Volume 19, Number 4 / August 2019
Letter from the Editors
Thankful That the Future of Bön is in Good Hands!
Dear Friends,
What a gorgeous summer! At the many Ligmincha centers around the world, students of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche had a chance to meet and be with the enthroned head of the Bön lineage – His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, the 34th Menri Trizin. This was a beautiful first for him and for so, so many Bön students throughout Europe, the U.S. and Mexico. So many.
We had the great good fortune of being able to see and hear His Holiness as he taught on the Three Heart Mantras of Bön each morning at the summer retreat at Serenity Ridge. With six Bön lamas and geshes in attendance and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche translating to a completely full gompa, the preciousness of this amazing connection to the ancient yet timeless wisdom was felt by all. We are happy to share a student question that was offered during the first week of these teachings in the feature below.
What's more, although His Holiness had a very full schedule every day during the retreat, he did not hesitate to honor our request to make time for us to visit one evening and interview him for this issue of The Voice of Clear Light. Another first! You'll see that his kindness and open-hearted patience shined through the whole time we were with him. Even though he has traveled for months, teaching and seeing new people and places daily, not knowing the languages or cultures, His Holiness was full of energy, joyful and naturally generous as he has been toward so many people across the world. So many.
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche translates for His Holiness during a teaching. Photo by Brian Harris.We have many fantastic photos to share with you. Thank you all for your great photographs and for your keen eyes! As you can see from all of the pictures that we've gathered from across the world, this has been and continues to be a bright and joyful summer for so many. So many.
Being with His Holiness this summer was . . . well, in the last hours before publication of this issue, we wanted to ask some sangha brothers and sisters to share in a sentence or two, if they would, what first comes to mind regarding their own experience of being with His Holiness. Look for the sangha sharing tribute below. Thank you for all of your voices. So many.
More of the latest news and happenings to report at Ligmincha International:
- Exciting news to share! Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will soon use the new name CyberSangha for his ongoing program of social media activities. And a new CyberSangha website will be launched soon. Find out more details below.
- Available now through the Ligmincha Bookstore & Tibet Shop: Living Wisdom, a brand new book featuring excerpts of dzogchen teachings from His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizin, during four retreats at Serenity Ridge, plus many photos; and Escape from Darkness, the spiritual journey of the Buddha Tonpa Shenrap’s daughter Shenza Nechung, translated by Sangmo Yangri, Ph.D.
- Newly published: an audio book of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's Spontaneous Creativity, narrated by Marcy Vaughn.
- Registration is now open for the Winter Retreat at Serenity Ridge, December 26, 2019–January 1, 2020: “Turning Inward, a Dzogchen Practice Retreat.”
- See the latest dates and locations for Rinpoche's worldwide teaching schedule through October.
- Mark your calendar for Rinpoche's live August Facebook broadcasts, including poetry by Tibetan women!
- Announcing Lishu Institute's 2019–2020 Retreats.
- Lots going on this fall at Serenity Ridge: Annual Fall Retreat October 22–27 on “Guidance for Living and Dying: Commentary on the Bardo Teachings"; two Trul Khor (Tibetan Yoga) retreats; and a retreat with H.E. Menri Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche.
- GlideWing's next online course with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, “Tibetan Sound Healing," starts August 10.
- Ligmincha Learning is offering“Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practices" beginning August 23.
- Student and Teacher – Together on the Path, a regular feature of the VOCL.
- Read the latest news from The 3 Doors.
- Find the link for the Spanish translation of the June VOCL.
In Bön,
Aline and Jeff Fisher
An Interview with H.H. Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche
The 34th Menri Trizin at Serenity Ridge, June 29, 2019
The Voice of Clear Light team was very grateful for the chance to speak with His Holiness one evening during the 2019 Summer Retreat at Serenity Ridge. His warmth and kindness, along with his openness to all of our questions, was natural and also remarkable. We give special thanks to Tsering Wangmo for translating during the interview, to His Holiness's attendant, Geshe Tsewang Ngodup, for translation assistance, and to Melissa Katz for her photographs taken during this interview.
His Holiness was selected as the 34th Menri Trizin, the spiritual leader of the Bön tradition and abbot of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, on January 1, 2018, following the passing of the 33rd Menri Trizin, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the previous September. In February 2018, Bönpos worldwide joined in celebrating the selection of the 34th Menri Trizin at Menri Monastery. On September 6, 2018, a formal grand enthronement ceremony took place at Menri.
In recognition of his enthronement and as a way for Western sanghas to deepen connection with His Holiness, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche extended the invitation for His Holiness to teach in Europe and North America, including at Ligmincha centers in Poland, Mexico and the United States. This was His Holiness’s first trip to the West after his enthronement and the largest tour that has ever been organized for a Menri Trizin.
