Dear Tergar South Africa Community,

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

We’re delighted to share some exciting news with you!

In-Person Events with TI Guide George Hughes

We are delighted that Tergar International Guide George Hughes will return to South Africa in 2026 to offer in-person Joy of Living workshops, and that this time, George will be teaching in Joburg too!

Joy of Living Level 1 - Cape Town
April 11-12, 2026

Joy of Living Level 2 - Cape Town
April 18-19, 2026

Joy of Living Level 2 - Johannesburg
April 25-26, 2026

We’re also planning a Tergar South Africa community practice retreat in 2026. Details coming soon!

Practice Groups: The Heart of Tergar SA

Practice groups are the heart of Tergar SA, and being a part of a practice group is such a nourishing and necessary aspect of the meditation journey. Please visit the website and check out the latest schedules and offerings, and feel free to contact our practice group coordinator if you have any questions and need any guidance on joining a group.

Link here: https://www.tergarsouthafrica.org/practice-groups/

Online Learning with 60% Discount

Continue your journey with Tergar International’s online programs. Please make good use of the special discount codes for the Joy of Living Online program and the Vajrayana Online program. As a member of the Tergar South Africa community we negotiated successfully with Tergar International to give you all a 60% discount.

Joy of Living Online - 60% discount code: SA-JOL-60
Vajrayana Online - 60% discount code: SA-VOL-60

We’re also expecting special South Africa discount codes for Tergar SA members soon, providing access to all TI online events.

Now, if you have a moment, perhaps with a cup of tea, we invite you to settle in and journey with us through the extraordinary 17 days we spent with Mingyur Rinpoche…

Alex Kunkhyen Reflects on 17 Extraordinary Days

It has now been two months since Mingyur Rinpoche arrived in the Cape for the very first time on August 26th, and as I write to you, my heart is still full from those extraordinary 17 days we shared together.

The Arrival

On the morning of August 26th, I was driving along Boyes Drive, knowing that the plane was in the air approaching landing. The sky was full of orange light, and I was moved by the massive efforts and the large-scale coordination—all of the incredible causes and conditions that had to come together for that plane to be in the sky, with Mingyur Rinpoche, Lama Tashi, and Lama Gyatso sitting on that airplane, coming in to land in Cape Town.

Later that day, members of the planning team, community members, and our international guests gathered at Cape Town International Airport. The feelings of joy, relief, gratitude—so many emotions—overwhelmed us as Rinpoche came through those doors and immediately made everyone feel completely at ease.

From that moment on, for 17 days, we had the most incredible gift with us.

The Vineyard Hotel: A Retreat in the City

Rinpoche stayed at The Vineyard Hotel, which he absolutely loved. He thought it was like a retreat place—nestled in the middle of nature, on the other side of the river, amongst all the trees with the mountains rising behind them. The mountains that the lamas have referred to quite a few times as calling us. Calling us home.

A Bridge Between Two Histories

After settling in and having lunch, Rinpoche was given a briefing by renowned political expert and South African journalist Mondli Makhanya. The participants included Mingyur Rinpoche, Lama Tashi, friends from TI (Tergar International), and members of Tergar South Africa.

Our intention for this briefing was to educate Rinpoche and the TI team on South African history—particularly apartheid, what that was like, the political and social changes after democracy, the various presidencies we’ve been through, the current situation, and the trauma that is still held by South Africans from this history.

Something incredibly moving came out of this meeting. Something that was deeply healing for many of us, and also profoundly educational. It was an authentic connection between Tibet and South Africa.

Lama Tashi shared with us that what was described during apartheid is happening currently in Tibet. This revelation sparked a hunger, a thirst, to understand better the relationship between Tibet and South Africa. Why didn’t South Africa support Tibet more rigorously, more passionately? Given that the situations are very similar, and given the strong emphasis of the South African government on human rights and freedom, the answer was uncomfortable: the South African government has been bullied by China through financial and power dynamics.

Out of this conversation came an article that Julian, our director and former journalist with The Financial Times and war correspondent, wrote. You can read the article here: Dancing to a Different Tune- South Africa's moral hypocrisy on Tibet. We hope that this has an impact on the relationship between South Africa and Tibet.

