Dear Sangha,
We are living in a time of such great uncertainty, challenge and transformation. Isolation and loss in the face of Covid-19, separation across political and social justice issues, and the biodiversity crisis can seem overwhelming. How fortunate that the teachings of enlightened beings and realized masters of the Yungdrung Bön tradition are available to us! The outer refuge of our teachers and the teachings guide us inexorably to the abiding refuge in our own hearts. And discovering that true nature carries us through life’s challenges and beyond.
Though technically on sabbatical, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche continues teaching live on Facebook. He recorded a new course on Sleep Yoga that we launched in September, and recently released a video of his dzogchen poem, “Who Am I?” in 17 different languages! He continues to design new programs even as he makes time for family, hiking, and writing.
Ligmincha continues serving the needs of its global community in spite of all Ligmincha centers remaining closed for the foreseeable future. All our retreats have moved online. In this past year, thanks to our extraordinary volunteers, each retreat has included translation into between four and nine languages. Without our many volunteers who also translate written materials, manage our social media accounts and host our retreats on Zoom we could not function.
We are working on many new projects for 2021. Among these are: resources and teachings on death and dying, an introduction to Tibetan astrology course, training programs for our Western practice leaders and instructors to further their development and knowledge, two or more new books by Sacred Sky Press, six or more online retreats, and a digital media archive of all Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s teachings and teachings by other lamas, geshes and rinpoches.
As for so many, the financial ramifications of the pandemic have stripped Ligmincha of its usual sources of income. Even though our centers are closed, Ligmincha bears substantial costs to support online programming while also maintaining Serenity Ridge Retreat Center for a future reopening.
If our programs have touched you in the past year, please lend your financial support to help ensure that we can continue our mission. We need your support! You can donate online via credit card or PayPal at https://ligmincha.org/ligmincha-international-donate/. Information for sending a check also is available on that page.