About the teaching

The Six Lamps is one of the four important texts in the tradition of the oral transmission of Zhang Zhung.  At the core of the dzogchen teachings is the view that all sentient beings are primordially pure, perfected, and have the potential to spontaneously manifest in a beneficial way. This capacity is within each and every one of us. It is our nature, yet we often find ourselves alienated and disconnected from ourselves and others as we rush about in our day-to-day lives. If we are willing to directly and nakedly encounter the experiences of our ordinary life, however challenging they may be, these experiences become the doorway to realizing our true nature, the doorway to inner refuge.

These teachings permit you to engage in the practice of meditation and reflection, to look intimately within and discover the jewel that is hidden in your ordinary experiences. Explore how to honor and respect the three doors of body, speech, and mind, and to recognize the opportunities for healing that life presents. Discover the inner refuge and the gifts of spaciousness, awareness, and warmth that can bring healing and benefit not only to you, but also to your relationships with others and the greater world.

Schedule

Friday, May 30, 2025: Preparatory Day
09:00–12:00: Introduction and practice of Tsa Lung (by a local instructor) – Open to novices and long-time practitioners
14:00–16:30: Introduction to the Six Lamps – Historical aspects, practice of Tsa Lung and Tapihritsa Guru yoga (by a local instructor)
17:00:  Film screening on the Bön tradition – Free admission, collection at the door

Saturday, May 31 & Sunday, June 1: Retreat  – Teaching on The Six Lamps, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. –  5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Rinpoche will teach in English and be translated into French.

PLEASE NOTE: Each event can be followed independently of the others. Friday will provide an opportunity to prepare inwardly for the teachings.

About the teaching

The Six Lamps is one of the four important texts in the tradition of the oral transmission of Zhang Zhung.  At the core of the dzogchen teachings is the view that all sentient beings are primordially pure, perfected, and have the potential to spontaneously manifest in a beneficial way. This capacity is within each and every one of us. It is our nature, yet we often find ourselves alienated and disconnected from ourselves and others as we rush about in our day-to-day lives. If we are willing to directly and nakedly encounter the experiences of our ordinary life, however challenging they may be, these experiences become the doorway to realizing our true nature, the doorway to inner refuge.

These teachings permit you to engage in the practice of meditation and reflection, to look intimately within and discover the jewel that is hidden in your ordinary experiences. Explore how to honor and respect the three doors of body, speech, and mind, and to recognize the opportunities for healing that life presents. Discover the inner refuge and the gifts of spaciousness, awareness, and warmth that can bring healing and benefit not only to you, but also to your relationships with others and the greater world.

Schedule

Friday, May 30, 2025: Preparatory Day
09:00–12:00: Introduction and practice of Tsa Lung (by a local instructor) – Open to novices and long-time practitioners
14:00–16:30: Introduction to the Six Lamps – Historical aspects, practice of Tsa Lung and Tapihritsa Guru yoga (by a local instructor)
17:00:  Film screening on the Bön tradition – Free admission, collection at the door

Saturday, May 31 & Sunday, June 1: Retreat  – Teaching on The Six Lamps, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. –  5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Rinpoche will teach in English and be translated into French.

PLEASE NOTE: Each event can be followed independently of the others. Friday will provide an opportunity to prepare inwardly for the teachings.

Join us online this June for dzogchen teachings with Geshe Tenzin Yangton. Geshe-la will teach from the Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung by Dru Gyalwa Yungdrung, also known as the Chaktri. This text is a manual for dzogchen practitioners. In March, Geshe Yangton focused on the practice of Zhine (calm abiding). He is considering which section of the text to focus on for his June teaching. He will also share from his personal experience, and guide practice.

The Experiential Transmission has been a cornerstone of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s Winter Retreat teachings at Serenity Ridge for over 30 years.

All who have met Geshe Tenzin Yangton, or were blessed to study with him, know him for his gentleness, kind nature, and deep knowledge of the teachings. Whether teaching sutra, tantra or dzogchen, Geshe Yangton made the teachings approachable to all.

We hope you will join us and take advantage of this special opportunity to receive the wisdom of the Bön teachings and Geshe-la’s direct experience, a special gift for all who attend.

Video recordings will be available for viewing for 60 days, and audio recordings for download.

