhaps to a hospital bed due to health issues. I want to bring the teachings to all of them, so they can receive the benefits also, just like those who are able to be present at the teachings during talks, seminars or retreats.”
I felt deep joy inside, and was moved to once again witness my teacher's infinite compassion and enlightened wisdom in full motion ... and of course I said, “Yes, Rinpoche! I will gladly do this.”
That was the beginning of an exciting journey, contacting sangha coordinators in all the Ligmincha International centers and seeking volunteer translators—and now, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's live webcasts are being simultaneously translated into 12 different languages.
Long before I became involved, Rinpoche has been doing live webcasts for the sangha with the help of Polly Turner and other assistants. Since 2009, Polly has been producing and directing nearly all of his webcasts, an average of eight per year. Rinpoche's idea when he first spoke to me about this was to have someone coordinate all the international activity surrounding translation and promotions, to greatly increase access to the teachings. There has been good international participation from the very beginning, but it is twice as good now, with the help of talented translators and many other volunteers around the world!
On March 23, 2013, Rinpoche did his first broadcast from his home basement in California with live translation by translators around the world. It was a big success! From then on, Rinpoche has been broadcasting regularly from his home as well as from Serenity Ridge, with interpreters in 12 countries, for the benefit of many.
He also has featured special guests during his webcast teachings, such as His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche and Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, during their visits at Serenity Ridge. People from more than 28 countries around the world have attended webcast teachings from their computers—the cyber-sangha, as Rinpoche calls his devoted online students. We can feel the energy of Rinpoche's clear, loving guidance, his words touching our hearts and lives ... all of us together, as one, in cyberspace. All webcasts are free and open to all.
All this can only be done with the help of many wonderful and talented volunteers: webcast producer, graphic designers, text editors, sangha coordinators, translators, promoters, group hosts, etc. Our deep gratitude to you all!
View live webcasts and access translations
View past webcasts
We are in need of more volunteer translators. So far, webcasts are being translated live into Czech, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. It would be wonderful to find skilled volunteer translators in Chinese, Japanese and other languages as well as skilled volunteer backup translators in Spanish and Italian, among other languages. All volunteer translators receive de tailed instruction and guidance in broadcasting their live translations via free, easy-to-use Internet channels. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact webcast coordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Also, we are always looking for ways to improve the quality and accessibility of the webcasts. Particularly welcome is informed advice regarding the ideal equipment and software to use, as well as recommendations for free or low-cost webcast service providers that can meet our needs. If you have both knowledge of and experience with doing live webcasts and are open to advising us, please email webcast producer This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
May Rinpoche's heartfelt desire of bringing the precious teachings all over the world—reaching countless sentient beings and guiding us to our inner refuge, freeing us from suffering and helping us all lead happier, fuller lives—continue to manifest even further through the expansion of his webcast project!
Text by Lourdes Hinojosa
Photos by Dr. Jose Ignacio Garcia (Spain), Salvador Espinosa (México) and from the Web
This article first appeared in the spring 2014 issue of Ligmincha Europe Magazine.
3Doors Academies Graduate
New U.S. and Europe Academies Begin in 2015
U.S. 3Doors Academy Graduation
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| A three-part rainbow appeared in the sky the evening before graduation. |
On the mountaintop at Serenity Ridge, the misty morning of Oct. 7, 2013, dawned. With great anticipation, we, the 28 members of the U.S. 3Doors Academy, made final preparations for the ceremony that would mark the culmination of our journey over the previous two and one-half years together. Using the practices of The3Doors we learned to stay with turbulent waves of emotion and gradually discover the refuge within. Together we’d celebrated the joy of birth and shared the sorrow of illness and death. We shared and shed outgrown pain identities, and opened and inspired one another to experience our true natures.
