Volume 24, Number 5 / October 2024
Letter from the Editors
Every Breath You Take
Dear Friends,
We send our warmest wishes for safe travels and a joyful retreat to Tenzin Rinpoche and students from around the world while they are on a special Fall Retreat in Kathmandu, Nepal! And we send our deepest respect and prayers to His Eminence Yongdzin (Lopon) Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the most senior teacher in the Bon tradition, co-founder of Menri Monastery in India, and founder of Triten Norbutse Monastery in Nepal, whose presence is a blessing to all.
In this issue's teaching excerpt, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche focuses on the breath and its impact on our health, our sleep, and our spiritual practice. Enjoy Rinpoche's breathtaking insights.
More news and events at Ligmincha:
- NEW! The Fall Chod retreat in Kathmandu will be available online on Zoom! Sign up by October 8.
- Winter Dzogchen Practice Retreat open to all, both in-person at Serenity Ridge & online.
- See Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's upcoming teaching schedule.
- Read Ligmincha's fundraising update. Help reach our goal!
- Mark your calendar for upcoming CyberSangha events.
- Three new training programs to be offered in 2025 at Serenity Ridge!
- Details about Five Elements Training Program with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
- Try an online course offered through Ligmincha Learning.
- Sangha Sharing: Pictures from the summer retreat in Buchenau, Germany!
- Upcoming programs with the 3 Doors.
- Read the Student and Teacher article on whether effort will help one to enter into the inner refuge.
- View the Spanish translation for the August VOCL.
In Bon,
Aline and Jeff Fisher
Breath as a Bridge for Balancing One's Body, Energy and Mind
An Excerpt from Teachings Given by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Summer 2024
A strong element in these teachings is the association of mind with the breath. And that's basically true for all of the ancient teachings and yoga traditions as well. They all generally make the connection that if you want to control your mind, then you control your breath. Because controlling or calming the mind is harder, and controlling or calming the breath is easier, so therefore try to control what is easy in order to control what is difficult. The practices of tsa lung work in a similar way, utilizing the breath and the winds. And after all of these many years of our practicing the tsa lung, it would serve us well to have a clearer understanding of these tsa lung exercises, leading to a better relationship with them.
[Tsa lung is a series of ancient yogic practices that brings balance and harmony to our physical body, energy, and mind. The Tibetan term tsa lung translates as:Â energy-winds in the channels. That's because these practices are designed to open the subtle channels, and guide the healthy flow of the energy-winds, so that we can enjoy good health and reconnect with more calmness to a quiet, peaceful mind. These exercises are easy to perform, and are suitable for everyone.]
I want to focus on the first three tsa lung exercises here, because each one can be thought of as supporting our brain health, our heart health and our gut health, respectively. You see, as long as you have this brain, and as long as you have this heart, and as long as you have this gut, then these three tsa lung exercises are what nourish them, what maintain them, and what exercise them. Science is talking all of the time about these three centers in the body. One group of scientists is talking about the brain all of the time, the brain experts. And another group is talking about the heart all of the time; for them it's all about heart. And now a new group of researchers is putting a lot more emphasis on gut health.
So, when doing the first tsa lung exercise utilizing the upward moving tsa lung, think about its being medicine for brain health. The teachings say that the upward moving wind practice will help all of your senses. It will help your sense of smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste - all of the senses. Why? Because the upward moving wind acts in a way to open them. Just as increasing the blood flow there would open up the senses more. Opening the channels opens the flow more, so that all of the senses become better functioning. That's the idea. Thinking about it in a very simple way, we could say that exercising this first upward moving wind would be about benefiting the brain, simple as that.
Then when you are doing the second exercise, the life force tsa lung, think about it as a practice for your heart health. The wind, tsa, is directly associated with our breath, and our breath is directly associated with the heartbeat. And the rate of the heartbeat correlates at any given moment to whether the sympathetic nervous system [fight and flight] or the parasympathetic nervous system [rest and digest] is activated in us. With just a single breath, you can see the effect that your breathing has on varying your heart rate. So if that's the case, just imagine the overall benefit of using your breath throughout the 24-hour cycle to extend the time that your body spends in that rest and digest mode.
