Volume 18, Number 6 / December 2018

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parasoliconLetter from the Editors

Inner World Peace

Dear Friends,

We have some very big news!! His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dargyal Rinpoche, the 34th Menri Trizin, will be visiting and teaching at three Ligmincha centers worldwide—Serenity Ridge in Virginia, Poland and Mexico—in 2019. E MA HO! Read the letter from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche below for all of the wonderful details. More


twr stephen iconLetter from Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

His Holiness to Visit Ligmincha and Bön Centers Worldwide

Dear Sangha and Friends,

It has been almost a year since the appointment of His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dargyal Rinpoche as the 34th Menri Trizin. On September 6 of this year, a formal grand enthronement ceremony took place at Menri Monastery in India.

In recognition of his enthronement, and as a way to deepen our connection to His Holiness, I extended an invitation for him to teach at our Ligmincha International centers in Poland, Mexico and the United States. With this letter I am happy to announce that His Holiness has honored us by accepting our invitation. More


TWR blue redHosting Pain with Self-Compassion and with Wisdom 

An Edited Excerpt from Oral Teachings Given by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Summer 2018

Emotions like anger and attachment manifest because of a loss of connection to our true self. When these and other emotions arise in the midst of conflict, how we reflect on them is based on the depth of our self-awareness and our ability for self-reflection. More


ligmincha international logoSa Le Ö Musical Event Coming Next June!

Fundraising Performance to Benefit Children in Nepal and India

Don’t miss Sa Le Ö, a musical healing and meditation event created by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. The tour will be coming next June to the U.S. (Houston, Texas and Serenity Ridge Retreat Center in Virginia) and Mexico (Torreón, Mexico City and the Stupa for World Peace at Valle de Bravo.) More


prayerflags16803Update on Geshe Tenzin Yangton

Serenity Ridge Resident Lama on Extended Leave

Many readers know and have met our beloved resident lama at Serenity Ridge, Geshe Tenzin Yangton (Geshe-la). And many also know that he became ill in fall 2017. Western doctors were not able to provide a clear diagnosis and course of treatment, and in January 2018 he elected to return to Nepal to be closer to the support of his family, Triten Norbutse Monastery and Tibetan doctors. More


SerenityRidge new icon2019 Retreats at Serenity Ridge

Four Seasonal Retreats with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and More

Four exciting seasonal retreats at Serenity Ridge with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche are planned for 2019. They include teachings ranging from connecting with the five elements, to the second year of tummo (inner heat), guidance for living and dying, and a special silent dzogchen practice retreat in December that is open to all. More


TWR2iconTenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s Teaching Schedule 

More Information Available Soon on Ligmincha Website

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s teaching schedule for December and January, as far as it is known at this time, is on the Ligmincha International website. More


dharmawheeliconFirst Audio Book by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Now Available

The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep in New Format

We are excited to announce the release of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's first audio book! The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, in unabridged audible format, narrated by Marcy Vaughn, is now available through Amazon.comMore


bannericonNew Book: Mind Beyond Brain by David Presti

Based on 2010 Ligmincha Buddhism and Science Conference

We are pleased to announce the release of a new book, Mind Beyond Brain: Buddhism, Science, and the Paranormal, by David Presti, with a foreword by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. The book, published by Columbia University Press, is available through Amazon.com and other venues.

