Rangjung Yeshe Gomde is in need of a summer residential cook for summer staff, residents, weekend and small-sized teaching programs.

Rangjung Yeshe Gomde (RYG CA) is the California retreat center devoted to the practice of Vajrayana Buddhism under the direction of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Head of the Ka-Nying Shredrub Ling Monastery in Nepal. The Center strives to create a practice setting and community environment that reflects the teachings of Rinpoche and his lineage yet honors all Buddhist traditions. As such we seek residential who have a sincere interest and commitment to the Dharma.

The position involves preparing 2 meals per day (vegetarian and non vegetarian, no specialty diets), managing the kitchen inventory, and occasional shopping under the supervision of the Gomde Service Manager. The position is from mid-May to end of August and provides housing (tent cabin/or small room), board, and a small stipend with Wednesdays and Sundays free. Attendance at teachings and programs is free. In addition there is the opportunity to live in a quiet environment to facilitate meditation, to gain merit thorough service to the Dharma and a Retreat Center, and to enhance Dharma practice through participation and working cooperatively with the Lojong principles in mind.

This position pays $300 per month and offers 2 days off per week when programs are not in session.

Guidelines and Requirements

• Three and a half month commitment, with an initial two-week trial period and
• Mutual evaluation based on the following:
• Cooking skills with small to medium sized groups
• Ability to manage inventory and order appropriate quantities
• Previous meditation and spiritual practice experience
• Attendance at all community practices and meetings
• Willingness to works within the framework of RYG Policies and Procedures and under the direction of the Management Team and Board of Directors.
• Adaptability, flexibility, and resilience
• Ability to communicate clearly and openly, and utilize Non-Violent Communication practices, and adhere to our resolution policy

Solitary retreat is an essential element for Vajrayana practice encouraged by our teachers both present and past. Rangjung Yeshe Gomde offers a serene and powerful environment blessed by Trulshik Rinpoche and many Nyingma and Kagyu masters for individual retreats. The blessings of the lineage and the auspiciousness of the land combine to create an extraordinary experience. Rangjung Yeshe Gomde is available for all traditions of Buddhist practice.

Retreat accommodations are available when programs are not in session. Personal retreats can range from a weekend to several months from October to May. Retreatants can mingle practice sessions with time spent appreciating Gomde’s unique natural environment. Walking trails crisscross 250 secluded acres of woods and meadows and meander along the banks of the rushing Eel River. Or you may choose to do an exclusively indoor retreat.

Click here to download an article giving clear guidelines for conducting your own retreat, by Lama Gerry Prindiville.

Click here to learn more about our retreat accommodations.

If you need a ride to or from Gomde, or you can offer a ride, now you can connect with other drivers on our Rideshare Board.  Click here to go to the Rideshare Board now.

In Nepal in January of 2006, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche gave two days of teachings on “The Five Powers: The Art of Living and Dying.” In preparation for Rinpoche’s teachings on the same subject at Orgyen Dorje Den in Alameda CA on August 23, Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery has authorized us to release the transcripts of his 2006 teachings.

Use the following links to download Part 1 and Part 2 of “The Five Powers”:

Download Part 1
Download Part 2

This outline PDF of the Ocean of Amrita (Ngakso Puja) presents and easy-to-follow guide to the puja as it was described by Lama Tsultrim in July of 2010. Practitioners can use the outline to more easily understand what is happening during the puja, and as a convenient guide when listening to the recording of Lama Tsultrim’s explanation.

Click here to download the Ocean of Amrita outline.

Click here to purchase a CD of Lama Tsultrim’s Ocean of Amrita teachings.

The 2010 fiscal year was a year of productivity and balance for RYG California. Through the tireless work of many volunteers, an abundance of generous contributions from our Sangha, and the ceaseless creativity of all those who worked so hard on the land, for the first time in three years our precious gem in the forest came out in the black.  We present this financial report, compiled by our treasurer, Joanne Brion, as a thank-you note for everyone who put forward their time, energy, and contributions.  Click the link below to see the report:

2010 Financial Report

The remodeled Glass House is now named Tara Cottage, in loving honor of Green Tara and the new practice series from Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche.

Separated from the River House by a privacy wall, the interior is a spacious studio of about 400 square feet, with full kitchen, bath and walk-in closet. Meditators can make themselves both self-sufficient and very comfortable in this serene space. Large glass windows offer a lovely view of the river through the trees, and the sound of rushing water below provides a soothing backdrop.

Tara Cottage is available for retreats by members. Please contact adminassist@gomdeusa.org to arrange a personal retreat.

Thanks to the many contributors who donated to this effort, and to Onju Updegrave for overseeing the remodel.

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Dharmachakra Practices are pleased to offer an online meditation program based on Tara, the female buddha of wisdom in action.

Known as The Triple Excellence, this teaching describes the entire Buddhist path in gradual practical instructions. With its rich and vibrant interface, The Triple Excellence is perfectly accessible and profound for both beginners and seasoned practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. The instructions spring from the great Tibetan master Chokgyur Lingpa, who met Tara in person and received this terma teaching of deep and true meaning.

In practical steps this teaching covers all three vehicles (The Triple Excellence) from the perspective of the Vajrayana. Beginning with fundamental mind training, one proceeds to the Bodhisattva path of love and insight combined. Finally, the penetrating wisdom of the Vajrayana is introduced, culminating in the secret paths of the higher tantras. At this more advanced stage of practice, participants will receive a transmission, which includes methods that use the energies of the subtle body, and they will be initiated into the practice of trekchö or “cutting through resistance” within the primordial purity that is the nature of the mind.

Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche received these teachings from H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Rinpoche is also a close descendant of Chokgyur Lingpa. This is a wonderful and rare opportunity to receive these precious teachings from an authentic master who holds a short and uninterrupted lineage of transmission.

The program will be open from January 28th, 2011 onwards.

For more information, click here.

Best Wishes
DharmaSun team

A PRACTICE OF PADMASAMBHAVA: Essential Instructions on the Path to Awakening, by Shechen Gyaltsap IV and Rinchen Dargye, translated, edited, and introduced by The Dharmachakra Translation Committee, foreword by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche

The Indian master Padmasambhava occupies a special place in the hearts of practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. By bringing tantric Buddhism to Tibet from India, he inspired a movement of awakening that for centuries has brought countless practitioners to spiritual fulfillment.

A Practice of Padmasambhava presents two practical and compelling works related to a visualization and mantra practice of Padmasambhava. This practice is based on the most important revelation of the renowned nineteenth-century treasure revealer Chokgyur Lingpa, Accomplishing the Guru’s Mind: Dispeller of All Obstacles. These two works give an introduction to the preliminary trainings, outline the primary elements of visualization practice and mantra recitation, and supply a detailed explanation of the practice of Padmasambhava’s wisdom aspect, Guru Vadisimha. Through practical step-by-step instructions on this deity, the reader is guided into the general world of tantric practice common to all of Tibetan Buddhism.

“These two authentic manuals give the reader practical understanding of Mahayoga, the foundation for the inner tantras, in all its incredible depth. They are a true treasury of powerful tools to transform the habitual ways of our human condition into the path of enlightenment. — Erik Pema Kunsang, compiler and translator of Wellsprings of the Great Perfection: The Lives and Insights of the Early Masters

“What does it mean to have a precious human life? How can we make use of it when we have no idea how long it will last? What is the use of trying to be good? What is the difference between the fleeting happiness that constantly slips through our fingers and true contentment? Whether one is a newcomer to Tibetan Buddhism considering taking a step onto its path or an old hand at meditation practice, the four reflections that Shechen Gyaltsap lays out on the preciousness of human life, impermanence, karma, and the ultimately dissatisfying quality of life are sure to inspire us to take hold of our lives.” — from the Introduction

Shechen Gyaltsap IV spent most of his life in retreat and was one of the main teachers of the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Rinchen Dargye was a direct disciple of the great treasure revealer Chokgyur Lingpa and was a prolific writer on all aspects of tantric thought and practice.

The Dharmachakra Translation Committee works under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and is committed to making Buddhist classics available to modern readers in their native languages. The committee draws its inspiration from the vision, commitment, and magnificent achievements of past Buddhist translators.

Click here to read the 2009 Financial Report for Rangjung Yeshe Gomde California.