Mexican Sangha Built 33 Stupas for His Holiness Menri 33rd

Interview with Jorge Valles, President of Ligmincha Mexico

In this interview, Jorge Valles, President of Ligmincha Mexico, talks with Ton Bisscheroux about the history and activities of Ligmincha Mexico, and the stupas built in Mexico. 

Great Bön Stupa for World Peace surrounded by 33 smaller stupas in Valle de Bravo, Mexico

First, I would like to ask you a few questions about the history of Ligmincha Mexico. How long has the Mexican sangha been connected to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche?

The first time Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came to Mexico was in 1995. Originally, Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche was invited to come and teach on dzogchen. But at time he was ill, and he couldn’t come. He then suggested, if they wanted a good and proper dzogchen master, they should invite Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. After that first time, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came back every year to teach. And Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche continued to come to Mexico to teach in his own sangha. 

Jorge Valles, Ligmincha Mexico president, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with smaller stupas

How did you meet Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche?

A friend went to the first retreat with Rinpoche in Mexico in Mexico City. There they invited him to come to teach in our hometown, Chihuahua. Three months later, in September 1995, Rinpoche came to Chihuahua for the first time, and after that Rinpoche came for three years, once every year, to teach in Chihuahua. During that first visit, Rinpoche visited our home. He came several times because he found in Mexico very committed people who were very enthusiastic in learning the teachings. 

From the beginning I was involved in the organization. In 1997 the Garuda Mexico Association was founded in Mexico, and Rinpoche invited me to participate in the Council. In 1999 an architect named Misobena donated 10 hectares of land to the Mexican sangha. In the beginning there were no plans or any project. Later we built The Great Bön Stupa for World Peace there.

Great Bön Stupa in Torreón, Mexico

The first Bön stupa in the West was built in Torreón, Mexico. Can you talk about that?

It was built by the Sangha of Torreón so that people could come to a place and meditate. It is 18 meters high and 100 square meters in area. The Stupa of Torreón is located within the Chamma Ling Laguna Retreat Center, a center full of life and education that leaves traces of joy, peace and well-being to all  who visit it. On February 12, 2006, under a vast and intense blue sky, with the luminous sun that covered us and with the presence of our master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Khenpo Nyima Kunchap and Geshe Tenzin Yeshe, the consecration ceremony was held.

Construction begins in 2003

Can you tell why the largest Bön stupa in the West—it has a height of 34 m and a surface area of 400 m2—was built in Mexico?

In 2000 many Bönpos met with H.E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. H.E. Yongdzin Rinpoche said it was his wish that a Stupa for World Peace would be built. Guillermo De La Cajiga, from Mexico, was there; he raised his hand and said, “Don’t worry, the Mexicans will build it.” He came back to Mexico with a piece of paper on which Yongdzin Rinpoche wrote the measures and the plan of the stupa, and said, “This is all I’ve got.”

I have a construction company, so it was obvious that they came to me. We started to make the drafts of the stupa. In 2001, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and I went to Boulder, Colorado, to visit a big stupa built by the Gelugpa tradition, to look at the construction and the materials. The stupa in Boulder is different, but the meaning is the same. All stupas seen from above are representations of mandalas. The measures and styles are different. In 2002 we began to make more preparations with structure, materials and electricity. In 2003 the real construction began. And in 2010 the stupa was consecrated by Yongdzin Rinpoche. There were many donors and people who put effort into it to make it happen, to materialize this.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with Ligmincha Mexico's two resident lamas, Lama Kalsang Nyima and Lama Yungdrung Lodoe, inside the Great Bön Stupa

Outside the Great Stupa

Did the donations come from Mexico, or from all over the world?

The donations came from about 400 people from Mexico. We organized several auctions to raise money. We made porcelain stupas for sale. A lot of people were involved in the fundraising. It was a great experience for me personally to be in charge of all these team members to make it happen. We had to raise 1 million Mexican pesos ($50,000) when we started the project. When we had gathered 700,000 Mexican pesos, I called a member of the Mexican sangha, Monica Pelletier, and told her that we still needed 300,000 Mexican pesos, and asked if she could provide any help. Ten minutes later Monica called back, and said, “Just after I hung up on you, people called me wanting to buy my horse for 300,000 Mexican pesos.” So the horse became a stupa. Like that, there are many stories of people who donated money.

What happened after the Great Stupa was ready? Could you sit back and relax?

Since then, there have been a lot of retreats. Many geshes and lamas come, like Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, H.E. Yongdzin Rinpoche, Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche. His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin, Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, came three years ago, and His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, visited us several times.

The 34th Menri Trizin, Khedrup Gyatso, the 33rd Menri Trizin and Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin 

In 2017, when His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Rinpoche entered parinirvana (passed away), we started a new project in Mexico. The board decided to build 33 small stupas around the Great Stupa in memory of His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Rinpoche. There are 33 donors, one for each stupa.

We also had the idea to raise money to build dorms on the land next to the stupa. Two months ago, we started the construction of 14 dorms. So now we have a complete infrastructure at Chamma Ling Valle de Bravo. When people visit us, we have a kitchen and a place to sleep. In the past when people visited the stupa, volunteers would give them something to eat and drink.

The next project is to build a shop, where we can sell books, malas and other religious artifacts, so we can make the project sustainable. Rinpoche asked us to expand the little shop we have now, and make a cafeteria. Recently we started with the preparations.

The Great Stupa is now a place of interest for the people of Valle de Bravo. A big television channel from Mexico was here to make a program, and there was a lot of attention in newspapers. Now about 13,000 people come to visit the stupa every year; the majority are tourists. And every Sunday there is a meditation, where 300 people participate.

HH the 34th Menri Trizin, Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, with Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin and monks in 2018

I have a personal question. Did your life change when your son was recognized as a tulku?

When Jorge Rene was a kid, I used to read a lot about Tibet, Buddhism and lamas, and it was my wish to meet a Buddhist master. In 1995 it was a big surprise for me that no longer I had to go Tibet to meet a lama, because then Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came straight to our home. In 1996, when Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche came with the news that my son, Jorge Rene, was the reincarnation of the great Bön master Lopon Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche (1917–1978), I felt good and thankful to life.

In the beginning it was difficult to digest, it was shocking, but I also felt very fortunate. I was not thinking a lot about it, because I believe things happen for a reason, and he decided to reincarnate here in Mexico, and things would flow. There was some mental noise, with big news like this: is this real? Eventually, there were a lot of expectations, and Lopon Tenzin Namdak and His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin had signs that confirmed that my son was the reincarnation. Then my mind started to settle down, and I accepted it. Then questions from family and friends came, asking what was going on. Gradually that settled down. I raised Jorge Rene equally as I did his brother and sister.

Gratitude to Tulku Ponse Yigme Tenzin (Jorge Rene Valles), who took care of the translation during the interview.