Tempaduktelama

Welcome to Olmo Ling

Olmo Ling is a religious educational non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the ancient teachings of the Bon tradition of Tibet and making them available and accessible to lay practitioners.

Olmo Ling offers weekly meditation practice and teachings, prayers, meditation instruction and private interviews, and a study program that includes regular retreats with Tempa Dukte Lama and visiting lamas of the Bon tradition.

Learn more about Olmo Ling or Subscribe to our Mailing List.

Visit the Olmo Ling Teaching and Retreat Schedule for 2025 to view upcoming programs and please visit Olmo Ling online Bookstore!


Olmo Ling Newsletter | Sept 8th – Click to Read


Support Necessary Fire Safety Measures at Olmo Ling this Fall!

Thanks to the generous support of our community we were able to acquire our temple building in Pittsburgh in December 2022. Our temple is the cornerstone of our work in offering Bon teachings and carrying out charitable projects in the Himalayas. Following His Holiness’ visit in July 2023 we began work on obtaining a residential-use permit for the two floors above the temple so that we can rent them out to community members and help cover the monthly mortgage payments.

The upper two floors are currently linked with a communicating stairs. There is little fire separation between all three floors. We anticipated that we would need to remove the communicating stairs, install a separate heating and cooling system for the second floor (to close off a possible fire pathway from the basement boiler room), and install a fire alarm system. However, we learned that we additionally needed to construct either external fire stairs for all three floor or a sprinkler system with a new water main line connecting across the road from Olmo Ling. Iris worked with our architects over several months to appeal to the City Board of Appeals twice to request an exemption to these extremely costly requirements. We are delighted to share that in December we were granted an exemption given our building’s small size!

While this is very welcome news, some fire safety requirements still have be met. We ask for your help in covering these cost so that we can soon rent out the two upper floors.

Budget for Fire Safety Requirements:
  • $3,200 for demolition of interior stairs between upper floors
  • $17,900 for framing, floor joists, new wood flooring on parts of 2nd and 3rd floor
  • $5,700 for installing separate heating & cooling on 2nd floor
  • $5,050 for hardware, baseboards, molding, painting etc
  • $5,914 for professional services from architects and engineer (COMPLETED)
  • $5,000 for sound proofing between temple and residential floors (COMPLETED)
  • $1,209 for city permit fees and smaller items (COMPLETED)
  • Fire alarm system (estimate pending)

Total Budget (without the fire alarm): $47,123
Raised So Far: $39,766
To Be Raised: $7,357

We grateful acknowledge the generosity of a dear community member whose substantial gifts enabled us to bridge the time while we waited for the permit. We also thank our architects Greg and Ee Ling Marin for offering their skillful work at a discounted rate.

We sincerely thank you for your support and prayers. Your generosity allows us to manifest Tempa Lama’s deep aspiration to make the Bon wisdom teachings widely available in the West through teachings, practice, translations, and community gatherings.

READ MORE AND DONATE


Olmo Ling Bon Center Weekly Schedule


Wednesday Ngondro (6:00 PM) & Silent Meditation (6:30 PM)

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM EST
Offered In-Person with Senior Student Gary Terner

Participants are welcome to join both the Ngondro / Preliminary teachings of Bon Buddhism (6:00 PM EST) and Silent Meditation (6:30 PM EST) or either of the two sessions. You do not need to practice Bon Buddhism to attend Silent Meditation starting at 6:30 PM EST.

The Wednesday evening practice at Olmo Ling Temple is free and open to all. This practice will offer the experience of meditating in a group. Group meditation is helpful in establishing a regular, stable meditation practice.

Silence will be observed throughout (from the second ringing of the bell following the opening chant). There will be two 20-minute sitting sessions separated by a 10 minute walking meditation. We will attempt to start on time so that we will not finish too late.

Ngondro practice is offered at 6:00 PM ET for those who have previously received Ngondro instructions and would like to practice in a group.

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Establishing a Daily Practice

Fridays at 5:30 PM EST | Offered via Zoom & In-Person with Senior Student Andrew Kaiser

Registration is Required | Donation recommended to Olmo Ling

In this six-week series, we explore the practices that are necessary to stabilize your meditation practice. You will learn the daily prayers that form the basis for Bon practice at Olmo Ling.

Andrew Kaiser is a senior student with Tempa Lama at Olmo Ling. If you have questions, please contact Andrew Kaiser

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Introduction to Meditation and the 9 stages of Calm Abiding

Saturdays at 8:30 AM EST | Offered via Zoom & In-Person with Senior Student Andrew Kaiser

Registration is Required | Donation recommended to Olmo Ling

In this six-week series, we explore the Nine Stages of Calm Abiding meditation, a progressive path that helps cultivate stability, clarity, and peace of mind. Each stage supports you in gently refining your focus and releasing mental agitation.

Andrew Kaiser is a senior student with Tempa Lama at Olmo Ling. Please contact Andrew Kaiser.

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Saturday Chod Session

One Saturday a month at 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST
Offered via Zoom & In-Person with Senior Students Jim DelBianco & Andrew Kaiser

Cancelled through August 30th for Summer Break

Once a month, we will practice elements of the drumming and chanting, followed by performing the Chod ritual as a group. The longer practice session will benefit us all as we learn the fundamentals of the drumming and have more time for practice. Jim and Andrew are both senior students of Tempa Dukte Lama.

Join us In-Person or Zoom HERE Meeting ID: 970 0641 9095 In-Person is recommended, however, we know that is not possible for everyone!

