John has had the good fortune of many wonderful teachers along his spiritual path that have generously shared their wisdom and insights. Below are brief descriptions of some of the most important.
Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche
Yongdzin Rinpoche is John’s root master, the spiritual guide who has impacted his life and spiritual practice more than any other. He was the most senior teacher of the Bön tradition for over 70 years and was essential in preserving the tradition after the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He was the head teacher (Lopon) of the head monastery in Tibet in the 1950’s, but fled his country after the Chinese invasion, narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Red Guard. He re-established Menri monastery in northern India and trained a new generation of Geshe level monks. Once Menri was firmly established, he founded Triten Norbutse monastery in Nepal to train monks to the highest level. In 2005 he founded Shenten Dargye Ling monastery in France, the first Bonpo monastery in the West. He taught extensively around the world and published over 15 books in Tibetan and 7 books in Western languages. John had the good fortune to meet Rinpoche in 1993 and organized many retreats for him through Ligmincha Institute, and went on to organize his world teaching tour in 1996. John also enjoyed personal retreat with him at Triten Norbutse monastery, and received a great deal of private guidance. Rinpoche encouraged John to expand his teaching activities in 2002. Yongdzin Rinpoche left his body at age 100 in 2025, as many rainbows and lights appeared around his monastery.
Two biographies of Rinpoche’s life are available: The Life of a Great Bonpo Master: The Biography of Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, and Flight of the Bön Monks: War, Persecution, and the Salvation of Tibet’s Oldest Religion. There is also a short biography available online.
His Holiness Lungtog Tenpai Nyima, 33rd Menri Trizen
His Holiness was chosen in 1968 as the abbot of Menri monastery and head of the Bön tradition. He and Yongdzin Rinpoche worked very closely together to rebuild Menri and train a new generation of geshes to preserve the tradition for future generations. John organized the first group visit by Western Bonpo practitioners to Menri in 1995, beginning a long relationship with His Holiness, including receiving many initiations, teachings and private instruction, both at Menri and in retreats in the West. John was particularly blessed to receive extensive training in the Bardo practices, first in a 3 week retreat in New Mexico, and then in a month long personal retreat at Menri. His Holiness was a practitioner of immense power, yet filled with peace. He left his body in 2017, sitting in Thukdam meditation for several days after the breath and heart had ceased.
You can learn more through this biography page.
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Tenzin Rinpoche was the first Bonpo lama to live and teach extensively in the West and has published 10 books over the past 30 years. John met Rinpoche in 1992 and a few months later the two founded Ligmincha Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, an organization that has since grown to include groups in 23 countries. John served as the director of Ligmincha for the first 5 years, organizing all retreats, editing practice guides and managing operations. In 2001 he was asked by Tenzin Rinpoche to found the Chamma Ling solitary retreat center in Crestone, Colorado, where he served as director for 17 years. John received many teachings and initiations from Tenzin Rinpoche, who also introduced John to his root lama, Yongdzing Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche. Tenzin Rinpoche asked John to begin teaching in 1994 and his teaching responsibilities increased over time to leading as many as 10 retreats per year across the US and Europe through Ligmincha International and related organizations, as well as developing and mentoring most of Ligmincha’s online courses..
Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche
Rinpoche is the lineage holder and abbot of Latri Monastery in the Kham region of eastern Tibet, and received his Geshe degree from Menri monastery in 1987. He is the spiritual director of the Yeru Bön center in the US, Shen Chen Ling Bon Center in Belarus, Sharza Ling Institute in Poland, Bön Shen Ling Center in Moscow, Bön Shen Drup Center in Ukraine and Yeru Canada. Rinpoche founded the Bon Children’s Home in Dolanji, India in 1988 and he continues to oversee the school with over 300 students. He is the author of Opening the Door to Bon, The Inner Mirror, Forty-Three Guiding Principles for an Enlightened Mind and Khyung Mar: the Red Garuda. John has known and studied with Rinpoche for over 30 years, including his initiation into his root tantric practice of the Red Garuda.
Geshe Jampel Thardo
Geshe Thardo was trained at Namgyal monastery and later Drepung monastery in Tibet. He was studying for his final geshe exams when the failed uprising against the Chinese occupation took place in 1959 and he was imprisoned by the Chinese. After many months he was released and made his way to Nepal and later India. Eventually he arrived at the rebuilt Depung monastery in southern India and completed his Geshe exams in 1969. In 1973 at the recommendation of his teachers he came to the US and settled in Charlottesville, Virginia where he taught for 25 years before his passing in 2008, sitting in Thukdam meditation for several days after his breath and heart had ceased. John met Geshe Thardo in 1990 and studied the Gelugpa foundation practices of Lam Rim, Vajrasattva and related practices and texts, laying a clear foundation for his future studies.
Kumar Pallana
Kumar was a man of many talents and an inspiration in many ways. He owned a yoga studio, esoteric book store, and Cosmic Cup coffee shop in Dallas, Texas in the 1980s. He frequently invited visiting spiritual teachers from India to his center. John studied yoga, meditation and pranayama with Kumar, and also was able to use the book shop as a lending library, gaining access to a vast collection of spiritual literature from Asia. Kumar encouraged John to go on his first spiritual pilgrimage, which lasted 13 months as he traveled around the world visiting many sacred places to the world’s great spiritual traditions. Kumar later was asked to act in many films by Wes Anderson, who was a client in his shop as a teenager. Anderson cast him in comic roles in his films Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Darjeeling Limited, and Kumar continued to act in a total of 20 films before he passed in 2013.
Jerry Short
Jerry is an educational psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Virginia. He served as an associate dean in the School of Education and the School of Medicine simultaneously for many years, and was John’s mentor and supervisor for over 20 years. His quiet and clear leadership style, deep scholarship and compassionate guidance have deeply influenced John throughout his life since they met in 1990.
These are some of John’s most important teachers and influences, but he has benefited from many others as well, from wandering yogis in the Himalayas, to academic scholars from his decades of work in higher education. He is deeply grateful for the time, wisdom and encouragement his mentors have shared with him over the years.