Volume 21, Number 3 / June 2021
Letter from the Editors
On the Horizon
Dear Friends,
Thankfully over this past difficult year of the pandemic, there have been many opportunities for connection and growth to help keep us focused on the important truth of the dharma—recognizing our own true nature. The advantages of attending any of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's numerous online retreats and talks are many, but the chance to all be together again for in-person retreats is finally on the horizon!
While many details about how to do that are still being firmed up, the first retreat at Serenity Ridge will take place in the fall, when the 3 Doors Academy holds several events including the start of a new North American Academy. (See the article below.) Because Serenity Ridge Retreat Center has been closed for more than a year now due to the pandemic, much needs to be done there before we can once again host in-person retreats there. If all goes as planned, the annual Experiential Transmission retreat in December with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will then take place in person at Serenity Ridge, as well as online. Ligmincha International will hold its annual online auction starting June 21 to support reopening Serenity Ridge, and three weekend service retreats are planned for June, July and August. Read about it all below.
For now, we still have opportunities to attend several Zoom retreats with Rinpoche. One is the annual two-week Summer Retreat, which is right around the corner, with Dream Yoga beginning June 20 and Sleep Yoga starting June 27. See all the details below as well as a listing of Rinpoche's live teachings through August.
While we all are cautiously looking forward to more retreats, get-togethers, outings, travel and projects—both work and fun—we also need to take Rinpoche's advice to relax and just BE, as he reminds us so well in this issue's teaching excerpt, despite our tendencies to do, do, do! We are groomed for this busy-ness starting as kids, losing touch with an essential element of our realization and our happiness: coming to rest in being, where from that place of stillness, silence and spaciousness all that arises is perfect as it is. Thank you, Rinpoche!!
As many of you know, a fundraising campaign was initiated by Rinpoche and Ligmincha for a few weeks in May to help with Covid relief in India, where the disease is still wreaking havoc, and we wanted to share with everyone that more than $90,000 has been raised (as of this writing) thanks to so many generous, compassionate people. May this effort bring great relief and benefit to many people!
Don't miss the special interview by Ton Bisscheroux with Jorge Valles, president of Ligmincha Mexico, about what has been happening at Chamma Ling Valle de Bravo, the Great Bön Stupa for World Peace and Retreat Center in Mexico. So inspiring!
Also in this issue: Ligmincha Learning announces big website improvements making it much easier to use mobile devices to take courses offered; and do check out the three courses that begin this summer through Ligmincha Learning: “Three Heart Mantras” starts June 11, “Sleep Yoga” starts July 16 and “Sherap Chamma” starts August 6. Look for I Am No One, a new poem by Rinpoche with the video presentation and the text in 13 languages, plus upcoming CyberSangha events; and a new GlideWing workshop on the topic “Who Am I”; and, as always the Spanish translation of the April VOCL.
Relax and enjoy!!
In Bön
Aline and Jeff Fisher
The Richness of Resting in Being
An Edited Excerpt from Oral Teachings Given by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Spring 2021
We all understand one way or another how much we need to relax, don't we? We do various things, when we can, to try and relax. However, as human beings in general, and particularly here in modern Western culture, we don't give ourselves permission to just simply be. To enjoy, to rest, to be no one, to not be successful. Somehow we don't give ourselves permission to do that. Here in the West it seems that from childhood on, parents are continually placing expectations on their child, saying: you need to be better; you need to do this thing better, you need to make your grades better, your performance better, you need to clean up better. In some sense, then, no matter how well you do, it's as if you are not doing well enough. As a result we develop this sense of, I'm not good enough. I have to be better. Who I am doesn't matter. We come to believe that what matters is what you accomplish, what certificates you get, and how you are perceived in society. That's the message that people are getting throughout their upbringing.
