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Six Sessions Practice: Dzogchen Meditation for Personal Retreat
Online
Six Sessions Practice: Dzogchen Meditation for Personal Retreat
5.001 review
Shipman, Virginia, United States
Up to 50 in group
April 12, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
- Dzogchen
- Silent Retreats
- Wellness Retreats
- Tibetan Yoga
- Movement
- Breathing Exercise
- Shared meals
- Community
- All-inclusive
- In-person and online
- Nature-based practice
- Blue Ridge Mountains
- Ritual and Shrines
- Stupa
- Commuter options
- Camping
- Varied Acommodations
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Geshe Denma was born in northern Nepal. His father brought him to Menri Monastery, India, regarded as the mother Bon monastery in exile, in 1981 to begin his program of study toward the Geshe degree. He received all the Bon teachings, initiations, and transmissions in sutra, tantra, and dzogchen from His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizin, and His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche.
When he became a senior student, he was asked to teach philosophy to younger students. He successfully completed this degree program in 1996 and was awarded the Geshe certificate, which is considered equivalent to a Ph.D. in Bön Buddhist philosophy and religion.
Geshe Denma was an accomplished teacher and in 1998 was appointed, with the approval of the Tibetan government in exile, first abbot of Zhu Rishing Yungdrung Kundak-Ling Monastery, a Bon Monastery in Sikkim, India by His Holiness. He served two terms in this capacity until 2003. In addition, from the time he graduated until 2008, Geshe Denma also was active in assisting Geshe Nyima Dakpa with the Bon Children’s Home, which houses many children in Dolanji, India, providing them with food, healthcare and free education.
Geshe Denma has traveled many times to the USA, Austria, Poland, Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Switzerland and Holland to teach and to raise the funds for the Bon Children’s Home. In addition, he assisted in the administrative work of the Bon Children’s Home whenever possible.
During this time, Geshe Denma was the treasurer and co-editor of a well-respected publication, Door to Bon, and for three years from 2002–2005 the elected secretary of the Local Tibetan Assembly in Dolanji. Once Geshe Denma attained his geshe degree, he became a senior teacher at the monastery and taught philosophy when he was in residence at Menri.
From 2009 to 2013, Geshe Denma often traveled to the United States to participate in Bon practices and to learn more about the work his fellow geshes were doing to bring this tradition to the Western world. In 2011, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, asked Geshe Denma to become the resident lama of Ligmincha Texas. Geshe Denma accepted the challenge and began coming to Houston to get to know the Ligmincha Texas sangha, study English and begin work to acquire his religious visa and ultimately become Ligmincha Texas’s first resident lama.
In 2014 with the help and support from Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and members of Ligmincha Texas, the formal application for the visa was made. In late October 2015, the application was approved and on December 20, 2015, Geshe Denma was awarded his R1 Visa. He arrived in Houston on January 3, 2016, welcomed by his grateful sangha and ready to assume his duties as resident lama for Ligmincha Texas.
From 2016 to 2019, Geshe Denma has developed a schedule of office hours at the Ligmincha Texas meditation center in Bellaire, Texas, where he meets the public and schedules appointments to answer Buddhism questions or give other pastoral care. He provides guidance and support to all meditation sessions, in attendance at most of the weekly and monthly practices.
Geshela gives monthly classes on Buddhism, introduction to meditation, or other topics. In addition, he gives frequent teaching retreats at Ligmincha Texas including a calligraphy workshop at the CG Jung Center in Houston, provides support and practice retreats at large events at Ligmincha International in Virginia, has completed a three year intensive teaching cycle at the Chamma Ling Retreat Center in Crestone Colorado, is giving an online Tibetan language course through Glide Wing, and continues to plan future projects.
Geshela participated in a panel of experts at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He provides an ongoing meditation curriculum at Yoga Haven in Galveston. He assists the center in cultural observances such as Tibetan New Year. He performs specific ritual and prayer supports upon request, such as house blessings, prayers for healing, hospital visits, and other specialized rituals. Geshe Denma has published a series of meditation practice booklets for sale in our center and for use at our practices. He obtains religious and cultural objects to use as support for specific Buddhist teachings.
Most recently, Geshela has been working, on behalf of Ligmincha Texas, with Rice University’s Fondren Library to assist in cataloging a collection of rare looseleaf books (pechas) belonging to the Bön Tradition. Geshe Denma is translating the texts and providing descriptions of these treasured items. The collection has been waiting for years for the perfect person to come and reveal its content to the world. That person is Geshe Denma. While Houston currently has individuals who are fluent in certain dialects of Tibet, it did not have one fluent in the Bön Tradition until Geshe Denma’s arrival. The collection will be searchable as the “Triten Norbutse Bön book collection.” The processing of the pechas is expected to be completed in the fall of 2019.
