Announcements Issue
Volume 14, Number 4 / August 2014
Letter from Ligmincha’s Executive Director
Abundance of Change: Welcoming Our Resident Lama to Serenity Ridge, New Ligmincha International Board Plus Staff Changes
Dear Sangha and Friends,
Sue Davis-Dill
We recently completed a memorable three-week summer retreat with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Having begun teaching on the esteemed dzogchen text, The Twenty-One Nails, last summer, he completed the remaining chapters over the course of this retreat. We are grateful to the work of Salvador Espinosa and Rogelio Flores for their work during the retreat to videotape and archive Rinpoche’s teachings. With Rinpoche’s great wish for there to be no barrier to receiving teachings for those unable to travel to attend retreats, you will now find approximately 50 video clips from Rinpoche’s teachings on the Twenty-One Nails on Ligmincha’s YouTube channel.
We were blessed to have joining us Geshe Tenzin Yangton, our new resident lama for Serenity Ridge; Lama Kalsang Nyima and Lama Yungdrung Lodoe, resident lamas for Ligmincha Mexico; and Geshe Dangsong, who received his geshe degree from Triten Norbutse Monastery and is the resident teacher for Ananda Dharma Center in San Jose, California. (See the article about Geshe Tenzin Yangton In this issue.)
We are currently planning Geshe Yangton’s teaching schedule at Serenity Ridge. Included will be a ngondro practice retreat immediately following our Winter Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on the Experiential Transmission, Part 1: The Ngondro. We’ll post more detailed information soon.
Organizationally, we have had some exciting changes, which you will read about in the letter from Rob Patzig, Ligmincha International’s Board Chair. The first Ligmincha International Board meeting was held this summer during the first week of our summer retreat. We are thankful that so many were able to travel so far to be here in person. Joining Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for the meeting were Anneke Dekkers from the Netherlands, Carlos Madero from Mexico, Rob Patzig from the U.S., Justyna Przondo from Poland, Gabriel Rocco from the U.S. and Pam Rodeheaver from the U.S. Board members joining by skype were Nathalie Duchanois from Switzerland and Oliver Wirtz from Germany.
As often seems to happen, wonderful times are often mixed with times of change. Here at the Serenity Ridge office I’d like to note some significant changes. Susan Wenzel, who has been assisting in the office with a large variety of responsibilities, including assembling the detailed documentation which ultimately resulted in Geshe Yangton being approved to be our resident lama, is now going to shift her time to helping us as special projects arise. With great appreciation for her consistency and dependability over these last three years, thank you Susan! Carrie Chandler, whom many of you have come to know over the last couple of years when you’ve called to ask questions about registering for retreats, has now found other full-time work in her new home in California. We won’t say goodbye, as we know that Carrie will return to Serenity Ridge to participate in retreats. I would like to introduce our new registrar, Maria Puente-Duany. Maria has been a student of Tenzin Rinpoche’s for several years and has recently moved to this area. Now she will be the person responding to emails sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We also warmly welcome Rich Kennedy, who has been volunteering at Serenity Ridge to assist us with our many maintenance needs.
Our interim operations manager, Sonya Salanti, will be departing from her position at the end of August. We appreciate so much her dedicated work to support and improve our Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, from setting up procedures, supporting our retreats and rentals, and creating end-of-year fundraising to improve our facility, to overseeing the beautiful room upgrades to the oldest section of the Garuda House. We are now interviewing for an experienced operations manager, so do see our job posting if you are interested. We also thank Josiah Chamberlain for his work these past few months with our facility and maintenance needs, among them overseeing an involved project to test our well water to ensure that it meets the standards set by the Office of Drinking Water for Virginia’s Department of Health. (Our well passed all tests and we will soon receive a waterworks operation permit, a requirement as the number of days our retreat center is in use has increased.) And finally, I would like to introduce another new member of our office staff, Melissa Lamb, who has joined us to assist with our bookkeeping. Do stop into the office the next time you come to Serenity Ridge to meet our staff!