VOCL: Can you please tell us what area of Tibet you are from and what your early family life was like?
His Holiness: I am from the village of Shar khog in the Amdo Province of Tibet. I was born in an ordinary middle-class family. Both of my parents are still alive and in their 60s. I am one of six siblings: two older brothers and two older sisters, and one younger brother. One of my older brothers passed away last year. The other older brother is now the pillar of the family, and he is taking care of my family right now. My two sisters are married and have their own families. My younger brother works as a teacher in a Chinese school and has his own family.
VOCL: How and when did you come to Menri Monastery in India?
His Holiness: My main objective, and most of the Bonpo people's main objective in leaving Tibet and coming to India, is because after the cultural revolution, all of the great teachers like Ponlop Rinpoche [His Eminence Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche], Menri Trizin [His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche] and Yongdzin Rinpoche [His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche] are all located in India. So Bonpos leaving for India all want to get the teachers' blessings and their teachings and transmissions and lung. I was 25 years old when I first came to India.
VOCL: Who were your main teachers?
His Holiness: Before I came to India I had trained to become a geshe in Tibet. I received my geshe degree at Gamel Yungdrung Dargyal Ling Monastery, located in my village. During that time my lopon was Yeshe Gyeltsen. My initial training, starting with learning the alphabet, was at Yungdrung Ling Monastery in Shigatse Prefecture in Tibet. Geshe Dratok Pelchen Kyapchok was my very first teacher.
When I arrived in India my main teacher was the 33rd Menri Trizin, and Ponlop Trinley Nyima was my other main teacher. There also were my teacher at the dialectic school and several other teachers as well. But my main teacher was the 33rd Menri Trizin.
VOCL: Would you share a story of your experience with His Holiness, the 33rd Menri Trizin?
His Holiness: We are both from the same village and province. When I first came to Menri Monastery, the 33rd Menri Trizin had high hopes for me. He became very happy that I had come. I had already finished my geshe degree in Tibet, and I had still come to India to continue my development. So maybe that's one of the reasons he had great expectations of me.
Once I was there, the 33rd Menri Trizin gave me many responsibilities and duties, and I tried to perform and fulfill all of those duties and responsibilities. Initially I was given the responsibility of cleaning the rooms, the gompa, the compound and the surrounding area. I did that. Then I was put in the kitchen to cook for the lamas and do the dishes. I did that. Then I was also asked to run errands outside the compound. I did that. Then I was appointed as the administrative assistant. I did that. So wherever I was sent, I worked hard to perform all of the duties required of me for that position.
VOCL: Was there a learning process for you to be able to grow into your role as 34th Menri Trizin? When the 33rd Menri Trizin was selected, for several months the lamas gave him empowerments, transmissions and instructions. Did you have to do something similar?
His Holiness: There is a long tradition at Menri. And the view, meditation and activities all have to be performed according to that tradition. Once I was appointed, my very first task was to renew and take again all of the monastic vows that I had taken already. It's not like I could say, “Okay, today I am now the Menri Trizin, so now I have all of the power to give the wang [empowerment], the initiations and transmission.” No, I needed to get permission from others to be able to do that. So I went to Yongdzin Rinpoche to get those permissions. And I went to another teacher to get permission to do the transmissions and the wang and the lung and all. I had already gotten them from the 33rd Menri Trizin, but I still had to seek permission from these other individuals to be fully qualified.
VOCL: We know that you have many responsibilities as the 34th Menri Trizin. Would you tell us what you do on a typical day at Menri?
His Holiness: Since I have been appointed, I have had no free day. Every day there are visitors getting blessings or simply just coming to visit. And the nunnery, the dialectic school and so on all have their own supervisors, but for the final decision-making, they come and ask me.
VOCL: You have been touring the U.S. and you've visited many countries, including Ligmincha’s center in Poland. Soon you will visit Mexico. How have your visits been?
His Holiness: Overall, it has been very much the same. I have been going to all the Bön centers. From Tibet, though, I am so used to hearing people chanting Dechen Gyalpo, the prayer of Nyame Sherap Gyaltsen. I found that at most of the centers in the West, they do not recite that. That was a little surprising for me.
VOCL: What's the most interesting part of your job?
His Holiness: I mostly like to meditate whenever I get the time to do that. I like to read my prayer book. I like to be a little peaceful and calm. When I have lots of visitors, though, I end up chatting with them, and it can move this peacefulness some! [laughter]
VOCL: You are the head of the entire Bön lineage. Is it lonely at the top?
His Holiness: At times it can feel lonely, but then I go out and mingle with my attendants and chat. So it's not often, yet, that I feel lonely.
