Student’s from Dr. Luu’s classes at nearby Episcopal High School visited Ligmincha Texas’s Center.

Geshe Denma shared an introduction to Bön and the students asked excellent questions. Then Geshe Denma led the students in a brief meditation.

Inner Refuge and Yeshe Walmo with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen

March 17 –  April 21, 2019

Click Here to Register

The Tibetan Language Bön Prayers Program is pleased to announce a new course taught by Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, the resident lama of Ligmincha Texas: Session Two: Inner Refuge and Yeshe Walmo. Students from across the international sangha can deepen their connection to the practice and study of Bön teachings through the weekly live, recorded classes. The course focuses on two central prayers: 1) The Inner Refuge, a beautiful three-part teaching poem composed by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche on the doors of body, speech, and mind and 2) The Invocation of Yeshe Walmo, a central ritual text for the fully enlightened protector of Bön, a principal emanation of Sipe Gyalmo. Guided by Geshe Denma’s lively teaching, students will learn Tibetan letter recognition, correct pronunciation and melody of the prayers, and encounter their meaning through Tibetan stories and word study.

There are no prerequisites for the course. No prior knowledge of Tibetan is needed. Whether one took Geshe-la’s Fall 2018 Session One Course on Tibetan Language Daily Prayers or is starting brand new, the class is a great opportunity. The teachings are vast, and the connection is fresh and lively.

Course materials include:

• Tibetan Study Edition of the Prayers including Tibetan script, Wylie transliteration, phonetic transliteration, word-by-word translation, and full English translation
• Tibetan Language Learning Materials to introduce the reading of Tibetan language including the alphabet with Wylie transliteration and the formation of Tibetan syllables with prefixes, superscripts, subscripts, suffixes, and secondary suffixes.

The course implements a blended approach to online learning with both self-paced study and a weekly class. Class materials and discussion forums are hosted on the Ligmincha Learning course page, and the weekly live-class (60 minutes) occurs through Zoom video-conference which will also be recorded. The course is co-designed with Geshe Denma as the lead teacher and Bob Clark, an English teacher and longtime student of Tenzin Rinpoche, as teaching assistant.

The six-week session begins in March 2019 and focuses in-depth on two prayers, studying four verses of Tibetan text for each class. The live class through Zoom video-conference occurs Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM (New York Time).

March 17, 2019: Inner Refuge: Body

March 24, 2019: Inner Refuge: Speech

March 31, 2019: Inner Refuge: Mind

April 7, 2019: Invocation of Yeshe Walmo: Part 1

April 14, 2019: Invocation of Yeshe Walmo: Part 2

April 21, 2019: Invocation of Yeshe Walmo: Part 3

Manifesting Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s vision for Bön in the West, the Tibetan Language Bön Study program opens another door into the mandala of Bön teachings, deepens individual practice, and provides direct connection with our Bön lamas. Session Three on the Invocation of Tapihritsa is planned for Fall 2019 as well as future online courses in Advanced Bön Text Studies and Tibetan language. We encourage students to make use of this exciting opportunity to study with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen.

Course Dates:  March 17 –  April 21, 2019
Cost: $150.
Register: click here

Happy Losar 2019! This is the year of the Earth Pig and today, February 5, 2019, is the first day of celebration honoring Tibetan New Year.

It is traditional to prepare for this day by cleaning one’s home – especially the kitchen as you would be preparing delicious dishes for your family and friends to honor this ancient tradition. Fragrant flowers are used to decorate the home and well-wishes for health, happiness and abundant blessings abound.

Losar predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet and has its roots in a winter incense-burning custom of the Bon religion. During the reign of the ninth Tibetan king, Pude Gungyal, it is said that this custom merged with a harvest festival to form the annual Losar festival.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (2002: p.xvii – Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (2002). Healing with Form, Energy, and Light. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-176-6) frames his experience of Tibetan cultural practice of Losar in relation to elemental celebrations and offerings to Nāga (Tibetan: Klu):

“During Losar, the Tibetan celebration of the new year, we did not drink champagne to celebrate. Instead, we went to the local spring to perform a ritual of gratitude. We made offerings to the nagas, the water spirits who activated the water element in the area. We made smoke offerings to the local spirits associated with the natural world around us. Beliefs and behaviors like ours evolved long ago and are often seen as primitive in the West. But they are not only projections of human fears onto the natural world, as some anthropologists and historians suggest. Our way of relating to the elements originated in the direct experiences by our sages and common people of the sacred nature of the external and internal elements. We call these elements earth, water, fire, air, and space.”

On behalf of all of Ligmincha Texas, blessings and best wishes for a wonderful year to come! Happy Losar 2019! Tashi Delek!

Tashi Delek!,

I write today to update everyone regarding our Monthly Appeal Campaign launched last August, to let you know about our new website, and to give thanks for all of our friends in the Ligmincha Texas family. Happy Holidays!

Our fundraising campaign – Vision 2020: Bön Fire! – is proceeding successfully, and this would not be possible without your partnership.

We give thanks for You!
You may recall that we asked for 10 new monthly donors; we now have 15, of whom 12 are brand new donors! On behalf of the leadership of Ligmincha Texas, I offer deep thanks for each generous gift. With your continued support, our future is bright.

I asked one of our new donors, Dr. Micah J. Knobles, what inspired him to make a monthly commitment and he shared the following with me:

“It brings me great joy and happiness to support Ligmincha Texas together with our treasured community of dear friends in sustaining the culture of Tibetan meditation and healing arts in Houston. I am nurtured by the gifts of profound teachings, wisdom, and the Sangha, and consider our meditation center a blessing.”

Micah, you are a blessing to your Sangha and to the Ligmincha Texas community!

All donations benefit the work of Ligmincha Texas and help us sponsor our resident Lama, Geshe Denma, in his application for a Green Card. Our increased donations demonstrate an increased commitment to the work of Ligmincha Texas and help us to be successful in all that we strive to do for the Dharma. Please consider making an end-of-year donation for this worthy effort.

Our gift to You!
Our new website is up! It is a work in progress—we continue to improve it and to add new content. Please explore our new Practice Supports page. It is our gift to each of you and will be expanded to include many more useful and meaningful items to help support your practice. Please let us know if you would like us to add something that would be especially meaningful to you. To provide feedback on the site or ask a question, please contact us at https://ligminchatexas.org/pages/contact-us/

As we enter the holiday season, we extend best wishes to you and to your loved ones.

With gratitude,

Barbara Shreffler
Board Member of Ligmincha Texas

Dear Ligmincha Texas Friends!

The Ligmincha Texas leadership team has been busy working to provide more opportunities for learning and deepening our practice.  To that end, it was decided that a new website would afford us an opportunity to rethink how we engage each of you via the web and look for ways to improve that experience.

Our new site offers practice supports, information about practices and regular news updates from our Resident Lama, Geshe Denma Gyaltsen.  Let us know what you think!

Blessings from Ligmincha Texas!