Ceremony of the Initiation of Lishu Tagring

Dear friends,

We are honoured and delighted to invite you to the grand ceremony of the Lishu Tagring initiation, taking place at Shenten Dargye Ling on August 30 and 31, 2023.

It will be the first time that Khenchen Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche gives an initiation with an extensive ceremony at Shenten Dargye Ling, and the day of the initiation is auspicious as it will be both full moon day and the soul-day of Yongdzin Rinpoche.

In this email, we want to give you a detailed description and explanation of the event. Please scroll down for the web link to register.

The initiation

In the Yungdrung Bön tradition, initiations are considered to be essential for one’s realisation of the natural state of mind and to establish the foundation of the path of liberation. The initiation as an integral part of the Yungdrung Bön tradition complements the other two methods: the instructions and transformation. Through the initiation, we receive blessings from the Buddhas and lineage masters, wherefore initiation ceremonies are linked to specific text cycles. The initiation of Lishu Tagring is connected explicitly to Dzogchen cycles Drakpa Korsum and Yangtse Longchen.

Every initiation consists of four parts: the external part refers to establishing the foundation of the path of liberation, the internal part consists of an introduction to the enlightened forms of divinities, the secret initiation refers to the experience of the state of Rigpa, and the most secret part is a direct introduction into the natural state of mind.

The initiation ceremony includes different methods and symbols, with various ritual activities performed by the monks and partly the attending lay people.

Due to the connection with the Dzogchen cycles, the Lishu Tagring initiation is a particularly auspicious opportunity for all Dzogchen practitioners.

The Dzogchen master Lishu Tagring  

Lishu Tagring, a great Dzogchen master and extraordinary person, was born according to the Bön Scriptures in 1751 BC. He is ranked among the masters from the Tagzig lineage.

In ancient times, in a place called Nyen Yul Zara Takya, there was a King with incredible wealth and 800,000 subjects, but his Queen bore him no child. One day the King heard a cuckoo singing; it sang about a gift that lay waiting on a flower in a sandalwood forest. The King found a very beautiful small girl from there. He brought her home and gave her to his wife, who was delighted and named the child Lungyal Tagza Mewal. As she grew up, many auspicious signs were manifested. For example, she could ride the wildest animals, such as tigers. One day she left the kingdom for a retreat in the mountains. After having spent time in practice, she transformed into a boy and went back to her father. He was stunned: “How could you be transformed from a female to a male?” The boy answered: “I came here for the benefit of human beings. I am an emanation of Chime Tsukphu”. As a male, the child’s name was changed to Lishu Tagring. He became King and ruled the kingdom for 82 years while spreading the teachings of Bön.

He spoke 360 languages and spread the Bön doctrine to several countries by translating the teachings into their languages. He was known as one of the four translators of Tibet. When he was 113 years of age, he went to the kingdom of Zhang Zhung in search of Bön teachings. He received the complete instructions of the Drakpa Korsum and many others. When he was 258 years old, he proceeded to Tazik Olmo Lungring, where he met great masters and received several initiations and transmissions. He practised on a mountain called Yungdrung Gutsek (the Nine Stacks of the Swastika Mountain).

When he was 1200 years old, he brought back thousands of Bön teachings to Tibet, Zhang Zhung and India. He promoted the welfare of sentient beings until he was 2500 years old. Having achieved the Body of Bliss, he was free from birth and death.

Timetable

The times for the two days are as follows:

30 August: Gana Puja

• 7:00 - 8:30 am: Gana Puja

• 8:30 - 10:00 am: Break/Breakfast

• 10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Gana Puja

• 12:00 - 2:30 pm: Break/Lunch

• 2:30 - 5:00 pm: Gana Puja

• 5:15 – 5:45 pm: Surchöd

• 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Dinner

• 8:00 - 9:15 pm: Meditation/Surchöd

31 August: Initiation

• 10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Initiation

• 12:00 - 2:00 pm: Break/Lunch

• 2:00 - 5:00 pm: Initiation

There will be no zoom transmission during the initiation

Tariff : 

We propose to contribute to the costs of this initiation at the rate of 50 € per day, that is to say 100 € for the two days. 

As we are in the process of studying the costs of such an event, the above rates are likely to change in the coming days

Accommodation and meals

Unfortunately, we do not have accommodation in Shenten during this period if you register only for the two days of initiation. Indeed, the rooms will be occupied by the people who participated in the meditation retreat which will end the day before the preparation day. You will therefore have to find your own accommodation during this period. It will be possible to have lunch on 30 and 31 August, but you must let us know in advance by ticking the appropriate box on your registration form

Registration

Registration form : https://www.shenten.org/initiation?lang=en

Meditation retreat participants are automatically registered for the initiation and do not need to complete the registration form.