A Retreat Place in the Hidden Land of Yolmo
“Neding is held in the arms of Mother Yangri,” the famous yogi Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche once said about his favorite forest hermitage.
Nestled in a forest clearing presided over by a mountain named for the protector goddess Ama Yangri of Yolmo (the indigenous name for Helambu, an area in the southern reaches of the Nepalese Himalaya), it is a meditation retreat in the truest sense. Accessible only by a long up-hill walk—one rendered additionally challenging in the monsoon season by hoards of leeches that leap onto intrepid wanderers like miniature, heat-seeking paratroopers, seeking to infiltrate themselves between wet clothes and skin—it has served as a haven for serious practitioners since its inception.
Chatral Rinpoche named this place “The solitary hermitage of excellent Dharma” (Yang khrod kun bzang chos gling, pronounced Yangtro kunzang choling).
To his mind, it was the second Mount Tsari,[1] thereby equated with one of the twenty-four holy places of tantric Buddhism. He had good reason for his esteem. Yolmo is one of one hundred and eight “hidden lands” (sbas-yul, or beyul) blessed by Guru Rinpoche and his consorts, in this case Mandāravā. As a result, the valley is latticed with holy sites left by the couple—including several important caves—both known and as yet undiscovered. Chatral Rinpoche began coming to Yolmo in 1980. In 1988, he inaugurated Neding as a retreat site, leading eight meditators in the traditional three year retreat. He also bestowed several transmissions to a large audience camped out in the clearing, including the Dzogchen instructions of the Longchen Nyingtig, Dudjom Tersar, Jangter, and Rigdzin Sogdrub,[2] along with their empowerments, reading transmission, and oral instructions. More three-year retreats and teachings followed over the years, including instructions on Yeshe Lama and Buddhahood Without Meditation, Düdjom Lingpa’s most widely taught visionary text on trekchö. He also taught Jigme Lingpa’s Dzogchen Atiyoga manualYeshe Lama, including the preliminary practice Discerning Samsara and Nirvana.
[1] Khenpo Nyima Dhondruo, Guide to the Hidden Land of Yolmo Snow Enclosure and its History, Vajra Publications, 27. Tsari (tsa ri), one of the three most important sacred mountains of Tibet, the other two being Kailash and Lapchi (See: https://rywiki.tsadra.org/index.php/Tsari)
[2] Tib. Wyl. khregs chod. Trekchö is translated as ‘thoroughly cutting through’ (resistance, stubbornness, toughness and closedness), or ‘breakthrough’. The practice of trekchö reveals the view of primordial purity beyond conceptual elaboration (kadak trödral).
The days when crowds of Dharma disciples filled Neding are long gone. Many Dharma followers nowadays dream of going to retreat, but are often only able to occasionally squeeze out a week or two amidst their busy schedules. For those, Chatral Rinpoche had stern words of advice, composed in the very retreat place of Neding:
“If you don’t reflect on death and impermanence, there will be no way to practice the Dharma purely. Practice will remain an aspiration and you may feel regret the day that death comes, but by then, it’s too late.”[1]
One of his disciples who took these words of advice to heart is Khentrul Ngawang Lhundrub. In 2013, according to the wishes of both Chatral Rinpoche and his daughter Seymo Saraswati, Khentrul Rinpoche accepted the responsibility of Neding and of preserving Chatral Rinpoche’s legacy. In 2015, two years after he assumed responsibility, Khentrul Rinpoche faced dual blows of the passing of his teacher, as well as the destruction of nearly all of Neding’s buildings by the earthquake. Nevertheless, he decided to stay and rebuild. Apart from Chatral Rinpoche’s meditation cabin—which survived the earthquake—he has now finished a three-year retreat center, a short-term retreat house for 10 meditators, a lama-house, two individual cabins, two stupas, and a kitchen. He is currently building a memorial stupa and a stone statue of his lama. The three year retreat under his instruction is in its second generation, with the current batch due to complete their retreat in spring 2025
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[1] Chatral Rinpoche, “Essentail Advice From My Heart,” in The Contemporary Mahasiddha with Many Prophecies,” Dudjom Buddhist Association International, Hongkong, date unknown, 14.
Teachers
Chatral Sangye DorjeChatral Rinpoche
Chatra Sangye Dorjel
Teachings
Longchen Nyingtik