Dear Friends,

In this issue, we feature an excerpt from the winter retreat teachings with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Rinpoche encourages us to continually explore and ask ourselves how we respond in our relationships with others. How do we be open in the face of challenging situations or problems? How do we connect with our true selves rather than our pain identities? Rinpoche’s message of welcoming the unexpected with new possibilities is a great reminder for our peace and happiness in the new year! Happy Losar and New Year everyone!!

Note about Losar: The Tibetan New year begins February 18-20, the year of the Fire Horse. While Ligmincha will not be organizing any global activities of celebration out of respect for the passing and paranirvana of His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, it is appropriate to gather together to practice, to expel obstacles, recite mantras, and to clean and prepare for the new year. 

More news and events at Ligmincha:

• Register for the Spring Wellness Retreat: April 9-12, available both in person and online.
• Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s 2026 retreat schedule.
• Five Elements Certification Program with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche begins in April.
• Upcoming free CyberSangha events.
• More Serenity Ridge Retreat offerings! Beginning in February with Marcy Vaughn & Gabriel Rocco; March with Geshe Yungdrung Gyatso; and April with Geshe Yongdong Losar.
• Save the dates for the Annual Summer Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Honored Guest His Holiness, the 34th Menri Trizin Rinpoche, June 26–July 11, 2026.
• Sangha Art Showcase invites your creativity on the five elements!
• Ligmincha Learning’s online courses for February & March.
• See revised calendar of online GlideWing courses. Tibetan Dream Yoga begins February 14.
• The 3 Doors upcoming events & programs include International Practice Day, four introductory retreats with 3 Doors senior teachers and more.

In Bön,
Aline and Jeff Fisher

Take a look at how your relationship is to any important person in your life. For instance, how is your relationship to your child, say, or your brother or your sister. How is your relationship to your boss, or to a sangha member? The point is to look at your relationship to anyone who matters a lot in your life, and who means something to you. And my question to you is, how is that relationship?

If it’s very open, if it’s very connected, if it’s caring, and if your experience of that relationship is very dynamic, then that means that no matter what kinds of challenges you face in that relationship, it’s never a problem. Because of the fact that it’s dynamic and flexible. And if that’s the case, then your experiences are ones of fullness, and of wholeness, and of oneness. Otherwise, you experience your sense of self as many selves of pain identity. And that experience appears clearly in your relationship with a person who means a lot to you, manifesting as multiple dimensions of conflict. But you see, all of those dimensions of conflict point us back to just a single dimension of conflict, and that is, how is your relationship to yourself?

It goes back to the question that I have raised quite frequently throughout my teachings: how much time have you spent engaging in the sense of self which is not you? Thousands of hours, right? And then how much time are you engaging your authentic self? Very little, right? And why? Because you have more of a relationship with who you are not, than with who you are. And all of these roles which you have played in the past were felt at the time as if they were not just roles, but rather they were experienced as you! And they are still experienced as you. However, they should not still be you, not as much as they used to be. Because, you should be free from all of those things – all that you have done, and all that you have identified with – you are not any of them.

And most importantly, no single one of those things should be the basis for your compassionate, creative, dynamic manifestation in any moment in the future where anybody needs something from you. You can be just the right person, as you are, to anyone you’re with in any given moment. And that’s the most beautiful thing – the ability to manifest as just the right person at the right moment to any particular person that you happen to be with. You can do that!

Think about this: every morning when you wake up, how much are you connected to your authentic self? And how much are you being someone? How much are you trying to do something? And how much are you trying to prove something to someone, or trying to disprove something to someone?

And on the contrary, how many days do you wake up with this sense of yourself as free? And with this sense of yourself as free, you wake up with so much energy, so much joy, so much creativity, and always questioning and exploring who you are. And as a result, every little thing that comes out of you is coming out of that source, it is not coming from your pain identity; it’s not coming from who you are not. There is always someone within you who is able to witness that, who is aware of that. And as a result, the duration of the moments in which you are identified with who you are not, becomes very short. Because awareness is always there. And it recognizes those delusions right away. Then as you get used to experiencing that every day, every moment, it becomes so frequent that slowly you begin to live life as who you are. And when I say, to live life as who you are, you can imagine that for Yongdzin Rinpoche, he is a great example of that.