VOCL: We are not here at Serenity Ridge and Ligmincha International because we are enlightened. We all need to work on ourselves. What advice do you have for best doing that as practitioners?
His Holiness: With hard work, honesty, sincerity and a good motivation, and being very harmonious.
VOCL: We are very attached to the ego here in the West. What do you prescribe for breaking this attachment, which blocks our progress on the path?
His Holiness: The opposite of the ego is peace. So if you think that you are getting agitated or very upset, you have to recognize that, and you have to control yourself and have patience.
VOCL: What is your vision for the spreading of Bön in the West?
His Holiness: My vision is to help others and to support others to be better, and to better bring peace and harmony into this world through the Bön teachings.
VOCL: You came to Serenity Ridge back in 2013, and now you are here again. How has the experience of being here changed since your first visit?
His Holiness: The difference is that when I came here in 2013, I came as an attendant for the 33rd Menri Trizin, and now I come as the 34th Menri Trizin! I am very happy to see all of the progress and development here – the new buildings, all of the surroundings. When I was here as an attendant in 2013, I was not paying very much attention to how people were practicing. Now, I am paying special attention to how people are practicing and how they are taking the teachings. It's very interesting, and I am very happy with how we are all doing the practices and meditation. I am very happy to see that!
VOCL: Thank you so much for traveling so far and wide to be with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's students. Please know that you are always welcome here, and that we would love to see you again whenever you can possibly make the trip back.
His Holiness: The way that I feel is that I am not even 50 yet, and as long as I have the energy I will come and visit! I will go wherever people invite me. When I get to Yongdzin Rinpoche's age, then I might be a little challenged to travel. Until then, though, wherever I am invited, I will go! [smiles]
VOCL: Thuk-je-che! (Thank you!)
Picture Perfect!
His Holiness Teaches and Meets Bön Students Around the World
His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, the 34th Menri Trizin, began his Europe and North American teaching tour on May 24, 2019. He has visited many Tibetan dharma centers in a number of countries, including Ligmincha centers in Poland, Germany, the United States and in Mexico. For many months prior to his arrival at the different centers, work was being done in preparation – on the buildings, grounds, on all the details. The to-do list was endless. By his arrival so much had been accomplished in so many places and by so many people – and that made it all picture perfect!
There are so many wonderful pictures to share from his travels! We begin our photo tour with Ligmincha Poland; followed by Ligmincha Germany; Serenity Ridge in Virginia, U.S; and Ligmincha Mexico.
His Holiness is still traveling and teaching across the United States through August. His final stops will be in New York, ending in Woodside, New York on September 1. You can see his North American tour schedule here.
His Holiness Visits Ligmincha Poland in Wilga, Poland June 5–9, 2019
Waiting to welcome His Holiness at the airport
Welcoming His Holiness to Chamma Ling Poland in Wilga
His Holiness with Geshe Nyima Woser Rinpoche
Tenzin Rinpoche, His Holiness and resident lama Geshe Yungdrung Gyatso with Ligmincha Poland board members
His Holiness teaches in the Chamma Ling Poland gompa
Watch video of students in Poland welcoming His Holiness
His Holiness Visits Ligmincha Berlin in Germany June 11–12, 2019
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche greets His Holiness with a khata at the airport
Preparing to leave the airport
His Holiness offers teachings on Sherap Chamma
Watch video of students in Germany welcoming His Holiness
His Holiness Visits Serenity Ridge in Shipman, Virginia, June 19–July 7, 2019
His Holiness taught for two weeks with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, headquarters of Ligmincha International. Many special events took place, including the Sa Le Ö concert preceding the retreat, celebration of H.H. the Dalai Lama's birthday, the annual auction, a special banquet with sangha sharing, consecration of a new Five Elements garden and, most especially, His Holiness's consecration of the first Bön stupa in the United States. Thank you to Vicki Wheaton for her devotion, hard work and funding to make this beautiful stupa happen. Look for an article about the stupa in the next issue. Big thank-you's also to all those taking and sharing photos and videos, including Brian Harris, Tony Cooper, Melissa Katz, Geshe Thupten Negi and the attendant monks from Menri Monastery.
Welcoming His Holiness to Serenity Ridge
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche receives a khata from His Holiness
From left: His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, attendants Geshe Tsewang Ngodup and Lama Tashi Dup, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Geshe Thupten Negi of Lishu Institute in India, Lama Kalsang Nyima of Ligmincha Mexico, Vicki Wheaton, Lama Yungdrung Lodoe of Ligmincha Mexico and Geshe Denma Gyaltsen of Ligmincha Texas. Also attending the second week of the retreat was Geshe Monlam Tharchin, member of Parliament in the Tibetan Government in Exile and Bön representative from Menri Monastery.