So as a result, at some point early on you begin to identify with what we call your weakness, or what we call your conditions. Your weakness and your conditions are what you begin identifying with as a young person growing up, rather than your freedom, your strengths. And it's always accompanied by this effort of trying to do better or trying to become better, without acknowledging that what is, is probably good enough. This misses the fact that if more growth or more improvement is needed, it will always come from there, that place of what is, and not from the place of what you are striving to be.
For the last couple of years I've been emphasizing, and personally practicing and paying a lot of attention to sleep, and to just doing nothing. Say you're having a wonderful day, and you go outside and see the beautiful sun and sky and are there having a nice time with the family all together. Then you suddenly feel, Oh I should be doing something! I should be working! And when that feeling arises, you lose the connection to that moment. This disease of constantly needing to do something is coming from the place of not full. It's very different than your allowing full actions, with spontaneity, with joy, that all come from the place of fullness. You see, when you are operating from the place of not full, you'll exert a lot of effort, and it drains you and nothing gets done. But when you are coming from the place of fullness, then there's no effort, and you have so much fun and a lot of things get done. So which one of these would you prefer? I have to ask, because if the message is taken as, relax and you'll get things done, then the Western mind will make the effort to try and relax just so that it can get things done. That should not be the intention. Simply relaxing is the intention. Being is the intention; not our always trying to achieve something or become something.
I remember very clearly an incident from a long time ago, when I was on a train ride in Italy. It was back when mobile phones were first becoming popular. There was an Italian gentleman sitting in front of me, and it was clear that he was so agitated and intense and just could not be still. And he expressed this inability to be still through the use of his phone. Okay, I understand that sometimes you need to call someone. If so, then make the call and take care of whatever it is that's important. But this gentleman seemed just to be scrolling through all the numbers in his directory, one after the other, thinking, now who should I call, because he could not just be with himself. He had to always be calling someone. He would make the first call—busy. Then he'd scroll to the next contact and click it—no answer. Then the third one—busy. Fourth one—no answer. He kept on that way for such a long time, and with no success.
It was clear that he really needed to have made a call to himself. That's the one who really needed a call, because that one was desperate. Desperate because nobody really wanted to hear from him. Could it have been that the universe was keeping all of the parties from answering, just for his sake? Was the universe communicating to him by having no one answer his calls so that at some point he might get the message: Call yourself. Listen to yourself. Hear yourself. You're lonely, can you see? You're in pain, can you see? And trying to call someone else who is not available to hear from you doesn't help. If you would like to be heard, you must listen to yourself. Slow down. And from the stillness listen to your pain, hear your pain. The moment that you hear your pain, and acknowledge the pain, then everyone will start returning your phone calls. This is the truth.
I've been saying this again and again so many times and in so many different ways, and I hope to find better and better ways of saying these things. The interior side of ourselves, the one who needs a call so badly, should be heard by you. When you can hear yourself in that way, then others will be sure to listen to you.
So in a sense it is always good to look inside oneself. From there you will find your best qualities and then do your best from there, and then that's it, that's enough! If you are around people who are always expecting more than you are capable of doing, then you should try to keep your distance from those people, because that's a kind of sickness. At the end of the day, we need to have balance in life.
There is a parable about a Native American man who was lying out in a hammock happily enjoying the afternoon sun on his face. A businessman who was going by saw him lying there and began a conversation, encouraging him to go get more work, and the Native American man asked, “Why?” “So that you can make more money,” the businessman said. Again, the man in the hammock asked, “Why?” “So that you can become successful and get promoted,” the businessman urged. Again the reply was, “Why?” “So that you can become rich and retire!” he exclaimed. “Why?” replied the Native American. “Why?” the businessman replied. “So that you can enjoy life!” And the Native American man just smiled and said, “Why do I have to do all those crazy things and go through all that extra pain and suffering just to get to where I am already?”
You see, sometimes our pain identity's goals prevent our connection and our growth. The pain identity's goals always involve finding a situation and conflict where the pain identity can survive. It always needs a conflict.