But normally in the samsaric world when people say, now I want to do something for exploring the connection to myself, that can very often be a way of your disconnecting with the world and disconnecting with others. And that’s a sign that it is the wrong connection to yourself. It means that you are still trying to connect with a deep-rooted pain that has difficulty connecting to the outer world and to other people. The effect is a kind of dis-identifying and disconnecting with the world, all in the name of connecting with yourself. That’s wrong. You never disconnect with the world – you never disconnect with anybody – when you connect with yourself. However, it may be that you might not engage in the same way, because many times our engagements are related with a pain.

The question was asked earlier, how should one engage and act in the face of another person’s manifestation of a pain identity which arose without our instigating it? First of all, one has to be open; one has to aware and connected; one has to be caring and compassionate to every aspect of oneself and be the same way toward other people as well. Although somebody else may have initiated some action, or might have done something and said something, the truth is that you do have total choice in how to respond to that. And if you think that you don’t have a choice in how to respond, then that’s not correct – we do have a choice. You have to understand that if somebody said something, or did something that is difficult for you, then it’s the case that not only is someone doing something wrong from your point of view, but also that someone inside you is simply not able to easily respond in the right way and does not have enough space for it to simply dissolve by itself.

For example, no matter what thunderstorm occurs, no matter what tsunami occurs, no matter what earthquake happens, or no matter what volcanic eruption occurs, the sky will never have a problem with any of it. But you can’t say that’s the case for the buildings nearby; they will have a problem with any occurrence like that. And, the trees nearby will have a problem with it, and the animals will too. And the humans will have a problem with it as well, because we are conditioned, and our relation to an occurrence like that is not strong enough and open enough. And yet it will not bother the sky. But can we become that sky?

We are that sky. And when we realize that we are that sky, then no matter what happens, they are all ornaments.

If you look at everything in your life, you can see that what initially appears as a problem often has so much opportunity for growth, for resources, for strength, for power, for clarity, for flexibility, for compassion, for opening the heart- so many things can be coming from that one arising. Or that same arising can destroy you. Every possibility is in there. And we stand somewhere in between. Whenever you feel challenged, the question always to ask yourself is, what is this trying to teach me? Which of my pain identities is it trying to introduce me to? Or, which pain identity is it trying to help?

And an amazing thing is that you will always get some surprise; I feel that way so many times in my life. And especially recently whenever something that I expect will happen does not happen, I always know that something better is waiting. Therefore, now my disappointment about what is not happening is so short lived. And my excitement and curiosity about what other thing might be coming, because of what did not happen, is enormous – the magic of it! So not only do you kind of get excited about something that did not happen, which you had wished would happen, but you are more curious and excited about what magic is going to happen as a result. Because you are living in that space. Because you feel that space. There’s clearly something more than what the pain identity was wanting to have happen.

So, believe in that way. And no matter how difficult something is that somebody else initiated, it’s trying to give you something so much more than what you think you are losing. Okay?

Join Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche April 9-12 for a rejuvenating long weekend Wellness Retreat of meditation, movement, connecting with nature, and holistic wellness practices—highlighting the Five Elements. Invite friends and family for renewal and inspiration.

Activities include: sunrise meditation, Tibetan yoga, forest bathing, sky gazing, nature walks, bonfires, journaling, nourishing plant-based meals, guided relaxation, and optional cold plunges.

Available both in person and on Zoom

Learn more/register

Here is Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s upcoming teaching schedule for 2026. You can find the latest listings and any changes in the Events section of the Ligmincha International or Serenity Ridge websites. Updates will be provided on the website as they become available.

