Blog Archives

91st Anniversary of the Parinirvana of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche

Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche

The 13th lunar day of the 4th lunar month is the anniversary of the parinirvana and the attainment of the rainbow body of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche. In 2025, this date coincides with June 9th. Shardza Rinpoche was a Yungdrung Bön monk, teacher, scholar, and realized practitioner of the modern age. Born in 1859 in Kham, Tibet, at the age of nine an esteemed lama told his parents that he should become a monk. Being their only son, the parents refused. Shardza soon became quite ill. Seeing that their son was not recovering, the parents agreed to allow him to take ordination. At this, Shardza quickly recovered. He was the attendant for his root lama, Tenzin Wangyal, for many years. At the age of eighteen, he took the full vows of a Yungdrung Bön monk from the abbot of Yungdrung Ling Monastery.

Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche depicted as a yogi with long hair and a white robe

Throughout his life, Shardza Rinpoche was known for a disciplined adherence to every vow that he had taken throughout his life. Although his view and practice were vast and high, he maintained diligence in performing virtue and avoiding the smallest non-virtue. He continually performed the preliminary practices and recited many millions of mantra, especially the SA LÉ Ö mantra. He composed many concise practices for purifying negativity and accumulating merit and wisdom, such as his Aspiration Prayer of Giving and Receiving. (For the publicly available English translation, go to the Publications page of this website. For a brief explanation of the prayer, see previous article: https://ravencypresswood.com/2020/01/31/an-aspiration-prayer-of-giving-and-receiving-gift-translation/ )

“For those with a great deal of negative actions in this lifetime, having requested a remedy because they will certainly ripen during future lifetimes, the remedy of performing virtue is very powerful. Having ripened negative actions, the mere exhaustion of that karma (through pain and/or illness), enlightenment is certain. Therefore, this pain and illness of yours is very amazing when it is voluntarily accepted!

Even now, whenever more pain or illness arises, continuing to persevere with your religious practices, venerations, and acts of pure virtue would be incredibly amazing!

When you imagine that there will be no unhappiness in the future (due to this negative karma being exhausted), supremely praise the emptiness of that particular pain or illness.

Be inspired by the power of this antidote, even when what you don’t want arises.

Take the suffering and misery of others onto yourself by adopting others’ happiness and suffering through the practice of giving and receiving.” 

Shardza Rinpoche’s advice to the female practitioner Khandro Wangi Dronma. 
Hair and nails of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen that were recovered after his attainment of the rainbow body
Hair and nails of Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche that were recovered after his attainment of the rainbow body

He taught a multitude of disciples, organized the reconstruction of temples, went on pilgrimages, and spent a great deal of time in isolated retreat. A prolific writer, he wrote at length on subjects such as Bön history, instructions for the practice of Tibetan yoga, preliminary practices for Dzogchen, condensed summaries of each of the None Ways of Bön, and detailed instructions for the advanced practice of inner heat, known as Tummo. When Shardza Rinpoche was 75 years old, his disciples noticed that his behavior changed. He seemed more casual and became delighted when playing with children. He was seen doing miraculous things such as walking without his feet touching the ground or setting his bowl down in space.

In 1934 at the age of 76 during an offering ceremony, he began to spontaneously sing songs of realization.  A few days later, he sewed himself inside a tent and forbid any of his disciples to open it.  The next day, rainbow lights began appearing above and around the tent. After three days, the ground shook. By the 4th day, rainbow-colored mist was seen coming through the seams of the tent. On that 4th day, Shardza’s disciple Tsultrim Wangchuk, afraid that his lama’s body would completely disappear and leave nothing as an object of veneration and inspiration, opened the tent. He found Shardza’s body enveloped in rainbow light, levitating in midair, and shrunken to the proportional size of a one year old child. The area around his heart was still warm but most of the nails of the hands and feet had fallen onto the seat below. For the next forty-nine days, a multitude of disciples came to pay their respect and receive blessings. After that, the precious remains were placed into a reliquary chorten. From time to time, many people have reported seeing clear or rainbow-colored light emanating from this reliquary chorten.

Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen’s reliquary chorten at his retreat center in Amdo, Tibet

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

Don’t want to miss a post? Scroll to the bottom and click “Follow this blog.”

Want to join the mandala of Nine Ways supporters? Follow this link https://ravencypresswood.com/donate/ It’s easy through Paypal, Zelle, and Venmo.