One of the beautiful things that's occurred over this past year, because of my being home so much, is that I have really come to enjoy being out in nature. Twenty or thirty years ago my tendency was to say, Oh I know you're enjoying nature, but you've got to be doing something or making something happen. Now I feel completely different. While I am in nature I have this sense of, this is IT! I have been hiking for eight hours now and . . . this is IT! Eight hours, imagine! (laughs) And I find a joy there that's comparable to a teenager's joy on their first trip to a big amusement park like Disney World! I do feel like an excited child as I start off on a hike. And I do not feel that I am wasting any time, because that space nourishes me so much. I may not have so many creative ideas at that moment, but I have one creative idea, that one, and it's the right one. And from there it all manifests, effortlessly.
So returning to the main point: give your mind a break, and from there, allow these qualities to spontaneously emerge. You can trust them when they come from that right place—far better than all the ideas that you'll effortfully create.
Dream Yoga and Sleep Yoga June 20–July 3
Attend One or Both Weeks of Online Summer Retreat on Zoom
Dream Yoga and Sleep Yoga are profound teachings from the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition to support the realization of one’s true nature. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will teach on these topics during this year’s summer retreat, offered online via Zoom. Dream Yoga will be offered June 20–26 and Sleep Yoga will be held June 27–July 3. All are welcome to join us for one or both weeks of these retreats, sponsored by Serenity Ridge Retreat Center and supported by Ligmincha International. A discounted rate is available if you register for both weeks.
In addition, Rinpoche will offer the reading transmission (lung) for both Dream and Sleep Yoga. Dream Yoga transmission will be given during Dream Yoga week one and Sleep Yoga transmission will be given during the Sleep Yoga week two.
Live simultaneous translation in French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, German and Portuguese. Additional languages will be announced as they are added.
Dream Yoga
June 20–26, 2021
In addition to the restorative benefits of a good night’s sleep, Tibetan yogis have practiced dream yoga for centuries to turn these hours into a time for spiritual awakening. Unlike psychological or “lucid dreaming” approaches that have become popular in the West, the ultimate goal of Tibetan dream yoga is enlightenment: to recognize the nature of mind that pervades all experience—whether dreaming or awake—and supports the emergence of wisdom and compassion.
During this retreat, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will explore the relationship between dreaming and waking states, and between dream and the bardo states after death. We will learn how to prepare for sleep, the types of dreams that can arise and how to bring lucidity into our dreams.
Sleep Yoga
June 27–July 3, 2021
During this weeklong retreat, we will learn to access the deep stillness and restfulness that a good night’s sleep promises, and open ourselves to the recognition of our own clear light of awareness.
Rinpoche will teach and guide us in the sleep yoga practice from the Mother Tantra, one of the most important body of tantric teachings in the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition. A powerful tool for awakening, sleep yoga brings us to a deep state of rest for personal healing and transformation. Ultimately, sleep yoga opens the door to the luminous, open awareness that is the true nature of the mind.
Recommended reading: The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register
Opportunity for Intensive Study with The 3 Doors
New Academy Begins in October in Person at Serenity Ridge
The sixth 3 Doors North American Academy will begin in October 2021 in person at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center in Shipman, Virginia. The program includes six group retreats at Serenity Ridge, with online practice and mentoring sessions in between, via Zoom. The Academy will be taught by 3 Doors senior teachers Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco.
Using various breath, body and sound practices, this intensive 3 Doors training will provide participants with the opportunity to engage deeply in the process of self-discovery. It is rigorous in the sense that you are asked to make an active, ongoing commitment to self-reflection and meditation. It is challenging at times, since facing yourself can be humbling and disorienting. And it is frequently joyful, as the freedom of going beyond perceived limitations and experiencing the abundant resources of your true nature can be liberating.
Another strength of the program is that it draws upon the collective power of the group for support in transforming personal limitations. Sharing this two-and-a-half-year journey together, a cohort of students will attend six residential retreats, which will be supplemented by online meetings with instructors and mentors, and draw on the mentor relationship for individual guidance and direction. The Academy environment is one of complete confidentiality, support and genuine warmth.
