The founder of the Yungdrung Bön tradition is the Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché. His right hand is in the mudra of subduing the earth and holds a chakshing. The chakshing has two yungdrungs which represent the unchanging and unceasing nature of the absolute truth. These qualities also refer to the true nature of the mind that is beyond concepts and is indestructible.
Location: The full name of this monastery is Yanggon Tongdrol Phuntsok Ling, Temple of the Yangtön Lineage, Land of Complete Fulfillment that Liberates upon Seeing. However, it is commonly referred to simply as Yanggon Monastery. At 14,160 ft above sea level, it is located in the highest village within the remote area of Dolpo, Nepal. This is the village of Charka (Tsarka in Tibetan. Charka is the common Nepali pronunciation.) It is located at the junction of two rivers appropriately named The Big River and The Small River. The monastery complex consists of the first temple which is now in ruins, the second temple which was originally built in the mid-nineteenth century and later moved in the early 90’s and consolidated with the third temple which was built in 1988 by the current head lama, Yangtön Lama Tashi Gyaltsen.
The village of Charka
History: The history of the Yangtön lineage is closely interwoven with the history of the Yungdrung Bön tradition itself. It is said that two of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap’s disciples were Yangtön lamas. And during the reign of the first Tibetan king, Nyatri Tsenpo in the second century B.C., the official priest for the king and the kingdom was a Yangtön lama. The original seat of the family was at Taktsé Jari in Upper Tsang, Western Tibet. The great lama, Yangtön Sherab Gyaltsen was the first to travel away and eventually settled in Mustang, Nepal where he established a hermitage. Another lama, known as Lama Ngakpa, settled in Mustang for a time but then made his way to Dolpo. Because all of his children died at a young age, he brought a boy to Dolpo from the original family seat of Taktsé. This prompted the rest of the family to follow and settle in Dolpo. It was this boy, Yangtön Gyaltsen Rinchen, who founded the nearby monastery of Samling. He was also a teacher to the esteemed Dru Gyalwa Yungdrung who wrote a practice manual for the Oral Transmission of the Zhang Zhung Dzogchen teachings.
Yangtön Lama Tashi Gyaltsen
Currently: The head lama of the monastery is Yangtön Lama Tashi Gyaltsen. He was the first of the Yangtön lamas to receive his Geshe, Doctorate of Religion and Philosophy, from Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India. His younger brother soon followed and is now the head teacher of the monastery, His Eminence Menri Lopön Thrinley Nyima Rinpoche. Their nephew, Yangtön Geshe Tenzin, has also received his Geshe degree and, like his uncles, he travels throughout the world teaching as well as spending time in the village of Charka organizing building projects and offering rituals and teachings to the villagers. In addition to his activities of building and preserving the family temples, monks’ living quarters and building projects, Yangtön Lama Tashi is also responsible for the teaching and spiritual guidance of a small group of young monks.
Yaks carrying lumber
Because of the remoteness of the village, all supplies for building must be carried in on foot. This is a slow and arduous process. Building supplies must be brought by animal from Jomsom, Mustang via a narrow, single-track path. This can take up to seven days. Large beams for construction must be carried by humans from Tibet. The cost of getting the supplies to the remote village can average 4-5 times the actual cost of the supplies themselves. Rocks for a building’s foundation can only be gathered in Winter because they are located on the opposite side of the river and it is necessary to wait until the river freezes enough to be walked across. In recent years, in spite of the difficulty, the Yangtön lamas have been able to build and begin to establish a much needed medical clinic in the village that will serve the 500-600 villagers. The clinic is located on monastery grounds and is supervised by the monastery. Before the establishment of the clinic, the nearest medical support was over a hundred miles away. Common medicines were rare and infection from minor cuts and injuries easily became life threatening. Infant mortality was over 50%. Construction of the free healthcare clinic began in 2009. Three people are being trained as doctors who will staff the clinic. One is learning Western medicine, one is learning traditional Tibetan medicine and a third is specializing in being a midwife. In addition to medical intervention, the staff will also educate the local population about hygiene and first aid.
Medical Clinic in the village of Charka
For more information about Yanggon Monastery, http://www.yanggon.org/
For more information about the free healthcare clinic and its current needs, http://kwling.org/projects/clinic/
Young monks learning to debate at Triten Norbutse Monastery near Kathmandu, Nepal
This Yungdrung Bön temple is located in the village of Jomson in Mustang, Nepal.
For more on Yungdrung Bön in Mustang, see the documentary film Mustang to Menri.
The element of Fire is called mé in Tibetan. It is symbolized by the shape of a triangle and the color red. The unique vibration of this element is the sound ‘RAM’. It is associated with the direction West. In general, Fire provides enthusiasm, creativity and intuition.
Environmentally, our dependence upon the element of Fire is clear by the importance of the sun for life on the planet. The inner core of the earth is dominated by the element of Fire and it is believed to be about the same temperature as that of the surface of the sun. Fire has enabled us to cook, which greatly increases the amount of food available to us. And it has also allowed us to live in climates which would ordinarily be too cold.
In the Yungdrung Bön tradition, spiritual realization and the perfection of wisdom are associated with inner heat. There is a spiritual practice, called Tummo, which is specifically develops and increases this inner heat which naturally ripens our positive qualities and burns away our negative qualities. This practice involves a very detailed visualization of Fire.
Within our bodies, the element of Fire rules the warmth of our bodies and the heat of digestion. More specifically, it is associated with the liver. When the element of Fire is balanced within us, we are engaged with activities that inspire us and bring us the joy of accomplishment. We are enthusiastic about life and feel joy. A balanced Fire element gives us the energy and drive to accomplish our goals and find creative solutions for any obstacles that might arise.
If the Fire element is in excess, we can be quick to become agitated, frustrated and angry. We can overreact with our actions or words. We find many things intolerable and can view others as our opponents. There is constant movement and instability. Our thoughts are incessant. Physiologically, we can experience fevers and skin symptoms.
If the Fire element is deficient, we lack energy and inspiration. Nothing excites us. We don’t feel motivated or feel that we lack the energy necessary to manifest our goals. We lack curiosity and life can feel like a boring routine. Physiologically, our metabolism can slow and we have difficulty digesting our food.
In order to bring the element of Fire back into balance, there are methods such as Tibetan medicine, ritual and meditation practices such as Tummo. There are specific yogic exercises within the Yungdrung Bön tradition which use the focus of the mind together with the breath and movement of the physical body to balance and strengthen the elements within us. To learn more about these yogic exercises see Healing with Form, Energy and Light by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
Additionally, if the Fire element has become weakened, spend more time being active with things that bring you joy. Spend time with extroverted, enthusiastic people. Go to an unfamiliar environment and learn about it. Greet strangers with a smile or begin a conversation with someone about a subject that interests you. You can also spend time near an open fire such as in a fireplace or with a candle and meditate upon the energy and quality of the fire existing inside of you. If the Fire element is in excess, spend more time with earthy people who have a grounding effect upon you. Slow down. Be mindful of rising agitation and take deep breaths to release or practice patience with yourself and others. Take time to finish and enjoy the accomplishment of one project before beginning another. Spiritually, balanced Fire gives us the motivation and joyful effort needed to be diligent with our practice. It also gives the ability to progress more quickly in our development.
Nine Ways 