I've been having some fun experimenting with bringing my heart rate down in one single deep breath. Particularly during the morning period. This is related to the life force wind. The life force is related to the heart. Experimenting in that way, you can then work on staying at that slower heart rate. This technique can also be of use whenever you're trying to sleep or take a nap; or whenever you're trying to have a deeper meditation, because the heart rate relates to your meditation. So, in light of that, there is very good reason as we get older, to integrate these things. You want to have the best meditation, and you want to have the best resting heart rate. Both.
I've mentioned quite a bit lately the idea of spontaneous healing, spontaneous remission, and the ability to protect and defend against sicknesses and viruses. And your ability to do that may have something to do with how much energy you have. And how much energy you have has something to do with how much energy you have preserved. And how much energy you've preserved has something to do with how much energy you've not misused or wasted, wasted for nothing. And nothing here means that most of the time you are needlessly activating the sympathetic nervous system, which means that most of the time the body is not relaxed. Instead, it's always fighting against something, always protecting itself against something, when in fact there's no need to. Therefore, it's constantly depleting its energies, and as result, when the time comes to protect against a real threat, it doesn't have the reserves necessary to do so. Therefore, you become vulnerable to being sick.
What we are focused on in this retreat is meditation. And what we are also focused on is rest. And what we are trying to do is to recover from samsara. The body uses sleep to recover from the experiences of the day. In the same way, as a whole being, we need to recover from samsara. We need to recover from all of our stories. We have so many stories, don't we? And how many times have you repeated those stories to anybody who would listen? You'll exhaust all of your relatives, all of your friends, won't you? Then you'll tell your stories to your therapist and to your unofficial therapists, like your hair dresser. And then you may even need to go into the bar and talk to strangers about your stories. [laughter]
So, in the end what we are trying to do here is to rest from our life. From all of these active stories. And the reason that we have to rest from them is because these stories are very slowly eating us up. They're draining us. So throughout the 24-hour cycle we need ways of recovering from our stories. We need to change them up and rest from those old stories.
This process of exhausting and draining ourselves has something to do with the sympathetic nervous system. And again, our activating the sympathetic nervous system has something to do with how our breath is working and the fact that we are not breathing properly. So the idea is to consciously focus on breathing properly. One method of doing this is called the 4 and 8 breath, which I have spoken of regularly. Or you can simply just breathe deeply. Breathe deeper and relax into a pattern of deeper nostril breathing. In doing so, we will end up conserving our power, rather than wasting it needlessly. Then, once this becomes more habitual, we can turn our attention to how best to integrate this resulting new power into our daily life. Does that make sense?
Okay, so moving on to the third exercise, the fire-like tsa lung. When doing this exercise, you can simply think about its being a medicine for your gut, because it's very much supporting gut health. But in a different way than normal, because it's not focused on food or diet, or anything like that. Rather, it's focused on bringing the wind into this location, bringing a medicinal wind there.
Those are the three tsa lung excercises which support the health of the brain, the heart, and the gut, respectively. Regarding the final two of the five tsa lung excercises, the fourth tsa lung exercise is the all-pervasive tsa lung, which can be thought of as a practice for increasing your mobility and your flexibility. And when doing the fifth exercise, the downward-moving tsa lung, think about it as supporting your intimacy and in some sense the deeper aspects of your connections.
So, these five tsa lung exercises utilize the power of different winds to clear different things. I hope that from now on when we do these wind exercises, we'll have a broader perspective on their relation to the cycle of day and night, and their relation to our mental, physical and emotional well-being, as well as on their relation to our sleep. And lastly, I'll remind you to look at these winds as precious winds, not just oxygen. And to look at each of these exercises not merely as a mechanical thing, like a machine pumping blood, but also as sacred. And to recognize that the heart is sacred, as well. And the winds are sacred. And you are sacred, and therefore your breath has to be sacred, too. Clear?
(Learn more about the five tsa lung practices in a free online course, available at anytime on Ligmincha Learning's website: Starting a Meditation Practice.)
