Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is a lama of Bön, Tibet's native spiritual tradition, and was among the first teachers to bring its Dzogchen teachings to Western students. Born in Amritsar in 1961 to a family that had left Tibet two years before, he entered Menri Monastery in northern India as a boy, was recognised there as the reincarnation of a meditation master, and completed the monastery's eleven-year course of study, earning his geshe degree in 1986. He first taught in Italy at the invitation of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, then came to Rice University in Texas as a Rockefeller fellow, and has made the United States his home since the early 1990s.

In 1992 he founded Ligmincha, which has grown into an international network of retreat centres and practice groups, and he later started The 3 Doors for people who want this kind of meditation outside a religious frame. He now lives as a householder and teaches in a warm, conversational way, with everyday examples. His subjects include dream and sleep yoga, breath and movement practices, sacred sound and resting in open awareness. Among his books are The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, plus Wonders of the Natural Mind on Dzogchen. He offers free webcasts, online courses and retreats across the Americas, Europe and Asia.