I wish you all joyful remaining days of summer,
Sue
Sue Davis-Dill
Executive Director, Ligmincha Institute
A Letter from the Ligmincha International Board Chair:
On Coming Together to Support Rinpoche and Bon Worldwide
Rob Patzig
During the first week of summer retreat, the new Board of Directors of Ligmincha International met at Serenity Ridge. Accepting Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s invitation to join him on this new international board are Anneke Dekkers from the Netherlands, Nathalie Duchanois from France, Carlos Madero from Mexico, Robert Patzig from the U.S, Justyna Przondo from Poland, Pam Rodeheaver from the U.S. and Oliver Wirtz from Germany. Gabriel Rocco, who has served on the board of Ligmincha Institute for 18 years, will continue to serve on the new International Board. While Nathalie and Oliver had to participate via Skype, all other members were able to come to retreat and participate in person. H.E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, who has been on the board of Ligmincha Institute since Ligmincha was founded, is now an emeritus member of the Ligmincha International Board of Directors.
The formation of the new board is only one of many steps in the process of Ligmincha’s becoming a truly international organization. Over the last three years, a group of volunteers have worked with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche to write new bylaws. The bylaws describe the purpose of Ligmincha and, broadly, the organizational framework for accomplishing our mission. The mission is threefold: to preserve the traditions and teachings of Tonpa Shenrap and the lineage of Bon; to support the work of our Spiritual Director, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, in all ways; and to provide support and resources for practitioners and students of Tibetan Bon Buddhism.
Organizationally, Rinpoche is the center of an expanding mandala of (currently) 40 practice centers and communities around the world. The International Board’s mission is to understand Rinpoche’s vision for the community, as well as the needs of practitioners and centers, wherever they may be located, and to create a plan to ensure that the vision can manifest and practitioners be supported.
There is far more work to be done than the board can accomplish on its own, and so two councils will provide support. One is the Mandala Council: a group of leaders (chosen by Rinpoche) from many different sanghas who will come together to share the successes, challenges, knowledge and needs of the communities they represent. The goal of the Mandala Council is to provide greater independence and more opportunities for growth for each center by supporting one another. Just as we come together to practice in part because we can find more support for our own progress by asking questions, sharing our experiences and supporting one another, so too can each center support and nurture the others. More details will be shared soon when this group is formally created.
The second council is the Ligmincha International Council. This will consist of sangha members selected by Rinpoche, nominated by the board or by regional sanghas because of their expertise and experience in particular areas. The purpose is to provide the skills, time and resources to ensure that Ligmincha International can meet its mission. The activities of this council will change over time based on the needs of the organization as a whole, but it will include activities as diverse as developing practice and educational materials, monitoring the financial status of Ligmincha, marketing and social media development, fundraising, etc.
Coming together to work and support Bon, our Spiritual Director and our international community of practitioners is an evolving process. As we continue to implement and refine this new structure, it is important that we hear from many different voices and consider different perspectives within our community. I look forward to working with each of you, to listening to your ideas, needs, concerns and advice, as we work to build an enduring home for Bon in the Western world under the guidance and direction of Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
Yours in Bon,
Rob Patzig, Chair
Ligmincha International Board of Directors
Geshe Tenzin Yangton Now at Home at Serenity Ridge
New Resident Lama Serves Ligmincha and Area Community
Geshe Tenzin Yangton
Two separate butter lamps, attached together on the same base. Two twin brothers from a remote village in Dolpo, northwestern Nepal, watching intently as the flames slowly burned down. Which brother’s lamp would burn the longest?
It was the final test, after many others, the one that would seal the boys’ fate and determine which brother would continue his training to become a Tibetan Bon Buddhist monk. That brother would travel far from his small village in the Dolpo region, which borders Tibet, to pursue his training. The other, needed to help his parents and other six siblings, would remain at home.
Tenzin Yangton’s flame was the last one to burn out and he has, indeed, traveled far. His path has taken him to Kathmandu, Nepal; to Dolanji, India; throughout the United States, Europe and Russia; and now to Ligmincha Institute at Serenity Ridge in Nelson County, Virginia, where he is the resident lama.
“We are thrilled to have Geshe Yangton as our new resident lama at Serenity Ridge,” says Sue Davis-Dill, executive director of Ligmincha Institute. “Geshe-la plans to conduct meditation sessions, rituals and retreats at Serenity Ridge, visit area sanghas and work to help those in the surrounding community. His schedule and activities are in the process of being finalized.”