Schedule (New York Time)

link to your local time zone

June 21–22, 2025
10:00 a.m.–11:15 a.m. Teaching

 

Geshe Tenzin Yangton was born into the profound Yangton Lineage in 1974 in Chharka, Dolpo, Nepal. As a child he completed the customary three-year retreat at Yanggon Monastery. In 1990 he became a monk at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, taking his vows from Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. In 1992 Geshe Tenzin arrived at Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, and enrolled in the Bön Dialectic School. There he studied sutra, tantra, and dzogchen. He was awarded the auspicious degree of Geshe in 2006.

For several years, Geshe Tenzin served as the resident lama at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center, the headquarters of Ligmincha International located in rural Nelson County, Virginia, U.S.A, until health issues led him to seek treatment and support in Asia.

After leaving Serenity Ridge and residing at Menri Monastery, Geshe Yangton, then went on an extended personal retreat. In November of 2024 he came out of retreat and returned to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he currently resides.

He is the coordinator of Yanggon Thongdrop Phuntsog Ling Monastery and Dolpo Tsaga Welfare Healthcare Clinic. He is putting his best efforts towards maintaining and developing facilities in Chharka in order to preserve the culture and teachings of Bön in general and of the Yangton lineage in Chharka in particular.

with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and honored guest, His Holiness, the 34th Menri Trizin, Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche, Spiritual Head of the Bön Tradition of Tibet

Join us for one or both weeks for a transformative retreat focused on restoring and revitalizing our life force through self-realization. This retreat shares the teachings, transmission, and initiation of the Tsewang Jarima of Tsewang Rikdzin —an ancient longevity practice from the Bӧn tradition of Tibet.

This retreat includes:

• Transmission of ancient Tibetan wisdom in modern and accessible ways and with direct guidance on integrating these practices into daily life.
• Initiation into the Tséwang Jarima, the longevity practice of Tséwang Rikdzin – a powerful and ancient method to extend lifespan, deepen awareness and reconnect to our vital essence.
• Exploration of the stories and identities that restrict our ability to fully engage with life and how to work with them for personal growth and transformation.
• Transforming self-destructive behaviours into actions that promote well-being and positive outcomes.
• Opportunities for overcoming self-grasping by understanding how attachment leads to suffering, dis-ease, and constriction of one’s true self.

Core Teachings & Practices

• Cultivating longevity through inner clarity.
• Recognizing and resting in the ever-present nature of awareness.
• Cultivating resilience in body and  mind to break free from self-deception.
• Transforming the five poisons of anger, desire, pride, envy and ignorance into the wisdom of the five Buddha families  
• Restoring our life force through the five elements of space, air, fire, water and earth.

Through authentic initiation, direct transmission, practical instruction and guided practice, this retreat offers a rare opportunity to realize your true self, cultivate longevity, and live with greater awareness, vitality, and strength.

Special note: Saturday morning, July 19, His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin Rinpoche will offer the Tse Drup (Long Life) Initiation for those attending in person and online.
We invite those who are registering for only the second week of the summer retreat to attend the Tse Drup (Long Life) Initiation July 19.  (Your accommodations at Serenity Ridge will begin the night of July 19, so if you are traveling from a distance and need accommodations for the night of July 18, you’ll need to make those separately. We will supply a list of nearby accommodations for you to consider.) 

Suggested reading in advance of the retreat: Indestructible: The Longevity Practice of Lama Tséwang Rigdzin, translated and annotated by Raven Cypress Wood

Experiencing Our Authentic Being Through the Teachings of the Six Lokas (Continued)

In 2023/24, Rinpoche combined the teachings on the Six Lamps with breathing exercises from the Tummo, demonstrating the benefits of both aspects of knowledge and practice for experiencing the nature of mind. Rinpoche also began teaching the Six Lokas in this context and will continue this year. Participation in the retreat is not dependent on previous year’s attendance. Anyone can register.

Lamps illuminate our path in the darkness, and they simultaneously illuminate themselves. The Instruction on the Six Lamps is an important Dzogchen work and one of the root texts of Zhang Zhung Nyengyü. This teaching describes the principles of recognizing the natural state and shows how they can be experienced by the practitioner. The text describes Trekchö and Thögal practices as revealed by Tapihritsa to Gyerpung Nangzher Löpo.

