Online 2025 Fall Retreat: Being Present to the Moment of Death
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Dr. Leslie Blackhall, Dr. Nikki Mirghafori, Tenzin Namdul, TMP, PhD and Father Francis Tiso
October 7 - 12, 2025
Online
Location: Online via Zoom
- $350.00 – Benefactor
- $265.00 – Registration
- $135.00 – Scholarship
The 2025 Fall Retreat & Serenity Ridge Dialogues with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche & Special Guests
For those on a spiritual path, moments of transition provide potent opportunities for self-transformation, and no transition more than the moment of death! Join us in a discovery of spiritual practices that help prepare for the moment of death and that can support others in their time of dying.
Our mornings teachings and practice are with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, who will guide us in the practice of Powa, the transference of consciousness at the moment of death. In the afternoons are talks, conversation and guided practices providing a broad perspective on the process and moment of dying from different perspectives and traditions. Dr. Leslie Blackhall, Dr. Nikki Mirghafori, and Father Francis Tiso are presenters at this year’s Dialogues. One of the defining aspects of this event is the opportunity to join in as our presenters and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche engage in conversation around topics close to their own hearts and practice, participating in the conversations through active Q&A sessions.
All practices are taught in a way suitable to any level of experience. All are welcome to join!
Schedule – New York Time
5 Dialogues Schedule (New York Time)
Tuesday, October 7
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Rinpoche Welcome/Talk
Wednesday, October 8
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Guided Practice
3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Dialogue
5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Guided Practice with Dialogue Presenters
Thursday–Saturday, October 9-11
7:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m. Morning Practice
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Guided Practice
3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Dialogue
5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Guided Practice with Dialogue Presenters
Sunday, October 12
7:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m. Morning Practice
9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Concluding Teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Capstone Conversations with Dialogue Presenters
About the Teachers
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, is one of only a few masters of the Bön Dzogchen tradition presently living in the West. An accomplished scholar in the Bön Buddhist textual traditions of philosophy, exegesis, and debate, Tenzin Rinpoche completed a rigorous11-year course of traditional studies at the Bönpo Monastic […]
Learn more about Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Dr. Leslie Blackhall
Dr. Blackhall is the section head for Palliative Care at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She is a nationally known expert in cross-cultural, ethical and clinical aspects of end-of-life care. She did her undergraduate degree at Yale University, went to New York University for medical school and residency training at Boston University. Her […]
Learn more about Dr. Leslie Blackhall
Dr. Nikki Mirghafori
Dr. Mirghafori is a Buddhist teacher and Artificial Intelligence scientist. She is a lineage holder in the Theravada tradition, empowered by the Burmese meditation master Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, with whom she practiced the jhanas and detailed analytical (Abhidhamma-style) vipassana. She also received empowerment from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Society, Insight Meditation Center, and is […]
Learn more about Dr. Nikki Mirghafori
Tenzin Namdul, TMP, PhD
Dr. Tenzin Namdu, an Assistant Professor of the Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, is a medical anthropologist and a Tibetan Medicine doctor, driven to understand mind-body relationship in studying aging and memory through the lens of biocultural and Tibetan medical paradigms. He incorporates his wide array of training into […]
Learn more about Tenzin Namdul, TMP, PhD
Father Francis Tiso
Father Francis Tiso holds the A.B. in Medieval Studies from Cornell University, a Master of Divinity degree (cum laude) from Harvard University and a doctorate from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary where his specialization was Buddhist studies. Fr. Tiso translated several early biographies of the Tibetan yogi and poet, Milarepa and has led research […]
Learn more about Father Francis Tiso