Brother Yungdrung Wodse and
Geshe Tenzin Yangton
Tenzin Yangton and his twin brother, Yungdrung Wodser, were born in 1974 in Chharka (pronounced ‘Tsarka’), a remote village in Dolpo. Their family is part of the ancient Yangton lineage, said to go back to the time of Buddha Tonpa Shenrap more than 18,000 years ago and traceable to Yangton Sherap Gyaltsen, who was born in 1077. Yangton Sherap Gyaltsen is revered as a great practitioner and scholar of dzogchen. He was the first to collect experiential dzogchen teachings—both his own and those of other lamas. Until that time, these teachings of personal experience (nyam ti), had previously only been taught orally from teacher to student. These dzogchen teachings still exist in the Yungdrung Bon tradition to this day. A number of families of the Yangton lineage live in the Dolpo region.
The Dolpo region is filled with devout lay and tantric practitioners of Tibetan Bon Buddhism, many of whose families came from across the border in Tibet. Both of the twins participated in a three-year training within the local Bonpo religious community. It was rare, though, for the brothers to see a monk in robes since there was no monastic community in the area.
Their uncle, however, was an exception. Yangton Lama Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche had become a geshe at Menri Monastery, the main monastery for Bon, in India and then returned home. “He was the first monk I saw, and he told me about the monastic life,” Geshe-la recalls. “I said I wanted to become a monk and go to the monastery.” His brother had the same desire, but his parents would not allow both brothers to leave. So his twin stayed to help the family while Tenzin Yangton set off on the path that was to carry him far from home.
Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche with Tenzin Yangton
In 1990, Tenzin Yangton traveled with Lama Tashi to Triten Norbutse Monastery. There, he took his vows as a novice monk from Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. He studied mandalas (khyikhor), writing and grammar, learned many rituals and received teachings from Yongdzin Rinpoche.
In 1991, Tenzin Yangton traveled to Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India. In April of the following year, he enrolled in the Bon Dialect School in Dolanji, where he took the full 250 vows (called dragpa dangsong) and attained his Geshe Degree in 2006.
Life as a monk was not easy for many, says Geshe Yangton. Many monks were not able to complete the rigorous schedule, which included study and practice of sutra, tantra and dzogchen; reasoning and debate; rituals, art and poetry; numerous initiations and special events, and long retreats, among other things. “To begin with, it was a little bit of a challenge,” Geshe-la recalls. “But for me it was not a big problem. I tried my best and I enjoyed it.” Days began early and ended late, but there were vacations or days off during the month, when the monks could do study retreats, contemplation or rituals for people in surrounding villages, or visit family, if they lived close enough.
The last three years of the training were devoted to dzogchen, the body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing the nature of mind, or what Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche calls the “inner refuge.” During sutra and tantra teachings, there was a lot of debate in the monastery, but not so for dzogchen: “There is nothing to debate,” says Geshe-la. “Dzogchen is more your inner experience. Of course, it helps when we receive the teachings and history of dzogchen and the great masters,” he adds. “But mainly there’s not much to do. Your feeling, your understanding, your inner mind is the biggest thing for the dzogchen way.”
Geshe Tenzin Yangton
making smoke offeringGeshe Yangton also became assistant to Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, his uncle. As assistant to Menri Lopon Rinpoche, Geshe-la had the opportunity to visit the United States, Europe and Russia. In 2007, he studied English in Houston, Texas with the support of a number of western dharma friends and sangha members. He visited Serenity Ridge a number of times over the years and got to know Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha Institute.
After receiving his geshe degree, Geshe Yangton voluntarily taught younger monks to support the monastery and increase his learning. He also soon became responsible for the care of the Bon monastery, Yanggon Thongdrol Phuntsog Ling, in Chharka, Nepal. There he taught writing and grammar to young children and to children in his village. He was preparing to move to Dolpo when Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche asked him to come to Serenity Ridge as the resident lama.
So it was that on May 29 of this year, Geshe Tenzin Yangton arrived at Serenity Ridge, only three weeks before the start of the annual summer retreat. “It felt different even before the retreat started,” he recalls. “This time I am coming as the resident lama, and already in my mind I have some responsibility to care for these things, walking around and checking everything.” In addition to being present at the retreat, one of his first official duties was giving an evening talk during the second week of the retreat, where he discussed his history and the Yangton lineage.
