Dear Friends,

As many of you know, on June 12, His Eminence Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche peacefully passed into parinirvana at the age of 100. He remained in the profound meditative state of tukdam for 8 days prior to leaving his body. Observation of 49 days of prayers and offerings began on Sunday, June 15th and will conclude on August 8th. Along with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and the Ligmincha sangha, and Bon practitioners all around the world, we send prayers and join in honoring His Eminence. We will always treasure his unending presence in our lives and in the world.

During the recent summer retreat at Serenity Ridge, Tenzin Rinpoche spoke about his teacher:

Throughout his life of 100 years there are so many things that he accomplished, liberating and guiding so many people, and producing so many geshes. His life was not easy, all that he has gone through and somehow it has never impacted him negatively. He peacefully lived through every situation, including getting shot. And then that same thing applies even to his last moments. I’ve shared this before that the last moment before Yongdzin Rinpoche’s passing was very simple. He said, “I am in the natural state of mind. I am inseparable from RangJung Yeshe, Self- Arising Wisdom.” And he would recite the invocation of Taphiritsa.

Resting in the inner refuge, our true nature, is the subject of this issue’s teaching excerpt with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He leads us to understand the importance of connecting experientially to what the inner refuge points to, and how to utilize our nighttime as a wonderful opportunity to do that. Enjoy!

Learn more about the deep meditative state of tukdam during the CyberSangha’s Science & Spirituality dialogue on September 5. See the details below.

Visit Ligmincha’s online store, now called Windhorse, for all the latest offerings and see the featured store items by and about His Eminence Yongdzin Rinpoche in this issue.

More news and events at Ligmincha:

• Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s 2025 schedule
• Upcoming free CyberSangha events
• NEW Ligmincha Learning online courses! Who Am I: A Journey to Self-Realization is available now; Tibetan Sound Healing will be available in September, plus more
• Dream Yoga eight-week online course with Tenzin Rinpoche begins August 29 through Wisdom Academy in collaboration with GlideWing.
• The 3 Doors upcoming events and programs include an online weekend retreat in October with Rinpoche and Senior 3 Doors teachers
• Spanish translation of the June VOCL

In Bon,
Aline and Jeff Fisher

The idea behind the inner refuge prayer is that it’s a refuge within us. This has always been a beautiful concept for me personally. Especially these days when it seems like the world is really much crazier than it used to be. And there is much more distrust in the air, and often for good reason. However, if trust becomes a little bit more difficult for us in any social situation which we find ourselves, then somehow, we need to find balance, find something within ourselves that gives us more of a sense of protection, of guidance, of a safe place or sanctuary. And that is what this inner refuge prayer points to.

The Inner Refuge Prayer
by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

The center of the victorious mandala, one’s own body,
The source of all positive qualities without exception,
Is the expanse within the three channels and the five chakras,
I take refuge in this body of emptiness.

All the gathered clouds of suffering and misery,
Are completely cleared by the wisdom wind,
Revealing the unadulterated primordially pure expanse of the sky,
I take refuge in this body of clear light.

From the pavilion of the five wisdom lights,
Rays from non-dual spheres of light emanate,
Clearing the webs of the darkness of ignorance,
I take refuge in this body of great bliss.

Practicing the inner refuge, one should not force oneself with the literal interpretations of the Tibetan symbolism if those are challenging for you. Rather we should always look inside. Because it’s the message here that’s important, and I don’t think that anybody should compromise that and forget about that. You cannot forget the message of inner refuge. I see this as a universal message, a universal essence. And it may be communicated differently, for sure, but it should not contradict anyone’s journey of awakening, regardless of your background, faith or belief.

So, let’s have a look at the inner refuge here using some simple concepts. The three refuges in the three sections of this inner refuge poem or prayer are: space, awareness and warmth. Traditionally, this space has the qualities of being limitless and free from boundaries. We are talking here about our sense of internal freedom when we refer to space. If you listen to those around you, you can see that everyone is looking for space. A weekend is a space, a holiday is a space, one’s intermittent fasting is a space. In our breathing practice, we say inhale and hold, and then exhale and rest, these are spaces that we are talking about. The space is the key for everything – holding that space.

