Special Announcements Issue
Volume 10, Number 5 / May 2010
Live Internet Teachings
Reminder: Next Live Webcast With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Is June 15
Don’t miss Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s Internet teachings on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, to be broadcast live during a free public talk offered in partnership with Unity Church, Charlottesville, Va. The talk/Webcast begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Time U.S. (New York Time). More information / enter the broadcast site >
Also, there’s still time to register for Rinpoche's three-week interactive online course in Tibetan Sound Healing, which begins Saturday, June 12. More information about the online workshop >
Annual Summer Auction at Serenity Ridge
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An Invitation to Participate — and Contribute!
This is a special invitation to participate in the annual Summer Auction on Friday afternoon, July 9, 2010, at Ligmincha’s Serenity Ridge Center in Nelson County, Va. Please join participants of the Summer Retreat for this very special occasion! Those unable to attend in person will be able to place absentee bids on select items to be displayed on Ligmincha’s Website. A dinner celebration will follow the auction festivities. Deadline for contributing auction items is Friday, June 18. A coming issue of Voice of Clear Light will include details about the day’s schedule and how to view auction items and post absentee bids — stay tuned!
Request for items: One way to take part in the auction is by contributing items that could be auctioned on July 9. We ask that these contributions be items that support the meditation practices we do together and individually. If you have something to donate, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call her at 434-263-6355. Sue can provide instructions for shipping your gifts to the Center. The deadline for donating items is Friday, June 18. If you are attending the summer retreat you can bring the item with you instead of shipping it, but you will still need to contact Sue and provide her with a photo of your item by June 18. Please fill out and submit the donation form with your item: Downloadable PDF of donation form >
Participating in the auction: The second way to take part in the auction, of course, is to place bids! There will be some wonderful items to inspire individual meditation practice. In addition, please consider joining together with other sangha members to purchase practice items that can be used by your local center or practice group. This annual event serves as a reminder of the ongoing need to support our center at Serenity Ridge. Ligmincha Institute is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. We appreciate and continue to rely on the generosity of patron donors, devoted students, and supportive friends for the funding necessary to continue the development and maintenance of our retreat center.
Ligmincha Council News
Welcoming Our New Director of Fundraising
On behalf of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and the board of directors at Ligmincha Institute, I am delighted to announce that Jan Cressman has accepted the Board's invitation to join the Ligmincha Council as Director of Fundraising, filling our vacant Council position. In order to expand and share the teachings, practice opportunities, and amenities of Serenity Ridge, it is necessary for us to expand our fundraising initiatives. Jan brings to this challenge a wealth of experience in organizational and sangha development. We welcome her exuberance and creativity in raising funds to support Ligmincha and Serenity Ridge! — Gabriel Rocco, Board Chair 
October Workshop With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
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‘New Directions in the Dialogue Between Buddhism and Science’
Please join us at Serenity Ridge for an enlightening one-day workshop with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and presenters associated with the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) at the University of Virginia.
Buddhism has long been viewed not only as a spiritual pursuit but also as a science of the mind, backed by millennia of scholarly study and highly disciplined meditation practice. Many Western scientists now acknowledge that Buddhism has revealed key knowledge about the nature and capacities of human consciousness. Yet, many core elements of the Buddhist teachings, including the belief in rebirth, still have not gained a place in contemporary mainstream science.
Here in central Virginia we have not only a thriving Buddhist community, but also a well-established academic group at the University of Virginia (Division of Perceptual Studies, a research unit within the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences) that for many years has been conducting scientific research into precisely these deeper and more controversial aspects of the mind. The research findings point toward the need for Western science itself to expand beyond its current framework. 
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The main purpose of the October meeting is to bring this groundbreaking scientific work to the attention of the local Buddhist and Bon Buddhist community, while also helping the researchers become more familiar with Ligmincha Institute and its activities. Interested observers from Central Virginia and beyond are also cordially invited to attend. The format will be casual and open-ended. Individual researchers will present brief overviews of their work, leaving plenty of time for questions and answers. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will participate actively in the dialogue, as well as lead group meditation exercises at various points throughout the day.