Online Zoom Option Now Available for Fall Retreat in Kathmandu
October 9-13, 2024 on the Practice of Chod
We are very excited to announce that the Fall Retreat in Kathmandu will be available online on Zoom. Even if you cannot travel to Kathmandu this time, you can still join Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for this retreat on the practice of Chod. Chod is a skillful method for transforming the fear, aversion and attachment that obscure our true nature, and the qualities of love, compassion, joy and equanimity.
Live translation will be offered in Hungarian, Russian and Spanish!
Deadline for Online Zoom registration is October 8 at 9 a.m. New York time.
Learn more/register
Deadline for In-Person registration for Fall Retreat in Kathmandu, Nepal is by the end of September.
Learn more/register
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's Worldwide Teaching Schedule
Upcoming Retreats
Here is Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's upcoming teaching schedule for October through December. Rinpoche will be teaching Kathmandu, Nepal, Thailand, and at Serenity Ridge in Virginia 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.
- October 9-13, 2024. Kathmandu, Nepal. Fall Retreat: Chod: Awakening Confidence by Taking Fear as a Path
- November 8-10, 2024. Bangkok, Thailand. Tibetan Dream Yoga
- November 16-17, 2024. Online: 3 Doors Weekend Retreat
- December 27, 2024-January 4, 2025. Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, Shipman, Virginia. Rest in the Wonders of the Natural Mind: A Dzogchen Practice Retreat
Fundraising Update
Help Reach Ligmincha's Goal!
As summer turns into fall, we are reflecting on the incredible journey that Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has been leading us on these many years. Ligmincha is not only where dharma practitioners come together - we are family, friends, colleagues.
We have been humbled by the unwavering support of all the individuals who support Rinpoche and our mission through charitable gifts and volunteering.
Having crossed the 50% mark with over $100,000 raised to date, we are now planning new training programs on the Five Elements, Soul Retrieval, and the Du Tri Su Practice Manual, all to start in 2025. We are also making much-needed repairs and improvements at Serenity Ridge and also making operational improvements that the COVID era had delayed.
However, the success of these programs and more depends on reaching our year-end goal of $200,000.
Please help us reach our goal of $200,000 this year!
Your gift, no matter the size, makes a difference.
Winter Retreat Open to All at Serenity Ridge & Online on Zoom
Weekend or Nine-Day Option for Dzogchen Practice Retreat
Join Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche for the annual Winter Retreat: Rest in the Wonders of the Natural Mind: A Dzogchen Practice Retreat, beginning December 27, 2024. This year, Rinpoche is generously opening the retreat to all who wish to deepen their dzogchen practice. The retreat will be held in-person at Serenity Ridge and online on Zoom. Participants can choose between a nine-day retreat from December 27-January 4, 2025, or a weekend option from December 27-29, 2024.
Just announced: Rinpoche has graciously agreed to offer a Refuge Ceremony on January 4, as the conclusion of the Winter Retreat. This will be available for those who attend the retreat in-person at Serenity Ridge, or online.
This year marks the 5th year of the five-year cycle of teachings on the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, a profound Dzogchen practice manual. In previous years, this retreat was restricted to those who had attended the fourth year's teaching.
Learn more/register for weekend only option
Inner Smile of the Heart, Part 2, Full Moon Practice, More
Upcoming CyberSangha Events
Following our next Full Moon Practice on October 16, you are invited to a November 6 dialog with Guy Desbiolles and host Alejandro Chaoul. Guy will guide us in cardiac coherence, a breathing practice that offers wide-ranging benefits for our health and well-being. View the broadcast at the link below, on Facebook, or on the CyberSangha Community App. Those who RSVP on the app receive a helpful notification before the broadcast begins. If you haven't explored the app yet, you can do so here.
Wednesday, October 16, 10 a.m. New York time
24-Hour Full Moon Practice: Finding Refuge Within
You're welcome to join our monthly online gathering at any time during the 24-hour period. Supported by the rise of the supermoon, in this sacred space we acknowledge personal pain and societal challenges while abiding within the open, clear, warmth of presence - who we truly are. The practice begins with a guided meditation led by Lourdes Hinojosa and continues with 24 hours of silent contemplation alternating with periods of guided meditation. Attendance is via Zoom and is free and open to all.