This space is a big deal for all of us. How many of you feel like you need more space? And how many feel that you need more space regarding specific situations? I need a little more space from my husband. I need more space from my work, or from someone. How many of you feel that you need a little space from your pain identity? We all need space, don’t we?

The second refuge is awareness. When it says in the inner refuge prayer, I take refuge in the body of light, it is talking about awareness. Awareness is nothing more than connection. If I am aware of this, (Rinpoche points to his tea cup), then I am connected. And if I am not aware of it, then I’m not connected. Attention and awareness are the main means of connection. Attention is good, and awareness is better. Attention has more focus and effort, whereas awareness has less focus and less effort – it has just a pure connection.

So, in meditation, when we talk about the second refuge, we are primarily talking about internally being aware and finding connection to yourself. When you know your pain, that’s very good, but when you know your joy, then that is better. When you know your disturbances, that is good, but when you know your peace, then that is better. In the inner refuge prayer, it refers to the first refuge as the source of all the positive qualities – it literally means that; it’s not just poetry. That space and that awareness is the source of all the positive qualities. So, if you feel that space inside and you feel that awareness inside, then every quality that you expect in your life, you will witness it as already present in yourself, such as the qualities of joy and peace and spaciousness.

Nowadays, many longevity studies have shown that the number one predictor of longevity is social connection. So, what kind of social connection is it referring to? Basically, it’s that you’re genuinely connecting with someone – not professionally, but rather as like a best friend – my best friend. How many people do you have that you can call my best friend? This connection with people is doing something for you – it’s giving you a little bit more esoteric and spiritual access to yourself. If you feel fine with these people, then you feel fine with yourself. That’s my theory. However, when researchers do these longevity studies, they don’t talk about this peace. But this is what I feel is the key. When you are really able to connect with other people, you are finding some connection to yourself.

Now bring to mind an image of a close couple looking at one another, and then also bring to mind the image of a dedicated Zen practitioner. Which is better? For the couple, the couple is better. For the Zen practitioner, then Zen is better. Because, the Zen practitioner is able to achieve the same thing through simply looking at the wall, that the couple is able to achieve by looking at each other. But ultimately what they are finding is similar. They’re finding connections.

There are monks and yogis that will go off to caves for a lifetime. Forget about the socializing – there’s no socializing. Rather, every day it’s the same cave for them. Think about it – no coffee, no lunch date, no dinner date, no movie, no hiking – or just name any crazy thing that we do – they have none of it. Just the same cave, the same cup of tsampa every day, and they remain that way for 30 or 40 years. And do you think that they have cases of depression? Many of them do not. Sure, they might develop one or another particular health issue, but that’s not due to their lack of seeing anybody because they are not longing for that. Rather, they are able to get that deeper sense of connection to themselves by being there in the cave.

The third refuge is the bliss or warmth. We understand in some sense what warmth means, right? And this warmth, this bliss or joy comes out of feeling more space and feeling more connected. If you look back at your own experience, when was the last time that you were really happy? There are only two reasons for it, that you’re very open, and that you’re very connected; that’s the reason for your feeling of happiness.

The first refuge is space, and I have been emphasizing throughout this retreat that you have the opportunity to actually experience and connect with this space through your getting the extra sleep that I am recommending by setting a goal of remaining in bed for 9 1/2 hours throughout the night and into the morning. This way, each night is an opportunity to actually connect to that space once we’ve finished doing all of the crazy things that we have to do in our day, and now we finally have our own time all to ourselves. And what should you do when that time approaches? You simply go to your room, close the door and go to bed. This is what I’ve been encouraging all along.