Annual Reading of the Enlightened Teachings of Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap

Nuns of Rayna Menling reading from the teachings of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap

Each year at Pal Shenten Menri Monastery and Rayna Menling Nunnery on the 14th and 15th lunar days of the 4th month, the enlightened teachings of Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché are read out loud. In 2025, these dates coincide with June 10th and 11th on the Western calendar. The sacred volumes containing these teachings are carried by both the ordained and laypeople as they circumambulate the temple. As a sign of respect for the sacredness of these texts, they are carried above the waist. Most often, they are carried on the shoulder. After bringing them into the temples, offerings such as incense are presented, and the text are distributed to the ordained for two full days of reading. Reading the scriptures aloud is considered one of the thirteen activities for a meaningful human life. (See previous article: https://ravencypresswood.com/2020/03/21/the-thirteen-yungdrung-bon-activities-for-a-meaningful-human-life/) For those inspired to read the words of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap on these days, The Beneficial Mantric Praise of Künsal Jamma Chenmo, The Jamma Ngak Tö, is considered a root text for the practice of Sherap Jamma that was spoken by the Buddha himself. Through the verses of praise for each of the syllables of Jamma’s root mantra, the profundity of the innumerable manifestations of Jamma is revealed. The teaching and transmission for this text has been widely shared in both the East and West.

“The mantra of the twenty-one victors, the praise of the Victorious Jamma of Bön, was spoken by the Victor Tönpa Shenrap. These twenty-one verses are, without exception, beyond cyclic existence and a completely pure practice. By reciting out loud the twenty-one praises, one will obtain immeasurable benefits. Praise to Tönpa Shenrap for revealing these twenty-one praises of the root mantra!”

Extract from The Beneficial Mantric Praise of Künsal Jamma Chenmo
His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizen, His Eminence Menri Pönlop Rinpoche, and other monks of Menri Monastery carry texts containing the words of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap.

The canon of sacred Yungdrung Bön texts is divided into two categories. The first category of texts contains the teachings of the primordial enlightened ones and Lord Buddha Tönpa Shenrap. This category is known as Ka [Tibetan: bka’] meaning “enlightened words or speech.” These texts are further divided into four primary categories: (1) Dō [Tibetan: mdo], Sutra, (2) Bum [Tibetan: ‘bum], The Hundred Thousand, (3) Gyü [Tibetan: rgyud], Tantra, and (4) Dzö [Tibetan: mdzod] The Treasury. In some catalogues, there can also be a fifth category of miscellaneous texts. Although each Yungdrung Bön temple in Tibet had a significant collection of Ka scriptures, the collections were not necessarily complete. This was especially due to repeated persecution throughout history of the Yungdrung Bön tradition which necessitated the hiding of texts. It is thought that only one complete collection survived. According to a catalogue of the Ka done by the 23rd abbot of Menri there are a total of 175 volumes. This number can vary according to various collections due to the availability of texts that could be copied, whether only main titles were counted as a volume, and so on. Regardless, the Sutra section contains texts such as the hagiography of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap, The Ritual Practice of the Medicine Buddha, The Root Scripture for Jamma, the four volumes of medical texts, and so on. The Hundred Thousand section contains the sixteen volumes of the Khams Gyé, The Unsurpassed Scripture Regarding the Eight Realms, the Yum Dō, The Heart Sutra of the Mother of the Great Vehicle, and so on. The Tantra section includes the Buddha’s teachings of the Mother Tantras, the Father Tantras, Phurba, Walsé, and so on. The Treasury section includes the teachings of dzogchen such as The Aural Transmission of Zhang Zhung.

“Gyajin, a ruler of the gods, rose from his seat and, having removed his upper robe from one of his shoulders, he set his right knee upon the ground. Having placed his hands together, he made a request of The Teacher with these words: “Free from the fault of wrongdoing, you have perfected every good quality. You are the source from which arises all happiness and exalted qualities. Good omniscient Shenrap, what should one do to practice or make use of the Essence of the Mother of the Great Vehicle?”

In response to that, Shenrap bestowed his teaching. 

