A Journey to Self-Realization

“I–Who Am I?
I am no one.
I can be anyone.”
– Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Many of the world’s spiritual traditions are founded on a single, fundamental truth: that the source of all suffering in life is a mistaken sense of identity. We are forever searching for the light that can dispel the darkness of our uncomfortable thoughts and emotions; yet, we can’t see that we already are the light we are seeking.

As Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains, who we truly are is limitless love and compassion, beyond any boundaries of identity. With a subtle yet profound shift in how we understand ourselves, we can open up the space that permits us to rise above challenging situations with less fear and anxiety. We can acknowledge that we are not the sick patient, the angry family member, or the struggling employee. We are none of that, and we are so much more.

In this intimate teaching based on “Who Am I?,” a poem from his own heart practice, Rinpoche begins by laying a strong foundation of the essential points of meditation. Then, step by step, he points you to an understanding of who you are not, followed by the deepest truth of who you truly are and can be. In meditation, he guides you to bring your sense of “pain identity” into the space of open awareness, and to give it what he calls a spacious, luminous, warm hug. As you allow your mistaken identity to dissolve into that space, what was once painful becomes an ornament of your vast potential. You are freed to follow your life’s journey with more joy and spontaneity.

The primary journey of every spiritual path is to reclaim what has been lost: the truth of who we really are. Once we come to a deep recognition that our true nature is spontaneous perfection, there is no more need to search for insights or solutions, no more need to strive. According to the dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Bon and Buddhism, this simple recognition is the way to ultimate liberation, to our own Great Perfection.

Throughout every stage of life, from childhood through adulthood and old age, we have a different sense of identity, a strong mental image of who we are. Each of these identities causes us pain, because it is only a mental projection based on ignorance, anger and attachment. In the workshop, Rinpoche encourages you to make note of your current sense of identity and work with it in guided meditations as well as informally throughout your day. For it is only by discovering who you are not that you can connect deeply with the beauty and infinite potential of who you are.

About The Course

This course was previously available at Glidewing.com under the same name. We are deeply grateful to our friends at GildeWing for making this available on the Ligmincha Learning platform!

This is a two-week workshop that is divided into four teaching sessions plus an introduction to the workshop practices. The workshop is intended to be experiential rather than purely philosophical or conceptual in nature, with each teaching session providing guidance and exercises for your formal practice. Rather than presenting extended lectures, each teaching session consists of a series of short videos, each one focused on a specific aspect of the teachings. The teaching session videos have a total duration of about an hour or less. A new teaching session will be introduced twice a week, on each Saturday and Tuesday of the workshop.

The videos in the workshop were recorded specifically for this program, and they are yours to access forever once you purchase the course.

The teachings can be accessed at any time. The workshop includes four guided meditations for your formal practice, with audio versions downloadable in MP3 format. Detailed instructions for both formal and informal practice are provided in the workshop videos.