My big question, though, is why when that special opportunity arises, do people instead go to their Netflix subscription? [laughter] It’s because we have no clue, no understanding, no value, no experiences of what this space looks like in this inner night life, right? We have no clue! Once you do have a clue, then Netflix will go out of business. [laughter] My goal is to introduce the inner nightlife to the whole world. That inner Netflix is much more fun, because you are the director and you are the actor playing all the different roles. And you can see clearly where you’re getting stuck and where you are able to play, and where you are able to guide. You are not just watching the movie – you have multiple roles in that movie inside you in the night.

So, please pay attention to your sleep, and aim for a target of 9 1/2 hours in bed. You might only get nine hours, but nine is good. If you don’t do that, then you will not get a sufficient amount of sleep. This is not just my intellectual theory – this is what I have been experiencing personally. And with that extra hour or two, you can be in the inner refuge. Look at it as the most fun experience that you can have; the most restorative experience that you can have. And if your daily behavior does not interfere with your circadian rhythm, then that rhythm will be aligned nicely and your body won’t interfere very much with your sleep like it maybe does now when you go to bed.

For instance, giving myself enough time to sleep last night, almost 10 hours, I got more than 5 hours of restorative sleep. You feel a very different sense of well-being after getting more than five hours of restorative sleep. WHO wouldn’t want that? And that inner nightlife is also fun because of the sense of exploring and discovering this space, discovering these connections and seeing these different identities and images and stories and thoughts that you’re looking at. It’s so much fun. And internally that space is there. The space that every tradition speaks of. The space that we long for every single hour of the day. It’s fully present there. And the connection to that. That is real fun.

Here is Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s upcoming teaching schedule. Rinpoche continues to travel and teach in Virginia, Germany, Poland, France, Colorado and California in the upcoming months.

You can find the latest listings and any changes in the Events section of the Ligmincha website or the Serenity Ridge website. Please register for these online retreats through the specific Events box on the website. Updates will be provided on the website as they become available.

• August 11-17, 2025. Buchenau, Germany. Discover Your Inner Light, Part 3. Ligmincha Germany.
• August 19-24, 2025. Wilga, Poland. Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 1. Ligmincha Poland.
• August 30-31, 2025. Bourg-en-Bresse, France. Light and Awareness: The Five Wisdoms
• September 12-14, 2025. Shambhala Center, Boulder, Colorado. Dzogchen Teachings
• September 30-October 5, 2025. Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, Virginia. IN PERSON Silent Dzogchen Practice Retreat or Online
• October 7-12, 2025. Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, Virginia. IN PERSON Fall Retreat & Serenity Ridge Dialogues: Being Present to the Moment of Death. Or Online
• November 3-7, 2025. Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California. Sleep Yoga
• November 23. ONLINE only. The Invocation of Tapihritsa
• January 2-10, 2026 or January 2-4 (weekend only option). Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, Virginia. Winter Dzogchen Practice Retreat. (Rinpoche will join online for some sessions. Other sessions will be taught by Drupdra Khenpo Rinpoche from Triten Norbutse Monastery.)

CyberSangha is excited to announce additional summer programs designed to inspire you to explore meditation and learn about fascinating research related to science and spirituality. Join our free online events – open to everyone!

The Mystery of Tukdam: Exploring Advanced Meditative States at Life’s End
Friday, September 5, 12 noon New York time
Featuring researchers Tawni Tidwell, Tenzin Namdul, & host Alejandro Chaoul
Join us for a special science & spirituality dialogue on tukdam, a rare meditative state in which the body of a realized practitioner shows minimal signs of decomposition for days or even weeks after clinical death. This phenomenon is believed to reflect a profound mastery of meditation, merging consciousness with the Clear Light of the mind’s primordial nature. The broadcast honors the recent passing of H.E. Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the revered, most senior teacher of the Tibetan Bon tradition, who remained in the tukdam meditative state for eight days after entering parinirvana on June 12, 2025.
Learn more and view live

Meditation Series with Aleeze Sattar Moss
Begins August 2025
Starting in August, Aleeze Sattar Moss will guide a new series of free meditations via Facebook Live, open to everyone. Each live session will last about 20 minutes and will be offered once or twice a month, with dates announced in advance. This series will include mindfulness practices in support of the inner refuge meditations. Aleeze is the associate director of the Myrna Brind Center for Mindfulness at Thomas Jefferson University and a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, bringing deep expertise and a passion for sharing the transformative benefits of meditation.

