Lama Namgyal Dorje (Harvey B. Aronson) and Lama Rigzin Drolma (Anne C. Klein)
Rooted in the blessings of the Tibetan Dzogchen lineage,
offered with clarity for today.
The Blessings of the Lineage
These Dzogchen teachings arise from the living Nyingma lineage of Adzom Drukpa and Rinpoche, rooted in the blessings of Guru Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal, whose profound guidance continues to inspire our Lamas’ (Lama Rigzin Drölma and Lama Namgyal Dorje) practice and teaching. The retreats offer not only instruction, but also the warmth, clarity, and embodied presence through which the living essence of the Dzogchen tradition is directly transmitted.
DAWN MOUNTAIN EUROPE:
A Wonderful and Rare Opportunity to Study and Practice Dzogchen with Authentic Teachers
We are a growing sangha dedicated to supporting the teachings of Lama Rigzin and Lama Namgyal across Europe. Our aim is to help authentic Tibetan Buddhist practice, especially Dzogchen, flourish in a grounded, accessible, and welcoming way.
Current Announcements
NEW! Registration open – Green Tara Drub Chö, Oct. 11-17 (see below)
SEPTEMBER 2026
Intro to Dawn Mountain – Basic Meditation Practice for Beginners
September 16, 2026, 5 pm through 10 pm (CEST)
First Session: 5 pm – 7 pm (CEST) First, and mainly, this offers you an in-depth introduction to the key elements of Dawn Mountain’s ongoing Sunday meditation: setting our intention, our “three pillars,” mindfulness of breathing, chanting a sacred syllable, and dedication and aspirations for others. We will also discuss Pema Chodron’s book and its place in our teaching. The intention is to enhance your understanding and experience of the special qualities of each of these practices and how they constitute a complete practice in their own right.
Second Session: 8 pm – 10 pm (CEST) Our teachers want to hear what you have to say! They will offer an open mic for you to ask any questions you have about Dawn Mountain programs, how they complement each other, and an optimum order in which to take them. As time allows, we will also expand on our “Seeing to Being” cycle, a unique sequence tailored to the needs of modern practitioners, and how it serves as a unifying template for all our practices, and the essentials of “Brilliant Basics” a course on the foundational practices of our tradition. And…how it prepares us for the upcoming Becoming Tara formal practice retreat Oct 11-17!
For more information and registration click here
OCTOBER 2026
New! Green Tara Drub Chö
A week-long practice retreat
Sunday, October 11 through Saturday, October 17, 2026
Dawn Mountain (US) – We practice online together in Germany!
Lama Rigzin has encouraged those of us in the European Sangha to gather at a small center in Steinen near Lörrach in Southern Germany, and to participate in the event together. We will connect with the Dawn Mountain US Sangha online for this event.
Last May, Rinpoche encouraged our community to follow a custom he once initiated by holding formal practice retreats (Drub Chö or Drub Chen) at different centers each year. As Dawn Mountain (US) celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, we would like to take this occasion to honor Rinpoche’s request, and to offer the first of what we hope will be a moveable feast of Sangha practices among us through the years.
As many of you know, the first deity practice Rinpoche shared with us was Green Tara from Adzom Drukpa’s Secret Treasure of the Luminous Vajra. Most of us are familiar with this beautiful practice. With his encouragement, we will practice Adzom Drukpa’s full version of this practice, which has only been done once before in the US, at Tara Mandala in 2005. A quarter of a century later, let us gather to do this again.
Everyone in our community is warmly invited to join.
The registration is open! Click below….
Teaching Tour 2027
Rooted in the blessing stream of Tibetan Dzogchen and inspired by the luminous presence of Yeshe Tsogyal, Lama Rigzin Drölma and Lama Namgyal Dorje will return to Europe in June and July 2027, offering teachings and retreats in countries including Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The program will include The Great Bliss Queen, Guru Rinpoche Drub Thab, Chenrezi, Seeing to Being and more….
