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 2024 to view upcoming programs and please visit Olmo Ling online Bookstore!

Sidpa Gyalmo practices teaching cycle with Tempa Lama

This year and in early 2025, Tempa Lama will be offering an extended cycle of teachings on the practices of Sidpa Gyalmo.

The cycle includes a teaching on protector practice through the Invocation of Sidpa Gyalmo and Yeshe Walmo in April, the Sidpa Gyalmo Healing & Healing Waters Practice in April and May, the Longevity and Prosperity Practices of Sidpa Gyalmo in May, the Sidpa Gyalmo Dokpa this June, and the Sidpa Gyalmo Tsok this July. In early 2025, Tempa Lama will conclude this series with the Clairvoyance Mirror of Srid rGyal of the Six Times.

We hope you can join us for these special teachings! View our full 2024 teaching schedule in the US and Europe here.

Olmo Ling Newsletter | April 15th – Click to Read

THIS WEEKEND

Invocation of Sidpa Gyalmo & Yeshe Walmo Retreat

via Zoom and In-Person with Tempa Dukte Lama

Saturday, April 20th – Sunday, April 21st, 2024

Saturday’s Teaching Hours:

9:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST

LUNCH BREAK

2:00 – 4:00 PM EST

Sunday’s Teaching Hours:

9:30 AM – 1:00 PM EST

The teaching will be taught in English. Simultaneous translation will be available in Spanish, French, and Russian.

We are offering this retreat free of charge to enable everyone to benefit from the teaching, instructions, and transmission on how to invoke and connect with Sidpa Gyalmo.

Tempa Lama will offer teachings, instructions, and transmission on how to invoke and connect with Sidpa Gyalmo in her main form and her healing form as one’s personal protector and deity, using the invocation practice.

Tempa Lama Will Explain:

1) What is a protector and deity practice

2) The meaning of the invocations of Sidpa Gyalmo and Yeshe Walmo

3) How to chant and visualize the invocations as a daily practice accompanied by the drum and bell

4) How to make the offering torma of Sidpa Gyalmo

5) How to set up the altar for Sidpa Gyalmo

Tempa Lama’s European Teaching Schedule

Belgium | Czech Republic | Poland

Profondeville, Belgium | Centre Komyo

Dream Yoga, Gyuma Chenmo
June 15th – 16th, 2024
In this weekend’s teaching, Tempa Dukte Lama will offer the teaching and transmission of Dream Yoga practice from the Bon Mother Tantra and help us understand how we can utilize these teachings on our spiritual path.

Read More & Register (Belgium)

Prague, Czech Republic | Himalajske centrum Potala

Bon Medicine Buddha
June 22nd – 23rd, 2024
Join us for this special teaching and transmission on the ancient Bon Medicine Buddha practice. The Bon Medicine Buddha practice was first taught in the human realm eighteen thousand years ago by the Awakened One Tonpa Shenrab and his son, compassionate being Chebu Trishe. The Awakened One offered this teaching to restore healing and wellbeing during a pandemic that caused widespread illness, conflicts, and famine. This ancient healing practice is deeply beneficial for today’s world.

Warsaw, Poland | Wspólnota Shambhala

Du Dok: Averting Misfortunes & Obstacles
June 29th – 30th, 2024
Tempa Lama will offer the teaching and transmission of the profound and powerful Dü Dok ritual prayer for averting misfortune and obstacles. Tempa Lama suggests that all his students learn this practice because it is very powerful and helpful for ourselves and others. Tempa Lama has been doing this practice all his life as a daily practice.

Read More & Register (Poland)

Thank you so much for helping us sponsor a day of prayers at the Menri Drubchen!

The Menri monastic community will be conducting the Menri Drubchen prayers with His Holiness 34th Menri Trizin April 11-16. The Olmo Ling community would like to sponsor one day of prayers.