24-Hour Full Moon Practice, Finding Refuge Within
Begins Friday, August 8, 2025, at 10 a.m. New York time
Our next Full Moon Practice begins soon! Join us via Zoom at any time during the 24 hours – drop in whenever you can, for one or more practice sessions – as we acknowledge both personal pain and our collective challenges, all while abiding in the open, clear warmth of presence. This is a chance to discover the space of inner refuge: the ultimate protection and a source of genuine compassion.
Learn more and register now

We are pleased to announce Ligmincha Learning’s two new course offerings! Just launched on July 3: Who Am I: A Journey to Self-Realization. On September 1, 2025, Tibetan Sound Healing will be also be available. Both courses are taught entirely by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and are self-paced, with the course materials permanently available to students once purchased. Both courses were previously available on GlideWing.com, home to several courses by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. We are deeply grateful to our friends at GlideWing for donating these courses to Ligmincha Learning for us to share with you.

Also offered this Fall are several other online courses through Ligmincha Learning. See below for all the descriptions and links.

Who Am I: A Journey to Self-Realization
Open at all times, self-paced
This self-guided course, is an extended teaching and meditation on Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s beautiful poem, Who Am I. Rinpoche begins by laying a strong foundation of the essential points of meditation. Then, step by step, he points you to an understanding of who you are not, followed by the deepest truth of who you truly are and can be.
Learn more/register

Tibetan Sound Healing
Available beginning September 1, self-paced
This self -guided course is based on Rinpoche’s book of the same name. In this course Rinpoche teaches us to use the healing power of the Five Warrior Syllables – Ah, Om, Hung, Ram, and Dza. Guided by the mind and carried by the breath through subtle channels within the body, the power of sound opens the potential for more joy and love to enter your life, facilitate personal healing, dissolve energetic disturbances, and awaken positive action in the world around you. This course becomes available on September 1, 2025.
Learn more and pre-register now

Transforming our Emotions Through the Six Lokas
September 5 – October 26, 2025 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
At one time or another, each of us suffers strong emotions that throw us off balance, cause us to act in ways that we later regret and make us lose touch with our true nature. Centuries ago the masters of the Bon lineage developed the meditations of the Six Lokas specifically to remedy this situation, to help us live our lives in a balanced and relaxed way.

Learn more/register

The Three Heart Mantras
October 3 – November 9, 2025 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The Three Heart Mantras are used in many different meditations in the Bon tradition, and play a major role in the ngondro practices. They are said to be the essence of enlightenment in sound and energy, and as we sing or chant the mantras our awareness is transformed to be in union with the buddhas. They are used for purification, protection and as primary practices toward self-realization.
Learn more/register

Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light
November 14 – December 14, 2025 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
We spend one-third of our life in sleep, yet for most people sleep is a period of unconsciousness. Through the practices of the Yoga of Clear Light we can learn to be completely aware during our sleep, open, clear, resting in deep meditative presence. But how do we get from our current stress and disrupted sleep patterns to the state of clear light?