The contributed papers in the book are all derived from talks by renowned researchers given at a 2010 conference held at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center in Virginia and sponsored by Ligmincha. More


knotblueiconNEW from Ligmincha Learning: 'Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practices'

Online Course January 5–February 9, 2019

Ligmincha Learning has a new online course “Treasures of Bön: History, Lineage & Practices,” that will be held from January 5–February 9, 2019. It is designed for anyone who would like to learn more about, or deepen their existing knowledge of, this ancient, profound tradition. More


knotrediconGlideWing Online Course 'Awakening the Sacred Body'

Begins January 5, 2019 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Start the new year with “Awakening the Sacred Body: The Tibetan Yogas of Breath and Movement,” an online workshop offered through GlideWing, with personal guidance from Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. This three-week online workshop, offered January 5–27, 2019, instructs you in practices of Tibetan yoga, More


lishu logoRegister Now for Tummo and Dream Yoga at Lishu Institute

Short Course in Phowa Also Available

Lishu Institute, Ligmincha’s residential retreat center for intensive practice and study of the Tibetan Bön teachings, is beginning a new 10-week retreat on Tummo and Dream Yoga in early January 2019.

All are welcome to attend this intensive retreat, where they will live and practice at Lishu in an idyllic rural setting near the town of Dehradun in Northern India. More


ahtigleUpcoming Facebook Live Broadcasts

Coming in 2019: Conversations with Indigenous People

Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche offers several live Facebook broadcasts in December as part of his ongoing Pith Instructions series. In January 2019, Rinpoche hosts two Facebook Live conversations, one of them with invited members of indigenous communites from South America, Mexico and Africa. More


 rainbow 1Finding Oneself in the Losing

A Longtime Student's First-Time Journey to Menri Monastery, India

Polly Turner, Ligmincha International’s director of webcasts and social media, wrote the following article after returning from her first visit to Menri Monastery. Photos were taken by Polly Turner, except the one with His Holiness.

For 23 years, almost a third of my life, hardly a day has passed when I haven’t connected one way or another with the Tibetan Bön tradition, the indigenous spiritual tradition of Tibet. After first meeting the prominent Bön teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, nearly from the very start I imagined making a pilgrimage to the seat of Bön, Menri Monastery near Dolanji, India, where so many of my friends had made their way. But it was only a few weeks ago that I finally found – and lost – myself there. More


The 3 Doors iconNews from The 3 Doors

Latin American Academy Graduation and Upcoming Courses

The 3 Doors graduates of the Latin American Academy celebrated the culmination of two and one-half years of group retreats, personal practice and community building under the guidance of senior teachers Alejandro Chaoul-Reich and Laura Shekerjian in Tepoztlan, Mexico in October 2018. The next Latin American Academy will begin in August 2019. More details coming soon! More


LotusSpanish Translation of VOCL

Link to October Issue Now Available


Look for the translations of Voice of Clear Light newsletters at the top of the Voice of Clear Light website.

Read VOCL in Spanish


garudafronticonUpcoming Retreats

Serenity Ridge Retreat Center

The retreats listed below will take place at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Ligmincha International headquarters located in rural Nelson County, Virginia. To register or for more information, click on the links below, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or call 434-263-6304. 

December 26, 2018–January 1, 2019
Winter Retreat: The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 5
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Prerequisite: Previous completion of Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung series.
Learn more/register

February 8–10, 2019
Sherap Chamma: Mother of Wisdom and Love
with Marcy Vaughn

April 11–14, 2019
Spring Retreat—The Five Elements: Connecting with the Living Universe
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

April 15–16, 2019
Ligmincha Symposium for Contemplative Sciences: Body, Breath & Mind
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and other researchers/presenters

June 22, 2019
Fundraising Dinner and Concert for Tibetan Orphans
More information to come!

June 23–July 7, 2019
Summer Retreat—Tummo: Inner Fire of Realization, Part 2 of 3
with His Holiness Lungtok Dawa Dargyal Rinpoche and Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

October 22–27, 2019 
Fall Retreat—Guidance for Living and Dying: Commentary on the Bardo Teachings from the Bön Mother Tantra
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

November 7–10, 2019 (tentative date)
Trul Khor, Part 2 and Part 3
with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich and Rob Patzig

December 26, 2019–January 1, 2020
Winter Retreat—Dzogchen Silent Practice Retreat: Turning Inward
with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche 

To register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bön Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , call 434-263-6304 or visit the Serenity Ridge website.