In the months preceding our sixth and final Group Training Retreat, we collaborated virtually via email and phone to create this day of celebration and dedication. Stephen Ledyard writes of his experience of the graduation ceremony:
“Bathing in the luminous warmth and spaciousness in the presence of Rinpoche and my precious brothers and sisters—I can’t imagine a fraternity or sorority bonding over three years at the depths to which we traveled—I felt that I was being blessed in the sacraments of the Five Elements, beyond time and space. Standing with my family and all my ancestors, and all who would travel this path after me, I was achieving for all of us something no grand letters on parchment, no degree traced in gold, not the most esteemed university, could ever confer as deeply in body, speech and mind: a level of (self-arising) confidence that comes from receiving these keys to the doors of the nature of mind.”
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| Graduates of The 3Doors Academy at Serenity Ridge. |
As we accepted Rinpoche’s invitation to bring our open hearts to the world, we were called to genuine service. As Academy teacher Gabriel Rocco explains, “In our willingness to show up with all our imperfections, first to ourselves and then to each other, we reengage authentically with the world.”
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| At the graduation celebration luncheon, with profound gratitude to Rinpoche, teachers Gabriel Rocco & Marcy Vaughn and 3Doors Director Kallon Basquin. |
The graduation ceremony was followed by a celebratory luncheon in the (also miraculously transformed) Dining Hall. With the gifted guidance of our director and fellow trainee, Juanita Rockwell, we presented as an appetizer a creative montage of song, poetry, prose and collage representing our individual journeys of awakening. It was a poignant tour de force, profound and lighthearted at once. The culinary talents of the Serenity Ridge kitchen delighted us, and a grand time was had by all.
As a token of our deep appreciation, we presented Rinpoche with a donation to support scholarships for future Academy students.
European 3Doors Academy Graduation
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| Graduates received blessings from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and certificates from Academy teachers Raven Lee and John Jackson in a cereony at Finkenwerder Hof (Germany). |
In March 2014, near Goldberg, Germany, twenty-two individuals from across the continent gathered for the final retreat of the first European 3Doors Academy. The week culminated with a beautiful graduation ceremony led by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Academy teachers Raven Lee and John Jackson that reflected the diverse, multicultural nature of the European group.
The ceremony was the fruition of an intense two and one-half years of inner work supported by a series of secular meditations through the doorways of body, speech and mind. Academy participants used these practices to transform themselves in three dimensions: in relationship to themselves, their family and their work.
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| Honored guests at the graduation. |
In the words of Karolina Seltenheim from Austria: “Looking back two and one-half years on a path that sometimes felt like crossing a jungle—not knowing where I was going or the way I had to go… to overcome fear, I was provided with skills like the 9 Breathings, the Five Warrior Syllables, and Tsa Lung. I was able to clear winds which sometimes appeared as a storm, always finding my way to Inner Refuge, where there was space and rest …”
John Jackson writes, “It has been a wonderful experience to support and observe the growth of these amazing individuals. We have people from across Europe participating, so our gatherings are beautifully diverse and multicultural. Throughout I have enjoyed the strength, wisdom and support of Raven Lee, who co-leads the Academy with me, and Kallon Basquin,.director of the 3Doors (International) Program.”
U.S. Academy Begins April 2015 & European Academy Begins June 2015
Headquartered in the United States, The 3Doors international organization currently offers classes and retreats throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. Currently, a U.S. 3Doors Academy is under way, with trainees to graduate in March 2015; trainees in the first Latin American 3Doors Academy will graduate in September 2014. New U.S. and European 3Doors Academies begin next year.
Applications are being accepted now for the next U.S. and European Academies. The U.S. Academy, beginning April 2015, meets at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center in Shipman, Va., and is taught by Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco. The European Academy begins in June 2015 (location to be determined) and will be taught by John Jackson and Raven Lee.
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The 3Doors Practitioners Association
There is good news for anyone who is applying or is considering applying to participate in an upcoming 3Doors Academy. Once you complete your training, The 3Doors Practitioners Association (3PA) and its worldwide network of teachers, mentors and graduates will be there to support your continued personal growth, creative expression and service to others.
