2019 Retreats at Serenity Ridge

Four Seasonal Retreats with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and More

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center from above. Photo by Salvador Espinosa.

Four exciting seasonal retreats at Serenity Ridge with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche are planned for 2019. They include teachings ranging from connecting with the five elements, to the second year of tummo (inner heat), guidance for living and dying, and a special silent dzogchen practice retreat in December that is open to all.

In addition, senior student and teacher Marcy Vaughn will be teaching her annual Sherap Chamma retreat in February during Losar (Tibetan New Year). Serenity Ridge will host a special Symposium for Contemplative Sciences in April. And Alejandro Chaoul-Reich and Rob Patzig will offer two concurrent trul khor (Tibetan yoga) retreats in November.

A highlight of the year will be a visit by His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dargyal Rinpoche during the Summer Retreat. (See related letter from Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche about his visit.) Immediately preceding that retreat will be a special fundraising dinner and concert for Tibetan orphans.

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center is the headquarters of Ligmincha International and welcomes retreat participants from all over the world. Retreat dates and topics are below. Look for more information, as it becomes available, on the Serenity Ridge website.

February 8–10, 2019
Sherap Chamma: Mother of Wisdom and Love
with Marcy Vaughn 
In many cultures the primordial female energy is seen as the origin of existence and the source of all positive qualities. As such, Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love, is the source of wisdom, and her medicine is love and compassion. With visualization, the sound of mantra and deep contemplation, senior student and teacher Marcy Vaughn will guide participants in a beautiful and simple meditation practice enabling each to connect directly with the divine feminine energy.
(Concurrent Personal Practice Retreat available.)

April 11–14, 2019
Spring Retreat—The Five Elements: Connecting with the Living Universe
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
According to the ancient Tibetan spiritual traditions, the five natural elements of earth, water, fire, air and space are fundamental aspects of a living universe. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will guide practices and activities through which we can deeply connect with the elemental essences, and nourish and restore health and vitality. Group activity and time for participants to engage directly with the elements in nature will be an integral part of the retreat.
(Concurrent Personal Practice Retreat available.)

April 15–16, 2019
Ligmincha Symposium for Contemplative Sciences: Body, Breath & Mind
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and other researchers/presenters
Join Rinpoche and a range of guests from different backgrounds but with common interests at this “Jeffersonian dinner” type of symposium. Small groups of presenters from different fields and spiritual backgrounds will engage in lively discussion and debate on the intersection of meditative practices related to the body, energy and speech, and our relationship to the mind.
(Concurrent Personal Practice Retreat of 1-5 days available.)

June 22, 2019
Fundraising Dinner and Concert for Tibetan Orphans
Look for more information soon about Sa Le Ö, the musical healing and meditation event created by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche that will be coming Serenity Ridge and other locations in the U.S. and Mexico. 

June 23–July 7, 2019
Summer Retreat—Tummo: Inner Fire of Realization, Part 2 of 3
with His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dargyal Rinpoche and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
We are honored to have His Holiness, the 34th Menri Trizin (abbot of Menri Monastery and head of the Tibetan Bön lineage), join Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in teaching the practice of tummo (inner heat). Tummo teachings include both tantric and dzogchen support practices to burn away subtle obscurations and cultivate bliss. All are welcome. Participants may attend one or both weeks but are encouraged to attend both weeks, if possible, as the practice has a cumulative effect. Includes teachings on the Three Great Mantras. For the last two days of the retreat, His Holiness will give teachings and empowerment on "The Knowledge and Wisdom of Longevity: Teachings from the Tsewang Jarima." The tummo series will conclude in summer 2020. Live translation in Spanish.

October 22–27, 2019 
Fall Retreat—Guidance for Living and Dying: Commentary on the Bardo Teachings from the Bön Mother Tantra
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The word “bardo” means “in between” in Tibetan—including that time between life and death, and the time between death and rebirth. The teachings on the bardo are one of the six great methods of the path of the Mother Tantra (Tib.: Ma Gyü), one of the major tantric cycles of Bön. Rinpoche’s teachings will focus on this chapter of information and advice regarding the bardo. Ample time for meditation, practice, and questions and answers will be included in the retreat.
(Concurrent Personal Practice Retreat available.)

November 7–10, 2019 (tentative date)
Trul Khor, Part 2 and Part 3
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich and Rob Patzig
Deepen your experience of the ancient practice of Tibetan yoga (trul khor) from the Bön A-tri Dzogchen tradition. The contemplative physical movements of trul khor enable participants to clear obstacles and obscurations to openness and clarity in meditation practice.
Participants in Part 2 will deepen the practice of the 16 movements, the outer tsa lung and the 9 Breathings of Purification.
Participants in Part 3 will focus on learning to guide the practice, as well as learning more about the tradition and the place of trul khor in the teachings. Students who take part 3 will then have the opportunity to apprentice with Ale and Rob over the 12 months after the retreat to become instructors.
(Personal Practice Retreat of 1–3 days available.)

December 26, 2019–January 1, 2020
Winter Retreat—Dzogchen Silent Practice Retreat: Turning Inward
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche 
Join Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for this special week of dzogchen meditation and practice in an atmosphere of introspective silence. Dzogchen, which translates as “great perfection” or “great completion,” is the highest among the profound teachings of the Bön and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. These teachings point out our true nature, the source of wisdom and all positive qualities. All are welcome to attend this special practice retreat—from those who are exploring dzogchen for the first time, to those who have completed other dzogchen retreats, to those who have completed part or all of the Experiential Transmission series. Live translation in Spanish.

Details of the retreats will be added to the Serenity Ridge homepage as they become available. Other retreats may added during the year.

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