• February 20–24, 2026: Awakening to the Authentic Self, A Journey through Movement, Breath and Awareness – Repa Retreat – Registration
• February 27–March 6, 2026: Sri Lanka Pilgrimage
• March 9–13, 2026: Dream Yoga Workshop –Esalen Institute – Registration
• April 2–5, 2026: Chod –Ligmincha Mexico 
• April 9–12, 2026: Spring Wellness Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• April 14–19, 2026: Five Elements Training Program – Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• April 22, 2026: Evening Talk– San Francisco Dharma Collective
• April 25–26, 2026: Chöd, Part 1 – Ligmincha Berkeley
• May 2–3, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Berlin
• May 9–10, 2026: 6 Lokas, Part 2 – Ligmincha Austria
• May 16–17, 2026: The Heartdrops of Dharmakaya – Ligmincha Netherlands
• May 24–25, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha France & Suisse Romande
• May 29–31, 2026: Ignite Your Inner Fire: Tummo Retreat – London, UK
• June 26–July 11, 2026: Summer Retreat with Honored Guest His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin – Serenity Ridge Retreat Center 
• August 7–9, 2026: Topic TBA – London, UK
• August 11–16, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Poland
• August 17–23, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Germany 
• August 29–30, 2026: Embracing the Unknown: A Journey of Trust and Transformation – Ligmincha France & Suisse Romande 
• September 5–6, 2026: Dream Yoga – Ligmincha Hungary
• September 25–27, 2026: Topic TBA – Chamma Ling Colorado
• September 29–October 4, 2026: Silent Dzogchen Meditation Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• October 6–11, 2026: Bardo Teachings: Living with Joy, Dying in Peace Fall Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• October 16–18, 2026: Chöd, Part 2 – Ligmincha Berkeley
• November 2–6, 2026: Topic TBA –Esalen Institute
• January 1–9, 2027: Winter Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center

Beginning this April, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is offering a new three-year training program in 2026: Healing the World, Healing Ourselves: The Five Elements and the Living Universe. This groundbreaking program will combine in-person retreats and online teachings, guiding participants through the study, reflection, meditation, and practice of the five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space—at their physical, energetic, and innermost levels.

• Year One will focus on healing our relationship with the natural world. Participants will learn rituals to honor the elements, restore balance in the environment, and harmonize the elements within themselves. This year also includes the practice of working with the elemental goddesses (khandro).
• Year Two will emphasize the energetic dimensions of the elements.
• Year Three will explore the profound perspective of dzogchen, opening the way to the deepest realization of the elements.

Those who complete all three years will be eligible for certification to share these practices with others, extending the benefits of this training into their communities.

We warmly invite you to be part of this new program and to embark on a transformative journey of healing and discovery with Rinpoche in the year ahead.

The schedule for the first year is as follows:

April 9-12, 2026: Spring Wellness Retreat (Five Elements Training Program participants are strongly encouraged to attend) 

April 14-19, 2026: Five Elements in-person training at Serenity Ridge

Watch the interview with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Rob Patzig discussing the Five Elements Training Program

Learn more/register

CyberSangha’s online events are always free and open to all. Here’s what’s coming up in February and beyond:

24-Hour Full Moon Practice, “Finding Refuge Within”
Begins Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 10 a.m. New York time

The 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

Begins Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 1 p.m. New York time
“Resting in Inner Refuge,” Free Interactive Online Course

This free course, led by Aleezé Sattar Moss, invites you to explore the practice of resting in inner refuge through guided meditations and group dialogue, offering tools to meet life’s challenges with openness, awareness, and warmth. Designed to accompany CyberSangha’s Full Moon Practice, the course runs for three consecutive Wednesdays starting February 4, 2026, at 1pm New York time. Open to all.
Learn more and register now 

“Meditation & AI: Navigating the New Frontier of Spiritual Practice” 
Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. New York time

Join us for this Science & Spirituality Dialogue featuring Steve Haberlin, Ph.D., professor and author of Meta-Meditation for Mental Health — and Claire Villarreal, Ph.D., Buddhist teacher and scholar, in exploring how apps, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality are transforming contemplative practice. Hosted by Alejandro Chaoul, this conversation invites viewers to reflect on how to stay grounded in wisdom while exploring new frontiers of mind and technology.
Learn more and view live

Friday, February 20, 2026, at 12 noon New York time
“Resting in Being: A Guided Mindfulness Meditation, Part 6”

This mindfulness practice, guided by Aleezé Sattar Moss, is in support of the inner refuge meditations we engage in each month during the 24-Hour Full Moon Practice.
Learn more and view live

Begins Friday, March 13, 2026
Free Three-Part Series of Online Teachings with Marcy Vaughn

Join us for this special offering of live teachings and guided meditations. Each live broadcast begins at 12 noon New York time and explores how the medicine of inner refuge can support us in meeting life’s most challenging experiences.

Part 1, March 13: “Discovering the Treasury of the Open Heart”
Part 2, March 20: “Bringing Pain to the Path”
Part 3, March 27: “Transforming Confusion into Wisdom”

Join the Community!