The newly forming 3PA exists within the mandala of The 3Doors international organization and is guided by a council of its members. Its intention is to provide multiple avenues for graduates to connect with one another, access continuing education and training, and be supported to serve their communities and society at large. Out of the collective energy of ongoing connection will come the ideas, teachers, projects, service and creative expressions that will sustain the ongoing heartbeat of Tenzin Wangyal’s vision for The 3Doors.
Ligmincha Texas Celebrates 20 Years
Building for the Future
The Ligmincha Texas sangha writes about celebrating 20 years, and its upcoming fundraiser.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche of Ligmincha Texas, Inc.—originally Houston Kyung Dzong. It is thanks to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s great vision, foresight, blessing, guidance and support that this community center exists. Thanks to him, we and so many have changed our lives by profound teaching and practice.
Our center has been built by the efforts of dozens of good people who have contributed an enormous amount of time, effort and money to develop and maintain it. In addition to the activities that take place in the center, our members have reached out by teaching classes and seminars on Tibetan meditation and related topics at Rice University, The Jung Center and the Rothko Chapel, and other places. We also have been active in our mission of bringing the Tibetan practices as healing in the medical center through classes and research.
Our name has changed but our commitment to Rinpoche’s original vision has remained the same. To ensure the continuation of our group, we are launching a year of fundraising events.
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| Geshe Denma |
Why are we fundraising?
- To find a new location so that we can continue to provide the Houston community with opportunities to learn about, experience and practice the culturally rich tradition of Tibet and Bon Buddhism.
- To assist Geshe Denma Gyaltsen with his immigration efforts and to demonstrate to the Federal Immigration authorities our financial stability by having bank reserves.
- To provide educational opportunities for our region and to support the preservation of the Bon Tibetan culture.
If you cannot attend the event but would still like to contribute, you can do so at:LigminchaTexas.org/donate
The Event: Bon on the Bayou! A Fundraiser for Ligmincha Texas
When: June 8, 2014, 4–7 p.m.
Where: The Hyde Park Gallery, 115 Hyde Park Blvd. Houston, TX 77006
Admission: Free. Open to all sangha members, supporters and art lovers
Contact:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The event will include musical sharing by Geshe YongDong, a slideshow of images from our 20 years in Houston, and special items for sale from our bookstore including handmade jewelry and malas from members of the Sangha, and a silent and live auction of art items, including:
- Framed calligraphy by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
- Handcrafted Tibetan clothing and jewelry
- Art by prominent local artists, including John Palmer, Geraldine Gill, and others
- Dharma items
Please join us for wonderful opportunity. If you would like to contribute in any way to these efforts, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and visit us on our Facebook page!
Thank you for all of your support through the years.
The Ligmincha Texas Sangha.
Lishu Institute Update
Plans for a Unique Bon Educational Program
Lishu Institute is the fulfillment of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s vision of providing a retreat center and study program for western students to do long-term, in-depth study and practice of the Tibetan Bon Buddhist teachings. It took some time, effort and research for Rinpoche’s aspiration to manifest. In January 2009 Lishu Institute became the owner of land in Kotra Kalyanpur outside of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. This significant step was possible due to the devotion and involvement of Geshe Thupten G. Negi, a Tibetan-Indian and a Bon geshe. Because he is an Indian citizen he is entitled to purchase land in India and he did so on behalf of Lishu Institute.
Since that time, the first building on the Lishu campus has been completed and will provide classrooms and housing for Lishu Institute’s teachers and students. Ongoing improvements are being made to this beautiful four-story building as we design and equip the kitchen, increase the water supply and prepare for the teachers and students to live, study and practice in this gorgeous and spacious setting.