Consecration of new Bön stupa at Serenity Ridge. Ki ki so so la gyal lo!
Khata is offered to Vicki Wheaton, the force behind the stupa, at dedication ceremony
Consecration of the Five Elements garden
Head table at fundraising dinner. In background is a high-quality photo of the Sherap Chamma mandala sold at the auction. A larger version will soon grace the walls of Kunzang Khang.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Tsering Wangmo and their son Senghe
Yeshe Walmo cham dance done by Geshe Tsewang Ngodup
Celebrating H.H. the Dalai Lama's 84th birthday July 6
Magnolia tree planting ceremony with His Holiness. A similar magnolia tree, now grown large, was planted during a previous visit from 33rd Menri Trizin.
Empowerment of Tsewang Jarima
Watch video of sangha welcoming His Holiness to Serenity Ridge
His Holiness Visits Ligmincha Mexico July 9–14, 2019
Meeting His Holiness at the airport in Mexico City
Arriving at the Great Stupa for World Peace in Valle De Bravo
His Holiness with Tulku Jorge René Valles Sandoval and Lama Kalsang Nyima
His Holiness with Lama Yungdrung Lodoe (and Savador Espinosa with camera in background)
Teaching in the Great Stupa
Offering a benediction for the Great Stupa
Watch video of His Holiness at the Great Bön Stupa in Mexico
A Sangha Sharing Tribute
For His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche
In the last hours before putting together this issue, VOCL asked a handful of sangha members to share a sentence or two about what first came to mind regarding their own experience of being with His Holiness, the 34th Menri Trizin. Please enjoy the montage of voices below.
We invite YOU if you're inspired to send us a few words of your personal experience to be shared with everyone in the next issue of the Voice. Just
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.
Blessed to have been taught by the 33rd Menri Trizin and now continuing with the 34th, I felt a renewed and reinforced commitment to the teachings and the practice of Bön.
—Michael A. Riley, Chatham, New Jersey
The visit of His Holiness was truly an exceptional event. As one of the organizers [of his visit to Poland] I had my hands full. However, all of the work was done with extraordinary ease and I myself felt like floating in clouds, feeling truly happy and blessed all through this incredible time. The atmosphere in the center was remarkable, too, as if we were all in a beautiful dream. It is only now that I’m slowly realizing that I was in fact there and that I am a part of this wonderful family.
—Barbara (Basia) Baczynska, Szczecin, Poland
Meeting His Holiness at the summer retreat was . . . as peaceful as the sky, as special as a rainbow, as natural as seeing our teachers walking from the gompa after teachings.
—Aline Fisher, Fredericksburg, Virginia
When listening to His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizen and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche teach side-by-side for two weeks at Serenity Ridge, the opening line of the Refuge Prayer came to me often: “I take refuge in my kind and knowledgeable lamas.” This is it! The blessings of the Bön lineage overflowing in the 21st century, borderless across languages, time and space.
—Bob Clark, Charlottesville, Viriginia
I met His Holiness in Berlin shortly after my mother had passed. I told him about it and offered him a peony, fruit and grains from my garden, which seemed to give him joy. He said he would do some prayers for my mother, which still fills me with gratitude. It was beautiful that he then taught on Sherap Chamma, the mother of wisdom and love, in Berlin.
—Anja Benesch, Berlin, Germany
It means so much to me that he trusted our capacity to understand even when we may have appeared lost and confused, giving us teachings and blessings with full and abundant generosity. And I will not forget that he asked us to be kind.
—Kathleen Michel, Charlottesville, Virginia
Diving into the wisdom of Longevity Practice of Lama Tsewang Rigdzin from His Holiness sparked a unique experience of my mind. I also had an opportunity to meet His Holiness in person – I was astonished by his great kindness, openness and a unique ability to connect with people instantly. The event gathered over 350 people. When reciting the longevity mantra, one could feel the power and qualities of the Bön sangha. I went back home with new energy and dedication and a better understanding of how important it is to connect with the real teacher.
-Tomek Stuczynski, Pszczyna, Poland
I was moved deeply many times throughout the two-week retreat at Serenity Ridge. There was sweetness and a strength that filled the room when His Holiness entered the gompa each day. So much wisdom and shared generously when he taught the Three Heart Mantras to us. His laughter was genuine and infectious. I smile when I think of his smile. It was beautiful to witness His Holiness and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche working together to translate and bring these teachings to us because as they did this I could feel their connection deepen. Remembering this visit fills me with joy.
—Kathy Hayden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Lungtok Dawa Dargyal Rinpoche, a beautiful Bön geshe whose life changed drastically overnight, appeared to wear this new mantle of Menri Trizin with such grace and kindness that I had the sense that he is more than up to the immense task of devoting the rest of his life to ensuring the preservation and flourishing of this timeless stream of love and wisdom of Bön that has been passed down uninterrupted through the ages.
