The celebrated Tibetan tulku and meditation master Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche will lead a three day retreat from 3–5 May titled “The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen.” Ponlop Rinpoche, together with Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen, will offer an informal and down-to-earth examination of two of Tibetan Buddhism’s most profound teaching and practice traditions. The retreat can be attended online, or in person in Taiwan.
“Seen as the culmination of all practice and study by the New Translation Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the experience of Mahamudra, or ‘great symbol,’ is an overwhelming sense of extraordinary clarity, totally open, and non-dualistic,” the retreat organizer, the Nalandabodhi Buddhist community, said in an announcement. “Dzogchen, or ‘great perfection,’ is the ultimate teaching according to the Nyingma tradition and also represents the pinnacle of spiritual development.” (Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche)
Born in Trakar, Nepal, near the border with Tibet, Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen entered monastic life when he was 13. He completed 10 years of traditional study and training at Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, India, graduating in 1991. in the same class as Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche as acharya. After graduation, Lama Tenpa taught Buddhist philosophy for two years, before undertaking a three-year retreat in Nepal under the guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.
From 1997–2004, Lama Tenpa was the resident teacher at His Holiness the 17th Karmapa’s Theksum Tashi Chöling Center in Hamburg. Lama Tenpa is a professor of Buddhist studies and Tibetan language at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and teaches regularly at Nalandabodhi centers around the world.
“Both [Mahamudra and Dzogchen] lineages of meditation practice emphasize the ultimate state of awareness within, and the clear and luminous nature of, the mind,” The organizers explained. “By applying ourselves to these practices, we can all experience our world more directly.” (Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche)
“The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen retreat,” is open to all practitioners and will include teachings and guided meditation sessions, with simultaneous translation into English and Chinese. Attendance is online via Zoom or in-person in Taiwan.
Schedule (US Pacific Time):
Friday, 3 May
6–7pm – Meditation
7:30–9pm – Teaching by Dzogchen Ponlop RinpocheSaturday, 4 May
12:30–2am – Teaching by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen
4:30–6am – Teaching by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
6–7pm – Meditation
7:30–9pm – Teaching by Dzogchen Ponlop RinpocheSunday, 5 May
12:30–2am – Teaching by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen
4:30–6am – Teaching by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
6–7pm – Meditation
7:30–9pm – Teaching by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Click here for full details and to register
Born Karma Sungrap Ngedon Tenpa Gyaltsen in 1965 at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, northeastern India, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is the seventh Dzogchen Ponlop and an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery in what is now Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China’s Sichuan Province. A senior tulku in the Nyingma lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism and an accomplished Karma Kagyu lineage holder, he has earned renown as a Dharma teacher, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master.
Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual director of Nalandabodhi, an international community of Buddhist centers, and the founder of the Nitartha Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies. He is known as a poet, calligrapher, visual artist, and the author of several books, including Emotional Rescue (2017 Penguin Publishing) and Rebel Buddha: A Guide to a Revolution of Mind (2011 Shambhala).
When we recognize that the seemingly object nature of reality is nothing different than the subject nature of mind, which is rigpa, it is called enlightenment. — Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
References
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. 2006. Penetrating Wisdom: The Aspiration of Samantabhadra. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications.
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The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen – 2024 Nalandabodhi Asia Retreat
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen (Nalandabodhi)
Nalandabodhi
Your retreat sounds incredibly enriching! The opportunity to explore the profound teachings of Mahamudra and Dzogchen with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen is truly exceptional. The emphasis on clarity, non-dualism, and the luminous nature of the mind is both inspiring and transformative. I appreciate the accessibility of the retreat, allowing practitioners from all over to participate either online or in-person. Looking forward to diving deep into these teachings and practices.