On the 24th day of the 7th lunar month in the Western year 2017, His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpé Nyima Rinpoché displayed his realization by passing into nirvana from his physical body. In 2025, this date coincides with the Western calendar date September 15th. On this day, Yungdrung Bön religious centers worldwide will recognize this auspicious day with special prayers and rituals.

On the full moon day of the 5th lunar month in 1929, His Holiness was born in Amdo, Tibet into the Jongdong family lineage. He was given the name Lama Thar. By the age of 13, he had gained knowledge and experience for chanting, performing rituals, and playing instruments. At the age of 14, he performed the preliminary practices including the 900,000 accumulations three times. He received novice monk vows at the age of 17. Eight years later, he completed his geshe degree. In 1956, he received empowerment and teachings for the Four Cycles of the Aural Transmission of Zhang Zhung from His Holiness the 30th Menri Trizin Tenpa Lodrö Rinpoche. In 1968 at the age of 39, he was selected through an extensive ritual process to become the 33rd Menri Trizin and leader of the worldwide Yungdrung Bön community.

Three years after his enthronement, he began construction of the main temple of Pal Shenten Menri Ling in Dolanji, India. Two years later, he opened a dispensary and began distributing free medicine not only to the local Bönpo, but also to the local Indian community. In 1975, he founded the Central School for Tibetan in Dolanji. Three years later, he founded the dialectic college at Menri Monastery to enable monks to receive the prestigious geshe degree. At the age of 66 in 1994, His Holiness 33rd Menri Trizin returned to Tibet for the first time. Arriving at Tashi Menri, he sat on the golden throne of Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen in the original Menri Monastery.

At the age of 89 in the early evening of the 24th day of the 7th lunar month in 2017, His Holiness entered into parinirvana and his physical body remained in a state of tukdam for many days. Three days before, he asked for all of the school children to come and see him and receive a gift of candy. The next day, he requested for all of the villagers to come and visit him. On the morning of his passing into nirvana, he gave an audience to all the ordained.

“It is important for you to feel grateful every day to the one who introduced you to the nature of mind. When you do a meditation you feel gratitude, blessings, and thankfulness, experiences of inspiration and devotion. It is not like your gratitude is benefitting the master. Rather, it is important in order for you to develop your practice. If you cannot do a form of guru yoga every day, then just before you are going to sleep, as you are going to bed, feel the blessings, gratitude, and joy and dissolve the master from the crown of the head to the heart. Feel the master in your heart and go to sleep. You will have better dreams and more peaceful sleep. When you wake up in the morning, those energies can come out from the top of the head, that liveliness, and you can have a better day. You can begin the right way.”

Extract from Living Wisdom: Dzogchen Teachings from the 33rd Menri Trizin, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche published by Sacred Sky Press

Supplication Prayer to H.H. the 33rd Menri Trizin Rinpoché

“Marvelous! The omniscient wisdom of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions is condensed into a single essence in you, Highest One.

You carry out the enlightened activities of spreading the vast and profound teachings of Tönpa Shenrap.

To you, Lungtok Tenpé Nyima, I supplicate and pray.

é ma ho, rap jam chok chü gyal wa sé ché kyi,

khyen tsé yé shé ngo wo chik dü pa, zap gyé shen ten pel wé trin lé chen

lung tok ten pé nyi ma sol wa dep“

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