We are delighted to announce that two extraordinarily learned teachers will be teaching in Lerab Ling during the period of August and September this year.

Professor Samdhong Rinpoche will be teaching on The Essence of Buddhist Philosophy from August 24 to 31. The course will provide an overview of the four major Indian schools of Buddhist Philosophy and their interpretation in the Tibetan tradition. We would like to invite all Rigpa students and friends of the shedra to this extraordinary event.

Khenchen Pema Sherab will be teaching in Lerab Ling from September 1 to 13 on Mipham Rinpoche’s The Beacon of Certainty and Jikmé Lingpa’s The Treasury of Precious Qualities.

The Beacon of Certainty

In the first part of his vist Khen Rinpoche will complete his series of teachings on Mipham Rinpoche’s Beacon of Precious Certainty.

The main purpose of this text is to elucidate the teachings of Dzogchen. As Khenpo Kunpal puts it:

This Precious Beacon of Certainty is like an eye that brings all the difficult points of sutra and tantra into focus.

Externally, it accords with Prasangika;

internally, it accords with the Sutra that Gathers all Intentions and the Guhyagarbha Tantra;

secretly, it accords with the Great Perfection.

In 2010 and 2011 Khen Rinpoche taught directly on the root verses, using the structural outline of a commentary by the great Khenpo Jamyang Drubpé Lodrö. So far he has completed his explanation of the first six of the seven questions according to which Mipham Rinpoche’s text is organized.

We look forward to Khen Rinpoche’s clarification of the last fundamental question: Does Madhyamaka have a position or not?

As a preparation for the course , students are invited to listen to last year’s teachings, which are available at ZAM.

A translation of the root text is available in:

John W. Pettit, Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty: Illuminating the View of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, Wisdom Publications, 1999

The Treasury of Precious Qualities

We are very excited to announce that Khen Rinpoche has also accepted our request to teach on the final four chapters of Yönten Dzö, The Treasury of Precious Qualities, the famous treatise by Jikmé Lingpa. These chapters cover the Secret Mantra Vajrayana as well as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. The teachings will be given over several years to committed Vajrayana Students, so we would like to invite Home Retreatants as well as Dzogchen Mandala Students to register for these teachings.