“Gyajin, ruler of the gods, and all you yungdrung sempa, when practicing or making use of the Essence of the Mother of the Great Vehicle, all phenomena that arise from worldly existence, that arise as precious ornaments, that arise as an appearance, that arise from emptiness, that arise from individual clarity, that arise from self-awareness, that arise from the changeless and indestructible vast expanse, or that arise from equanimity; are neither appearance nor emptiness, neither existent nor nonexistent, neither eternal nor nothingness, neither born nor negated. Why is that? All of those, in every way, are unobjectifiable. Even their self-nature is unobjectifiable. Therefore, they are primordially without a source and without a birth. They have no beginning. Abiding within the equanimity of no beginning is the unfabricated, perfected, single sphere.

Extract from The Heart Sutra of the Mother of the Great Vehicle to be published in the forthcoming A Mala of Blazing, Wish-fulfilling Jewels: A Collection of Daily Practices of the Yungdrung Bön Religious Tradition by Raven Cypress Wood
Monks and nuns of Menri Monastery circumambulating with the scriptures of the Ka.

The second category of canonical texts is known as the Ka Ten [Tibetan: bka’ brten], Relying upon the Words. The Bön canon is referred to within Bön texts as the Ka and the Ka Ten. (This differs from the Buddhist canon which is referred to as the Kangyur and the Tengyur.) The Ka Ten includes commentaries, practices, rituals, and so on that rely upon the scriptures of the Ka for the root text. In order for a text to be included in the Ka Ten, it must undergo a rigorous and methodical analysis. There are over 300 volumes included within the Ka Ten. Some catalogues do not include texts after the 14th century which are thought to be mainly texts of the New Bön tradition. Other catalogues do include these texts as well as the collective writings of other Bön sages such as Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen. Additionally, many texts are incredibly rare and are guarded from outsiders. Therefore, few if any copies of these texts exist. Some texts are considered valid to be included in the Ka Ten by some, while being considered invalid and thus excluded by others. Titles can be included within unrelated volumes or counted individually, and so on. Even so, it is generally accepted that there are over 300 volumes of Ka Ten scriptures. These volumes include commentaries and practices based upon scriptures of the Ka such as The Practice Manual of the Aural Transmission of Zhang Zhung by Dru Gyalwa Yungdrung, scriptures of philosophy and logic, biographies, historical accounts, compositions of sacred songs, poetry, and advice for disciples, collections of liturgical texts, and so on.

I, of inferior intelligence, but for the benefit of beings and for the sake of explaining at least part of the meaning, will explain the Sky Ladder to Freedom, an Abridged Commentary of the Meaning of the Heart’s Blood of Bön, the Mantric Praise of Jamma. If one were able to explain the commentary on the merits of Jamma in great detail including the characteristics of each of the deities, it would amount to twenty-one great chapters in many volumes. ”  

Extract from A Sky-Ladder to Freedom: An Abridged Commentary Regarding the Meaning of the Words of the Mantric Praise of Jamma, the Deity Who Protects From All Things composed by the great 23rd abbot of Menri Monastery His Holiness Nyima Tenzin Rinpoche
Traditionally wrapped and labeled Yungdrung Bön scriptures.

Tibetan translations by Raven Cypress Wood

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.


This article is made possible by generous donors who want content like this to continue to be available. Want to join the mandala of Nine Ways supporters? Follow this link https://ravencypresswood.com/donate/


Don’t want to miss a post? Scroll to the bottom and click “Follow this blog.”

Developing Knowledge & Wisdom through the Power of the Lion of Speech

Mawé Sengé, Lion of Speech, with a sword of knowledge and a scripture.

After the Tibetan New Year celebrations, students at Menri Monastery enter into an intensive retreat to cultivate the qualities of the wisdom deity Mawé Sengé, Lion of Speech. This retreat begins on the 24th lunar day of the 1st month and concludes on the 30th lunar day. In 2025, these dates are March 23rd – March 29th on the Western calendar. The purpose of this retreat is to receive the blessings and empowerment of the wisdom deity Mawé Sengé in order to develop and sharpen the students’ intellect to support their upcoming studies in the new school year. The practice of Mawé Sengé is performed many times each day and the mantra of the deity is recited as much as possible throughout the retreat with a minimum accumulation of one hundred thousand mantra recitations.

