Serenity Ridge: Expanding to Meet Practitioners' Needs
Groundbreaking Happens This Month
Rob Patzig, president of Ligmincha International, writes about the new building planned to meet the growing needs of Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, headquarters of Ligmincha International, located in Nelson County, Virginia.
Serenity Ridge, Ligmincha International’s headquarters and oldest retreat center, is preparing for major change. At this summer’s retreat, a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building will take place on June 25 at 10:30 a.m. Construction will begin in November.
Rob Patzig 
The front entrance to the new building
Meeting of the Building Committee 
Rinpoche, Elly Grace and John Massie
review final plans
Since 2011 members of the sangha have worked together and in close communication with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche to discuss, plan, fundraise and prepare for this new facility at Serenity Ridge. The goal is to have the building open in time for the celebration of Ligmincha’s 25th anniversary in summer 2017.
More space is needed for large groups Different locations around the property, various sizes and styles of buildings and different layout of spaces within the building were considered over many iterations of the project. The final location will be just past the Lama House and slightly downhill to the east. Size and design were the result of many hours of drawing, meeting, reflecting and revising. The result is a plan that meets the needs of the center and the international community, maintains the long-term vision of Serenity Ridge and rests within the budget defined for this project.
The building will consist of approximately 12,000 square feet on two full floors and one partial floor. The main floor will house a welcoming and registration area, a dining room capable of seating 100 people, a serving area and a full-scale, modern kitchen. The floor below will serve as a large multipurpose space that can be used all at once or segmented for smaller groups. Restrooms will be located on each floor. The top floor will house administrative offices and meeting space for Ligmincha International as well as a professional-quality recording and production studio for recording of teachings and creative projects. The outside of the building will have large dining and practice areas in the form of a rooftop deck and patio space. Large windows will ensure an expansive view from almost every part of the building.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche met with neighbors of Serenity Ridge to discuss expansion plans
This new facility will have a profound impact on the ways in which Serenity Ridge and Ligmincha International can support practitioners and host retreats. Serenity Ridge intends to offer more teachings, sometimes simultaneous with one another, for smaller groups. For example, a meditation and creativity retreat could run concurrent with a retreat focused on trul khor, zhine, or soul retrieval practice. The center also be able to offer more space for personal retreats throughout the year, including individual dark retreats.
The recording studio will benefit the worldwide sangha as it will be a place for Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, resident lamas and senior students to record teachings, commentaries and guided practices. With the studio in place, Ligmincha will offer more free and paid online content through Ligmincha Learning and other media outlets. Over time, we hope to make a large menu of courses available to students on many topics related to Tibetan Bon Buddhism.
The manifestation of Rinpoche’s vision for Serenity Ridge depends on the generosity of his students. Through the generosity of sangha members, more than $1 million has been raised toward the design and construction of this building, and additional commitments of approximately $700,000 are anticipated over the next several years. However, we are still more than $600,000 short of our total fundraising goal of $2.3 million. This amount includes not only construction costs for the new facility, but also all furnishings, landscaping and equipment for the recording studio.
Tenzin Rinpoche often opens teachings with a prayer that begins: “Help me, help us.” Please consider making a donation to the Serenity Ridge Development Fund today. This project is intended to benefit all practitioners within the Ligmincha tradition. Thank you.