The end date of the program is currently being finalized.
The 3 Doors was founded by Tibetan teacher and meditation master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and is an international organization that offers meditation programs with practical applications for everyday life.
Learn more/apply for the Academy
Learn more about The 3 Doors
Ligmincha International’s Fifth Annual Online Auction
Begins June 21 to Support Reopening Serenity Ridge
Dear Sangha,
Beginning June 21 we will hold an online auction to support reopening Serenity Ridge Retreat Center. We have buildings to clean, walkways to redo, fallen trees to clear and cut, and new trails to blaze. We are reopening on a trial basis this fall to support events held by The 3 Doors, and our goal is to fully reopen in time for Rinpoche’s Winter Retreat, which begins December 27, 2021.
Please consider donating dharma items for this auction. Malas, thangkas, signed photos of our teachers, ritual items, mandala rings—all these and more would make great donations. (For US residents: we will send you a donation letter for tax purposes.)
Items from past auctions
If you have an item you would like to contribute, please send a photo to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , along with a brief description. Please include the object’s history, if it has been blessed, and anything else you think appropriate that the new owner might want to know.
You can mail your items to Ligmincha International, c/o Michele Tecco, 554 Drumheller Lane, Shipman VA 22971. If you have any questions about items for donation, or the auction process, please email
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.
Rob Patzig
Ligmincha International, President
Weekend Service Retreats at Serenity Ridge
Three Set for June, July and August
Serenity Ridge is listening to our local community. We hear the desire to reopen the center to support 3 Doors practitioners in their retreats this fall. To open we need your help!
The center has been closed since April 2020. There is much to be done, including setting up the kitchen, cleaning interior spaces, washing windows, gardening and grounds work. Therefore, Serenity Ridge, in the spirit of service as practice and community building, is offering monthly, one- to three-day weekend service and practice retreats.
Each weekend service retreat will offer room and board, all but one meal (including a catered dinner on Saturday), opportunities to practice together and time for socializing. These retreat weekends will have a maximum of 15 overnight guests. At this time Serenity Ridge requires that overnight guests are vaccinated. Masks and social distancing are required if you have not been vaccinated. Temperature checks will be done at check-in. Anyone with a temperature higher than normal will not be allowed to participate.
RETREAT WEEKENDS
JUNE 11–13, 2021
JULY 16–18, 2021
AUGUST 20–22, 2021
For more information, contact Serenity Ridge's Registrar at
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.
Register to participate
Ligmincha Learning Goes Mobile!
A Major Upgrade to Ligmincha Learning Online Courses
Ligmincha Learning—which offers a range of online courses featuring videos, guided meditations and more—has now gone fully mobile! Previously, the Ligmincha Learning courses were all best viewed on a laptop or a desktop. Logging in with a mobile device, accessing the videos and participating in the message boards was difficult. That has changed now.
Many of you have taken courses on our site, ligminchalearning.com. If you haven’t, please take a look. Ligmincha Learning offers many courses with teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, as well as courses by Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, Marcy Vaughn and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich. Recent and upcoming topics include sleep yoga, tsa lung, the five elements, Sherap Chamma and the three heart mantras. Several free courses also are available. (See the next article below.)
To get started, you can download the free Moodle app from your mobile device. For iPhones, download the Moodle app from the App Store; for all Android-based devices, download the app from Google Play.
Once you have downloaded the free app and open it for the first time, just direct it to https://courses.ligminchalearning.com/. You will be asked to log in to your account (free to set up). If you don’t already have a free account, just use your web browser to go to our site and set one up. All it takes is a name and email address. Once done, you will have access to all your active courses on your phone or tablet. You can read the print materials, watch the videos or listen to the audio files, and engage in the discussion groups.
Check out the next article about two upcoming courses.