Negative emotions such as anger, greed, and pride cause suffering in our lives. According to Tibetan spiritual traditions, these emotions keep us trapped in the endless cycle of cyclic existence: samsara. The teachings of the six realms, or six lokas, give us the opportunity to fundamentally recognize these negative emotions, clarify them, and transform them into positive qualities that can strengthen and enrich our lives.

The retreat will be translated from English into German.

Date | August 11 – August 17, 2025

Time | Arrival and registration on site from 3 p.m. on Monday, end on Sunday around 2 p.m.

Location | Buchenau Castle, Hermann-Lietz-Straße, Eiterfeld

Costs | see table [all prices per person/week and on-site in the BUCHENAU price, including vegetarian meals ]

	Zoom	On-site at Buchenau Castle including meals 428,00 €
Regular price*	395.00 €	788.00 €
Discount*	295.00 €	688.00 €
Discount for students aged 16 and over, unemployment benefit recipients and pensioners*	195.00 €	588.00 €
Children (4-15)	– €	428.00 €
Children (under 4)	– €	– €

* Discount available for early payment (receipt of money before 30.06.2025): 20 EUR discount only for bank transfer (NOT for Paypal payments)

Accommodation | please do not transfer this amount to us together with the retreat price / Payment for accommodation on site at the castle: 226 EUR double room with shower/WC, 78 EUR tent pitch, pitch for motorhome [all prices per person/week]

Registration | click here

Organizer | Ligmincha Germany

Further information

• Hygiene concept Schloss Buchenau ( the rules for “hotel overnight stay” apply to all participants of the retreat )
• Conditions of participation and cancellation
• Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on “Becoming a Vegetarian”

About the Retreat

When we realize the boundless openness and pure awareness that naturally dwell within each of us, this recognition manifests as five qualities of wisdom.

During this two-day retreat, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will transmit the traditional teaching of the Five Wisdoms, guiding us with the depth of his experience.
Early registration is strongly encouraged.

The Five Wisdoms in the Bön Dzogchen Tradition

In the Tibetan Bön Dzogchen tradition, the word Wisdom has a unique meaning: it refers to recognizing the natural state—our true nature.
This wisdom is not something acquired over time, with age or experience; it is awakened by directly recognizing the complete perfection of each moment.

Five Wisdom Qualities – Five Pure Lights

When we realize the open and luminous nature of the mind, this recognition manifests as:

• The Wisdom of Emptiness
• Mirror-like Wisdom
• The Wisdom of Equanimity
• Discriminating Wisdom
• All-Accomplishing Wisdom

These correspond to the Five Pure Lights, the aspects of primordial luminosity. They are also known as the rainbow energies of the single sphere of existence.

When we remain caught in delusion or ignorance, these lights appear as negative emotions. However, when we realize their pure essence, they transform into the Five Wisdoms and the Five Buddha Families.

The Retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

With his characteristic clarity and warmth, Rinpoche will present these ancient, profound teachings in a way that is accessible and applicable in daily life—helping us live with more awareness and inner harmony.

By practicing these teachings, we can increase our presence in every moment, promote greater health and well-being, and ultimately recognize the true nature of our mind, leading to liberation.

The retreat will include both teaching and guided meditation sessions to support direct experience and integration.

This retreat is open to everyone, regardless of prior experience.

In-person only
No prerequisites. Open to beginners and advanced practitioners alike.

Language

Teachings will be given in English with simultaneous French translation.

Venue

Salle des fêtes Pierre Chambaud
450 rue de la Grange Magnien
01960 Péronnas (near Bourg-en-Bresse)

Free parking is available in front of the venue.
Accessible by bus: Line 3 from Bourg train station → Stop “La Chênaie” in Péronnas.

Carpooling: Free shuttle service between Bourg and Péronnas may be arranged on request. Contact Dominique & Roland at +33 6 45 37 52 88. Lunch: Picnicking on site is possible (please bring your own meal)

Retreat Schedule

Saturday, August 30

• Arrival & check-in from 8:30 AM
• 9:30 AM–12:30 PM & 2:30–5:30 PM: Teaching with Rinpoche
• 6:00–8:30 PM: 10th Anniversary Celebration of Ligmincha France

Sunday, August 31

• 9:30 AM–12:30 PM & 2:00–4:00 PM: Teaching with Rinpoche
  Please arrive 10–15 minutes before each session begins.

