May you live long, be free of illness, and have happiness and joy! May your wealth, power, and resources increase! May you possess bravery and strength, and be victorious over everything! May this new year bring you good fortune and every wish come true, just as you wish them to be!
Bring Meaning & Benefit to 2026 by Taking a Vow of Nonviolence for 1 Day, Multiple Days, or a Full Year
The auspicious day of March 3, 2026 is the first full moon of the Year of the Fire Horse and marks the birth anniversary of His Eminence Menri Pönlop Yangtön Trinley Nyima Rinpoche. This is an especially auspicious time to perform virtue and receive vows because the power of the activity is greatly multiplied. By taking a vow of nonviolence to abstain from eating meat from compassionate loving kindness during this time, unimaginable spiritual merit and benefit for both self and others is generated. One can accept this vow for a single day, multiple days, or for the entire Fire Horse year. The names of all those who take the vow will be offered to His Eminence Menri Pönlop Rinpoche on February 27th for the benefit of his long life and indestructible good health. Follow this link for more information and to fill out and submit the form for your personal vow of nonviolence. https://ravencypresswood.com/2026/01/24/bringing-meaning-benefit-to-2026-by-taking-a-vow-of-nonviolence-for-1-day-multiple-days-or-a-full-year/
In this short video, Raven Cypress Wood talks about how taking the vow, even for a single day, can bring meaning to your life and develop the Four Immeasurable Qualities: https://youtu.be/8jQlrNXFmvU
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Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché being received by gods and goddesses at the royal palace of Barpo Sogyé
The 15th day of the 12th lunar month is the 18,043rd birth anniversary of the founder of the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition, Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché. In 2026, this lunar day coincides with February 1st. This is an especially auspicious time to perform acts of virtue and take sacred vows.
In the ancient past, there were three brothers named Dakpa, Salwa, and Shépa who lived in a pure world and who had studied and mastered the Yungdrung Bön teachings. With the power of their clairvoyance, they could see sentient beings within the three thousand-fold universe creating karma and experiencing suffering by being trapped in the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, death, and rebirth. They felt great compassion for these beings and went before the god of compassion, Shenlha Ökar and asked how they could help rescue sentient beings from their suffering and misery. Shenlha Ökar instructed them to go into the world one after another in order to guide beings out of suffering with the Yungdrung Bön teachings. Dakpa, being the eldest, went first to the planet Earth and ministered to sentient beings. Dakpa was born as a human being and took the name Togyal Yékhyen. For a thousand years, he taught both humans and non-human beings and countless sentient beings were liberated. Afterward, he presented an account of his time on earth to various wisdom deities and asked how it might be possible to liberate those beings who he had been unable to tame. The wisdom deities responded that even though the Yungdrung Bön was all that was needed, even the light of the sun that pervades everywhere cannot illuminate a windowless house, or a north-facing cave. Thus, sentient beings that persist in their wrongdoing because of being afflicted with the passion of their five poisons are very difficult to tame. Thus, Buddha Togyal Yékhyen wrote his teachings down with turquoise ink on ivory-colored paper and then went to see the middle brother, Salwa. He addressed him with these words:
“Although countless sentient beings have been liberated through my activities, I have left the earth and cyclic existence. After some time has passed, it will be appropriate for you to begin your work of liberating sentient beings from cyclic existence through the teachings of Yungdrung Bön.”
Time passed, and as acts of virtue declined on the earth, so did the energy of loving kindness. The generations of benevolent kings passed and the teachings of Buddha Togyal Yékhyen faded from the world. As the era came to an end, there was destruction of the land and civilizations by floods, fire, and earthquakes. After a period of emptiness, a new time period began. Salwa left his pure abode and descended to the realms of the gods to prepare for a birth of flesh and blood as a human being. He was born on earth in the land of Tazik Olmo Lungring as a prince in the Southern palace of Barpo Sogyé 18,043 years ago. He was given the name Shenrap because he was born into the Shen clan and was the highest within this clan, Rap. He was named Miwoché because he had taken a great human form. His personal name was Künlé Namgyal, Completely Victorious Over Everything. A total of seven buddhas had manifested in cyclic existence in the eons prior to his birth. This is why he is known as the eighth buddha, or the eighth guide of sentient beings. Because he was already an enlightened being and beyond cyclic existence, his taking birth in the human realm is considered a great deed of compassion.
He was born just before sunrise on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to King Gyalbon Thökar and Queen Gyal Zhema. He had all of the major and minor marks of an enlightened being. A gathering of gods from above, a gathering of deities from intermediate space, and a gathering of powerful earth spirits all circumambulated the palace and proclaimed that they had arrived in order to be the first disciples of Tönpa, The Teacher.
Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché
This is an especially auspicious day to recite the following Homage to Tönpa Shenrap Miwo. Many masters, including Menri Pönlop Yangtön Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, recite this prayer before giving teachings.
tön pé gyal po khor wa dren pé pel, mün pé tsok nam jom jé drön mé ö, ma rik né dung sel wa men pé tso, mi yi chok tu gyur pa mu yi gyal, duk ngé dam dang tso kem mé chen pung, tsen dang pé jé den pé zi pak po, ka wa na tsok dang du lang né ni, dzé pa na tsok tar ru chin dzé ching, zik tsé zhi dang gong tsé druk nyi kyi, jam pa chen pö khor wa dröl dzé pé, shen rap trül pé ku la chak tsal lo
“Homage to the Eighth Guide of the Universe, Sangyé Tönpa Shenrap Miwo
King of Teachers, you are a glorious guide out of cyclic existence. A lamp who dispels all darkness, you are the principal physician who clears away the torment of ignorance and illness.
Most supreme among humanity, you are a King of the Mu lineage. You are a mighty fire that dries up the ocean and swamp of the five poisons and you have the major and minor marks of a noble sage.
Having undertaken many various hardships and having completed a diversity of activities, by means of the four kinds of valid perception and the six kinds of valid enlightened intention, and through great love, you liberate from cyclic existence. I prostrate to the emanated body of the highest Shen!”
Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché
Bring Meaning & Benefit to 2026 by Taking a Vow of Nonviolence for 1 Day, Multiple Days, or a Full Year
The auspicious day of March 3, 2026 is the first full moon of the Year of the Fire Horse and marks the birth anniversary of His Eminence Menri Pönlop Yangtön Trinley Nyima Rinpoche. This is an especially auspicious time to perform virtue and receive vows because the power of the activity is greatly multiplied. By taking a vow of nonviolence to abstain from eating meat from compassionate loving kindness during this time, unimaginable spiritual merit and benefit for both self and others is generated. One can accept this vow for a single day, multiple days, or for the entire Fire Horse year. The names of all those who take the vow will be offered to His Eminence Menri Pönlop Rinpoche on February 27th for the benefit of his long life and indestructible good health. Follow this link for more information and to fill out and submit the form for your personal vow of nonviolence. https://ravencypresswood.com/2026/01/24/bringing-meaning-benefit-to-2026-by-taking-a-vow-of-nonviolence-for-1-day-multiple-days-or-a-full-year/
In this short video, Raven Cypress Wood talks about how taking the vow, even for a single day, can bring meaning to your life and develop the Four Immeasurable Qualities: https://youtu.be/8jQlrNXFmvU
His Eminence Menri Pönlop Yangtön Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
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The anniversary of the passing away of Kyagön Dawa Gyaltsen Rinpoche is the 7th and 8th lunar days of the 11th month. In 2025, these dates coincide with December 26th & 27th on the Western calendar. He was born during the Fire Dragon year of 1796 and founded Ralak Yungdrung Ling Monastery on the bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in 1834. This monastery developed into one of the largest and most prestigious centers for learning within the Yungdrung Bön tradition. It was renowned for its extensive library and the fact that it had its own woodblocks to print texts. The monastery contained many golden statues including a gilt-copper image of Nampar Gyalwa that was two-stories high. It also contained reliquary stupas enshrining the remains of previous abbots. In 1965 during the cultural revolution, the monastery was burned to the ground. In 1982, two monks who had been in residence at the monastery prior to its destruction began the process of reconstruction.
Ralak Yungdrung Ling Monastery in Tibet. Photo credit: Unknown.
Supplication Prayer to the Lord of Refuge Dawa Gyaltsen
“You, a teacher born into the Amdo family lineage of Nangzhik, you spread the unrivaled Bön teachings of the White AH throughout your homeland.
You embody the essence of all buddhas by having having perfected the exalted qualities of the major and minor characteristics.
I pay homage to the Buddha who manifested in human form!”
— Translated from the Tibetan by Raven Cypress Wood
Reliquary containing the sacred relics of Kyabgön Dawa Gyaltsen. Photo credit: Unknown
At the age of sixty-seven during the water dog year of 1862 on the auspicious 8th lunar day of the middle winter month at mid-day, the warmth of his body and his consciousness concentrated at the center of his heart. His eyes looked straight ahead, unmoving. After the third sounding of the syllable “Pé!” related to the transference of consciousness practice, he left the shell of his physical body for the great bliss space of absolute reality.
