Six Sessions Practice: Dzogchen Meditation for Personal Retreat
with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen
April 12, 2026
Deepen your practice with the Six Sessions Practice, a complete meditation cycle that Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche first shared with his Western students on coming to the west. Rooted in Dzogchen and drawing from sutra and tantra, this practice can be the main practice of a retreat of any length, as well as daily meditation, helping practitioners connect to the natural state of mind.
Rinpoche teaches that these Six Sessions link directly to the Mother Tantra (Ma Gyü) and the Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung (Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü) lineages which are at the heart of Ligmincha International, offering a path to clarity, stability, and awakening.
Practice Overview
- Guru Yoga (Lama’i Naljor) – A universal Guru Yoga not tied to any specific teacher, deity, or lineage, allowing connection with all our teachers.
- Refuge and Compassion (Bodhicitta) Prayers – Drawn from the Mother Tantra, these stabilize the mind and open the heart.
- Nine Breathings of Purification – Working with the subtle body, these clear mental, emotional, and energetic obscurations.
- Securing the Boundary – A tantric practice creating a secure and protected container for meditation.
- Contemplative Breathing – The heart of the Six Sessions, drawn from the Twenty-One Nails of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, guiding direct experience of the natural state.
- Dedication of Merit – Concluding the practice with aspiration and the natural expression of generosity.
Geshe Denma Gyaltsen has been leading and teaching the Six Sessions Practice for Ligmincha Texas for decades, and will guide us through the steps of the practice as well as the purpose of each step, with special emphasis on Securing the Boundary and Contemplative Breathing. He will also offer the transmission (lung) for the practices.
Who Should Attend
This teaching is for anyone interested in learning complete Dzogchen meditation practice through this set of simple yet profound meditation tools to deepen their wisdom and awareness. The Six Sessions is also the foundational practice for the Three-Day Dark Retreat program beginning at Chamma Ling Crestone in September of 2026. Anyone interested in participating in that program should attend this teaching.
Schedule (New York time)
April 12, 2026
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Teacher
Geshe Denma was born in northern Nepal. His father brought him to Menri Monastery, India, regarded as the mother Bon monastery in exile, in 1981 to begin his program of study toward the Geshe degree. He received all the Bon teachings, initiations, and transmissions in sutra, tantra, and dzogchen from His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizin, and His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. When he became a senior student, he was asked to teach philosophy to younger students. He successfully completed this degree program in 1996 and was awarded the Geshe certificate, which is considered equivalent to a Ph.D. in Bön Buddhist philosophy and religion. Geshe Denma was an accomplished teacher and in 1998 was appointed, with the approval of the Tibetan government in exile, first abbot of Zhu Rishing Yungdrung Kundak-Ling Monastery, a Bon Monastery in Sikkim, India by His Holiness. He served two terms in this capacity until 2003. In addition, from the time he graduated until 2008, Geshe Denma also was active in assisting Geshe Nyima Dakpa with the Bon Children’s Home, which houses many children in Dolanji, India, providing them with food, healthcare and free education. Geshe Denma has traveled many times…
Learn more about Geshe Denma Gyaltsen