Walking in Newlands Forest

Later that day, Mingyur Rinpoche joined the community on a walk in Newlands Forest and gave an impromptu teaching. Those of us who were there—and those who were privileged enough to watch and listen remotely—understood the power and privilege of having this remarkable teacher with us on our home soil.

What was so inspiring was witnessing Mingyur Rinpoche’s profound love of nature and the elements, his union with them. Newlands Forest provided the perfect backdrop for this spontaneous expression of awareness, love, compassion, and wisdom. In those moments, we were taken back to the authentic source of these meditation instructions—back to the historical Buddha 2,600 years ago, who would spontaneously teach according to who was there, according to their needs, their mentality, their personality, and their tendencies.

Day Two: Priorities and Penguins

On the second day, Rinpoche was asked to give an interview on the Expresso TV Breakfast show—a chance to reach many people, to talk about the teaching tour, about meditation, and to lead a meditation on air. But because of Rinpoche’s incredible commitment to his personal practice, which facilitates all the incredible work and teaching he’s able to do, he turned it down. Completely unswayed by the allure of television.

Around midday, after he finished his personal practice, he departed along with the lamas and some of our international guests and Tergar staff members from abroad to visit the penguin colony at Boulders in Simon’s Town. They enjoyed lunch and dipped their toes in the water at Water’s Edge Beach—a place where we had placed sacred objects beforehand and, interestingly enough, the place where Tibetan Buddhist monks dissolved mandalas into the water for many years. This beach is a personal favorite of mine and a place where quite a few of us from the Cape Town community have meditated and walked the path. That beach will definitely remain blessed and a source of inspiration for us.

Evening: Blessings in Kenilworth

Not wasting any time, Rinpoche attended a blessing ceremony and question-and-answer session at Kagyu Samye Dzong Cape Town center in Kenilworth. He gave incredible advice to practitioners and the community, along with words of encouragement and wisdom from his own experience of growing communities around the world. His kind and generous advice to the members of the center was deeply appreciated.

The Amitabha Empowerment at Michael Oak Waldorf School

Thereafter, we rushed through to Michael Oak Waldorf School to begin an evening empowerment. For the planning team, it was quite a challenge. There was very little time for setup, and there was a lot to set up. Tension was high. And then Rinpoche walked in and did his preparation seamlessly. Eventually, the doors opened.

Some 250 attendees from across meditation communities—Tergar and beyond—including our international friends, gathered together. We began this ceremony focused on Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light, a practice which is deeply connected to Mingyur Rinpoche’s lineage going back many hundreds of years.

The prayers and practices connected with this aspect of mind were profound. For many of us, it was the first time we had received such detailed instruction on how to receive empowerment, and teachings on pure perception in such accessible detail—incredibly beneficial and wise.

We were surrounded by lanterns and lights, a beautiful setup in the hall, and a beautiful shrine. When it came time to receive the blessing and complete the ceremony, there was nothing but boundless love and light in that room.

Even now as I sit down and write this, tears come to my eyes. My heart is completely moved. It was a truly magical, transcendent experience.

Day Three: Radio Waves and Sacred Spaces

After finishing his personal practice, we departed for an Ethiopian lunch and then an incredible historical and cultural walk through Cape Town. But first, we drove with Rinpoche to CapeTalk Radio Station, where he conducted an interview with Pippa Hudson.

Rinpoche spoke about his personal experience with panic attacks and anxiety when he was younger, and how he used meditation to embrace, overcome, transform, and transcend these obstacles. He guided a meditation, and one could sense people sat in traffic across the city—in Cape Town and beyond—listening to this interview with a meditation master from the Himalayan regions who just happened to be in Cape Town. Wherever Rinpoche went, people were affected by his presence and teaching, but it was particularly remarkable how the engineers, the production team, and staff at the radio station were so deeply touched.

After the interview, Rinpoche continued with the historical and cultural walk of Cape Town, connecting with so many iconic places and parts of our history. Standing alongside the figures of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mingyur Rinpoche connected deeply with South Africans.

Boundless Compassion at Saint George’s Cathedral

Rinpoche segued perfectly, with no sign of energy flagging, into an incredible interfaith event at Saint George’s Cathedral called “Boundless Compassion.” This was a partnership with the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, bringing together representatives from the wider community—all religions and traditions—sharing heartfelt experiences and contemplations on boundless compassion.

