BHUTAN '25 | YANGTI

BHUTAN 2025

A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HEART OF ATI

A DZOGCHEN PILGRIMAGE INTO THE LAND OF THE DRAGON WITH LAMA JUSTIN VON BUJDOSS AND H.E. CHUNG TULKU RINPOCHE

December 29th 2025 through January 12th 2026

Bhutan, the Land of the Dragon, is uniquely situated as the last existing Vajrayana Kingdom in the world. Bhutan holds a very special place not only for the past development of Vajrayana (tantric Buddhism) but is currently a vital location for the preservation and thriving practice of this dynamic spiritual tradition. Above all else, Bhutan holds a sacred relationship to the development of the practice of Dzogchen (Sanskrit: Ati Yoga).

Join Lama Justin von Bujdoss and H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche for a unique tour of some of the most significant sites in the Land of the Dragon associated with Dzogchen. We will follow in the footsteps of Padmasambhava, Yeshe Tsogyal, Longchenpa, and Pema Lingpa as well as countless other great masters. We will have the opportunity to view the relics of the previous Chung Rinpoche as well as those of Trulshik Dongak Lingpa, an important tertön, and rediscover of Dungtsö Repa’s important dzogchen cycle centered around dark retreat known as the Yangti Nakpo.

We will travel from Paro to Bumthang and Thimphu through pristine forests, visit important pilgrimage sites with unparalleled art and architecture - some of the most important in the world. While in Bumthang we will take space to engage in retreat together, receiving transmission of two very important texts in the practice of dzogchen as well as the Yangti Nakpo ngondrö connected to Dungtsö Repa’s terma on dark retreat of which H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche is a lineage holder, and are uniquely connected to the very land we will be visiting.

This is an incredible opportunity to connect with the past, present of the practice of Dzogchen and Yangti yoga and plant seeds for the ripening of future realization through these beautifully profound spiritual practices which are truly one of the most precious gifts that humanity has seen. Come take your place in this timeless journey into the very heart of Ati.

To secure your spot a $1500 flat rate deposit is required. Following submission of your deposit, emails will be sent to all registrants with the details for planning including: how to prepare/pack, details for making the final payment, obtaining the Bhutan visa, organizing flights to Paro and advise regarding Buddhist pilgrimage. The remaining cost is due no later than October 1st 2025. Join us by submitting your deposit using the button below!

PRICING
Early Bird Price
$6900 (Single occupancy)
$6100 (Double occupancy)
After September 1st
$7200 (Single occupancy)
$6400 (Double occupancy)

SECURE YOUR SPOT

Day 1 (December 30th): Arrival in Paro
Arrival and Check-in: The group arrives in Paro in the morning. Check into your hotel and rest to acclimate to the time zone and altitude.

Day 2 (December 31st): Exploring Paro’s Sacred Sites
Kyichu Lhakhang: Visit this ancient 7th-century temple, built by Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo. It is also believed to have been visited by Padmasambhava in the 8th century.
Jangtsa Dumgtseg Lhakhang: Explore this three-story temple, built in the 15th century by the Tibetan mahasiddha Thangthong Gyalpo, known for its beautiful architecture and rich history.
Ta Dzong (National Museum of Bhutan): Visit the National Museum, housed in an old watchtower, to learn about Bhutan's history, culture, and art.

Day 3 (January 1st): Travel to Gangteng
Journey to Gangteng: After breakfast, travel by land towards Bumthang and stay overnight in Phobjikha.
Gangteng Lhakhang: Visit this sacred 17th-century monastery, founded by Pema Lingpa, and currently led by Gangteng Tulku. The monastery is one of Bhutan’s most important centers of spiritual practice.

Day 4 (January 2nd): Travel from Gangteng to Bumthang
Journey to Bumthang: Continue your travels by land, passing through beautiful valleys and forests, and stay overnight at Wangdicholing Resort, known for its serene environment and views of the surrounding mountains.