—Jeff Fisher, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Introducing CyberSangha
New Name and Website for Rinpoche’s Webcasts and Social Media
Reflecting Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's deep personal commitment to offer free access to his teachings for anyone in the world who might benefit from them, Rinpoche will soon apply a new name to his ongoing program of social media activities: CyberSangha. A new CyberSangha website, to be launched in coming weeks, will serve as a portal to all of Rinpoche's social media activities and online supports.
Buddhism speaks of “three jewels”: the Buddha; the dharma, or Buddhist teachings; and the sangha – the community of meditation practitioners who follow the teachings and put them into practice. The name CyberSangha specifically refers to the international community of individuals who are following Rinpoche's free Facebook Live teachings and guided meditations and are seeking nourishment from the mutual support of others.
Offered regularly since late 2016, Rinpoche's live broadcasts include not only teaching and guided practices, but also interfaith dialogues, conversations between scientific and spiritual leaders, and Tibetan poetry readings, as well as glimpses of Rinpoche's life and travels. They can be viewed live on Rinpoche’s Facebook page. A team of volunteers provides simultaneous translation of the Facebook Live broadcasts into multiple languages, and a Facebook discussion group permits exchanges between members of the CyberSangha. Recordings of each broadcast will be accessible in multiple languages via the new CyberSangha website as well as language-specific YouTube channels.
Stay tuned for more information about the launch of the new CyberSangha website. Until the site goes live, you can learn more about Rinpoche's Facebook Live teachings, review schedule updates, and access translations, archives and the discussion group at this link:
http://www.ligminchalearning.com/tenzinwangyal-live/
New Sacred Sky Books Available August 15 Through Online Bookstore
The 33rd Menri Trizin’s Dzogchen Teachings and the Journey of Tonpa Shenrap’s Daughter
Two new books published by Sacred Sky Press, a division of Ligmincha International, will be available online through Ligmincha’s Bookstore & Tibet Shop after August 15. Living Wisdom: Dzogchen Teachings from the 33rd Menri Trizin, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, contains excerpts from His Holiness’s teachings at Serenity Ridge. Escape from Darkness: The Spiritual Journey of the Buddha’s Daughter, Shenza Nechung, is the translation by Sangmo Yangri, Ph.D., of part of an ancient text about Tonpa Shenrap.
Check back here after August 15 for a new link to the online Bookstore and these two books.
Living Wisdom: Dzogchen Teachings from the 33rd Menri Trizin, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche
Living Wisdom presents selected, edited excerpts of teachings from four visits of His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizin, to Serenity Ridge in 1999, 2001, 2011 and 2013. The first copy of the book was presented to His Holiness Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, the 34th Menri Trizin, during the first week of his visit to Serenity Ridge in June.
The topics taught by the 33rd Menri Trizin focus on dzogchen, the highest among the Tibetan Bön teachings, which points out the true nature of mind. They include profound teachings from retreats on the Twenty-Four Masters, subsequent Lineage Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, and the Six Lamps.
His Holiness was the abbot of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, and spiritual leader of the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition from 1968 until his passing on September 14, 2017. Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly to preserve the ancient Bön tradition and culture. In addition to his formal teachings, His Holiness’s wisdom, warmth and presence shines through in the book through the questions he answered and the stories he told. Numerous full-color photos of His Holiness are featured throughout the book.
From the Foreword by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:
It is hard to fathom just how much gratitude His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche is due. Every Bön practitioner alive today, and especially those in the West, should keep his Holiness in their hearts. He has left his body, but his works are still here. His spirit is here. His compassion and his wisdom are very much alive for anyone who wants to connect with him.
Escape from Darkness: The Spiritual Journey of the Buddha’s Daughter, Shenza Nechung
In the Tibetan Bön tradition, there have been numerous female lay and nun practitioners who attained high spiritual states. Their stories are included in Bön texts and also are a part of local folklore but have not been extricated from the texts or recorded from the folklore. This book is an attempt to begin to fill the void that has been left for centuries.
In Escape from Darkness, the first story of a female Bön practitioner is brought to light by translating the life story of Buddha Tonpa Shenrap Miwo’s younger daughter, Shenza Nechung, and describing her spiritual journey. The book tells the tale of how the demon Khyappa Lakring attempts to defeat the teachings of the Yungdrung Bön by seducing Shenza Nechung, and how she is eventually rescued and reconnects with the dharma.
The book is translated by Sangmo Yangri, Ph.D., a scholar, teacher, translator and the first Tibetan female to receive a Ph.D. in the area of Tibetan Bön studies. In 2015, she was appointed to the position of teacher and translator at Lishu Institute in northern India, founded by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for the intensive study and practice of Bön.
