End-of-Year Letter from Rob Patzig
Update on Serenity Ridge in 2022 and Ligmincha Plans for 2023
Dear Sangha,
Greetings! We hope you were able to attend our retreats in 2022, either at Serenity Ridge or through one of our many Ligmincha organizations worldwide. As with all of Ligmincha's centers, much work was done at Serenity Ridge to welcome guests again after having been closed for two years. Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, air purification improvements were made in the Garuda House (dormitories), new gutters were hung on the gompa (meditation hall), rooms were painted, trees were trimmed, and a new audio/video system was set up in Kunzang Khang (community building and cafeteria), allowing for online retreats.
Serenity Ridge will be hosting His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin Rinpoche, the spiritual head of the Bon tradition, at our two-week summer retreat from June 24 to July 8. We are so looking forward to welcoming him, his attendants and our sangha! We have much to do to, including prepare improvements to the Lama House to make it more comfortable for our guests, repairs to the gompa, purchasing flights and more. Many or all of Ligmincha's resident lamas will attend both the summer retreat and spend the prior month at Serenity Ridge in our English-language study program. In advance of the retreat, 15 prayer wheels will be installed along the central path to the gompa, and we will begin to lay out a trail network on our recently expanded property.
Serenity Ridge is hosting 11 retreats this year. At our seventh retreat in October, we did see an outbreak of Covid among some retreatants. We are grateful that everyone is recovering well. In order to prevent outbreaks of Covid among retreatants at Serenity Ridge, we are making substantial improvements to maximize health, including additional air purification systems, handwashing stations and creating rooms where those who test positive for Covid can stay without putting others at risk. These and other improvements will be in place before our winter retreat this year, which begins December 26.
The year 2023 will also see many international activities. In March, the first-ever international practice retreat for our current and authorized umdzes, practice leaders, and instructors will take place in Valle de Bravo, Mexico at the Great Stupa for World Peace. Our hope is to support qualified practice leaders to attend the retreat at no cost, other than travel. Also, we are working to create a course on the A-tri 15 stages of practice with Rinpoche. This will support all who have received these teachings from Rinpoche or read his just-published book, A-tri Dzogchen.
We need your support! If our programs have touched you in the past year, please consider a donation to ensure that we can continue our mission. Donate online via credit card or PayPal at https://ligmincha.org/ligmincha-international-donate/.
Rob Patzig
President, Ligmincha International
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