“The Bardos [intermediary states] are moments of opportunity for liberation.”
~ Lama Tsultrim Allione
The Single Oceanic Wisdom of Buddha aspiration prayer/supplication by Jigme Lingpa covers four principal intermediate states in their entirety: the natural bardo of life, the bardo of death, the bardo of dharmata and the bardo of becoming. Ven. Sogan Rinpoche’s guru, Khenpo Munsel, emphasized this prayer. He said it is imperative for practitioners of meditation to become familiar with these states of existence (Tib. bardo) and to use them to awaken.
Ven. Sogan Rinpoche will offer these teachings via Zoom on Friday mornings from July 23rd to August 27th — see the specific dates and times below. He will be supported with translation by Sean Price.
Teaching Dates & Times
Times below are listed in Mountain Time*
From 10:00am – 12:00pm MT
- In July, Friday 23 and 30
- In August, Friday 6, 13, 20 and 27
If you are attending from another time zone, please know that recordings will be made available by 8pm MT daily so you can review missed sessions.
*Click here for time-zone conversion to find the event time in your area.
KHENPO MUNSEL
(1916-1993)
Khenpo Munsel was born in 1916 in the Golok region of Amdo, on a new-moon day, and was given the name Namgang, or “new moon”. While still an infant, he was identified as an incarnation of the great Nyingma master, Longchen Rabjam (1308-1364). He was thus given the name Munsel, meaning “Eliminator of Darkness.”
Khenpo Munsel’s work and life, as Lama Tsultrim says, “defines the word holy.” During the Chinese Cultural Revolution of Tibet, he was assaulted and imprisoned, undergoing extreme hardship for almost ten years. Miraculously, his health after this time was reported to be better than before his imprisonment. During his imprisonment he offered teachings, which included those on Jigme Lingpa’s Bardo Teachings, the same teachings Ven. Sogan Rinpoche offers for this virtual retreat.
Khenpo Munsel (Photo: Rigpa Wiki)
SUBLIME BARDO TEACHINGS
By Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798)
Below is a small excerpt from this aspiration prayer by Jigme Lingpa:
“When the five sensory perceptions dissolve into the consciousness of mind, may desire and longing for the appearances of this life not arise. May I remember the oral instructions of my Guru.
Through the interdependence of the gross separation of the system of channels, winds, and bindus, there will be the subtle dissolution into the experiences of appearance, flaring, and near attainment…
May I attain fearless confidence. In meditative absorption for five days, when I see the faces of the five families, may awareness enter into luminosity, through the relationship between the enlightened forms and self-luminosity.”
*Translation by Eric Fry-Miller
PRACTICING AT THE TIME OF DEATH: SIX MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY
Digital Download Teachings with Lama Tsultrim Allione
Lama Tsultrim Allione’s teachings on the Bardo, the intermediate stage between death and rebirth. The Bardo is an ideal time to practice and recognize our true nature. Audio Length: 1 hour | Downloadable MP3 File (42MB) … Learn more »
ABOUT THE RETREAT TEACHER
Ven. Sogan Rinpoche (Tulku Pema Lodoe) was born in 1964 in the Golok region of Amdo, in eastern Tibet. At the age of seventeen he went to Bayan Monastery to start his formal spiritual training. Later, he was recognized by H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama as the 6th Sogan Rinpoche and as a young man was enthroned at Awo Sera Monastery in East Kham (Serta), which he founded during his first incarnation as Sogan Rinpoche. He is also the head of Bayan Monastery in Golok. He assumed responsibility there at the direction of his root guru, Khenpo Munsel, a Dzogchen master and teacher in Tibet throughout most of the twentieth century and a chief disciple of Khenpo Ngag Chung.
Rinpoche has studied with many great masters of all four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. After many years of study, pilgrimage and solitary retreat, Rinpoche left Tibet to continue his studies in India. While there, he studied extensively with prominent teachers and spent several years in retreat.
Rinpoche travels throughout North America and in Europe to teach Buddhism. For many years he has taught in the SF Bay region where Tupten Osel Choling is based. In 2012, his students in northern Italy founded Tupten Osel Ling, another dharma center under his spiritual guidance … Read more »
We look forward to sharing this opportunity with you, exploring this aspirational prayer of liberation.
~With Blessings,
Tara Mandala