Participation Fee

• Non-members (2 days): €140 / CHF
• Ligmincha France Members (2 days): €112 / CHF (20% discount for members with valid 2024–2026 membership)

Registration

Spots are limited, so early booking is advised.

Registration: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ligminchapronnas/1689082

 

Contact & Organization

This retreat is organized by the Ligmincha Bourg-en-Bresse team: Christelle, Sylvia, Véronique, and Roland. A heartfelt thanks to them!

For questions or assistance, contact Dominique & Roland:
📧 roland.cadoz@orange.fr | 📞 +33 6 45 37 52 88

Across many cultures, the primordial feminine is honored as the source of life itself. In the ancient Bön Buddhist tradition, this energy is embodied in Sherap Chamma — the Mother of Wisdom and Love — a source of deep healing, timeless wisdom, and unconditional compassion.

In this special retreat, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will guide us in a simple, beautiful meditation practice to directly connect with the loving, divine energy in our own hearts. Through visualization, mantra, and deep inner stillness, the practice of Sherap Chamma helps us awaken our innate wisdom and promote healing on the physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual levels.

We’ll also explore how breath and awareness can support us in releasing stress and anxiety, improving sleep, deepening our connections with others, and cultivating a greater sense of loving-kindness.

Whether you’re just beginning or have an established meditation practice, you are warmly invited to join Rinpoche for this heart-opening weekend of wisdom, compassion, and inner renewal.

Rinpoche’s teaching will focus on the Dzogchen practices of trekchö and tögal in the Bön tradition. Rooted in the ancient Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition, Dzogchen, or the “Great Perfection,” is a profound practice that focuses on recognizing and resting in the natural state of mind, often described as naked awareness or luminous clarity. Dzogchen has the power to transform ordinary perceptions of the world and our self from a fragmented, anxious outlook to one of unity and tranquility.

As in the Buddhist traditions, “trekchö” and “tögal” are both advanced meditation practices of the Dzogchen teachings. Trekchö serves as the foundational practice that cuts through mental elaborations to help recognize one’s innate awareness, while tögal relates to clear light and the visions that can arise from that state, supported by the practices of sky gazing, sun gazing and dark retreat. This Dzogchen teaching is open to all. Rinpoche will be teaching at Shambhala in lieu of teaching in Crestone, Colorado, where his Chamma Ling Colorado center has cabins available for solitary retreat including dark retreat.

Bringing the Soul Home: Soul Retrieval through Spiritual Practice & Ritual 

Taught by Lama Kalsang Nyima and Khandro Tsering Wangmo Khymsar

From October 2025 – April 2027, over four 5-day retreats at Serenity Ridge Retreat Center and montlhy zoom sessions, this is an opportunity not only to deeply commit to one’s personal healing and transformation, but an opportunity to benefit others. 

Drawing from the rich, ancient Yungdrung Bön tradition—the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet—this two-year program offers a grounded, accessible path into the practice of Soul Retrieval. These teachings and practices offer powerful tools to those who feel called to help restore themselves and others to wholeness by working with the subtle energies of the soul. Join us for this special training program!

You’ll be guided step by step through traditional soul retrieval techniques that have been used for centuries in Tibet and Nepal to help people heal from trauma, reconnect with their vitality, recover from illness and  rediscover the power of living fully.

✨ No prior experience with Tibetan practices is required—just an open heart and curious mind.

Whether you’re a longtime practitioner, energy worker, or new to the Bön path, join a supportive learning community of kindred spirits in this deeply grounded training program of Bön healing methods for personal transformation and service to others. You will leave with the tools, confidence, and blessings to skillfully engage in this sacred work.

Training Program Dates*

*If you are staying at Serenity Ridge, registration & check in is at 4pm of the arrival day.
Session 1 October 1–5, 2025 (if staying at Serenity Ridge, arrive on September 30)
Session 2 April 8–12, 2026 (if staying at Serenity Ridge, arrive on April 7)
Session 3 September 30–October 4, 2026 (if staying at Serenity Ridge, arrive on September 29)
Session 4 April 21–25, 2027  (if staying at Serenity Ridge, the arrival day is April 20)

Monthly one-hour online sessions on Zoom

Dates to be announced.
2025: November, December
2026: January, February, March, May, June, July, August, September, November, December
2027: January, February, March

Click here for more details and application to register.