Tibetan Language Bön Prayers: The Invocation of Tapihritsa
New Ligmincha Learning Course with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen and Bob Clark
The Tibetan Language Bön Prayers Program is pleased to announce a new online course focusing on the Invocation of Tapihritsa taught by Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, the resident lama of Ligmincha Texas. It will be offered October 20–November 17 through Ligmincha Learning. There is no prerequisite for the course.
The course focuses on this 23-verse prayer spontaneously composed by Nangzher Löpo upon recognizing the enlightened master Tapihritsa, who manifested in the sky above him as a radiant Buddha of white light. Following this encounter, Nangzher Löpo, a renowned eighth century scholar and practitioner, was the first to write down Tapihritsa’s teachings in the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyüd (the Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung), one of the most revered series of Bön dzogchen teachings. The Invocation of Tapihritsa beautifully communicates the unbounded wholeness of Bön dzogchen, sacred narrative and religious art.
Guided by Geshe Denma’s lively teaching, students participating in the five-week session will study approximately four verses of Tibetan text for each class. They will learn Tibetan letter recognition, correct pronunciation and the melody of the invocation. They will encounter the prayer’s meaning through Tibetan stories, prominent thangka paintings and Bön philosophy.
The course is co-designed with Geshe Denma as the lead teacher and Bob Clark, an English teacher and longtime student of Tenzin Rinpoche, as teaching assistant. The course implements a blended approach to online learning with both self-paced study and a weekly class. The live class through Zoom videoconference occurs Sundays at 10 a.m. Eastern time. Cost of the course is $125.