Topics to be covered include:
- Cases of the reincarnation type — Jim B. Tucker, M.D., associate professor with DOPS
- Evidence for post-mortem survival — Emily Williams Kelly, Ph.D., research assistant professor with DOPS
- Near-death experiences — Bruce Greyson, M.D., Chester F. Carlson Professor and director of DOPS
- Psychic powers or “siddhis” — Edward F. Kelly, Ph.D., president of Cedar Creek Institute (http://cedarcreekinst.org) and research professor with DOPS
- Experiences teaching neuroscience to Tibetan Buddhist monks in India — David E. Presti, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley
- Guided meditations led by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha Institute
Fee for workshop: $95. Includes lunch, accommodations extra.
Location: Ligmincha's Serenity Ridge retreat center in Nelson County, Va. Directions >
Hours: 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Register online now >
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.
June 20 - 26, 2010
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 air-conditioned accommodations in Garuda House and free 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
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June 25-26, 2010
Bon Family Retreat
With Lama Lhari-la Kalsang Nyima
Please join us for the first annual Bon Family Retreat led by Lama Lhari-la Kalsang Nyima, resident teacher for Serenity Ridge. In this weekend program families with children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 12 are invited to participate as a family in four organized sessions per day. There will be plenty of time for socializing, play and caretaking around our meals together. To register for the family camp, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 434-263-6304. Learn more >
June 27 - July 17, 2010
Awakening the Self, Discovering Joy: Self-Realization Through the Three Doors of Body, Speech and Mind
19th Annual Summer Retreat With 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. Registration is available for one, two, or all three weeks.
New: Extend your stay >
Learn more or register >
Oct. 2, 2010
New Directions in the Dialogue Between Buddhism and Science
A One-Day Workshop With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Presenters From the University of Virginia
Researchers from the Division of Perceptual Studies within the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences of UVA will share their findings related to core elements of the Buddhist teachings, including the belief in rebirth. Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will participate in the dialogue and guide meditation practices.
More information/register online >
Oct. 6-10, 2010
Sleep of Clear Light: The Practice of Sleep Yoga
With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Centuries ago, Tibetan yogis developed the practice of sleep yoga to transform these dark hours of ignorance into a path toward enlightenment. A powerful tool for awakening, sleep yoga is more than a practice of the night. It helps us to integrate all moments — waking, sleeping, meditation, and even death — with the clear light of awareness. During this intensive five-day retreat, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will teach and guide us in the clear-light sleep practices of the Mother Tantra, one of the most important cycles of teachings in the Tibetan Bon Buddhist tradition.
New: Extend your stay >
Learn more or register >
Nov. 3 - 7, 2010
Tibetan Yoga, Part 2: Trul Khor Training From the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu
With Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
The contemplative movements of Tibetan Yoga (trul khor) enable us to enter all three doors of body, energy and mind through a single practice, offering a powerful, skillful means for clearing the obstacles and obscurations to openness and clarity in meditation practice. Open to students who have received the Part 1 teachings of Trul Khor (Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu) since Jan. 1, 2000.
Learn more or register >
Dec. 27, 2010 - Jan. 1, 2011
Dzogchen: The View, Meditation, Behavior, and Result
The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 3
With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The Experiential Transmission of the Zhang Zhung Masters is the centerpiece of Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s dzogchen teachings and is presented at Serenity Ridge each year at our winter retreat. Prerequisite: Practitioners who have already received the Part 2 or higher-level teachings in a previous cycle of Chag Tri teachings are warmly invited to attend this retreat.
Learn more or register >
New: Extend your stay! You may stay up to three days after the winter retreat for personal retreat time. For more information or to register for an extended stay, contact the Ligmincha office at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 434-263-6304
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:
