In this retreat, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche taught on a text by Dodrupchen Jikme Tenpe Nyima, a Nyingma master with a strong connection to Dzogchen Monastery. The teaching, Transforming Suffering and Happiness, presents a profound, yet easily accessible approach to transforming suffering and happiness from obstructions to aids on the path to enlightenment. This teaching is simply breathtaking in all respects. The text provides a method for working with our habitual patterns of relating to suffering that is easy to understand, yet simultaneously mind-altering even for long-time practitioners. Jikme Tenpe Nyima's approach, which is based on teachings by Shantideva, is applicable to all forms of suffering, from minor annoyances to life threatening illness and financial disaster. Rinpoche's commentary transports this teaching directly into our mind, our world, and our experience with brilliance and humor. Student questions were entertained during a meeting with Lama Rabten (Director of Nalandabodhi Vancouver) and Nalandabodhi teachers Tyler Dewar, Mark Power, and Amita Gupta. Much of the teaching was in English. When Rinpoche taught in Tibetan, translation was provided by Tyler Dewar. Four talks and one Q&A session.

Transforming Suffering and Happiness, Ponlop Rinpoche, Vajra Echoes, 2 DVDs, 8 hrs., $48.00

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Fluent in English and well-versed in Western culture, Rinpooche has worked to develop and adapt traditional Tibetan education curriculums for Western audiences. Nitartha Institute (www.nitharthainstitute.org), where Rinpoche is the main teacher, provides a focused Buddhist studies program. Rinpoche is a visiting professor of buddhist philosopy at Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado. In 1997, Rinpoche founded Nalanabodhi to preserve the genuine lineage of the Nyingma and Kagyu Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. There are Nalandabodhi centers in North America and Europe, and curriculum materials are available to people worldwide.