CyberSangha’s community app, our dedicated social media platform, serves as a primary gateway for meeting like-minded individuals, staying updated on upcoming teachings and other events, and accessing live and recorded broadcasts, free classes, and more. Feel free to explore the app’s features, engage with content, share feedback, and participate in polls.
Explore or join the app now

You are warmly invited to attend these retreats at Serenity Ridge. Beginning in February, senior teachers Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco will offer opportunities for a Silent Meditation Retreat, Sherap Chamma Retreat, and Calm Abiding Retreat. In March, Geshe Yungdrung Gyatso will teach a Red Garuda Retreat and in April, Geshe Yongdong Losar will guide a Calm Breath, Calm Mind Retreat. You can attend in person, and Zoom is available for some. See all the details below.

Silent Meditation Retreat
with Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco
February 6–12, 2026; Weekend Option: February 6–8, 2026
This is an in-person retreat at Serenity Ridge (not online)

Join senior teachers Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco for a deep winter immersion in silence and open awareness, supported by the natural beauty of Serenity Ridge.
Beginners and experienced meditators warmly welcomed.
Learn more/register for weekend option
Learn more/register for week

Sherap Chamma Retreat
with Marcy Vaughn
February 12–15, 2026
Available both in person and online

Connect with the divine feminine energy and learn the healing meditation practice of Sherap Chamma – Mother of Wisdom and Love. This practice supports healing across physical, energetic, emotional, and spiritual levels.
Learn more/register

Calm Abiding Retreat
with Gabriel Rocco
February 12–15, 2026
This is an in-person retreat at Serenity Ridge (not online)

Learn or deepen the practice of calm abiding—the foundational meditation for stabilizing attention, cultivating clarity, and reconnecting with inner peace.
Open to all levels, including beginners to meditation or the Bön tradition.
Learn more/register

Red Garuda Retreat – Transform and Heal
with Geshe Yungdrung Gyatso
March 7-8, 2026
Available online

Transform and heal with the Red Garuda in this powerful Bön Buddhist meditation retreat with Geshe Yungdrung Gyatso. The Red Garuda practice, an ancient method from the Tibetan Bön tradition, supports releasing negativity, cultivating inner strength, and restoring balance in body, mind, and environment.
Learn more

Calm Breath, Calm Mind: A Meditation Retreat
with Geshe Yongdong Losar
April 10-12, 2026
Available in person

Discover how simple breath practices can calm the mind, reduce stress, and support emotional balance. In this weekend retreat, Geshe Yongdong Losar guides participants through practical, accessible techniques rooted in Tibetan meditation traditions and informed by modern understanding of stress.
Learn more/register

Spend one or two weeks deepening your Dzogchen practice with His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin Rinpoche and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Explore the nature of mind, receive guidance on clearing obstacles to meditation, and practice Trekchöd (Cutting Through) and Tögal (Direct Crossing) in a supportive retreat environment.

Special Highlight: On July 5, His Holiness will offer the Sa Le Ö empowerment, a profound transmission for cultivating clarity, wisdom, and the transformative power of awareness.

This retreat supports lasting clarity, presence, and connection to the living Dzogchen lineage, whether you are stabilizing glimpses of recognition or deepening long-term practice.

Registration will open in March 2026.

Join in a new creative initiative on the theme of The Five Elements, organized by the Windhorse Store in partnership with Serenity Ridge Retreat Center.

You are invited to submit your art for a chance to be featured in a brand-new Five Elements postcard pack — sold exclusively at The Windhorse Store! Artwork is due by Saturday, May 23, 2026.

How to Participate
Allow your senses to flow into the theme of The Five Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Space.
Interpret the theme in any way that inspires you!
You may focus on one element or all five. Your art can be in any medium, including: writing, photography, drawing or painting, embroidery, collage.

Submission Guidelines
Deadline: Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Size: Must follow a 2×3 ratio (e.g., 4” x 6” – standard US postcard)
Format: Must be 2D (flat artwork)
Quantity: No limit – submit as many pieces as you’d like!

Learn more about details on mailing your artwork and how work will be chosen.

Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer these online courses in February and March 2026. The Three Heart Mantras of the Bön begins February 20; Tsa Lung begins March 6; Ngondro, The Foundational Practices begins March 6; Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light begins March 28.

These online courses feature beautiful video teachings, guided meditations, readings, journal writing activities, and the opportunity to interact with senior mentors and classmates from around the world.