Details of this retreat
Deepen your practice with the Six Sessions Practice, a complete meditation cycle that Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche first shared with his Western students on coming to the west. Rooted in Dzogchen and drawing from sutra and tantra, this practice can be the main practice of a retreat of any length, as well as daily meditation, helping practitioners connect to the natural state of mind.
Rinpoche teaches that these Six Sessions link directly to the Mother Tantra (Ma Gyü) and the Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung (Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü) lineages which are at the heart of Ligmincha International, offering a path to clarity, stability, and awakening.
Practice Overview
Guru Yoga (Lama’i Naljor) – A universal Guru Yoga not tied to any specific teacher, deity, or lineage, allowing connection with all our teachers.
Refuge and Compassion (Bodhicitta) Prayers – Drawn from the Mother Tantra, these stabilize the mind and open the heart.
Nine Breathings of Purification – Working with the subtle body, these clear mental, emotional, and energetic obscurations.
Securing the Boundary – A tantric practice creating a secure and protected container for meditation.
Contemplative Breathing – The heart of the Six Sessions, drawn from the Twenty-One Nails of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, guiding direct experience of the natural state.
Dedication of Merit – Concluding the practice with aspiration and the natural expression of generosity.
Geshe Denma Gyaltsen has been leading and teaching the Six Sessions Practice for Ligmincha Texas for decades, and will guide us through the steps of the practice as well as the purpose of each step, with special emphasis on Securing the Boundary and Contemplative Breathing. He will also offer the transmission (lung) for the practices.
Who Should Attend
This teaching is for anyone interested in learning complete Dzogchen meditation practice through this set of simple yet profound meditation tools to deepen their wisdom and awareness. The Six Sessions is also the foundational practice for the Three-Day Dark Retreat program beginning at Chamma Ling Crestone in September of 2026. Anyone interested in participating in that program should attend this teaching.
Schedule (New York time)
April 12, 2026
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Rinpoche teaches that these Six Sessions link directly to the Mother Tantra (Ma Gyü) and the Oral Transmission of Zhang Zhung (Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü) lineages which are at the heart of Ligmincha International, offering a path to clarity, stability, and awakening.
Practice Overview
Guru Yoga (Lama’i Naljor) – A universal Guru Yoga not tied to any specific teacher, deity, or lineage, allowing connection with all our teachers.
Refuge and Compassion (Bodhicitta) Prayers – Drawn from the Mother Tantra, these stabilize the mind and open the heart.
Nine Breathings of Purification – Working with the subtle body, these clear mental, emotional, and energetic obscurations.
Securing the Boundary – A tantric practice creating a secure and protected container for meditation.
Contemplative Breathing – The heart of the Six Sessions, drawn from the Twenty-One Nails of the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyü, guiding direct experience of the natural state.
Dedication of Merit – Concluding the practice with aspiration and the natural expression of generosity.
Geshe Denma Gyaltsen has been leading and teaching the Six Sessions Practice for Ligmincha Texas for decades, and will guide us through the steps of the practice as well as the purpose of each step, with special emphasis on Securing the Boundary and Contemplative Breathing. He will also offer the transmission (lung) for the practices.
Who Should Attend
This teaching is for anyone interested in learning complete Dzogchen meditation practice through this set of simple yet profound meditation tools to deepen their wisdom and awareness. The Six Sessions is also the foundational practice for the Three-Day Dark Retreat program beginning at Chamma Ling Crestone in September of 2026. Anyone interested in participating in that program should attend this teaching.
Schedule (New York time)
April 12, 2026
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Schedule
7am (optional) Walk or Practice
8:00am Breakfast
9:30am-11am Teaching
11:30am-12:30pm Practice
1pm-3pm Lunch and Break
3-4:30pm Teaching
5-6pm Practice
6pm Dinner
8:00am Breakfast
9:30am-11am Teaching
11:30am-12:30pm Practice
1pm-3pm Lunch and Break
3-4:30pm Teaching
5-6pm Practice
6pm Dinner
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
What's Included
- Meals
- Accommodations
- Nature trails
- Teacher Guidance
- Silent Meditation
- Walking Meditation
- Wellness
- Swimming Pool
- Shared Presence
- Community
- Space for Rest/Relaxation
- Guidance
- Land-based practice
- Rituals
- Shrine space
- Support Materials
What's Not Included
- Airfare
- Transportation
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