How Nectar of the Path Came to Be

 

Myoshin and Edwin Kelley's story of how Nectar of the Path came to be Hello susanto, do you know how Nectar of The Path came about?  In 2010, Tergar International hosted Mingyur Rinpoche for his first-ever month-long retreat in the United States. It was at this time that Rinpoche reiterated his wish to enter a multi-year wandering retreat to Tergar's leadership. Not knowing when he would leave or how long he would be gone, the Tergar instructors had a special request for Rinpoche. “The idea came up that wouldn’t it be great if Rinpoche could write a practice liturgy that we, the community, could all do together to maintain a connection with him while he was on retreat,” Tergar Instructor Edwin Kelley recalled. “We implored Mingyur Rinpoche to write the liturgy. And so, he did it there in his room at the university while teaching at the retreat. He had with him a little notepad that he picked up in a hotel. He wrote it on the notepad in a simple, everyday handwritten script that Tibetans use.” Below are four photos of the handwritten liturgy:  Since few were used to reading this style of Tibetan writing, it was sent to Khenpo Kunga to transcribe into classical Tibetan text so that Cortland Dahl could translate it. Khenpo Kunga later recalled how incredibly touched he was by Rinpoche’s beautiful and poetic handwritten prose. He was convinced that it was like a terma or hidden treasure teaching. This liturgy is the Nectar of the Path: A Reminder for Daily Practice. “Mingyur Rinpoche was kind enough to offer this to his students so that we could stay connected,” Tergar Instructor Myoshin Kelley said. “To this day, it remains this very beautiful practice where Rinpoche points to the essence of what we are doing.” To learn more about the liturgy, you can join the four-month study of the practice in the Nectar of the Path course included in a Vajrayana Online subscription. Join Nectar of The Path Course → Learning every moment, Tergar Learning Community.