Mawé Sengé is the manifestation of the Dzok ku, the enlightened state that spontaneously expresses perfected qualities. If practiced regularly as a yidam deity, he clears away the darkness of confusion, develops the intellect, and gives a quick and steadfast memory without forgetfulness. If his practice is properly applied and accomplished, there are seven specific signs that arise. These are called The Seven Signs of Attaining Wisdom that Blazes Like Fire. These seven signs are:

  1. The sign of having removed the darkness of lack of knowledge from the intellect. Specifically, this refers to removing a weak or unclear intellectual understanding. 
  2. The sign of having the eye of wisdom. This is the attainment of clairvoyance, expansive knowledge and wisdom.
  3. The sign of being like a lion of glorious poetry. This refers to the ability to write expert discourses, specifically scholastic poems and compositions.
  4. The sign of the sun of superior knowledge arising. This refers to the capability of having clear knowledge, without any confusion, regarding the qualities of any knowable object. 
  5. The sign of attaining the recollection of intelligence that is never forgotten. This refers to a steadfast capability of remembering what has been learned without forgetfulness.
  6. The sign of being like a thunderbolt when debating. This refers to the capability to brilliantly overcome all others, without defeat or fear, when debating any subject whatsoever.
  7. The sign of the intellectual memory being fast like lightening. This refers to an extraordinary ability of having a clear and quick memory.

“I go for refuge to the wisdom deity for the intellect. I generate the supreme mind of enlightenment for the benefit of vigorous training in the highest wisdom. Having compassionately purified all karmic obscurations without exception, please bestow the attainments of an increased intellect, useful knowledge, and a divine voice!”  

— From The Short Practice of Mawé Sengé. Tibetan translation: Raven Cypress Wood

Mawé Sengé holding a sword and a butter lamp

In the Yungdrung Bön tradition, there are two principal forms of the wisdom deity Mawé Sengé. Both of these forms share most characteristics. However, one form holds a sword and a scripture as the hand objects. The other form holds a sword and a butter lamp. This second principal form of Mawé Sengé is according to the prayer, An Offering of Praise for the Supreme Wisdom Deity Sherab Mawé Sengé, A Garland of Utpala Flowers composed by the highly revered Nyammé Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche.

“With a sword of wisdom held in your right hand, you cut the root of deluded thoughts and self-grasping.

With a butter lamp of clarity held in your left hand, you dispel the dark intellect and ignorance of migrating beings.

In the space to your right and left, the sun and moon blaze with the splendor of the inseparability of method and knowledge.”

— Extract from An Offering of Praise for the Supreme Wisdom Deity Sherab Mawé Sengé, A Garland of Utpala Flowers

Tibetan translations by Raven Cypress Wood

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.


Did you enjoy this content? This article is made possible by generous donors who want content like this to continue to be available. Join the mandala of Nine Ways supporters by following this link: https://ravencypresswood.com/donate/


Don’t want to miss a post? Scroll to the bottom and click “Follow this blog.”

Sacred Dances of the Tibetan New Year

Losar cham dance at Triten Norbutse Monastery. Photo credit: Unknown

Sacred dances are performed as part of the Tibetan New Year celebrations and monastic rituals each year. Although many of these dances were historically performed in secret, over the centuries it became customary to allow the public to view the dance performances. Sacred dance exists in both Buddhist and Yungdrung Bön religious traditions as a means of conveying wisdom related to the path of enlightenment as well as the mundane world. Sacred dances, Tibetan: cham, are performed by both monks and laypeople. Each cham has its own unique steps, gestures, costume, and accompanying instruments. When an ordained person wears the dress and ornaments of a deity and performs the dance, they dissolve attachment to their own identity and merge with the enlightened body, speech, and mind of the deity. In this way, the dances are to be viewed not as worldly entertainment, but with devotion and the pure view that one is in the presence of the actual deity and receiving a multitude of inconceivable blessings. In this way, illness, obstacles, and negative influences are pacified; and health, longevity, and prosperity are strengthened.

Monks of Menri Monastery undergoing a performance exam for the cham dances of 2024. Photo credit: Unknown

His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin Lungtok Tenpé Nyima Rinpoche is widely credited with personally rescuing the Bön traditional sacred dances from obscurity. He was a student in Amdo and had responsibility for the dances for six years. During the first three years, he performed at the end of the line of dancers which indicates being new to the dance and needing to follow others. The final three years, he performed at the beginning of the line as the dance master who leads all the other dancers. He trained both monks and nuns to perform the cham and was able to preserve the complete performance instructions for the dances.

His Holiness 33rd Menri Trizin demonstrates sacred dance steps at Menri Monastery. Photo credit: Unknown

Among the variety of cham within the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition, there are three cycles of sacred dance that are commonly performed: (1) Sacred Dance of the Mother Tantra, (2) Sacred Dance of the Nine Zema Sisters, and (3) Sacred Dance of the Nine Indestructible Shenraps. 