The Menri Drubchen is a very special extended prayer ritual that is conducted only once during the life of each Menri Abbot. During the prayers, His Holiness 34th Menri Trizin Rinpoche and the entire community of monks and nuns will bless large amounts of the sacred Mendrup healing herb blend. This Mendrup will then be available throughout the life of His Holiness to be used by Bon lamas around the world to offer healing to their communities.

With your generosity we have raised $1,850 to sponsor a full day of prayers at the Menri Drubchen. Thank you for your generosity and may the resulting merit benefit all beings and bring peace, healing, and happiness!

Read more …

The Healing Practice and Healing Waters Practice of Sidpa Gyalmo

via Zoom and In-Person with Tempa Dukte Lama

Week 1 | Sat. April 27th – Sun. April 28th, 2024
Week 2 | Sat. May 4th – Sun. May 5th, 2024

9:30 AM – 1:00 PM EST

The teaching will be taught in English. Simultaneous translation will be available in Spanish and French.

Registered participants will receive the recording after the teaching.

Sidpa Gyalmo is the outer manifestation and fierce form of the Great Loving Mother of Wisdom. Yeshe Walmo is her healing manifestation. The Healing Practice of Sidpa Gyalmo is a powerful practice of transformation and healing. Through this practice, we reconnect with our innate capacity of healing our body, mind, and feelings. This practice has been traditionally invoked during times of epidemic and illness. A second form of the Sidpa Gyalmo healing practice focuses on empowering water in a vase in front of us with the healing blessing of the deity so that we can use the water to heal ourselves and others.

Olmo Ling Bon Center Weekly Schedule

Thursday Chod Session – New Program! Begins April 4th, 2024

Thursdays at 6:30 PM EST
Offered via Zoom & In-Person with Senior Students Jim DelBianco & Andrew Kaiser

Each week we will practice elements of the drumming and chanting, followed by performing the Chod ritual as a group. 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!

Saturday Calm Abiding Meditation with Instruction

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

This class will provide instruction in the first phase of meditation, known as Zhine or Calm Abiding. It is important to be able to understand the full succession of meditation phases so that we know what we will learn – and just as important, what we will not be practicing.

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

Sunday Dzogchen Practice Group

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

Please note the following dates are canceled: March 31st, April 14th, and April 21st. We are still meeting on April 7th and will resume on April 28th.

Meditation Practice Group: 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month
Reading and Discussion Group:: 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

Family Sangha

UPDATE

April 12th Meeting is Cancelled

April 12th at 7:00 PM: Cancelled. A new teaching schedule for April will be posted shortly!

2nd Friday and 4th Sunday of every month

Offered In-Person with Olmo Ling Community Members

LEARN MORE ABOUT FAMILY SANGHA

April 16th | Free Tuesday Evening Talk

New Talk Series:

Meditation – Its Challenges and Benefits

with Tempa Dukte Lama via Zoom and & In-Person at Olmo Ling Bon Center

Olmo Ling Bon Center & Institute
1101 Greenfield Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Please join us Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00 PM EST for a Free Tuesday Talk with Tempa Lama. This week, Tempa Lama will continue his talk series: Meditation, its challenges and benefits.

Join the weekly evening talk via Zoom HERE

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

Donations to Olmo Ling or Tempa Dukte Lama are deeply appreciated.

Join the weekly evening talk via Zoom HERE

Meeting ID: 143 923 353

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,143923353# US (Chicago)
+16469313860,,143923353# US

Olmo Ling Humla Project: We have fully raised our 2023 budget!

Tempa Lama has worked with villagers in his home valley Humla for more than 20 years, seeking to preserve Humla’s ancient cultural heritage, support access to health care and quality education, and co-create a sustainable future for the region.

Tucked into the mountains in Nepal’s Northwest close to the Tibetan border, Humla is a land of incredible natural beauty and rich cultural traditions. Many families have been deeply rooted in the Bon tradition for many generations. Humla is also home to Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu practitioners and Shamanic lineages, including through Tempa Lama’s late grandfather, who was a village shaman priest.