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Sunday Dzogchen Practice Group

Sundays at 4:00 PM EST
Offered via Zoom & In-Person with Senior Student Bob Marin

  • Meditation Practice Group (IN-PERSON & ZOOM): 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month
  • Reading and Discussion Group (ZOOM ONLY): 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month

Dzogchen Olmo Ling holds a Meditation Practice sitting and a Reading and Discussion group on alternate weeks. Weekly announcements provide brief readings and indicate whether the meeting will be online or in-person. In-person meetings permit online participation as well.

If you wish to participate or if you have questions about Dzogchen Olmo Ling, please contact Bob Marin

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September 9th | Free Tuesday Evening Talk

Noble Eightfold Path of Bon

with Senior Student, Andrew Kaiser

Join us at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom or In-Person at:
Olmo Ling Bon Center
1101 Greenfield Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

This fall two senior students, Andrew Kaiser and Iris Grossmann, will each be offering several Tuesday evening talks.

From tomorrow, September 9 to Tuesday October 6, Andrew Kaiser will offer a special series on the Noble Eightfold Path of Bon.

Andrew will begin the series with an overview of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View (wise understanding), Intention (wise thought), Speech (wise communication), Action (wise action), Livelihood (wise livelihood), Effort (wise effort), Mindfulness (wise mindfulness), and Concentration (wise collectedness). For the remaining evenings we will focus on Right Livelihood, considering how work and daily choices offer practitioners an opportunity to deepen awareness.

The weekly program at Olmo Ling is free! All are welcome!

Donations to Olmo Ling Bon Center are always deeply appreciated.

A one-time registration is required for attendance. If you registered already for previous talk, you are all set!


Register Here for our Zoom Talks



Our Place in the Sangha

Saturday, September 20th, 2025

9:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST

Offered In-Person & Zoom with Senior Student, Andrew Kaiser

In this day of practice and reflection, we will explore what it truly means to be part of a sangha — the community of practitioners that is one of the Three Jewels of refuge. A sangha both supports our own path and asks us to contribute in return, creating a dynamic relationship that shifts across the seasons of life. For a student in their twenties, sangha may offer essential instruction and guidance. For those raising families, it may be a source of connection and encouragement. Later in life, it can become a place to give back, sharing wisdom and presence with others. Along the way, we will also reflect on the different stages of spiritual life described by modern researchers — the seasons and turning points that many practitioners experience — and consider how sangha sustains us through each of these stages. Together we will reflect on how the sangha nurtures us, how we nurture it, and how this mutual exchange deepens our practice and anchors us in the refuge vow.

Join us In-Person or Zoom HERE Meeting ID: 967 9436 8181



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Family Sangha

Friday, May 30th | CANCELED

7:00 – 8:00 PM EST

Offered In-Person with Olmo Ling Community Members

Upcoming Dates:
  • May 30th, 2025

TOPIC: Tsa Lung Thrul Khor Yoga Review & Basic Torma Making

The program is designed for children to experience personal familiarity with Bon teachings and for families to deepen their connections with Bon and with each other. Each Family Sangha meeting will include a snack (families are welcome to contribute to the snack table), meditation, a story/lesson, and a related craft/activity.


LEARN MORE ABOUT FAMILY SANGHA



Olmo Ling Daily Prayers

We recite the prayers below at the start of each weekly community practice on Tuesdays. Feel free to download for your own daily practice!

Olmo_Ling_Daily_Prayers.pdf


Tempa Dukte Lama’s Books

  • Jang Chok Ancient Tibetan Bon Ritual The Jang Chok ritual from the Du Tri Su cycle is a powerful skillful means to guide the consciousness of the deceased and protect it from the terror of the Bardo experiences. This book offers the first complete English translation and transliteration of the Du Tri Su Jang Chok liturgy (with the original Tibetan included). In the first part of the book, Tempa Dukte Lama explains the different sections of the ritual and their meaning and purpose as well as how to make the required torma offerings and prepare for the ritual. The liturgy in the second part of the book is annotated throughout and images of ritual arrangements and torma offerings are included to assist practitioners in performing the ritual.
  • Origin of the Medicine Buddha Tempa Dukte Lama illuminates the history of how the Medicine Buddha was first taught. He offers a translation of the short Medicine Buddha practice composed by 14th century Bön master Nyamed Sherab Gyaltsen along with a detailed explanation of the liturgy, visualization, and altar preparation.
  • Thrul Khor: Ancient Tibetan Bon Yoga Step-by-step instructions for 85 practices according to the A Khrid, Ma Gyud (Mother Tantra), and Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyud cycles of Bon Thrul Khor, supported by 499 photographs.
  • Heart Drop of the Loving Mother Tempa Lama offers detailed instructions on the Heart Drop of the Loving Mother practice and on how we can become a Loving Mother in our lives.
  • Inexhaustible Miracles: The Ten Perfections on the Path of Compassionate Beings The Ten Perfections are the heart practices of compassionate beings through which we bring the Bon teachings into our lived experience: generosity, wholesome conduct, patience, effort, concentration, power, aspirational prayers, skillful means, and discriminating awareness. Tempa Lama explains how we can cultivate each Perfection and use these practices to transform every moment of our lives.


Sidpa Gyalmo practice resources

  • Recording of Tempa Lama chanting the Sidpa Gyalmo Healing Practice liturgy
  • Recording of Tempa Lama chanting the Sidpa Gyalmo Healing Waters Practice liturgy
  • Recording of Tempa Lama chanting the Sidpa Gyalmo Longevity & Prosperity practice
  • A booklet by Tempa Lama with an explanation of the symbolic meaning of the Sidpa Gyalmo and Yeshe Walmo visualization, detailed instructions of the healing practice, an explanation of the Bon approach to healing, color pictures of Sidpa Gyalmo and Yeshe Walmo, and the practice liturgy of both the Healing Practice and the Healing Waters Practice is available from our store here. We are able to ship quickly and now offer lower First Class shipping rates for domestic and international orders.