Learn more & register now
Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 11:30 a.m. New York time
Inner Smile of the Heart, Part 2: Being in Tune with Cardiac Coherence
Expanding on his recent September 4 online discussion with Tenzin Wangyal RinpocheHeartMath practitioner Guy Desbiolles explains and guides a practice of cardiac coherence. The practice relies on simple, rhythmic breathing exercises to synchronize heart rate variability and bring the nervous system into a state of equilibrium. It helps us to manage stress, regulate emotions, and promote overall well-being, including improvements in physical, emotional, and cognitive health.
Learn more & view live
Friday, November 15, 10 a.m. New York time
24-Hour Full Moon Practice: Finding Refuge Within
In November, our monthly Full Moon Practice begins with a guided meditation led by Marcy Vaughn and continues with 24 hours of silent contemplation alternating with periods of guided meditation.
Registration opens after October 17 at CyberSangha.net.
We hope to see you online soon!
Three New Training Programs Begin in 2025
Du Tri Su, Five Elements and Soul Retrieval To Be Offered at Serenity Ridge
Ligmincha is pleased to announce three new training programs that will be offered at Serenity Ridge beginning in 2025: Du Tri Su with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, assisted by Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar beginning in March 2025; the Five Elements with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche beginning in April 2025; and Soul Retrieval with Lama Kalsang Nyima, assisted by Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar beginning in October 2025.
The Du Tri Su training program will be a 2-year training program based on the DU TRI SU practice manual, a ritual done for those who have passed away. This training program will be taught by Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, resident Lama of Ligmincha Texas, and assisted by Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar.
Dates of Du Tri Su Training Program:
Session 1: March 12-16, 2025
Session 2: September 10-14, 2025
Session 3: March 11-15, 2026
Session 4: September 9-13, 2026
Session 5: April 8-11, 2027
*Sessions 1,3 and 5 will be at Serenity Ridge. Sessions 2 and 4 will be online.
Receive updates about the Du Tri Su program details and notification when registration opens
The Five Elements training Program will be a 3-year training program on Healing the World, Healing Ourselves: The Five Elements and the Living Universe, to be taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. See the following article for more details on this program.
Dates for the first year of the Five Elements:
April 9-13, 2025: Spring Retreat (Five Elements participants are strongly encouraged to attend!)
April 14-17, 2025: Five Elements in-person training at Serenity Ridge
Online trainings on: June 7, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1, and beginning in 2026: January 10-11 and February 15.
The Soul Retrieval training program begins in October, 2025 and will be taught by Lama Kalsang Nyima, resident lama of Ligmincha Mexico, and assisted by Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar.
Dates of the Soul Retrieval Training Program:
Session 1: October 1-5, 2025
Session 2: April 8-12, 2026
Session 3: October 7-11, 2026
Session 4: April 21-25, 2027
*All sessions will be held at Serenity Ridge.
Receive updates about the Soul Retrieval program details and notification when registration opens
For those who complete the sessions for each program, a Certificate of Completion will be given. For those who wish to pursue more in-depth study in order to perform these rituals for others and receive a certificate giving permission to perform the rituals for others, there will be additional requirements to be met, as well as passing an exam at the conclusion of each program.
New Five Elements Training Program with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Begins in April 2025 at Serenity Ridge
Beginning with a retreat at Serenity Ridge on April 14-17, 2025, Rinpoche is launching a three-year training program: Healing the World, Healing Ourselves: The Five Elements and the Living Universe. The program will be a deep exploration of the five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. Students will gain knowledge of each of the five elements, their qualities in nature, in our bodies, in our psyche, and in our relationships. With this knowledge, students will learn to identify how and why balanced and imbalanced relationships of the elements manifest, methods of supporting or restoring balance, and tools for strengthening the elements of the world, in themselves, and even on behalf of other people and sentient beings.
This program is available for both self-study and for certification. Certification, which requires participating in all three years of the program, can lead to authorization to share and teach the practices of the five elements to others.
Over three years, at in-person retreats and online, Rinpoche will guide participants through study, reflection, meditation and practice of the physical elements, their energetic qualities and their innermost qualities. The first year's focus will be on working with the external world to heal both the earth and ourselves. Students will learn rituals to honor and pay respect to the elements in nature, help restore their balance, and also retrieve and balance the elements within oneself. The practice of working with the elemental goddesses (khandro) will also be part of the first-year training.