Tempa Lama’s work has included annual medical service trips to Humla during 2014 to 2018 that treated hundreds of villagers and building the traditional clinic Sorig Tenpe Menkhang in Humla in 2017/18. The clinic is staffed by a Tibetan doctor (Amchi) and Humla native Tsering Norbu Lama, whose education was sponsored by Olmo Ling. The clinic is an initiative to preserve the native medical practice and bring awareness of traditional practices to Humla’s youth.

Thanks to your great generosity over the last few days we have been able to raise $13,026, surpassing our 2023 budget of $11,450!!

Your generosity enables us to send the first 2 or 3 monthly salary payments for Amchi Tsering in 2024. All further donations will be used for 2024 expenses, including continuing to pay for our wonderful Amchi and essential medicines. Thank you so much for your generosity!!

RECAP: Visit from H.H. 34th Gyalwa Menri Trizin to Pittsburgh, PA

in June 2023

Friday, June 2nd – Sunday, June 4th
at Olmo Ling Bon Center and over Zoom

We are deeply honored to announce the second visit of His Holiness 34th Gyalwa Menri Trizin Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche the 34th abbot of Menri Monastery and spiritual head of the Bon tradition to Pittsburgh this June. Please join us for this precious opportunity to spend time with His Holiness. H.H. will offer a public talk on Friday, June 2nd, teaching on The Important and Benefits of the Jang Chok Ritual on Saturday, June 3rd, and perform a Du Tri Su Empowerment on Sunday, June 4th.

Learn more about His Holiness’ June Visit!

Support Olmo Ling Temple Building Renovations!

We have launched Phase II of the Temple Capital Campaign!

On December 9, 2022, we were able to buy the building that houses Olmo Ling temple in Pittsburgh. We would like to thank you all so much for your generous support that has made this possible.

W invite you to join us in supporting the second phase of the capital campaign for renovating the upper two floors. Often, long-term students ask about doing a personal retreat at Olmo Ling. We will therefore offer the second floor for personal retreats and for accommodation during teachings (following necessary renovations). The third floor will be renovated as an apartment for rent. Utilizing the entire building in this way will help us sustain our temple and pay for the building

Tempa Lama’s vision for many years has been to provide a sacred space of refuge where the community can come together to practice and where everyone can have access to well-learned Tibetan Bon masters and Western teachers. Tempa Lama’s deep wish is to support the flourishing of Bon in the West by offering translations of ancient Tibetan Bon texts into Western languages at Olmo Ling. Most of all, Tempa Lama’s profound aspiration is to support Western students who want to train and become responsible Bon teachers and lamas so that Bon can truly grow deep roots in the West.

Our temple space in Pittsburgh is the cornerstone of this work and of our charitable projects in the Himalayas.

We are most grateful to have received the support of His Holiness 34th Gyalwa Menri Trizin Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal Rinpoche and the Menri Monastery community for the temple capital campaign.

We invite you to help us raise $87,500 for building renovations.

Raised to date for Phase II: $55,325.64 – You can donate HERE

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

Now Available: Tempa Dukte Lama’s New Book – Jang Chok Ancient Tibetan Bon Ritual

Tempa Lama’s new book on the Du Tri Su Jang Chok ritual is now available for purchase!

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.

“This translation and ritual manual will be of great benefit as a practice resource for all those who want to learn and use the Du Tri Su Jang Chok ritual for the deceased. It will be most helpful to any Western practitioners.”

~ His Holiness 34th Menri Trizin Lungtok Dawa Dhargyal, spiritual head of Bön

Tempa Dukte Lama’s Books

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.

Journey into Buddhahood: The Five Paths and the Ten Stages of Compassionate Beings Tempa Lama offers a profound guide to attaining full liberation according to the Bon Sutra path, the path of compassionate beings.

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.

The Intimate Mind: Illuminating Emotion and Transformation Tempa Lama explores how we can use the Bon teachings to better understand our mind, be intimate with it, and ultimately transform it.

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.