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In 2024, Gary Freeman was on pilgrimage in Nepal with a group of Geshe Sonam Gurung’s students and had seen some beautiful murals of various manifestations of Sipé Gyalmo. Inspired by these images, he contacted me and generously offered to sponsor translation of prayers related to these specific manifestations. In the past, Gary and his wife Adriana sponsored the English translation of the healing waters practice of Sigyal Drakngak. Because of their request and sponsorship, this practice was translated into multiple languages, published, used by disciples worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, and continues to be used by regular practice groups. So, even though I was in the midst of finalizing translations for a forthcoming book on the MA TRI tantra, I set that aside to happily translate a few prayers. After sending the finished translations to Gary, I thought that it would be wonderful if they were also available to with the worldwide Yungdrung Bön community. With that in mind, I decided to create a small booklet of prayers focusing on female protectors that could be used by the faithful while on pilgrimage.
After a couple of weeks, I decided that the booklet was finished and went back to working on the MA TRI translations. However, I was constantly considering other prayers that would be beneficial additions. I would then add an additional prayer and again decide that it was complete. After doing this a few times, I surrendered to totally focusing on the pilgrimage booklet. Weeks turned to many months and the booklet grew to a 200 page book. And so, A Blazing Mala of Wish-fulfilling Jewels was born. It is a compilation of prayers and practices of the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition with an emphasis on female buddhas, protectors, and yogis. Being composed by enlightened ones or realized masters, these prayers carry power beyond that of ordinary words. When performed with faith and devotion, their profundity is inconceivable. When performed in conjunction with instruction and oral transmission from an authentic Yungdrung Bön master, their power and effectiveness are exponentially multiplied. These prayers are used for awakening the heart and mind, offering devotion, accumulating merit and wisdom, removing obstacles, protecting and increasing the life force, making aspirations, and so on. The book is formatted similar to a traditional Tibetan prayer book in that one prayer seamlessly follows another in an unbroken way. Thus, it is like a mala with each prayer like an individual bead being connected by the strong thread of Bön wisdom within the verses. When used with faith and devotion, the prayers become like blazing, wish-fulfilling jewels.
Most of the compositions are from my personal collection of Tibetan language prayer books and were translated over the course of many years. Some were translated in response to a request from a single individual, others were translated from a request by a Yungdrung Bön lama to be used for a one-time teaching or event, and others are prayers that have become part of my own practice. A select few were translated specifically to be included in the book. I am delighted to now share them with the worldwide Yungdrung Bön community.
The English language translations in the first half of the book are followed by the Tibetan language text with corresponding phonetics. The end of the book contains a brief Glossary of Terms and Notes section but there are no explanations of the meaning of the prayers or instructions for their use. In that way, use of A Blazing Mala of Wish-fulfilling Jewels assumes that the reader has at least some basic familiarity with the material, the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition, and with the language and terms used within the prayers. The book follows the traditional structure of beginning with prayers of homage and supplication to the lamas, followed by supplications and invocations of the peaceful and wrathful deities, and concluding with prayers of aspiration and dedication. My wish is that this book will be a support for happiness and spiritual development for generations to come.
Yeshe Walmo sacred dance at Menri Monastery in India
“Mother Yeshé Walmo, together with your powerful, magical emanations, you guard both the teachings and those who keep their vows, and you cut the life force of those who break their vows. You liberate the discordant into space and guide along the path of liberation. I, an only child, constantly call out to my mother. Does the single mother’s ears not hear me? I, an only child, constantly yearn for my mother. Does the single mother’s heart not consider me? Sole Mother, I, the Shen practitioner who calls upon you, am accepting hardships, aspiring to enlightenment, relying on solitary places, carrying the lama at my crown, and practicing with my mind in the midst of diversions and distractions. Single Mother, lead me along the path! Sole Mother, fulfill my wishes! Sole Mother, dispel my obscurations!”
Representation of the phenomenal world with its wondrous and desirable contents created at Menri Monastery
During the 12th-16th lunar days of the 5th lunar month, Menri Monastery together with the Rayna Menling Nunnery will conduct the annual Kha Long Sangwé Dō Chen, The Great Secret Dō Ritual of the Vast Sky. In 2025, these dates correspond with July 7th-11th. The purpose of this elaborate ritual cycle is to pacify or expel obstacles and malevolent energies, rebalance the five elements, attract good fortune, longevity, and positive circumstances, and to bring healing and harmony to the environment and its seen and unseen inhabitants. This ritual was taught directly by the enlightened Lord Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché as a skillful method to work with external, worldly forces that interfere with the happiness and success of sentient beings. These teachings are part of the Second Way of Bön, The Way of the Shen of the Phenomenal World. As in every teaching and ritual of the Yungdrung Bön, the foundation of the practice is unbiased, unlimited compassion. Even when so-called “malevolent spirits” are expelled because of their unwillingness to stop harming others, the expulsion is from a base of compassion for both those being harmed as well as for those causing the harm. By interrupting their harmful actions towards others, it also prevents them from accumulating negative karma. Additionally, every ritual concludes with prayers of aspiration that all beings be happy and peaceful, and ultimately to realize the ultimate state of enlightenment that is beyond any kind of suffering or unhappiness.