Day 5 (January 3rd): Group Retreat at Tharpaling
Tharpaling Monastery: Spend the day at Tharpaling, a revered Dzogchen center, where the great master Longchen Rabjam composed his Seven Treasuries. This will be the start of your two-day meditation retreat.
Dzogchen Transmission with H.E. Chung Rinpoche: H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche will transmit a Dzogchen text. Text TBD.
Visit to Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche's Kudung: Vsit the stupa shrine of Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche at Chödrak Monastery, a prominent figure in the Dzogchen tradition.

Day 6 (January 4th): Retreat Day
Yangti Nagpo Ngondro Transmission: Receive the transmission for the Yangti Nagpo Ngondro, an essential practice cycle of Dzogchen revealed by Dungtsö Repa in the 15th century.
Yangti Nagpo Guru Empowerment: For those who have completed the Yangti Nagpo Ngondro H.E. Chung Rinpoche will bestow the empowerment of the Guru practice from the Yangti Nagpo cycle along with the reading transmission and instructions for the practice.

Day 7 (January 5th): Retreat Day
Meditation and Transmission: Continue the group retreat, deepening your practice with teachings and guidance from H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche.

Day 8 (January 6th): Retreat Day
Meditation and Transmission: Continue the group retreat, deepening your practice with teachings and guidance from H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche.

Day 9 (January 7th): Pilgrimage to Sacred Temples in Bumthang (Choekhor)
Jambey Lhakhang: Visit this 7th-century temple dedicated to Maitreya, the future Buddha, which was built by Songtsen Gampo as part of his mission to spread Buddhism across the region. It is also said to have been visited by Padmasambhava.
Tamshing Lhakhang: Explore this important temple founded by Pema Lingpa in 1501, known for its connection to the Dzogchen teachings and rich historical significance.
Kurjey Lhakhang: Visit this monastery, which houses the resting places of Bhutan's first three kings. It is said to be the site where Padmasambhava healed the local king Sindhu Raja and met Monmo Tashi Kyidren, his consort.

Day 10 (January 8th): Pilgrimage to Palden Lhamo Dudsolma Temple in Tang Valley
Visit to the the relatively unknown temple dedicated to Palden Lhamo Dudsolma founded by Ngok Chodor, one of Marpa Lotsawa’s direct disciples who was a master of the Hevajra Tantra and lineage holder of the practice of Palden Lhamo Dudsolma.
Viewing of Sacred Relics and Transmission
Sacred Relics of Chung Rinpoche and Trulshik Lingpa: View relics of the previous Chung Rinpoche and Trulshik Dongak Lingpa, two revered figures in the Dzogchen tradition. These relics provide profound blessings and insights into the lineage.

Day 11 (January 9th): Fly from Bumthang to Paro

Day 12 (January 10th): Hike to Taksang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery)
Taksang Lhakhang (Tiger's Nest): Embark on an early morning hike to one of Bhutan’s most iconic sites, Taksang Lhakhang, also known as Tiger's Nest. This 4-5 hour hike takes you to a monastery perched on a cliffside, where Padmasambhava and other great masters meditated. The site is renowned for its breathtaking views and deep spiritual significance.

Day 13 (January 11th): Final Day in Paro
Visit Drakarpo Paro.
Exploration and Shopping: Spend your final day in Paro exploring the town, shopping for souvenirs, and enjoying your last moments in Bhutan’s serene atmosphere.
Farewell Dinner: In the evening, gather with all the participants, local guides, and everyone who has been part of your journey for a heartfelt farewell dinner. This will be an opportunity to reflect on the meaningful experiences, share memories, and express gratitude for the journey. Enjoy a delicious traditional Bhutanese meal as you celebrate the connections made and the spiritual insights gained during this unforgettable trip.