The book also includes a foreword by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, commentary by Sangmo Yangri, and reflections by Tsering Wangmo and Marcy Vaughn.
Audio Book of Spontaneous Creativity Now Available
New Book Narrated by Marcy Vaughn
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's second audio book, Spontaneous Creativity: Meditations for Manifesting Your Positive Qualities, is now available! The book, in unabridged audible format, is narrated by Marcy Vaughn, a senior teacher and student of Rinpoche and editor of the printed book, which was published in 2018.
Rather than the standard definition of creativity, the book looks at creativity through a wider lens, as a dynamic force that animates us and connects us with every being on the planet. As Rinpoche says, creativity is not just a spark igniting the fire of inspiration. It is a way of living spontaneously from the open spaciousness of being—from the source of infinite potential and positive qualities such as love, compassion and joy.
The new audio book, published by Hay House, is available through most major marketplaces, including amazon.com and hayhouse.com.
Rinpoche’s first audio book, The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, also narrated by Marcy Vaughn, was released in October 2018 and is currently available on the same sites noted above.
Dzogchen Practice Retreat: Turning Inward
Registration for 2019 Winter Retreat Now Open
Registration for Winter Retreat, to be held December 26, 2019–January 1, 2020, is now open! Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche warmly invites everyone to join him for a dzogchen meditation and practice retreat in an atmosphere of introspective silence.
During the morning sessions, Rinpoche will offer brief teachings and lead meditation. Afternoon teachings will focus on meditation and practice, with the opportunity for participants to ask questions and share their experiences. There are no prerequisites to attend this retreat, and all are welcome.
This is primarily a silent retreat. To create an atmosphere that supports our turning inward, participants are asked to maintain respectful silence throughout all areas of Serenity Ridge—indoors and outside. A time in which participants will be able to talk with each other will be designated during parts of the retreat; details of these periods of silence and speaking are still to be determined.
Dzogchen, known as the “great perfection,” is considered the highest teaching in Tibetan Buddhism. Its fundamental tenet is that the true nature of mind, including the individual, is already complete and perfect. The essential dzogchen practice is "self-liberation"—allowing all that arises in experience to exist just as it is in the present moment, without grasping, aversion or elaboration by the conceptual mind.
All are welcome to attend this special practice retreat—from those who have completed part or all of the five-year Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung series of dzogchen teachings, to those who have done other dzogchen retreats, to those who are exploring dzogchen for the first time.
Simultaneous live translation into Spanish. Con traducción simultánea al Español, en vivo.
Learn more/register on the Serenity Ridge Website
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s Worldwide Teaching Schedule
August Through October 2019
Here is a list of Rinpoche’s upcoming retreats through October 2019. It includes Rinpoche’s in-person teachings at Ligmincha International retreat centers or other locations throughout the world. It also includes his online teachings offered through Ligmincha Learning or GlideWing.
- August 10–September 1: Online course through GlideWing: Tibetan Sound Healing
- August 12–18: Buchenau, Germany: The Twenty-One Nails (continued)
- August 20–25: Wilga, Poland: Tummo – Teachings about Inner Heat and Bliss, Part 1
- August 23–September 29: Online course through Ligmincha Learning: Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practices
- September 6–8: Budapest, Hungary: Spontaneous Creativity: Meditations for Manifesting Your Positive Qualities
- September 13–15: Rome, Italy: Sherap Chamma
- September 20–22: Boulder Colorado: Boulder Shambhala Center: Spontaneous Creativity
- September 28–October 27: Online course through GlideWing: Awakening the Sacred Arts
- September 29–October 4: Esalen, Big Sur, California: The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep
- October 4–November 17: Online course through Ligmincha Learning: The Five Elements: Healing with Form, Energy and Light
- October 22–27: Serenity Ridge Shipman, Virginia: Fall Retreat: Guidance for Living and Dying
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche LIVE
Upcoming Broadcasts on Facebook
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche invites you to connect with him, the ancient Tibetan teachings and fellow students around the world through regular live broadcasts that can be easily viewed on Rinpoche’s Facebook page.
Each of the scheduled broadcasts shown below includes a teaching and guided meditation and is free and open to all – you don’t need a Facebook account to view it. The scheduled broadcasts shown below are free and open to all – you don't need a Facebook account to view them.
- August 4, 1 p.m. New York time: “The Mantra of Liberation” (OM MA TRI MU YE SA LE DU). Teaching and guided mantra recitation.
- August 11, 11 a.m. New York time: “Poetry from the Heart: Tibetan Women's Voices.” A group poetry reading with Chokey Dolma, Nyima Tso, Tsering Wangmo Dhompa and Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche. In Tibetan with simultaneous translation into English and other languages.