The Lishu curriculum is being developed by Professor Kurt Kuetzer of the University of California at Berkeley and will be based on the three main Bon texts. The program will offer in-depth training to western students in these three areas: The Nine Ways of Bon, the Ma Gyud and the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyud. As well, there will be courses of instruction in the Tibetan language. Lishu students are expected to be proficient in the English language since the teachings will be presented in English.
Lishu Institute’s mission is to provide training to serious practitioners, future leaders and teachers to preserve and propagate the Bon tradition in the West. This unique educational program will be offered in three ways. A student may attend all three years to complete the three courses on site, at Lishu Institute in India or a student may attend remotely, online; or a student may combine these approaches and attend some of the training in India and some of it elsewhere.
These teachings will be offered in time-blocks of two and one-half months, and a student will have to complete three of these two and one-half-month time blocks in order to finish one of the three areas of study.
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| The view from Lishu Institute. |
In order to provide the best possible instruction, we are recruiting the most qualified lamas. They will teach the texts in the traditional manner, with a line-by-line explanation of the meaning as is done in the monasteries. The teachers will speak in Tibetan, and an English translation will be provided of both the oral explanation and the original Tibetan texts. This will support the daily study of the Tibetan language and provide the most thorough form of instruction. We plan to video record all of the teachings and these recordings will be the core of the Lishu curriculum. There also will be a well-qualified teacher onsite who will lead discussions, answer questions, demonstrate methods and rituals, and lead practice sessions. Each day will include instructions on the texts, meditation practice, Tibetan language instruction, and time for individual reading and study.
An international team is developing these plans with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. We still have much to do and we would very much appreciate your input on how to best structure our programs. We have put together a survey to help us understand the interests and needs of those who may consider attending programs at Lishu Institute or participating in our online programs. If you are interested in participating, please complete our survey.
Please visit www.lishu.org for news from Lishu Institute.
This article first appeared in the spring 2014 issue of Ligmincha Europe Magazine.
View Recent YouTube Video Recorded in Mexico
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on Sherap Chamma
This YouTube video of teachings on Sherap Chamma (Part 1), with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, was recorded in April 2014 at the Great Stupa for World Peace, Chamma Ling Retreat Center, Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Learn more about the practice of Sherap Chamma
International Sangha Sharing
A Poem by Stephen Humphries
VOCL recently invited sangha to share their writings and pictures with all of us. Here is a poem by Stephen Humphries, who is 35 and lives in Thailand. In this photo, he is on a boat going to the beautiful island of Koh Chang. He says the poem reflects his recent experiences from meditation practice.
The Sky Behind
It’s like being a cat
On a thick fur rug
With many warm fingers
Gently running through
But also like floating
Balloons In warm air
Arise pins and needles
The points are alive
Television static
Each flash is wisdom
Every movement is full
With big compassion
Like a babe in swaddling
Resting in loving
A peaceful Mother’s breast
Like heroin sleep
But so fully awake
With no addiction
The infinite boundless
Fully full presence
If you’re using tension
The Contact is blurred
If relaxing too much
Still there is tension
Return to the full ground
The soil of being
Return to Gravity
No movement at all
Path of least resistance
You are like water
Find effortless balance
Tremendous stillness
You are the sky behind
All the best,
Stephen
Ligmincha Learning Course on the Three Heart Mantras
Four-Week Course Begins June 4
Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer a month-long online course, “The Three Heart Mantras of Bon,” from June 4–July 4, 2014. The Three Heart Mantras are used in many different meditations in the Bon tradition, and play a major role in the ngondro practices. They are said to be the essence of enlightenment in sound and energy, and as we sing or chant the mantras our awareness is transformed to be in union with the Buddhas. They are used for purification, protection and as primary practices toward self realization.
GlideWing Workshop on Tibetan Dream Yoga
July 12–August 10, 2014
The next GlideWing online workshop with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is on “Tibetan Dream Yoga” and begins July 12.