Learn more about Ligmincha Learning courses
Ligmincha Learning's Upcoming Online Courses
Three Heart Mantras in June, Sleep Yoga in July, Sherap Chamma in August
Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer three upcoming video-based online courses: “The Three Heart Mantras” with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche June 11–July 18, “Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light” with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche July 16–August 15 and “Sherap Chamma: Mother of Wisdom and Love” August 6–September 5 with Marcy Vaughn. These courses feature beautiful video teachings, guided meditations, readings, journal writing activities, and the opportunity to interact with senior mentors and classmates from around the world.
June 11–July 18, 2021
The Three Heart Mantras
The Three Heart Mantras are used in many different meditations in the Bön tradition and play a major role in the ngöndro 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.
It is said that creating these mantras in any form brings merit and purification, so they are commonly found carved into stones, printed on prayer flags where they spread their benefits through the winds, and even drawn with gold ink and kept on shrines as an object of reverence and meditation. Their blessings are said to be endless. Also within this course Tenzin Rinpoche explains the essence of the guru yoga, refuge and bodhicitta practices, making this an excellent introduction to the tradition.
Learn more/register
July 16–August 15, 2021
Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light
We spend one-third of our life in sleep, yet for most people sleep is a period of unconsciousness. Through the practices of the Yoga of Clear Light we can learn to be completely aware during our sleep, open, clear, resting in deep meditative presence. But how do we get from our current stress and disrupted sleep patterns to the state of clear light?
The course will introduce simple techniques to enter into sleep in a healthy, balanced way. Even if we do not consistently enter into clear light sleep, we can benefit from a refreshing, relaxed sleep that gives us deep renewal. This is supported by breathing techniques, physical postures and guided visualizations. Tenzin Rinpoche will also provide meditations to wake up in a beautiful way, feeling the blessings of sleep and stepping into our day with serenity. Through these simple practices we can transform our sleep to be one of tranquility and awareness.
Learn more/register
August 6–September 5, 2021
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. Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love, is the source of wisdom, and her medicine is love and compassion. The teachings of Sherap Chamma comprise one of the most important tantric cycles of the ancient Bön tradition.
In this four-week online course, participants will learn a beautiful and simple meditation practice enabling each to directly connect with the divine feminine energy. Within the support of the group, we create an environment to promote profound healing of physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual dimensions of life. With visualization, the sound of mantra and deep contemplation, we make a personal connection to this sacred form of the universal mother, Sherap Chamma, and are guided through this connection to our innate wisdom and the love and compassion that naturally radiate from that wisdom.
Those experienced in meditation as well as those who are beginning are warmly welcomed.
Learn more/register
Ongoing Free Courses: Ligmincha Learning offers several ongoing free courses. They include “Starting a Meditation Practice, Parts 1 & 2”; “The True Source of Healing”; “Living with Joy, Dying in Peace”; and “Transforming Your World Through Service.”
CyberSangha Website Features Rinpoche's New Poem, Video
Free Online Program Continues: 'A Year of Body, Speech and Mind'
The dzogchen poem “I Am No One," written by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche ("Ababa") during personal retreat, speaks of letting go of one's imagined identity and connecting to the limitless potential of one's true nature. You can watch a recently released video with Tenzin Wangyal reciting the poem, videography by Valerio Lupini and music by Raman Maharjan. The text of the poem has been translated from Tibetan into 13 languages and can be viewed below. Thank you to all who helped make this video and to all the translators for their work in making the translations available.
Read the text of Rinpoche's poem I Am No One in: English | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | 한국어 (Korean) | Magyar | Nederlands | Polski | Português | Russki | Slovák | Türk
“A Year of Body, Speech and Mind,” Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's yearlong online program, continues to explore the three doors of body, speech and mind with live teachings and guided meditations, science/spirituality dialogs and mantra recitation sessions. Every offering is free and open to all. Whether you are a longtime meditation practitioner or a novice, you are welcome to attend any or all live broadcasts throughout the year.