To support the ritual of The Great Secret Dō Ritual of the Vast Sky, a representation of the phenomenal world is created along with all the good and precious things within it. These things are offered to the enlightened ones, the worldly protectors, powerful spirits, and all the six kinds of sentient beings. By offering to the deities, the accumulation of merit is increased and previous negative actions are purified. By offering to the worldly protectors, they are delighted and continue to fulfill their vows of protection and bestowing abundance. By offering to the powerful spirits, we bring harmony to our relationship with them and pay any debts that might invoke their retribution. By giving to all the six kinds of sentient beings, we fulfill their desires and their minds become peaceful and satisfied.
His Eminence Menri Pönlop Thrinley Nyima Rinpoche instructing the monks in creating namkha
About Namkha
In addition to the many offerings of torma, precious gems, foodstuffs, flowers and greenery, fragrant smells, soft materials, and so on; this ritual makes abundant use of the ritual object known as a namkha. The Tibetan term namkha literally translates as “sky” or “external space.” This term is often translated as “thread-cross.” There are many different kinds of namkha that have a diversity of form and function. Just as the shape, color, ingredients, and use of a torma is determined by its ritual purpose, so is the shape, color, and function of a namkha determined by its ritual purpose. As for the actual construction, a namkha is created by affixing thin pieces of bamboo or wood together to establish a frame. Then, beginning at the center and working outward, strands of colored wool, yarn, or thread are used to weave a net-like pattern over the frame. The length of the wood or bamboo is notched to allow the colored strands to catch and stay in place. There is a great variation in framework and patterns. For example, if the namkha is being used as a temporary abode of a deity or spirit, the pattern and colors used will be representative of the physical characteristics and hand objects of that deity or spirit. Namkha are used as a dwelling for deities or spirits during a ritual, to attract or repel specific energies and qualities, for protection from danger and disease, and as offerings, among other purposes.
Namkha created for the fire ritual of the deity Duk Kar, the White Umbrella Goddess
Dō Rituals
Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché taught 365 different types of rituals. The Great Secret Dō Ritual of the Vast Sky is categorized as a dō type of ritual. Because many of the dō rituals make use of namkha, some Western scholars have erroneously stated that the terms dō [Tibetan: mdos] and namkha are synonymous. This is incorrect. There are dō rituals that do not use namkha, and there are many namkha that are used in rituals other than those categorized as dō. In general, dō rituals are the most important of the ransom rituals used for eliminating harm to the life force, diseases, danger, and other disturbances from nonhuman beings. In general, the nonhuman beings causing harm are offered an exchange of desirable things for the release of those being harmed. Namkha are used to invite the enlightened deities who are the objects of refuge for the ritual, and the protectors who subdue the malevolent forces. Other types of namkha are made as offerings to the deities and gifts of exchange for the ransom. Still other types of namkha act as supports for the return of the life force, and the rebalancing of the external, internal, and secret five elements. There are different kinds of dō rituals in order to appeal to the variety of nonhuman beings that create disturbances for humanity and the environment.
Namkha of various auspicious symbols
The scripture for the Kha Long Sangwé Dō Chen is almost one thousand pages in length. It includes chapters dedicated to instructions for the construction of ritual items, texts for the ransom rituals for men, women, and children, rituals for stopping and healing illness and contagious disease, rituals for renewing and fulfilling sacred vows, rituals for calling upon the magically powerful and benevolent worldly protectors, rituals for strengthening the life force and prosperity, rituals for appeasing the many kinds of nonhuman spirits, rituals for forcefully repelling negative forces, and so on. The overall purpose of all of these rituals is to bring peace and happiness within the world of appearances, and to generate faith in the Yungdrung Bön teachings which will guide all sentient beings to the ultimate goal of liberation from all the suffering of cyclic existence.
Raven Cypress Wood and Khenpo Nyima Künchap Rinpoche prepare namkha for an elaborate ritual offering to the lu [Sanskrit: naga]
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