Year two will emphasize the energetic aspects of the elements. And the final year will explore the elements from the perspective of dzogchen. It is possible to participate in only a single year of the program based on one's personal interest. However, those who join for all three years of the program may become certified to share the practices with others.
The schedule for the first year is as follows:
April 9-13, 2025: Spring Retreat (Five Elements participants are strongly encouraged to attend!)
April 14-17, 2025: Five Elements in-person training at Serenity Ridge.
Online trainings on: June 7, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1, and beginning in 2026: January 10-11 and February 15.
Details about the program and registration information will be available at Ligmincha.org in November, 2024.
Upcoming Ligmincha Learning Courses
Three Heart Mantras, Five Elements, Sherab Chamma, Sleep Yoga, Tsa Lung
Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer the following online courses: The Three Heart Mantras beginning October 4, The Five Elements beginning October 18, Sleep Yoga beginning November 15, all with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche; Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love beginning November 15, with Marcy Vaughn; Tsa Lung beginning November 29, with Alejandro Chaoul.
The Three Heart Mantras
October 4-November 10, 2024
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 and protection, and as primary practices toward self-realization.
Learn more/register
The Five Elements, Healing with Form, Energy and Light
October 18-December 1, 2024
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
This course provides a thorough introduction to the Five Elements practices of the Bon tradition, which bring a life filled with balance and harmony.
Learn more/register
Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love
November 15-December 15, 2024
with Marcy Vaughn
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.
Learn more/register
Sleep Yoga, The Yoga of Clear Light
November 11-December 14, 2024
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
Meditation, Breath and Movement: Tsa Lung External Internal and Secret Practices
November 29-December 29, 2024
with Alejandro Chaoul
(Spanish & Portuguese subtitles available)
Tsa lung is a series of ancient yogic practices that brings balance and harmony to our physical body, energy and mind. The term tsa lung can be translated as the energy-winds (Tibetan lung, Skt. prana, Chinese qi) in the channels, for these practices are designed to open the subtle channels, guiding the healthy flow of the energy-winds so that we can enjoy good health and reconnect with more calmness to a quiet, peaceful mind. These exercises are easy to perform and are beneficial for everyone.
Learn more/register
Free courses; enroll at any time. Starting a Meditation Practice; The True Source of Healing; Living with Joy, Dying in Peace
Sangha Sharing
A Joyful Summer Retreat in Buchenau, Germany
For almost 30 years, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has been teaching in Germany and Austria. E Ma Ho! Enjoy some pictures from the recent summer retreat held at Schloss Buchenau, a castle with a history dating back to the 16th century. It is a beautiful location, surrounded by gorgeous countryside, perfect for walks. All in all, over 300 people attended this retreat, with about 125 people attending in person. Rinpoche gave teachings on Discovering Your Inner Light, based on the Six Lamps and Six Lokas. In addition, Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar shared with the sangha some traditional customs from her nephew's Tibetan-style wedding. An outdoor sangha celebration featured dinner and creative offerings, with many volunteers and dedicated students contributing to the event.
In the second to last picture, seated at the lama's table were: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar, the German Board (Oliver Wirtz, Florian Bruckmann and Elke Rung), Presidents from Ligmincha Berlin (Maria Hatzmann) and Austria (Heide Mitsche) and all active practice leaders from the summer retreat (Wolfgang Krebs, Anja Benesch, Karolina Seltenheim).
3 Doors Online Retreat in November with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Upcoming Compassion Project and Academies in Europe and Latin America
The 3 Doors is pleased to announce details about these upcoming programs: a special online weekend retreat November 16-17 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche; the Compassion Project, a nine-month online program beginning in October; two 3 Doors Academies - the European Academy starting in November 2024 and the Latin America Academy in March 2025.
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.