Geshe Tenzin Yangton at Serenity Ridge
“I already feel close to everybody—everyone, of course, all sentient beings,” he told the group, “and when we get together there is more power and easy to share.” He praises Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for his personal style of teaching, to which students can relate. “In the monastery, we focused more on the text and followed it tightly,” Geshe-la explains. “Here when Rinpoche teaches, he gives more examples; it is much about experience, which is helpful for people. . . . This, I think, is a wonderful way to teach.”
Plans are under way for Geshe-la to conduct regular meditation/practice sessions, rituals and retreats and workshops, help during Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s retreats and visits of other lamas, and more. He is particularly interested in tantric rituals and may be available in the future to conduct workshops on areas such as making torma, the sang chod smoke offering ritual, soul retrieval and medicine Buddha practices. He will be making occasional visits to nearby sanghas and also may be available to meet with people individually or conduct rituals in their homes. On a practical level, Geshe-la also is preparing to get his driver’s license and studying to improve his English.
Geshe Tenzin Yangton giving a presentation to summer retreat participants
Geshe Yangton is still in touch with his family, which still lives in the same village. He last visited with his mother when she journeyed to Kathmandu in 2012, and he also saw his uncle, Lama Tashi, this year. His twin brother, Yungdrung Wodser, is a farmer in Dolpo, married and with a daughter studying in India and a son who came last winter to Nepal to study. Geshe-la still provides some support for the village school children and his family, through teachings and by helping his mother pay to rent a house. He also feels a responsibility toward his monastery, Yanggon Thongdrol Phuntsog Ling, and the Dolpo Tsarga Welfare Healthcare Clinic. Geshe-la expects to continue his work to preserve the culture and teachings of Bon in general, and the Yangton lineage in particular, in his village of Chharkha and plans at some point to return to the area.
In the meantime, Ligmincha is pleased to welcome Geshe Tenzin Yangton as the resident lama at Serenity Ridge! If you have suggestions for activities for Geshe-la or would like to request him to perform rituals, or for a personal appointment, please email the Serenity Ridge office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
More photographs of Geshe Tenzin Yangton
Ligmincha Learning Five-Week Course Begins Aug. 11
Transforming Our Emotions Through the Six Lokas
Ligmincha Learning’s next five-week online course begins Aug. 11. The topic is “Transforming our Emotions Through the Six Lokas.”
At one time or another, each of us suffers strong emotions that throw us off balance, cause us to act in ways that we latter regret and make us lose touch with our true nature. Centuries ago the masters of the Tibetan Bon lineage developed the meditations of the Six Lokas specifically to remedy this situation, to help us live our lives in a balance and relaxed way.
Learn more and register
Aug. 30 Webcast with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Register Now to Attend
Mark your calendar for these upcoming webcasts with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. You can participate in any of these free events by visiting the live-broadcast page on the Ligmincha Institute website.
You also can click here to view any webcasts you've missed.
- Aug. 30, 2014 (Saturday), 2–3 p.m. Eastern Time US (8–9 p.m. local time in Germany). “Clearing Your Negative Emotions: Transforming Your World Through the Six Lokas Practice.” In this free live webcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will explain and guide a profound meditation practice that can help you to recognize your own negative emotions, clear them at a deep level, and transform them into positive qualities that can empower and enrich your life. Through this practice one purifies the karmic seeds of the Six Lokas, or six realms of existence, each associated with a characteristic emotion. Broadcast live from Rinpoche’s Summer Retreat in Buchenau, Germany.
- Sept. 27, 2014 (Saturday), 2:30–3:30 p.m. Eastern Time U.S. (1:30-2:30 p.m. local time in Mexico). “Guided Meditation: Purifying Your Karma Through Mantra.” Broadcast live from a three-day retreat on the same topic in Tepoztlan, Mexico.
- Oct. 11, 2014 (Saturday), 3–4:30 p.m. Eastern Time U.S. “The Healing Power of Primordial Awareness.” Broadcast live from the Fall Retreat at Serenity Ridge, Nelson County, Virginia (not a public talk, but webcast is open to all).