The course will introduce simple techniques to enter into sleep in a healthy, balanced way.
Learn more/register

Sherap Chamma Mother of Wisdom and Love
November 14 – December 14, 2025 with Marcy Vaughan
In this online course, participants will learn a beautiful and simple meditation practice enabling each to directly connect with the divine feminine energy. Within the support of the group, we create an environment to promote profound healing of physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual dimensions of life. With visualization, the sound of mantra and deep contemplation, we make a personal connection to this sacred form of the universal mother, Sherap Chamma, and are guided through this connection to our innate wisdom and the love and compassion that naturally radiate from that wisdom. Those experienced in meditation as well as those who are beginning are warmly welcomed.
Learn more/register

Free courses; enroll at any time. Starting a Meditation Practice; The True Source of Healing; Living with Joy, Dying in Peace

Learn more at ligminchalearning.com

From August 29 to October 26, join Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for Dream Yoga, an immersive eight-week online course offered through The Wisdom Academy in collaboration with GlideWing Productions. Rooted in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, the ancient practice of dream yoga engages you in using your dreams as a powerful tool for enhancing awareness and clarity, both in sleep and in waking life.

Through video teachings, guided meditations, readings, and interactive quizzes, students will learn to dissolve fear and confusion, experience greater calm, and move toward personal transformation and liberation.

Participants will also benefit from a forum in which Rinpoche answers their practice questions. While weekly participation is encouraged, students have ongoing access to the course materials and can progress at their own pace.

Learn more and enroll now

Resource: Rinpoche’s best-selling book The Tibetan Yogas of Dream & Sleep: Practices for Awakening

The 3 Doors is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with the mission of transforming lives through meditation practices grounded in wisdom and compassion from the Tibetan Bon tradition. Upcoming opportunities include: The Compassion Project; An Online Weekend Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and 3 Doors Senior Teachers; The 3 Doors Latin American Academy begins in September in Brazil.

The Compassion Project: A comprehensive 9-month exploration of meditation as a pathway to compassion for self and others
Taught by 3 Doors Senior Teachers Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco
October 2025 – June 2026
Online via Zoom
Open to all

This course offers clear instruction for those new to meditation and support for those looking to deepen their practice. In nine months of online teaching, guiding, group discussion, self-study, and personal reflection, you will find support to build a meditation practice that enlivens your well-being and activates inner resources to meet the challenges of your life and the people around you with clarity, confidence, and compassion.
Learn more
Listen: The Compassion Project, First Class of the 2022 program with Senior Teacher Marcy Vaughn.

The Heart of Self-Transformation: The Medicine of Breath, Awareness, and Being

An Online Weekend Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and 3 Doors Senior Teachers: Alejandro Chaoul, Raven Lee, Gabriel Rocco, and Marcy Vaughn
Offered in English and translated into multiple languages (TBA)
October 18-19, 2025
Online via Zoom
Open to All

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and 3 Doors Senior Teachers offer a special weekend retreat with the international 3 Doors community. Each day will include a teaching session with Rinpoche, instruction and guided practice with 3 Doors Senior Teachers, and small group gatherings for sharing the experiences of life and practice hosted by 3 Doors teachers and presenters.
Learn more

The 3 Doors Academy – Latin America

The 3 Doors is delighted to offer its signature program in Curitiba, Brazil beginning in September 2025 with teachers Alejandro Chaoul, Rosario Arellano, Lourdes Hinojosa, Patricia Vigil, and Carlos Villarreal! The 3 Doors Academy is an immersive 2 1/2 year program that provides particiipants the opportunity to engage deeply in the process of self-discovery. Participation involves both online and in-person components, including monthly group Zoom sessions, individual mentor sessions with the teachers, personal retreats, and four on-line and two in-person week-long group retreats.
Offered in Spanish and Portuguese
Learn more

8th North American Academy
The 3 Doors is just beginning to plan the next North American Academy. If you are interested, please reach out to Emily Light, Program Coordinator, at emily.light@the3doors.org to express your interest and be added to the list to receive future updates.

Walking the Healing Path Self-Paced Program – 15% off through August 31.
Taught by Senior Teacher Raven Lee
This program can benefit anyone on a personal healing journey intent on transforming stress and bringing harmony and well-being to their daily lives.
*This program serves as a prerequisite for A Journey to Wholeness, the advanced Walking the Healing Path course that begins in October 2025.
Learn more

To see the entire list of 3 Doors programs visit https://the3doors.org/program-calendar/

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Read VOCL in Spanish