The Practice of the Path, Guidance on the Stages of Meditation on Clear Light

The Practice of the Path, Guidance on the Stages of Meditation on Clear Light

Menri Shedrup Khenpo Geshe Nyima Dhondup Rinpoche
Abbott of Menri Monastery Dialectic School

June 7-8, 2025

The Dru Gyalwai Chag Tri is the collection of the text composed by Dru Gyalwa Yungdrung, the great 13th century master who lived from 1242-1290. Dru Gyalwa Yungdrung is the 57th lineage holder of the Oral Transmission of the Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyü and is also known as Dru Gyalwa. Although he was not officially recognized as the incarnation of a previous master, he was regarded as a very gifted young man endowed with an extraordinary intelligence. He is said to have explained the main work of Bönpo cosmology The Source of the Treasury of Existence — at the early age of eight.

In adulthood, he is said to have declared about himself:

“I have first of all requested the vows of monk from my master and I have preserved them in pure and ethical way. Then, I have trained in listening to the teachings and reflecting on their actual meaning, thus completely cutting the roots of doubts and uncertainty. Eventually, I have required the direct introduction to the natural state and have thus recognized my own essence. All this I owe to the kindness of my benevolent master.”

It is said that at the climax of his practice, the wisdom of non-discursiveness arose in his continuum and purified him from dualistic grasping, karmic impregnations, and discursive thoughts. He then experienced what is described in Dzögchen teachings as the Horizon of Spontaneous Clear-Light during which his mind and visions became undifferentiated. It is said that at that precise time, he reached Buddhahood within the Expanse of the Great Primordial Freedom. This means that he realized the Three Bodies as the Fruit of the Path and experienced the non-regressive Great Bliss of the Absolute Body.

He composed a practice manual Chag Tri at the Yeru Wensakha monastery. The propagation of the unified Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung continued at Yeru Wensakha monastery for another hundred years to Rinchen Lodro during which time the monastery was destroyed by a flood in 1386.

Dzögchen, also known as the “great perfection” or “great completion,” is considered the path of self-liberation and the highest form of teaching and practice in the Bön Buddhist tradition. For practitioners with the capacity, it offers the potential for liberation during a single lifetime and within a single body. Until the late 20th century, these ancient teachings were kept secret and offered to very few students of any generation. For all these reasons, attending the teachings can be seen as a precious opportunity for students of Tibetan Bön Buddhism.

The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung (Zhang Zhung Nyam Gyud), is a cycle of dzögchen teachings from the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyud lineage, one of the three main dzögchen lineages of the Bön Buddhist tradition. The Dru Gyalwai Chag Tri is a preliminary portion of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyud.

Khenpo Nyima Dondrup Rinpoche will teach us from this text on The Stages of Meditation on Clear Light.

In obtaining stability in the cultivated meditation, there is the positive quality of the miraculous body, the positive quality of the wise mind, and the positive quality of the buddha’s speech.

Schedule – Saturday and Sunday CDT

Retreat teachings and practices will be taught in English.

Live translation will be available in Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.

Written translations will be available in Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.

REGISTRATION:

Complete payment below.  After payment is complete, you will receive an email with links to the Zoom Registration and the Handouts.  All recordings will be made available to registered participants after the retreat is over at the same link as the Handouts.

There is early bird pricing available until noon the Saturday before the retreat.

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Biography of Menri Shedrup Khenpo Geshe Nyima Dhondup Rinpoche

Menri Shedrup Khenpo Geshe Nyima Dhondup Rinpoche is the abbot of the Bon Dialectic School at Menri Monastery, India. He received novice ordination from His Holiness the late 33rd Menri Trizin, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and His Eminence Menri Ponlop Yangton Thinley Nyima Rinpoche in 1992 upon entering the Bon Dialectic School. He completed over 15 years of study of Bon Dzogchen, Tantra, Sutra and the five major and minor sciences of Bon. He received his Geshe degree on March 15, 2006. On 9th of February 2008 he was enthroned as the Menri Shedrup Lopon. Then on February 25, 2012 he was enthroned as the Menri Shedrup Khenpo, the abbot of the Bon Dialectic School at Menri.

Menri Shedrup Khen Rinpoche has been teaching Bon Dzogchen, Tantra, and Sutra to the monks enrolled at the Bon Dialectic School for more than 15 years. He has been invited speaker at several major Bon and Buddhist conferences and has contributed to a number of articles for Bon-sGo, the Tibetan language periodical journal of Menri Monastery. Since 2011 he has served as the General Secretary of the Governing Council of Menri Monastery and as director of the official website of Menri. He is the author of the three books titled Rigs sMa dyes Pi mChod Train “Offerings to rejoice the great scholars”, Man-ngag Lung gi Yang Zhun sTod Cha & sMad Cha “A clear oral transmission of the sacred instruction part I & 2”, and Yungdrung gi Tson Dhon “Illustration on the meaning of Yungdrung”. His books cover the main philosophical teachings of the Bon tradition.