To watch, visit Rinpoche's Facebook page
To receive advance updates, subscribe to our Announcements email list by sending an email to:
twr-live-announcements+subscribe[at]googlegroups.com (please copy and paste this address into your email application TO, replace [at] with @). You’ll receive a return email (check your SPAM folder if needed); replying to this email will activate your subscription.
More about Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche LIVE and latest schedule updates
Archive of recorded live broadcasts
Lishu Institute 2019–2020 Retreats
Range of Short and Longer Retreat Options Available
Lishu Institute, Ligmincha’s residential retreat center for practice and study of Tibetan Bön teachings, is launching a new retreat program for 2019–2020 featuring a range of offerings.
Since it is often challenging for retreat-goers to find extended periods of time for retreats, Lishu is now offering retreats for two months, one month or two weeks. Students can join the program for one or more retreats each year.
A retreat at Lishu Institute is a great opportunity for in-depth study and practice of the Bön tradition in the serene rural environment of the retreat center. Lishu is located in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, not far from the state capital of Dehradun.
The curriculum includes one long, two medium and one short retreat.
- September 16–November 10, 2019 (8 weeks): Chöd from the Bön Mother Tantra and Six Lokas from the dzogchen text Kusum Rangshar
- November 13–27, 2019 (2 weeks): Daily Offering Rituals in the Bön Tradition
- January 20–February 16, 2020 (4 weeks): Phowa and Bardo from the Bön Mother Tantra
- Feb. 24–March 22, 2020 (4 weeks):Trekchod and Togel from the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü (Four Cycles of Precepts)
All retreats include teaching and practice.
Lishu Institute was founded by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche to help preserve the ancient spiritual tradition and culture of Bön from Tibet.
For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Resident teachers Geshe Sherab Lodoe and Dr. Sangmo Yangri are currently completing a teaching tour of Europe.
View their tour schedule
Visit Lishu’s website
Visit Lishu’s Facebook page
Lots Happening This Fall at Serenity Ridge!
Annual Fall Retreat, Tibetan Yoga Retreats, Special Retreat with H.E. Menri Ponlop Rinpoche
Serenity Ridge is pleased to offer three retreats in October and November. They include Fall Retreat teachings on the bardo with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a teaching on dzogchen pith instructions with His Eminence Menri Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, and two Tibetan yoga (trul khor) retreats.
Fall Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, "Guidance for Living and Dying: Commentary on the Bardo Teachings” will be held October 22–27. Rinpoche will lead participants in exploring the transition between life in death, including preparation for dying, the process of dying, practices related with the bardo, how to prepare for one’s own death and how to help others who are dying.
Special Retreat with His Eminence Menri Ponlop Trinley Rinpoche, November 8–10, will be on the topic "Pith Instructions from the Golden Advice," focusing on Drenpa Namkha's succinct advice to dzogchen practitioners. A renowned scholar and meditation master, His Eminence is the head instructor of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India.
Tibetan Yoga (Trul Khor) Parts 2 and 3 with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich and Rob Patzig will be taught concurrently, with Part 2 set for November 8–10 and Part 3 held November 8–11. Deepen your experience of the ancient practice of Tibetan yoga (trul khor) from the Bön A-tri dzogchen tradition.
To register for these retreats, visit the Serenity Ridge website.
GlideWing Online Workshop 'Tibetan Sound Healing' Starts August 10
Three-Week Workshop with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The next GlideWing online workshop with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, “Tibetan Sound Healing," will be held August 10–September 1, 2019. With Rinpoche’s personal guidance you will learn to use the healing power of five sacred syllables known as the Five Warrior Syllables.
The Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition is one of the most ancient spiritual traditions to use sound and its vibration as an essential tool for healing and spiritual development. Guided by the mind and carried by the breath through subtle channels within the body, the power of sound can open the potential to bring joy and love to your life, facilitate personal healing, dissolve energetic disturbances and awaken positive action in the world around you.
Through the ancient practice of the Five Warrior Syllables, you will discover the power of pure, primordial sound to quickly cut through the obstacles to lasting change and to open the space for profound healing of body, energy and mind.
Tenzin Rinpoche’s teachings are based on his popular book Tibetan Sound Healing.
Upcoming:
"Awakening the Sacred Arts: Discovering Your Creative Potential" with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, September 28–October 27.
"Tibetan Dream Yoga" with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, November 16–December 15.
Next Ligmincha Learning Online Course Begins August 23
'Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practices'
Tonpa Shenrap MiwocheLigmincha Learning is pleased to offer an online course on "Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practices," for anyone who would like to learn more about or deepen their existing knowledge of this ancient, profound tradition. The five-week online course runs from August 23–September 29, 2019.