Join us on Tuesday, June 1, 11 a.m. New York time for a Science & Spirituality Dialog: "The Breath of Life: Health Benefits of Breath Control in Yoga & Meditation" (part of the Month of Speech).
Learn more and view live
UPCOMING: The Month of the Mind: June 23–July 21
Wednesday, June 23, 11 a.m. New York time: "Beyond Pain Mind: How to Know It, How to Heal It,” a teaching and guided meditation with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
More information to come.
Thursday, June 24, 10 a.m. New York time: 24-Hour Full Moon Practice, “Finding Peace Through Spaciousness of the Mind”
Learn more and register
Wednesday, July 14, 11 a.m. New York time: Science & Spirituality Dialog, topic to be announced
HELP WANTED
The team of CyberSangha volunteers is looking for someone who can help us coordinate our ongoing search for more volunteers! Volunteering with CyberSangha is an amazing way to stay in regular touch with other members of our team while doing something for the greater good.
The new volunteer coordinator will work closely with CyberSangha team members to determine their needs; screen prospective volunteers regarding their skills, experience and interests; suggest an ideal fit to existing needs; and maintain a file or database of volunteers and their contact information.
Can you answer "yes" to all of these questions?
• Are you a longtime, devoted student of Rinpoche’s teachings and/or a committed member of the CyberSangha, who would love to support the CyberSangha team in helping others?
• Do you have strong communication skills and are well organized, responsible and good with people?
• Do you have a good instinct for people's strengths, interests and dispositions and for matching a prospective volunteer to a position they will be most comfortable and effective in filling?
• Do you have the commitment, time and flexibility to respond quickly and effectively to immediate needs?
• Do you enjoy creating enthusiasm, building community and helping people get to know each other?
If this description sounds like you,
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!
Learn about our other volunteer opportunities
Meet Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin
New CyberSangha Series Coming Soon
CyberSangha will soon launch a new series of live broadcasts and recorded videos featuring Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin (Jorge Rene Valles).
Born in Mexico and now in his 20s, as an infant Tulku Ponse was recognized as the reincarnation of the renowned Bön master Lopon Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche. After his enthronement at a young age as a tulku, or reincarnated master, he began studying Tibetan language and culture and regularly traveled from his family’s home in Mexico to Triten Norbutse Monastery in Nepal and Menri Monastery in India. Later, he studied Bön and Buddhist meditation in India and Nepal. He now majors in financial administration in a Mexican university while continuing to develop his knowledge of the Yundrung Bön tradition.
Upon the program’s launch, all will be invited to join Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin as he guides a weekly live online meditation in English on YouTube (simultaneous translation available in multiple languages). From his unique perspective as a young practitioner intimately familiar with both Eastern and Western traditions, Tulku Ponse will answer selected questions sent to him by email. His answers will be shared via a series of short CyberSangha videos to be posted regularly on cybersangha.net, the Facebook page of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and the CyberSangha YouTube channel.
More information about the program’s launch and how to participate will be posted in coming weeks on cybersangha.net.
“All my life I’ve had the good fortune of learning and studying with some of the greatest masters of the Yungdrung Bön tradition, and I hope that I can share these teachings and meditation techniques with you.” — Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin
New GlideWing Online Workshop with Tenzin Rinpoche
‘Who Am I? A Journey to Self-Realization’
GlideWing is pleased to offer a brand-new online workshop with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on “Who Am I? A Journey to Self-Realization.” The workshop will be held June 26–July 11, 2021, and will include personal support and guidance from Rinpoche.
The primary journey of every spiritual path is to reclaim what has been lost: the truth of who we really are. Once we come to a deep recognition that our true nature is spontaneous perfection, there is no more need to search for insights or solutions, no more need to strive. According to the dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Bön and Buddhism, this simple recognition is the way to ultimate liberation, to our own “great perfection.”