The Three Heart Mantras of the Bön
February 20 – March 29, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The Three Heart Mantras are used in many different meditations in the Bön 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

Meditation, Breath and Movement: Tsa Lung External Internal and Secret Practices
March 6 – April 5, 2026 with Alejandro Chaoul
Learn more

Ngöndro: The Foundational Practices
March 6 – December 21, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light
March 28 – April 25, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Ongoing: Tibetan Sound Healing is a self-paced course open at all times; Who Am I: A Journey to Self-Realization is a self-paced course open at all times.
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.

All GlideWing online video workshops listed below also feature personal support and guidance throughout from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Please note that some of the dates have changed.

February 14-March 15, Tibetan Dream Yoga
In this four-week workshop, students will explore and practice the ancient Bon Buddhist teachings of Tibetan dream yoga. The workshop provides detailed instruction for dream yoga practice, with discussions of the relationships between dreaming and waking and between dreaming and death. Rinpoche also will provide instructions for foundational practices done during the day and for the uses and methods of lucid dreaming. Spanish subtitles available.
Learn more/register

May 9-31, The Healing Power of Sacred Sleep
Learn more/register

June 13-July 12, Awakening the Sacred Arts
Learn more/register

July 25-August 16, Tibetan Meditation: Achieving Great Bliss Through Pure Awareness
Learn more/register 

August 29-September 20, Healing from the Source
Learn more/register

Ongoing: Tibetan Sound Healing is a self-guided course available now; A Journey to Self-Realization is a self-guided course available now. Focusing and Calming Your Mind, The Tibetan Practice of Zhine is a free two-week self-guided online workshop.

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 Bön tradition. Upcoming opportunities include: International Practice Day (free!), Four Introductory Retreats with 3 Doors Senior Teachers, The 3 Doors Academies in North America and Europe.

International Practice Day
Come together with a global community of practitioners for a free day of guided meditation practice. 
Saturday, January 31, 2026
10:00AM – 3:00PM
Online via Zoom
For beginners and experienced practitioners
Available in English, Español, Portuguese, and Suomi

Experience the joy and power of collective support as we deepen our capacity to reflect upon our lives.
Learn more

Live Four Introductory Retreats with 3 Doors Senior Teachers Alejandro Chaoul, Raven Lee, Gabriel Rocco, and Marcy Vaughn
February – May
Online via Zoom
In English with Spanish and Portuguese translation

This series consists of four introductory meditation events with each of The 3 Doors Senior Teachers. In each half-day online retreat you will learn and engage with one of the core 3 Doors practices to connect more intimately with your own inner resources for meeting life with clarity, calm, and purpose. In these challenging times, give yourself the gift of presence, reconnecting with your own strength and resilience. 

Schedule of the four introductory retreats:
Saturday, February 21 – Inner Refuge with Gabriel Rocco
Sunday, March 1 – The Nine Breathings of Purification with Raven Lee
Sunday, May 3 – Tsa Lung with Alejandro Chaoul
Saturday May 16 – Warrior Syllables with Marcy Vaughn
Learn more/Sign up for updates

The 3 Doors Academy
The 3 Doors Academy is The 3 Doors’ signature program, an immersive 2 ½ year course that provides participants the opportunity to engage deeply in the process of self-discovery and transformation. Participation involves both online and in-person components, including monthly group Zoom sessions, individual mentor sessions with the teachers, personal retreats, and six in-person week-long group retreats. 

8th North American Academy
We are excited to announce the dates for the next North American Academy. The six retreats will take place at Serenity Ridge in Virginia. 

• Retreat 1: April 27 – May 3, 2027
• Retreat 2: October 26 – November 1, 2027
• Retreat 3: April 25 – May 1, 2028
• Retreat 4: October 3 – October 9, 2028
• Retreat 5: April 24 – April 30, 2029
• Retreat 6: October 23 – October 29, 2029

If you are interested, write to Emily Light, Program Coordinator, at emily.light@the3doors.org to express your interest and be added to the list to receive future updates.

4th European Academy
We also have dates for the next European Academy beginning in the spring of 2028 at Chauteau Frandeux, Rochefort, Belgium. 

• Retreat 1: April 21 – 28, 2028
• Retreat 2: September 29 – October 6 2028
• Retreat 3: March 16 – 23, 2029
• Retreat 4: September 28 – October 5, 2029
• Retreat 5: March 15 – 22, 2030
• Retreat 6: September 13 – 20, 2030

If you are interested, please write to: info.eu@the3doors.org

See the entire list of 3 Doors programs here