We are now using a new, advertising-free service for webcasts by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche! When you register to attend, the system will prompt you to enter your email address so you can receive a timely reminder of the upcoming webcast. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than sending you these reminders, notices of future webcasts or other news from Ligmincha. You may unsubscribe at any time from these email notices.
Through the generosity of volunteers, simultaneous translation of webcasts is available in as many as 12 languages.
Learn more
View the live webcasts
View Videos of Rinpoche’s Teachings from Summer Retreat
Approximately 50 Short Clips Now on YouTube!
Enjoy these precious moments from the Summer Retreat at Serenity Ridge. It is a bit like being there. What a gift! We are grateful for the work of Salvador Espinosa and Rogelio Flores for their work during the Summer Retreat to videotape and archive excerpts of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s teachings. With Rinpoche’s great wish for there to be no barrier to receiving teachings for those unable to travel to attend retreats, you will now find approximately 50 video clips from Rinpoche’s teachings on the Twenty-One Nails on Ligmincha’s YouTube channel!
New 3 Doors Academies Begin in 2015
Transforming Lives Through Meditation
The 3 Doors, inspired by the vision of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is a contemplative educational organization whose purpose is to offer simple and powerful meditation practices in contexts that support self-reflection, transformation and the desire to benefit others. Headquartered in the United States, The 3 Doors is an international organization that currently offers classes and retreats throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe.
New 3 Doors Academies Begin in 2015
Applications are now being accepted for the next U.S. and European Academies. The U.S. Academy, beginning April 2015, meets at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center in Nelson County, Virginia, and is taught by Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco. The European Academy begins in June 2015 (location to be determined) and is taught by John Jackson and Raven Lee.
To request an application, send an email to the links below.
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The 3 Doors Global
The 3 Doors Global keeps 3 Doors participants connected to what is happening. The newsletter is the voice for teachers, current trainees and alumni. It also is where prospective trainees and friends can find out about upcoming academies and other workshops and classes taught worldwide. Watch for classes and activities in your area!
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The 3 Doors Introductory Presentations and Workshops
In introductory presentations and workshops, participants are invited to engage in practices of meditation and reflection so that they may look within and discover the jewel that is hidden in ordinary experience. This jewel is called the “inner refuge.” We can connect to the inner refuge through meditation practices of body, speech and mind. From this connection, genuine warmth can arise to benefit ourselves and others.
Join us for any of our weekend seminars, which present simple and profound meditation practices as a means to connect with the power of being fully present and alive to the infinite possibilities in each moment of life. These workshops are appropriate for beginning and advanced meditation practitioners alike.
Introductory presentations are offered on the following topics:
- The Healing Power of the Inner Refuge explores how bringing attention to the stillness of the body, the silence of speech and the spaciousness of mind offers an entryway to the free and open space of being and the positive healing qualities that emerge.
- Awakening the Sacred Body introduces the practices of the Nine Breathings of Purification and five Tsa Lung exercises as supports to clear obstacles that can block the healing space of the inner refuge.
- Awakening Authentic Presence introduces the practice of the Five Warrior Syllables, a practice that uses the power of sound to clear obstacles and awaken positive qualities that transform one’s life.
- Awakening the Luminous Mind introduces the practice of the Fivefold Teaching of Dawa Gyaltsen, offering clear guidance on transforming confusion into wisdom.
Schedule of Introductory Presentations and Workshops
Please subscribe to The 3 Doors newsletter to learn about more events as they are scheduled around the world.
- Nov. 5, 2014: An Introduction to The 3 Doors: Transforming Lives through Meditation. An evening introductory presentation and guided meditation with Raven Lee in Hilversum, the Netherlands. Contact:
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- Nov. 8–9, 2014: Awakening the Sacred Body with John Jackson in Berlin, Germany. Contact:
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- Nov. 12, 2014: An Introduction to The 3 Doors: Transforming Lives Through Meditation. An evening introductory presentation and guided meditation with John Jackson and Raven Lee in Berlin, Germany. Contact:
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- Nov. 15–16, 2014: Awakening the Sacred Body with John Jackson in Frankfurt, Germany. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The 3 Doors Practitioners Association: Bringing Open Hearts into the World
Once you complete your Academy training, you are invited to join The 3 Doors Practitioners Association (3PA) and its worldwide network of teachers, mentors and graduates. We are here to support your continued personal growth, creative expression and service to others.