In this four-week online workshop, with personal guidance from Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, participants will explore and practice the ancient Tibetan BonBuddhist teachings of Tibetan Dream Yoga. This workshop provides detailed instruction for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day.
Learn more and view introductory video
Posters on Tibetan Yoga and Cancer Research Featured at Recent Conference
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich Are Among Co-Authors
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| Alejandro Chaoul-Reich works with patients at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston. |
An MD Anderson Cancer Center/Ligmincha Institute research team led by Lorenzo Cohen. Ph.D., and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D., presented, at a recent conference, two new aspects of their research on using Tibetan Yoga with cancer patients, which began in 2000. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche was a co-author in both posters.
The International Research Conference for Integrative Medicine and Health (IRCIMH) met May 13–16 in Miami, Fla. The conference had the theme of “Strengthening Research in Integrative Health Around the World.” Alejandro, who is also the director of research for Ligmincha Institute and the organizer of Ligmincha’s annual Buddhism and science research conference at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, presented the two posters at the conference.
Following up on their first research on Tibetan Yoga, using tsa lung trul khor for people with lymphoma, the researchers worked on a mixed methods analysis. This included not just the quantitative analysis (already published in 2004 in Cancer Journal) but also a qualitative analysis, presented by Belita Leal, Ph.D., which included patients’ responses to how they are feeling in relation to having cancer and undergoing treatment. This qualitative analysis revealed, for example, more acceptance living with cancer, no matter the outcome.
The second poster was on a recent pilot study, in which patients with stage I-III non-small-cell lung cancer undergoing radiotherapy, along with their family caregiver, participated in a 15-session Tibetan Yoga program. The program included the Nine Breathings of Purification exercises and tsa lung movements. This research, spearheaded by Kathrin Milbury, Ph.D., is important because in the context of patient care, the needs of the caregivers are rarely addressed. Rosalinda Engle, M.A., a member of Ligmincha Texas who is a mind-body intervention specialist at MD Anderson, was one of the instructors, together with Alejandro.
Fourteen patients and their caregivers completed the program, and almost 96 percent rated the program as useful or very useful. Result, among other things, revealed a significant increase in spiritual well-being for patients and decrease in fatigue and anxiety for caregivers.
These studies continue to expand the research of Tibetan Bon Buddhist contemplative practices. They will be presented in detail at Ligmincha’s upcoming meditation and science conference, set for Oct. 7–9, 2014.
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Upcoming Retreats
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The retreats listed below will take place at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Ligmincha Institute’s headquarters located in Nelson County, Virginia. To register or for more information, click on the links below, or contact us at
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or 434-263-6304.
June 22–July 12, 2014
Summer Retreat – The Twenty-One Nails, Part 2
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Join us for one, two or three weeks! All are welcome.
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Sept. 6–7, 2014
The Nine Ways of Bon
with John Jackson
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Oct. 7–9, 2014
New Dialogs Between Buddhism & Science: Pathways to a Healthy Mind
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Renowned Researchers
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Oct. 10–12, 2014
Fall Retreat – The Healing Power of Primordial Awareness
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
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Oct. 31–Nov. 2, 2014
The Sacred Body in the Bon Tradition – Spiritual Guidance from the Tsa Lung Sol Dep
with H.E. Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
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Nov. 6–9, 2014
Trul Khor – Completing the Training: Tibetan Bon Yoga, Part 4
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
Open to all who have done Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the Tibetan Bon yoga as taught at Ligmincha Institute’s Serenity Ridge Retreat Center and Chamma Ling Colorado Retreat Center since 2009.
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Dec. 27, 2014–Jan.1, 2015
Winter Retreat – The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 1: Ngondro
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
This is the first in a five-part series—to be held over the next five years—of special Bon Buddhist dzogchen teachings based on the ancient Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu texts. Part 1: Ngondro is a prerequisite for further study of the Experiential Transmission series.
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Read more about retreats
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
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or 434-263-6304, or visit the Serenity Ridge website.