SAVE THE DATES: EUROPA TOUR 2027
We are also happy to share some preliminary dates for our 2027 European program:
June 24–28 — Ganden, Switzerland: Chenrezi Drub Chen (the exact dates for Ganden might be changed -/+ one day)
July 2–4 — Bodhicarya, Berlin: Seeing to Being
July 7–11 — Rosenwaldhof, Groß-Kreutz: Great Bliss Queen
July 14–18 — Kamalashila, Langenfeld: Wisdom from the Lotus Lineage — Becoming Guru Rinpoche and The Great Compassionate One (Avalokiteshvara)
More details will follow.
Past Events 2026
June 12–13, 2026
University of Leipzig, Germany
DZOGCHEN IN THEORY AND PRACTICE
June 14–18, 2026
Rosenwaldhof, Groß Kreutz, Germany
GREEN TARA (with Empowerment)
June 19–22, 2026
Bodhicharya, Berlin, Germany
BECOMING YESHE TSOGYAL
June 23–28, 2026
Ganden Chökhor, Switzerland
CHENREZIG
June 30 –July 1, 2026
TBC, Rome, Italy
BEYOND ORDINARY MIND: PARTS I & II
July 3–5, 2026
Tuscany, Italy
SEEING TO BEING
July 14-24th, 2026
INTENSIVE GREEN TARA PRACTICE
Due to this Message, which we want to share with you, from Lama Rigzin Drolma and other Lamas we practiced as a Sangha for 14 days:
“Many of us have felt that this is an important time to deepen our prayers for the benefit of all beings. As we witness increasing fear, uncertainty, conflict, and suffering throughout the world, we are reminded to respond as our tradition has always responded: by practicing together with compassion, courage, and unwavering aspiration.
We especially dedicate these prayers to healing throughout the world, including any known or unknown circumstances affecting our own teachers. Through their own reflections, the leadership of Tara Mandala and Dawn Mountain have unanimously felt that this is an important time to gather in collective Green Tara practice.
In short, everyone is invited to join these Green Tara practices, whether practicing individually or with a sangha, you are warmly and wholeheartedly invited to join us in praying that all beings may be free from fear and suffering. May our collective practice help make this so.
May our collective prayers help remove obstacles, ease suffering, and bring benefit to all beings.”
With Dharma heartfulness,
Lama Tsultrim Allione, Tulku Ösel Dorje, Lama Rigzin Drolma, Lama Namgyal Dorje, Lama Rigzin Sherab, Lama Chönyi Wangmo
About our Teachers
Founders of Dawn Mountain, scholars and long-time Dzogchen practitioners, offering buddhist teachings worldwide with warmth, depth, and clarity.
Lama Rigzin Drölma (Anne Carolyn Klein)
Lama Rigzin brings over forty years of practice in multiple Tibetan traditions, with special emphasis on Nyingma Dzogchen, offering full transmission and rare teachings through Dawn Mountain’s Dzogchen Cycles program.
Professor, Former Chair of Religious Studies at Rice University, and Founding Director and Resident Lama of Dawn Mountain Tibetan Temple and Community Center. A Dorje Lopön since 2009, she is a renowned scholar-practitioner whose work bridges academic precision and deep contemplative experience: Her influential writings and translations cover topics such as Dzogchen, Heart Essence traditions, and embodied wisdom. Her new book Lamplight on Your Path: A Personal Guide to Dzogchen’s Foundational Practices will be published in fall 2026.
Lama Namgyal Dorje (Harvey Aronson)
Recognized in 2010 as a Dorje Lopön by Nyingma Dzogchen masters, he co-founded Dawn Mountain in 1994 with Anne Klein (Lama Rigzin Drölma) to support the transmission of Tibetan Buddhist wisdom in modern Western contexts.
Lama Namgyal holds a BS in Chemistry, an MSW, and a PhD in Buddhist Studies. He is a scholar-practitioner and psychotherapist with over 35 years of clinical experience. Trained in the Gelugpa, Dzogchen, and Theravada traditions, he is the author of Buddhist Practice on Western Ground and Love and Sympathy in Theravada Buddhism, focusing on the integration of Buddhist practice with Western psychotherapy. He has been recognized in 2010 as a Dorje Lopön by Nyingma Dzogchen masters. He co-founded Dawn Mountain in 1994 with Anne Klein (Lama Rigzin Drölma) to support the transmission of Tibetan Buddhist wisdom in modern Western contexts.
We invite you to join us in 2027
May these teachings bring clarity, compassion, and spaciousness to all who encounter them.