The Sacred Dance of the Mother Tantra was not commonly performed for the public until after the 15th century. The Buddhist Mother Tantra cham dance is similar in that it also demonstrates the path of liberation and shares the characteristic of the dancers wearing black hats with black coverings hanging in front of the eyes. This cham is performed after first creating the mandala of the Mother Tantra, inviting the collective Mother Tantra deities, and then performing a feast offering. The steps of the dance are divided into three categories that are named according to the first three characters of the Tibetan syllabary: KA, KHA, and GA. During the KA steps, all of the deities are invited with the sound of the large drum. With the KHA steps, the six emanations of Sipé Gyalmo, the forty peaceful and wrathful deities, the forty-five female guardians, and the thirty-five supreme deities of space are presented with offerings. With the GA steps, the four kinds of enlightened activity are accomplished and blessings are bestowed. This dance has been greatly supported by the Shen family, the descendants of the the enlightened Lord Tönpa Shenrap Miwoché.

Mother Tantra cham with its characteristic black hats. Photo credit; Unknown

The Sacred Dance of the Nine Zema Sisters depicts the beginning of our three thousand-fold world system according to Yungdrung Bön cosmology. According to one account, the goddess Lhamo Chucham Gyalmo and Lha Gö Tokpa produced twenty-seven eggs. From the first nine eggs emerged the Zema Gu, or the nine Zema sisters who have animal heads and human bodies. These nine sisters were appointed as protectors by Takla Mebar. It is said that this dance began with the tertön Shenchen Luga who discovered the associated text in 1017 CE.

During the dance, the dancers wear animal masks that represent each of these nine sisters. From the twenty-seven eggs emerged the twenty-seven sisters. In the early days of Tibet, all twenty-seven sisters were depicted in the dance. This cosmology is so deeply rooted in Tibetan history that the country of Tibet was once referred to as “born from an egg.” The nine zema sisters depicted in the dance are:

  1. Blue Dragon-headed
  2. Dark-green Snake-headed
  3. Black Garuda-headed
  4. White Lion-headed
  5. Red Bear-headed
  6. Dark-red Wolf-headed
  7. Dark-brown Tiger-headed
  8. Yellow-green Garuda-headed
  9. Female Lu with a Hungry Mouth

This dance has fifteen different kinds of steps:

  1. Guiding Along the Path Steps
  2. Tiger Steps
  3. Gait of a Lion Steps
  4. Peaceful and Wrathful Steps
  5. Meri Steps
  6. Mother Tantra steps
  7. Wrathful Manner Steps 
  8. Welcome Steps
  9. Energy Moving Steps 
  10. Drawing the Arrow
  11. Taming the Sky
  12. Taming the Earth
  13. Shooting Four
  14. Sipé Gyalmo Steps
  15. Cycle of Bön Lamas Steps
Monk dancers dressed as the six emanations of the protector Sipé Gyalmo. Photo credit: Unknown

Sacred Dance of the Indestructible Shenraps is different from the other dances in that there are many lead dancers. It has been performed since the 15th century every year on the 29th day of the 12th lunar month as instructed by the founder of Menri Monastery, His Holiness the 1st Menri Trizin Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen. This sacred dance depicts nine religious protectors of the Yungdrung Bön tradition that have all taken vows to protect the religion and its followers. The dance has nine distinct types of steps that each have a precise meaning. The nine protectors depicted in the dance are:

  1. Sipé Gyalmo who is the principal of the dance
  2. Mudü who is the chief of the fierce dré and srin spirits
  3. Tsen who is chief of the powerful tsen dré spirits
  4. Absé Gyalwa who is another chief of the powerful tsen spirits
  5. Nyipangsé who is a gyalpo or king spirit of Zhang Zhung
  6. Dzam Ngon who is also known as Blue Dzambhala or Kubera and is a wealth deity
  7. Sheltrap Chen
  8. Drakpa Sengé
  9. Tago
Monk dancers emerge from the meditation hall to perform before the crowd at Menri Monastery. Photo credit: Unknown

Tibetan translations by Raven Cypress Wood

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.


This article is made possible by generous donors who want content like this to continue to be available. Want to join the mandala of Nine Ways supporters? Follow this link https://ravencypresswood.com/donate/


Don’t want to miss a post? Scroll to the bottom and click “Follow this blog.”