This two-week workshop is based on a poem Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche wrote during moments of self-reflection on retreat. It speaks to the deep personal work he does as a teacher, father, husband, friend and spiritual being. Through each session of the workshop, Rinpoche will guide you through his poem, line by line, in your own journey of self-discovery.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s Upcoming Teaching Schedule
June Through August
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s teaching schedule continues to expand and adapt to these changing times. Here are the dates for his upcoming retreats for June through August.
You also can find the latest listings and any changes on the Events section of the Ligmincha website. Also be sure to look for online events, including his live Facebook broadcasts, on the CyberSangha website, Ligmincha Learning and GlideWing.
All of these following retreats will be held online via Zoom.
- June 20–July 3, 2021: Serenity Ridge retreat: Dream & Sleep Yoga
- July 24–25, 2021: Shambhala Boulder retreat: The Body of Light: Transformation Through Space, Light and Energy. Details coming soon.
- August 2–8, 2021: Ligmincha Deutschland: Who Am I?
- August 10–15, 2021: Ligmincha Poland: Topic To Be Announced
- August 27–29, 2021: Ligmincha Finland: Guidance for Living & Dying
Mexican Sangha Built 33 Stupas for His Holiness Menri 33rd
Interview with Jorge Valles, President of Ligmincha Mexico
In this interview, Jorge Valles, President of Ligmincha Mexico, talks with Ton Bisscheroux about the history and activities of Ligmincha Mexico, and the stupas built in Mexico.
Great Bön Stupa for World Peace surrounded by 33 smaller stupas in Valle de Bravo, Mexico
First, I would like to ask you a few questions about the history of Ligmincha Mexico. How long has the Mexican sangha been connected to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche?
The first time Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came to Mexico was in 1995. Originally, Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche was invited to come and teach on dzogchen. But at time he was ill, and he couldn’t come. He then suggested, if they wanted a good and proper dzogchen master, they should invite Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. After that first time, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came back every year to teach. And Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche continued to come to Mexico to teach in his own sangha.
Jorge Valles, Ligmincha Mexico president, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with smaller stupas
How did you meet Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche?
A friend went to the first retreat with Rinpoche in Mexico in Mexico City. There they invited him to come to teach in our hometown, Chihuahua. Three months later, in September 1995, Rinpoche came to Chihuahua for the first time, and after that Rinpoche came for three years, once every year, to teach in Chihuahua. During that first visit, Rinpoche visited our home. He came several times because he found in Mexico very committed people who were very enthusiastic in learning the teachings.
From the beginning I was involved in the organization. In 1997 the Garuda Mexico Association was founded in Mexico, and Rinpoche invited me to participate in the Council. In 1999 an architect named Misobena donated 10 hectares of land to the Mexican sangha. In the beginning there were no plans or any project. Later we built The Great Bön Stupa for World Peace there.
Great Bön Stupa in Torreón, Mexico
The first Bön stupa in the West was built in Torreón, Mexico. Can you talk about that?
It was built by the Sangha of Torreón so that people could come to a place and meditate. It is 18 meters high and 100 square meters in area. The Stupa of Torreón is located within the Chamma Ling Laguna Retreat Center, a center full of life and education that leaves traces of joy, peace and well-being to all who visit it. On February 12, 2006, under a vast and intense blue sky, with the luminous sun that covered us and with the presence of our master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Khenpo Nyima Kunchap and Geshe Tenzin Yeshe, the consecration ceremony was held.
Construction begins in 2003
Can you tell why the largest Bön stupa in the West—it has a height of 34 m and a surface area of 400 m2—was built in Mexico?
In 2000 many Bönpos met with H.E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. H.E. Yongdzin Rinpoche said it was his wish that a Stupa for World Peace would be built. Guillermo De La Cajiga, from Mexico, was there; he raised his hand and said, “Don’t worry, the Mexicans will build it.” He came back to Mexico with a piece of paper on which Yongdzin Rinpoche wrote the measures and the plan of the stupa, and said, “This is all I’ve got.”