Who We Are: The 3 Doors Practitioners Association is an international community of The 3 Doors Academy graduates and teachers. We support our members to bring the life-enriching meditation practices of The 3 Doors into our own lives and into the world.
Our Mission: The 3 Doors Practitioners Association provides multiple avenues for members to connect with one another and to access continuing education for personal growth and service to others. From our collective energy come ideas, creative expressions, service projects and leaders vibrant with Tenzin Wangyal’s vision of social transformation.
The 3PA will have its own page on The 3 Doors website soon. In the interim, please contact one of these 3PA Council members for information:
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(US)
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(Europe)
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(Latin America)
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center Seeks Operations Manager
Position Reports to Executive Director
Ligmincha Institute is seeking to fill the position of Operations Manager for Serenity Ridge Retreat Center. The position is responsible for general oversight of all activities associated with the retreat center.
Interim Operations Manager Sonya Salanti will be departing from her position at the end of August to move out of the area. We wish her much luck in this next phase of her life’s journey.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. residents with a work permit. View the full job description below. If you are interested in the position, or for more information, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Buddhism & Science Conference Focus is ‘Pathways to a Health Mind’
Join National Researchers at Serenity Ridge Oct. 7–9, 2014
Researchers from throughout the nation will gather at Serenity Oct. 7–9, 2014, to explore the connection between science and spirituality. Join Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and invited scientists and researchers for this special conference. All are welcome to attend.
The conference is titled “New Dialogs Between Buddhism and Science: Pathways to a Health Mind.” In addition to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, the founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha Institute, eight other presenters will discuss their research in areas ranging from the neuroscience of empathy and compassion, to tummo meditation, to couples-based meditation for patients with cancer, and much more. Rinpoche will be part of the discussion and will lead group meditations. Participants will have an opportunity to share in discussions and meals with the presenters.
The conference will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 7, with registration starting at 4 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the opening presentation at 7 p.m. It will end on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to stay for the annual three-day Fall Retreat led by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, which begins on Friday, Oct. 10. The topic is “The Healing Power of Primordial Awareness.”
“I am delighted to see that we’re getting such a high caliber of presenters year after year,” says Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, director of research at Ligmincha Institute and conference organizer. “And we offer the particular benefit of having Rinpoche not only present at the meeting, by teaching a three-day retreat right after the meeting. Many of last year’s presenters took advantage of this and thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as engaging in wonderful conversations with Rinpoche, each other and participants. This year, too, presenters are excited to know that Rinpoche will teach the fall retreat back-to-back with the conference, and many are planning to participate.
“I encourage everyone to be part of this special opportunity to participate in the Buddhism & Science conference,” Ale adds, “where there is a convergence of science, dharma and practice.”
Conference presenters and their topics are:
Susan Bauer-Wu, Ph.D, R.N., Tussi and John Kluge Professor in Contemplative End-of Life Care and Adjunct Faculty, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia; President of the Society for Integrative Oncology; and Co-Presenter.
James Coan, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical psychology and director of the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Virginia. Topic: The Neuroscience of Empathy and Compassion.
Gaëlle Desbordes, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard-MIT Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and a visiting scholar at the Center for Computational Neuroscience and Neural Technology (CompNet) at Boston University. Topic: Lo-jong and the Brain: Neuroplastic Effects Associated with Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT).
Maria Kozhenikov, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the National University of Singapore. Topic: Neurocognitive Correlates of Tummo Meditation.
Sasha Loring, M.Ed., LCSW, is a psychotherapist, meditation teacher, author and leader in the field of mindful eating. Topic: Mindful Eating as a Psychological Revelation.
Kathrin Milbury, Ph.D., is assistant professor in Department of General Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Topic: Couples-Based Meditations for Patients with Cancer.
David W. Wetter, Ph.D., is professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Rice University. His work is targeted at eliminating disparities in health-related behavior through translational research. Topic: Mindfulness and Smoking Cessation.
Register for the Oct 7–9 Buddhism & Science Conference
Register for the Oct. 10–12 Fall Retreat
GlideWing Workshop on Tibetan Sound Healing
Sept. 20–Oct. 12, 2014
In this three-week workshop on Tibetan Sound Healing, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will personally guide you in the ancient practice of the Five Warrior Syllables. These pure, primordial sounds have the power to quickly cut through the obstacles to lasting change, and to open the space for profound healing of body, energy and mind.
