Letter from the Editors

Celebrating Twenty-Five Years

Dear Friends,

How time flies ... it's hard to believe Ligmincha is 25 years old this year! We looked back at some of the earliest Voice of Clear Light newsletters to find some memories to share with you. There are so many! What an amazing dream and vision that Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche had when he established Ligmincha Institute in 1992 here in Virginia. Now it's all grown up as Ligmincha International, with centers throughout the world and a board of 10 dedicated volunteer members. Inspiring so many people, Rinpoche has tirelessly brought the Bön teachings alive for Westerners everywhere. Emaho! 

In this issue, we share a special excerpt from a talk Rinpoche gave in Boston in May 1993. He speaks about how he came to the U.S. (Thank you to the Dzogchen Community in Massachusetts for inviting Rinpoche to America to give his first teachings and to Anne Klein for inviting him to teach at Rice University in 1990.) He talks about his challenges of bringing the Bön teachings, specifically dzogchen, to Westerners and the huge responsibility he feels in preserving the Bön. He reminds us all of the precious Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung, an unbroken lineage of masters who have kept Bön alive. This summer, Rinpoche will be giving pith instructions of Bön dzogchen lineage masters during the Summer Retreat morning teachings,  followed by afternoon teachings from the Bön Ma Gyü (Mother Tantra). See below for all the details on the two-week Summer Retreat, June 25–July 8, to be followed by a new one-week practice retreat.
 
Be sure to check out the latest TWR LIVE Facebook free weekly broadcasts on Dream Yoga, beginning June 6, and the upcoming GlideWing and Ligmincha Learning online workshops starting in June and July. A special 25th anniversary celebration will be held this fall on October 22, following the annual Fall Retreat at Serenity Ridge and just prior to the two-day Science and Spirituality Conference. Mark your calendars and join in the festivities!

Also growing and thriving is The 3 Doors organization, with its latest Compassion Project expanding to a nine-month online course. Find out below how to apply. And don't miss this Spring's Ligmincha Europe Magazine. Mark your calendars, too, for the European retreats that Rinpoche will be holding this August and September – there are a lot! You can always find Tenzin Rinpoche's teaching schedule by date and by location on the Ligmincha International website.  You'll find the link to the Spanish translation of the April issue of the Voice of Clear Light below, with the Portuguese translation coming at a later time.

Enjoy!

In Bön,

Aline and Jeff