Bön counts itself among the oldest spiritual traditions in the world. With origins steeped in an oral, shamanic tradition and yet deeply rooted in teachings of the buddha Tonpa Shenrap who preceded Shakyamuni Buddha, Bön offers practices for the challenges we face in our lives, and a complete path to enlightenment.
This course is ideal for beginners who have recently connected with Bön teachings and want to know more about where it comes from and the many varied forms of practice in the tradition. It is also well suited for practitioners who would like to know how all the practices fit together into a beautiful and complete system of philosophies and meditations.
In a new format, Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, resident lama of Ligmincha Texas, and John Jackson, mentor for many Ligmincha Learning courses and frequent international teacher, enter into deep conversations around the essential masters and teachings of the Bön tradition. Each topical conversation is followed by a guided meditation, led by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche or Geshe Denma, which illustrates the themes discussed.
Coming in October:
"The Five Elements, Healing with Form Energy and Light" with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, October 4–November 17
"Tibetan Language Bön Prayers: Session III, The Invocation of Tapihritsa" with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, October 20–November 17
News from The 3 Doors
European Academy Graduates, Register for Compassion Project
Congratulations to the graduates of the European 3 Doors Academy! The group of 22 participants completed their two-and-one-half-year program of group retreats, personal practice and transformation, and growing community under the guidance of senior teachers Raven Lee, Marcy Vaughn and Laura Shekerjian. We wish them the best and welcome them to The 3 Doors Practitioners Association, the international organization that supports all Academy graduates in continued personal growth, creative expression and service to others.
Registration is still open for the next nine-month online Compassion Project with Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco, beginning in September 2019. The 3 Doors Compassion Project teaches meditation to healthcare professionals, educators, therapists, and those who wish to empower their capacity to serve others and experience the benefits of self-compassion. Participants will explore how The 3 Doors meditation practices of body, speech and mind can support personal transformation and the emergence of positive qualities in relation to self, family and community – restoring natural resilience and ability to respond to others from a place of presence and compassion.
Learn more/register
Read Power and Promise: The 3 Doors Compassion Project
Student and Teacher
Together on the Path
As students on the Tibetan Bön Buddhist path, we offer our teachers a range of questions from the simple to the complex. Here we share an edited excerpt of a question and answer from the 2019 Summer Retreat at Serenity Ridge related to how we, as students on the path, can support and help those we care about.
Student: His Holiness mentioned doing mantra for someone else. Is there anything different or any specific way of doing it for someone else?
TWR: The simplest way to do it is to set up the intention to do it for someone else. Then while you are reciting the mantra, you are aware of the person you are doing it for. When you finish, you don't forget that you are doing it for someone else, and then you do the dedication for that person. That's the simplest way to do it, right?
A little more complicated way would be this: When you are doing it for someone else, for example, the reason you want to do it is to help that person, right? And when you want to help someone else, naturally there is some degree of openness there. So expanding that sense of space.
Sometimes you may feel you really want to help this person, but you are having difficulty helping them. You are having a difficult relationship with them. You want to help but you are not feeling like you are succeeding. What would the problem be? Of course, you would say it's the other person, not realize that it's your own expectation. I see this in many people and I see it in my own life, that sometimes there is a limit to how much you can do for others. I can talk about openness a lot, but I know when someone hits my openness. It's very obvious. [laughter] In that very moment, you realize your limit. And what do you do when you realize your limit? Don't force yourself. Take a break. Go away. Or don‘t go out.
The main thing I am saying is to recognize your limit, take breaks, not do too much, not say too much, not think too much. Remember! Stillness. Silence. Spaciousness. And then realize you are not stopping there. You have work to do. You have expansion to do. It humbles you, but it also makes you realize there is more work to be done.
So helping – including bringing in other people – basically means feeling more space.
Spanish Translation of VOCL
Link to June Issue Now Available
Look for the translations of Voice of Clear Light newsletters at the top of the VOCL website.
Upcoming Retreats
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The events listed below will take place at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Ligmincha International headquarters located in rural Nelson County, Virginia. To register or for more information, visit the Serenity Ridge website, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 434-263-6304.
October 22–27, 2019
Fall Retreat—Guidance for Living and Dying: Commentary on the Bardo Teachings
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
November 8–10, 2019
Special Retreat—Pith Instructions from the Golden Advice
with H.E. Menri Ponlop Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
November 8–11, 2019
Tibetan Yoga, Part 2 and Part 3
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich and Rob Patzig
December 26, 2019–January 1, 2020
Winter Retreat—Dzogchen Practice Retreat: Turning Inward
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal RinpocheTo register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please visit the Serenity Ridge website,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 434-263-6304.