669th Birth Anniversary of the Second Buddha, H.H. the 1st Menri Trizin Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen

Nyamme Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoche

The 5th day of the 1st lunar month is the birth celebration of His Holiness the 1st Menri Trizin Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoché who is known as the second buddha in the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition. In 2025, this date coincides with March 4th on the Western calendar. His Holiness Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoché was a reincarnation of Yikyi Khye’u Chung, one of Buddha Tönpa Shenrap Miwoche’s sons. He reunited the three transmission lineages of sutra, tantra and dzogchen that had become widely dispersed, and he founded one of the largest Yungdrung Bön monasteries in Tibet, Tashi Menri Ling.

Born in 1356 C.E. in the region of Gyalrong into the esteemed Dru lineage, as a child, he could recite mantra and read scripture without having studied. At the age of ten, he decided to become a monk. In 1387 C.E. at the age of 31, he entered the prestigious Yeru Wensaka monastery and eventually became its abbot. While he was traveling in Eastern Tibet, Yeru Wensaka was destroyed by flooding and mudslides. Upon returning, he searched the ruins of the monastery for any salvageable artifacts. With these precious objects, he established Tashi Menri Monastery on higher ground within the same valley. It was 1405 C.E. and he was 50 years old.

Cloak belonging to the precious lord Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Photo credit: Unknown

In 1415 C.E. at the age of 60, he left the shell of his physical body. His body levitated high into the air, but due to the fervent prayers of his disciples, the body returned to the earth. During the cremation, rainbows appeared and a large bird circled three times around the cremation area before disappearing into the West.

Today,  Bönpos will spend the day with their eyes looking skyward. If they are lucky enough to be visited by a vulture on this day, it is said to be an auspicious sign of having directly received the blessings of the one known as the Second Buddha, the Unequaled One, His Holiness Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoché.

Among his numerous writings, is the commonly recited Eight-branched Aspiration Prayer, Mönlam Yenlak Gyepa. When offering aspiration prayers, we imagine that every sentient being is offering the prayers in unison with us. This limitless group of beings includes humans, nonhumans, unseen spirits, and those we consider “enemies.” All sound is perceived as the sound of the prayer being recited and the vastness of space is imagined as filled with buddhas and bodhisattvas that are delighted by the virtuous activity that spontaneously activates their immeasurable compassion. By offering the prayers in this way, and then dedicating the merit of the practice for the welfare of all sentient beings, the power of the practice is inconceivable and the benefit is sealed and can never be destroyed. 

The English language translation of the Eight-branched Aspiration Prayer, Mönlam Yenlak Gyepa is publicly available for personal use and can be downloaded from the Publications page of this website. Click on the Publications tab above and then scroll down to the download link.

The Writings of His Holiness Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoche*

Cycle of Supplication and Aspiration Prayers

  • Praise of the Four Supreme Places of Refuge
  • Offering and Praise to Mawé Sengé
  • Supplication Prayer to the Mawé Sengé Lineage
  • Praise of Venerable Essence of [the] Dru [Family Lineage]
  • Eight Characteristics of Tséwang’s Eight Sacred Places
  • Stages of Chanted Supplications
  • Eight-branched Aspiration Prayer, A Ladder to Freedom
  • Homage to the Charactristics of the Aural Transmission Shenraps
  • The Gift of the Physical Body
  • Condensed Peaceful Chö of Gifting the Body
  • Command for the Gods and Demons                            

Cycle of Fumigation and Fulfillment

  • Stages of Preliminary Practices for a Completely Pure Fumigation Offering
  • A Small Collection Regarding the Medicine Deity Generation Stage
  • Supplication and Requesting Consideration from the Marvelous Ones
  • Invocation of the Practice Lineage
  • Special Fulfillment
  • A Completely Pure River of Requesting Consideration and Supplication
  • Burnt Offerings of the Treasury of Precious Terma
  • General Fulfillment from a Bundle of Precious Terma
  • A Precious Mala of Fumigation Offerings
  • Fumigation Offering to the Powerful Ones
  • Fumigation Offering to Sigyal
  • Fumigation Offering to Black Mule Sigyal from the Precious Terma
  • Sigyal’s Manifested Realization
  • Sigyal’s Threadcross Practice
  • A Brief Paper on Sigyal’s Threadcross
  • A Brief Paper on Black Mule Sigyal’s Feast Offering
  • Short Fulfillment Practice of Black Mule Sigyal
  • Practice of the Black Net Threadcross
  • The Shining Lamp of Realization of the Red and Black Threadcross
  • Commandments for the Avowed Guardians of the Teachings
  • Important Points regarding the Fulfillment of Midü Jampa
  • Fumigation Offering to Midü
  • Offering and Fulfillment to Drak Tsen
  • Fumigation Offering to Drak Tsen
  • Invocation of Nyipangsé
  • Command for Nyipangsé
  • Command for the Queen of the Drala
  • Gyalpo Sheltrap Torma Offering and Fulfillment
  • A Brief Invocation of Sheltrap
  • Praise in Appreciation of the Fumigation Offering
  • Supplement to the Fumigation Offering
  • Generation Stage for the Fulfillment Torma
Celebration of Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Photo credit: Unknown

