News

Today is the anniversary of the great Bönpo master Shardza Trashi Gyaltsen (Shar-rdza Bkra-shis rgyal-mtshan), who attained Rainbow Body on the 13th day of the 4th month of the Wood Dog Year, 1934. To mark this auspicious anniversary, we are sharing the words of Yongdzin Rinpoche given in Paris 10~10~10, during a teaching weekend on Shardza Rinpoche’s famous text Kun-tu bzang-po’i snying-tig / The Innermost Essence of Kuntu Zangpo, also known in English as Heart Drops of Dharmakaya. Here Rinpoche speaks about the importance of Guru Yoga for understanding Dzogchen: This knowledge [of Dzogchen] is something very special, you see. Read more

Some monks from Triten Norbutse Monastery, Kathmandu, have just finished making this magnificent sand mandala (rdul-tshon dkyil-‘khor), the Kun-‘bum go-‘byed dkyil-‘khor, which is the mandala of the Deities of the Five Elements. Mandala of the Deities of the Five Elements / Kun-‘bum go-‘byed dkyil-‘khor. Photo by Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin. Tomorrow, one group of monks will begin the four-day ritual to these deities. Another group will practise the Sa-bdag nye-lam sde-bzhi, propitiating the four classes of spirits: earth spirits (sa-bdag), water-spirits (klu), tree-spirits (gnyan) and rock-spirits (stod/gtod). This is part of the annual four-day summer ritual and ceremony of harmonising Read more

Advice from Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche Sometimes I read you the biographies of the Lineage Masters who spent their whole life in a cave. So maybe some of you think of cutting off your living conditions and going and living like that. But that is not possible in modern times.[1] Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, Shenten Dargye Ling, France, 2010. Photo by Carol Ermakova.                 It is important to understand this. According to the times we live in, usually, don’t think that you should go away from some certain place to search for solitude or something. You can read Read more

by Dmitry Ermakov In this article, we will take a brief excursion into the story of Drenpa Namkha,[1] one of the most famous and powerful masters in Yungdrung Bön.  According to Yungdrung Bön sources, there were three major emanations of Drenpa Namkha throughout history, and all were great yogis[2] and scholars. The later two, Drenpa Namkha of Zhang Zhung and Tibetan Drenpa Namkha, are both renowned for preserving the Yungdrung Bön teachings in times of persecution and bear the title The Defender (of the Teachings) in the Degenerate Age.[3] The first Drenpa Namkha: Drenpa Namkha of Tagzig The first Drenpa Read more

On the fifth day of the first lunar month according to the Tibetan calendar Bönpos celebrate the anniversary of Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen (Tib. Mnyam-med Shes-rab rgyal-mtshan, 1356-1415), a reincarnation of an early Bönpo mahasiddha (Tib. grub-thob), Tonggyung Thuchen (Tib. Stong-rgyung mthu-chen). Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen greatly revitalised Yungdrung Bön and, particularly, its monastic traditions. He is the founder of the famous Bönpo centre of learning, Trashi Menri (Tib. Bkra-shis sman-ri) monastery in Tsang (Tib. Gtsang), which he established after the great monastery of Yeru Wensakha (G.Yas-ru dben-sa-kha), where he himself studied, had been destroyed by flood. A monk performing trü (Tib. Read more