November 2009 | Special Announcements Issue

Special Announcements Issue

Volume 9, Number 9 | November 2009

A Note From the Editors

Welcome to the New Voice of Clear Light!

Hello everyone! We hope you enjoy your new Voice of Clear Light, a newly ornamented and beautified version of our old-faithful text email newsletter! With many hours of work and dedication by a team of Ligmincha volunteers, this lovely fruit has manifested and now has arrived in your e-mailbox. We all thank Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for the inspiration! More >>

We’ve Moved

Ligmincha Institute Relocates Its Offices to Serenity Ridge

When the lease at Ligmincha's downtown Charlottesville, Va., meditation center expired earlier this year, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche chose to move our downtown administrative offices and Tibet Shop to our Serenity Ridge retreat center in Nelson County, Va. More >>

Guided Practice Online

View a Recording of Oct. 11 Internet Broadcast by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

On Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche gave his first live Internet broadcast from the Serenity Ridge retreat center in central Virginia. Rinpoche guided the Sherap Chamma practice, a meditation that permits a deep, transformative connection with the qualities of love and wisdom. The approximately 90-minute broadcast was recorded and can be viewed by going to: https://www.ligmincha.org/retreats/live-internet-teachings-oct.-11-2009.html >>

Retreat Preview

‘The Three Doors’: Ligmincha’s 2010 Summer Retreat

In recent years Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has become renowned for making the esoteric teachings of Bon — one of the world’s most ancient spiritual traditions — highly accessible and relevant to Western audiences. His 2010 Summer Retreat at Serenity Ridge, open to new and longtime students alike, heralds a new level of accessibility. The letter of invitation below from Gabriel Rocco to Rinpoche’s students gives a taste of what’s to come. More >>

Benefiting the Land Fund

Calligraphic Artwork by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche available for special purchase

By popular request, additional copies of artwork available at the 2009 Serenity Ridge Land Fund auction are now available for purchase. This artwork contains signed calligraphy by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and sacred text from Bon dzogchen teachings. More>>

Upcoming Retreats

Ligmincha’s Serenity Ridge Retreat Center

The retreats described below will take place at Serenity Ridge, Ligmincha Institute’s retreat center in Nelson County, Va. To register or for more information, click on the links below, or contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 434-263-6304.

Dec. 27, 2009 - Jan. 1, 2010
The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 2
Annual Winter Retreat with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
This retreat is full. To join our waiting list, contact Ligmincha at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Feb. 5 - 7, 2010
Zhine: The Medicine of Tranquility
With Gabriel Rocco
The annual zhine practice retreat affords an opportunity to step out of the stress and demands of daily life and come home to yourself. Zhiné is a form of meditation that enhances your ability to maintain focused attention and abide in clear, open awareness. You can relate to zhine as a medicine, a tonic of tranquility that helps you disengage from the destructive mental patterns that obscure your true nature.
Learn more or register >>

April 14 - 18, 2010
Sacred Waters: The Healing Practice of Sipe Gyalmo
With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Join Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at Serenity Ridge this spring when he offers a special healing experience for the general public, health care professionals, and anyone who is currently encountering illness.
Learn more or register >>

June 2 - 6, 2010
Introduction to the Nature of Mind: The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 2
With Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
This year we are again very fortunate to have Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, the head teacher of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, teaching these beautiful and essential practices to us. The concise and essential practice manual of the Experiential Transmission, the Chag Tri, provides pith instructions for those who aspire to practice dzogchen, the path of self-liberation.
Learn more or register >>

June 20 - 26, 2009
Summer Work Retreat
Free of charge. Whether you join us for one afternoon or the full week, this is a wonderful time to share with sangha and to be of joyful service. Our work retreat includes vigorous work periods, daily meditation practice, and ample time for a swim in the pool or a walk along the Rockfish River. Participants are provided with free tenting and meals, and for those who participate in the entire work retreat there will be a 50 percent discount on one week of the summer retreat.
For more information or to register, please email Ligmincha at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at (434) 263-6304.

June 27, 2010 - July 17, 2010
‘The Three Doors’ — 19th Annual Summer Retreat
With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Our own body, speech, and mind can offer direct access to profound inner transformation. The keys to effectively unlocking these three doors are found in the ancient Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, whose powerful meditation practices help to remove physical, energetic, and mental blockages that keep us from achieving our highest potential. Join us for a unique, life-changing opportunity to discover your unbounded being, the source of authentic joy.
Learn more or register >>

To register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 434-263-6304, or go to:
https://www.ligmincha.org/retreats/retreats.html

New From the Tibet Shop

Ligmincha’s 2010 Wall Calendar, Book on Chod by Alejandro Chaoul

Now available: Chod Practice in the Bon Tradition by Alejandro Chaoul, forward by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche; and Ligmincha Institute’s 2010 Wall Calendar, featuring full-color photographs from international Bon sanghas, photos of important masters of the Bon tradition, and Tibetan Bon and Buddhist auspicious days. More >>