I have a construction company, so it was obvious that they came to me. We started to make the drafts of the stupa. In 2001, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and I went to Boulder, Colorado, to visit a big stupa built by the Gelugpa tradition, to look at the construction and the materials. The stupa in Boulder is different, but the meaning is the same. All stupas seen from above are representations of mandalas. The measures and styles are different. In 2002 we began to make more preparations with structure, materials and electricity. In 2003 the real construction began. And in 2010 the stupa was consecrated by Yongdzin Rinpoche. There were many donors and people who put effort into it to make it happen, to materialize this.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with Ligmincha Mexico's two resident lamas, Lama Kalsang Nyima and Lama Yungdrung Lodoe, inside the Great Bön Stupa
Outside the Great Stupa
Did the donations come from Mexico, or from all over the world?
The donations came from about 400 people from Mexico. We organized several auctions to raise money. We made porcelain stupas for sale. A lot of people were involved in the fundraising. It was a great experience for me personally to be in charge of all these team members to make it happen. We had to raise 1 million Mexican pesos ($50,000) when we started the project. When we had gathered 700,000 Mexican pesos, I called a member of the Mexican sangha, Monica Pelletier, and told her that we still needed 300,000 Mexican pesos, and asked if she could provide any help. Ten minutes later Monica called back, and said, “Just after I hung up on you, people called me wanting to buy my horse for 300,000 Mexican pesos.” So the horse became a stupa. Like that, there are many stories of people who donated money.
What happened after the Great Stupa was ready? Could you sit back and relax?
Since then, there have been a lot of retreats. Many geshes and lamas come, like Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, H.E. Yongdzin Rinpoche, Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche. His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin, Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, came three years ago, and His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, visited us several times.
The 34th Menri Trizin, Khedrup Gyatso, the 33rd Menri Trizin and Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin
In 2017, when His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Rinpoche entered parinirvana (passed away), we started a new project in Mexico. The board decided to build 33 small stupas around the Great Stupa in memory of His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Rinpoche. There are 33 donors, one for each stupa.
We also had the idea to raise money to build dorms on the land next to the stupa. Two months ago, we started the construction of 14 dorms. So now we have a complete infrastructure at Chamma Ling Valle de Bravo. When people visit us, we have a kitchen and a place to sleep. In the past when people visited the stupa, volunteers would give them something to eat and drink.
The next project is to build a shop, where we can sell books, malas and other religious artifacts, so we can make the project sustainable. Rinpoche asked us to expand the little shop we have now, and make a cafeteria. Recently we started with the preparations.
The Great Stupa is now a place of interest for the people of Valle de Bravo. A big television channel from Mexico was here to make a program, and there was a lot of attention in newspapers. Now about 13,000 people come to visit the stupa every year; the majority are tourists. And every Sunday there is a meditation, where 300 people participate.
HH the 34th Menri Trizin, Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, with Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin and monks in 2018
I have a personal question. Did your life change when your son was recognized as a tulku?
When Jorge Rene was a kid, I used to read a lot about Tibet, Buddhism and lamas, and it was my wish to meet a Buddhist master. In 1995 it was a big surprise for me that no longer I had to go Tibet to meet a lama, because then Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came straight to our home. In 1996, when Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came with the news that my son, Jorge Rene, was the reincarnation of the great Bön master Lopon Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche (1917–1978), I felt good and thankful to life.
In the beginning it was difficult to digest, it was shocking, but I also felt very fortunate. I was not thinking a lot about it, because I believe things happen for a reason, and he decided to reincarnate here in Mexico, and things would flow. There was some mental noise, with big news like this: is this real? Eventually, there were a lot of expectations, and Lopon Tenzin Namdak and His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin had signs that confirmed that my son was the reincarnation. Then my mind started to settle down, and I accepted it. Then questions from family and friends came, asking what was going on. Gradually that settled down. I raised Jorge Rene equally as I did his brother and sister.
Gratitude to Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin (Jorge Rene Valles), who took care of the translation during the interview.
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