Cycle of Supplementary Texts for the Practices of Accomplishment

  • Destroying the Door to Negative Rebirths
  • Realization of the Completely Pure Lotus of the Vast Expanse
  • Mantric Accomplishment of Shenrap Nampar Gyalwa
  • Fire Offerings of Nampar Gyalwa
  • Realization of the Yungdrung Sutra of the Vast Expanse
  • Going for Refuge according to the Vast Expanse
  • Practice of Künzang’s Luminous AH
  • Stages of Meditative Stabilization
  • Text for Künzang’s Luminous AH
  • Stages of Realization for Walsé
  • Accomplishing the Essential Through the Realization of Walsé
  • Purification and Increase of Torma
  • Accomplishment of Sending Out and Gathering Back with Mantra Accumulation
  • Practice of the Secret Mantra Lineage
  • Realization of Black Garuda Walsé
  • Clarifying the Realization of Black Garuda Walsé
  • Expanding the Realization of the Amazing Trowo 
  • Secret Quintessential Instructions for the General Practice of the Amazing Trowo
  • Invitation, Homage, and Confession of Wrongdoing for the Reversal Practice of the Great Red Trowo
  • Inviting the Wisdom Zema
  • Aspiration Prayer for Threadcross Practice
  • A Lamp that Clarifies the Meditative Focus of Secret, Greatly Wrathful Gekhö
  • Supplication to the Gekhö Lineage
  • Complete Supplication, A Rainshower of Blessings
  • Practice of the Secret Wrathful Lineage
  • The Irreversible Mantra of Gekhö, A Golden Razor
  • Supplement to Presenting Offerings to the Gekhö Deities
  • Realization of Walpur, Ornaments of Fire
  • Fulfillment of the Walpur Lineage
  • Outline for the Empowerment and Teachings of Walpur, A Rainshower of Blessings
  • Empowerment and Teachings of Walpur, A Rainshower of Blessings
  • Realization of Tséwang Tartuk
  • Accomplishment of Tséwang Tartuk
  • Fire Offerings to Tséwang
  • Introduction for Empowerments
  • Musical Notations for Festivals

Cycle of Science

  • Tikles and Channels of Relics and the Physical Body of Those Gone to Bliss
  • Clarification regarding the characteristics of colored powders, A Magical Mirror

Cycle of Authoritative Commentaries

  • Analyzing the Characteristics of The Magical Lamp Text
  • Analyzing the Characteristics of The Magical Lamp Autocommentary
  • Clarification of the Limits of All Knowable Things
  • Commentary Regarding the Sutric and Tantric Explanations of the Stages of the Vehicles
  • Text of the Grounds and the Paths
  • Autocommentary of Text of the grounds and the paths
  • A Clear Lamp for the Path of Liberation
  • Commentary Regarding the Clear Explanation of the Abridged Kham Gyé
  • Commentary Regarding the Two Truths in the Middle Way, A Magical Lamp
  • A Commentary of Clear Advice Regarding Monastic Discipline
  • Commentary of Condensed Discipline
  • Renewing Monastic Discipline
  • Commentary Regarding Cosmology
  • Clarifying Secret Points
  • Detailed Analysis of the Secret Vows
  • Hidden Commentary on the Mind of Enlightenment, Mandala of the Sun

* Although this list is extensive, it is not the complete list of compositions

Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

Don’t want to miss a post? Scroll to the bottom and click “Follow this blog.”

This website has always been supported by the donations of the worldwide Yungdrung Bön community. Want to join the mandala of Nine Ways supporters? Follow this link https://ravencypresswood.com/donate/ It’s easy through Paypal and Zelle.