The Heart of Self-Transformation: Exploring the Medicine of Breath, Awareness, and Being with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
November 16 & 17, 2024
Join Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and 3 Doors teachers for an online weekend retreat: Exploring the Medicine of Breath, Awareness and Being, on November 16-17, 2024. Through simple meditation practices of breath and awareness, we can bring openness and kindness to our challenges as we rest in stillness of the body, silence of speech, and spaciousness of mind. Discovering an inner refuge, these energetic patterns that bind can loosen and release and pathways of well-being and joy open. Join the warmth of an emergent 3 Doors community as we reflect, practice, and share our practice experiences with each other.
Translation will be available in Spanish and Portuguese. Additional languages will be announced on the webpage soon.
Learn more/register
Read an excerpt from last year's retreat
The Compassion Project: A comprehensive 9-month exploration of mediation as a pathway to compassion for self and others
Taught by Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco in English; Patricia Vigil and Lourdes Hinojosa in Spanish; and Tonny Maas in Dutch
October 2024 - June 2025
This online course, open to all, 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, students will find support to build a meditation practice that enlivens their well-being and activates inner resources to meet the challenges of their life.
Learn more
Listen: The Compassion Project, First Class of the 2022 program. Senior Teacher Marcy Vaughn welcomes students and outlines key meditation practices and their transformative benefits.
The 3 Doors Academy
The 3 Doors is delighted to offer its signature program, the Academy, in Europe and Latin America. The 3 Doors Academy is an immersive 2-year program that provides participants 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 weeklong, in-person, group retreats.
3rd European Academy starts November 2024
There are still spaces left! The first retreat of the Academy begins November 1st, 2024 at Chateau Frandeux in Mont-Gauthier, Belgium, with teachers Raven Lee, Tonny Maas, Nicolas Gounaropoulos and Walter Hofmann.
Learn more
Listen to 13-minute meditation with EU Academy teacher Tonny Maas
The 3rd Latin American Academy
The first retreat of the training begins March 2025 in Brazil with teachers Alejandro Chaoul, Rosario Arellano, Lourdes Hinjosa, Patricia Vigil, and Carlos Villarreal. More information will be announced soon. To learn more contact
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Student and Teacher
Together on the Path
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche responds to a student's question about whether applying effort can help one find one's inner refuge. This excerpt is from a 12-part, self-paced course on Nourishing Your Inner Being from the Cybersangha website archive.
Student: When I try to come back home to find the inner refuge, should I try to force myself or let it naturally come?
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: Let's think of it this way. Every day, all of us go out; we go to work; we travel; we do whatever we are doing, and at the end of the day, we come back home. We can be gone one day, two days, a month, but in the end, we all need to come back home. We all know what that feels like, a certain place to come back to where we are home.
In the same way, in these practices, no matter how much you are suffering, no matter how much you are disconnected, no matter how much you are lost, at some point you've got to come back home. You have to come back to the source. You have to realize how much you are disconnected, how much you have lost, and you have to come back to the source and realize the healing power of coming back home.
So this concept of coming back home is very important. And to answer the question of whether one should force it or not: No, absolutely not, no one should force it. While it's very easy to say don't force it we all do force it at times. For example, when I'm guiding meditation, probably many of you are trying really hard. And some of you are trying just a little. And some of you are not trying at all, rather upon just hearing the voice, hearing the guided meditation, you are able to enter right away into that state. So, it depends on each individual. But the general concept is not to force it at all.
In the teachings it says: meditating without the meditator is the great meditation. What does that mean? That means that if there is a sense of a self separate from the meditation, then that's duality. And further, if there is a sense of self who is suffering or putting so much effort, painful effort, to be aware, or painfully trying to be joyful, or painfully trying to be happy, or effortfully trying to rest, then obviously with that effort you can not rest, and with pain you can not feel joy. So, allow the pain. Let go the pain, and then the joy will arise. Allow the effort, be aware of the effort, then let go the effort, and then the rest will arise.
In the end, what I will say is, try not to force. Whenever you see that you are forcing and you are aware of it, then it will help you to naturally relax. But if not, then the breath is a very good way to help one relax and just let go.
Spanish Translation of VOCL
Link to August 2024 Issue Now Available
Look for the translations of Voice of Clear Light newsletters at the top of the VOCL website.
Flight of The Bön Monks
Chod Drum
Melong
Picture Jasper Mala