Day 14 (January 12th): Departure

*This pilgrimage offers a profound spiritual journey, weaving together meditation, sacred history, and beautiful landscapes. It’s a transformative experience for those seeking to deepen their understanding of Dzogchen, Tibetan Buddhism, and Bhutanese culture.

please note itinerary is subject to change

our travel + Practice guides

Lama Justin and Chung Tulku Rinpoche are uniquely suited to lead this particular pilgrimage as they share a common vision around bringing the practice of the dzogchen practice of Yangti to others so that they can benefit from the depth of experience that can arise from dark retreat. They both have considerable experience with this practice and see this pilgrimage as a way of creating positive connection within the mindstreams of participants with the practice of dzogchen, especially Yangti yoga, as well as the past lineage masters of this practice. They are interested in working together to create a conducive relationship between eastern and western culture around the practice of Yangti that brings benefit to all.

Lama Justin von Bujdoss

Lama Justin von Bujdoss is an American vajrayana Buddhist teacher, writer, and the is a co-founder of Bhumisparsha an experimental Buddhist sangha along with Lama Rod Owens and Founder and Director of Yangti Yoga Retreat Center with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, a retreat center dedicated to the practice of Dark Retreat, or Yangti Yoga. Lama Justin has made the focus of his dharma teaching Ati Yoga (Dzogchen) and Yangti Yoga (Dark Retreat). He is the author of Modern Tantric Buddhism: Authenticity and Embodiment in Dharma Practice published by North Atlantic Books, and contributor to Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections published by Lexington Books. From 2016 until December 2021 Justin served as the Executive Director of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for NYC Department of Correction where he also served as Staff Chaplain supervising over 30 chaplains and guided wellness programming for staff. Justin also has years of professional experience in home hospice and hospital settings as a pastoral caregiver. From 2018 to 2024 Lama Justin served as the chaplain for Hart Island, New York City’s public cemetery and is currently the chaplain for the Shelburne Falls/Buckland Fire Department. Lama Justin was ordained as a repa, a lay tantric yogin in the tradition of Milarepa, by His Eminence Gyaltsab Rinpoche, one of the heart sons of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa and is a ngakpa in the Yuthok Nyingthik tantric Buddhist lineage under Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. Lama Justin has presented on Buddhist practice at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, Wellesley, Columbia University, has been a visiting instructor at Union Theological Seminary, and teaches at Pure Land Farms. Justin is passionate about helping to create the conditions for authentic embodied tantric Buddhist spiritual practice in the West.

H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche

H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche comes from an unusual yak-herding family with 7 sons, 5 of which have been recognized as tulkus. He is the third son, and second tulku of the family. He was born in Bhamarpo in Bhutan, very close to the sacred three-peaked mountain of Gangkharpunsum, which represents Manjushri, Avalokiteshvari, and Vajrapani. At the time of his birth, many miraculous displays were evident, such as his house being surrounded by rainbows, the nearby black river Dhur turning milky white, and his umbilical cord covering him in the shape of a vajra. When he was six years old, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche recognized his older brother Adzom Gyalse as a tulku and also took him along. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche announced that the young boy would himself announce who his previous incarnation was in a week. In that time frame, he was able to recognize the personal items of his previous incarnation. He then was ordained as a monk by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and studied at Shechen monastery in Nepal for 5 years. He was enthroned as the 3rd mind reincarnation of Trulzhik Do Ngak Lingpa by HH Penor Rinpoche at Bodh Gaya, India during the Nyingma Monlam when he was 14. He then studied at Namdroling Institute in Mysore, South India, where he topped his class and received his Geshe degree. He was the chief abbot of Tharpaling monastery in Bumthang, Bhutan, the seat of Kunkhen Longchenpa, where Longchenpa composed The Seven Treasuries. The Longchen Nyingthig, or Vast Expanse of the Heart Essence, is the most famous Nyingma practice that lays the path for a practitioner from ngöndro, or foundational practices, to Dzogchen, or the teachings on the Great Perfection. It has been H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche’s mission to preserve the Longchen Nyingthig teachings and practices in this modern age. H.E. Chung Tulku Rinpoche is the founder of Dhyana, a non-profit organization in Bhutan, which aims to bring the practice of meditation to people from all walks of life, in order to relieve depression, anxiety, and other modern day afflictions. He has been teaching all over the world in Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Australia, and the U.S. in order to benefit sentient beings.