Tummo: The Practice of Inner Fire

Earned his Geshe degree under the guidance of His Holiness the 33rd Menri Trizin, the Abbot of Menri Monastery and is a lineage holder of the Yungdrung Bön tradition. In partnership with the late Dr. Daniel Brown, he has translated numerous essential texts from the Bön Dzogchen canon, including major works by Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Geshe Sonam Gurung received his Geshe degree under the guidance of H.H 33rd Menri Trizin, the Abbot of Bön Menri Monastery and lineage holder of the Yungdrung Bön spiritual tradition. Geshe Sonam served as personal assistant to His Holiness and following the direction and guidance of His Holiness, Geshe Sonam and the late Dr. Daniel P Brown translated many of the key texts in the Bön Dzogchen canon. In particular, they translated significant works from Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen Rinpoche. Shardza Rinpoche’s key texts (Heart Drops of Kuntuzangpo, Kusum Rangshar, and the Treasury of the Expanse) are detailed yogic roadmaps of the Bön Dzogchen pathway to enlightenment, combining both utterly clear philosophic foundation as well as detailed practice explanation. Under the guidance of HH the 33rd Menri Trizin, Geshe Sonam has been an instrumental part of further sharing Bön practices internationally, including regular retreats in the United States, Australia, Thailand, Switzerland and Europe. Geshe Sonam’s goal is to make these teachings available on a global basis in forms appropriate for the 21st Century. He is the founder of the Shenten Thagye Ling monastery and Spiritual Center, as well as the director of the Mustang Cultural and Education Center in Jomsom, Nepal

John has been practicing a variety of methods of meditation for over 45 years, spending lengthy periods of time in retreat in Menri and Triten Norbutse monasteries in India and Nepal, as well as studying with His Holiness Lungtog Tenpai Nyima the 33rd Menri Trinzin and His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche – the two most senior teachers of the Bön lineage. He completed a four-year teacher training program with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Since 2010, he has led more than 100 meditation retreats and courses in 13 countries. He was co-leader for the 3 Doors Academy of Europe, an intensive three-year program for gaining deep experience in the Tibetan practices of body, speech and mind. John was an acclaimed professor and educational researcher of medical informatics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine for 23 years, and served for a time as the Assistant Dean of Medical Information. He has also been an integral participant in the creation and stewardship of various retreat centers, including the Ligmincha Institute, the Chamma Ling Retreat Center of Colorado, and the Lishu Institute. In 2009, he created Ligmincha Learning, which now offers 36 online meditation courses in six languages. In addition to teaching, he also works as a certified Life Coach with clients around the globe. Today, John enjoys drawing on his meditation and education backgrounds to collaborate with senior Bonpo lamas to create meaningful and powerful meditation training programs.