Learn more and view introductory video
Register
Coming in November: Tibetan Dream Yoga, Nov. 8–Dec. 7.
Serenity Ridge Needs Truck for Maintenance
Can You Help?
Ligmincha is in need of a pickup truck to use for maintenance at Serenity Ridge. If anyone has an old vehicle, in running order, that they would like to donate (this would be a tax deductible donation), it would be of enormous benefit!
If you can help, please
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.
Link to Latest Spanish Translation of VOCL
View June Issue
A Wedding at Serenity Ridge
Alicia Frew and Tony Nassif Married in Traditional Tibetan Wedding
Wednesday, July 9, was a special day at Serenity Ridge. Alicia Frew and Tony Nassif, longtime students of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, were married in a traditional Tibetan ceremony at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center. They were joined by family and friends, and by all of those who were participating in the third week of Ligmincha’s annual summer retreat, in a ceremony officiated by Rinpoche.
Tony has been a student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and coming to Serenity Ridge since summer 2007, and Alicia since summer 2008.
Dressed in traditional Tibetan clothing, the bride and groom were escorted by a picture of the Wheel of Life (to ward away any harmful energy). The Yanguk ritual for prosperity and good fortune was performed. The bride and groom turned the long life arrow, “dadar,” as part of the ceremony. At the conclusion, the groom put the dadar into the back of the bride’s sash—showing that from this day forward she will be wedded to him.
Tenzin Rinpoche bestowed the blessings of body, speech and mind upon the couple. This is a special blessing, aspiration and invitation to ignite the qualities within through the doorway of the body, speech and mind—to discover the spaciousness, awareness and warmth that bring benefits not only to ourselves and each other, but in our relationships with others and to the rest of the world.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, participants shared butter tea and sweet rice, and offered khatas to the bride and groom. The event concluded with a buffet and reception, with offerings of music, poetry and more from sangha members and retreat participants for the new couple.
We wish Tony and Alicia all the best in their married life and hope to see them at Serenity Ridge for many years to come.
View this beautiful short video made by Brian Harris
Upcoming Retreats
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The retreats listed below will take place at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Ligmincha Institute’s headquarters located in Nelson County, Virginia. 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.
Sept. 6–7, 2014
The Nine Ways of Bon
with John Jackson
Learn more and register
Oct. 7–9, 2014
New Dialogs Between Buddhism & Science: Pathways to a Healthy Mind
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Renowned Researchers
Learn more and register
Oct. 10–12, 2014
Fall Retreat – The Healing Power of Primordial Awareness
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more and register
Early registration ends Sept. 9.
Oct. 31–Nov. 2, 2014
The Sacred Body in the Bon Tradition – Spiritual Guidance from the Tsa Lung Sol Dep
with H.E. Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
Learn more and register
Nov. 6–9, 2014
Trul Khor – Completing the Training: Tibetan Bon Yoga, Part 4
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich joined by Geshe Tenzin Yangton
Open to all who have done Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the Tibetan Bon yoga as taught at Ligmincha Institute’s Serenity Ridge Retreat Center and Chamma Ling Colorado Retreat Center since 2009.
Learn more and register
Dec. 27, 2014–Jan.1, 2015
Winter Retreat – The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 1: Ngondro
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
This is the first in a five-part series—to be held over the next five years—of special Bon Buddhist dzogchen teachings based on the ancient Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu texts. Part 1: Ngondro is a prerequisite for further study of the Experiential Transmission series.
Learn more and register
Jan. 2–4, Jan. 5–11 and Jan. 12–18, 2015
Ngondro Practice Retreat
with Geshe Tenzin Yangton
Prerequisite: Open to those who have received the teachings and transmission of the ngondro from the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung.
Ngondro Practice Retreat will be guided by Geshe Tenzin Yangton Jan. 2–4 and Jan. 5–11. Unguided ngondro practice also is available during those dates and for the week of Jan. 12–18, 2015.
Personal Retreat
Serenity Ridge also will be open for individual retreat Jan. 2–4, Jan. 5–11 and Jan. 12–18, 2015.
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 visit the Serenity Ridge website.