Rinpoche spent time beforehand with all of them as a friend, not simply as a holy man. Then the event began, together with a choir and youth program, a light offering, and the singing of the Tibetan mantra of compassion, Om Mani Padme Hum, which resounded through the nighttime sky of Cape Town in perfect union with what that sacred place of refuge and South African freedom and liberation truly represents.

With no fanfare and in his true simplistic style, Rinpoche departed. The following day, he noted that he found it to be a really well-organized and incredible event. Of particular interest was that the lamas felt a real connection, a real bond with our traditional African elements, and remarked on how similar in feeling and ritual they felt it was.

Days Four Through Seven: The Path of Liberation Retreat

Days four, five, six, and seven were dedicated to the Path of Liberation Levels 1 and 2 retreat at Vineyard Hotel, bringing together 120 people from all over South Africa—Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Town, the Garden Route, Knysna, and beyond—as well as many practitioners from other countries.

This group of 120 practitioners gathered in this beautiful venue for an incredibly authentic experience, where they were able to receive the very highest level of meditation instructions from this world-renowned and much-loved meditation master in an intimate setting, at such close proximity, with the most incredible supportive, nurturing, and inspiring conditions for the deepening of practice, learning, community, and sharing.

The moments in this retreat touched many hearts. By the time the retreat concluded and the words of thanks were shared, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. All of us were perfectly reflected in Mingyur Rinpoche’s presence.

A Precious Tendrel

On the penultimate day of the retreat, Sunday, we had the empowerment of White Tara and a refuge ceremony. According to the Tibetan lunar calendar, this day happened to be particularly auspicious for this practice. This is one of many tendrel in Tibetan, which means auspicious coincidences. These are considered incredibly meaningful because they cannot be planned—the universe conspires for these things to happen when they do, with very wonderful results.

Day Eight: Building Bridges

For many people, once the Path of Liberation retreat concluded, there was some time off. But for those of us working closely with Rinpoche, and for Rinpoche himself, the day after the retreat presented an incredibly busy schedule.

In the morning, there was an event spearheaded by Emilda Rahim, the COO of Tergar International. This gathering, called “Transforming a Divided and Disconnected World,” brought together many meditation communities throughout South Africa for a morning of connection, sharing, and workshopping led by Emilda and Mbuyi Yanta, and joined by Rinpoche. This marked the beginning of the African Contemplative Network—an exciting association of wonderful people and communities who can now work together and find mutually beneficial ways to develop meditation in South Africa.

Rinpoche then visited Kirstenbosch Gardens and enjoyed another walk and impromptu teaching with community members. He returned, and that evening at 6 PM, gave another teaching to the Young Presidents’ Organization and their local chapter in Cape Town.

Days Nine and Ten: Johannesburg

The following morning, we left for Johannesburg on an early flight and stayed at Satyagraha House, the old house of Mahatma Gandhi and the place where much of the peaceful resistance movement was formulated. This incredibly beautiful haven in the middle of Orange Grove, Johannesburg, is full of historical artifacts and, most of all, the very blessed, peaceful energy of another very special spiritual master and world game-changer.

After lunch, Rinpoche began a one-and-a-half-hour online teaching with Tibetan youth. Next, Khenpo Jamyang from the Office of Tibet traveled with us to Wits University, to the Senate Room, for an event titled “Thrive Daily: Meditation for Life, Work and Purpose.”

This was another incredibly well-attended event—a teaching to a mix of university students and staff, beginners and experienced practitioners from all over Johannesburg and the country. Rinpoche spoke about the ancient wisdom of awareness, love, compassion, and wisdom as it relates to modern daily lives, and how to connect with these profound aspects of our nature, beginning right here, right now.

Day Eleven: Blessings in Kensington and Hillbrow

The following day, after his personal practice, Rinpoche blessed the Kagyu Samye Dzong Johannesburg Center in Kensington. We were greeted by so many students and community members. He gave a teaching, diving into some instruction on meditation practice. He blessed the newly built temple and was offered lunch by the local community, continuing to answer questions and give advice and words of encouragement.

Then he leaned over to me and said, “We have some time before we need to be at the airport. Take me to the most dangerous part of town.”

And so we drove into Hillbrow. Rinpoche very quietly blessed everyone and everything, took everything in. Really, his only interest ever is how to benefit people through teaching and how to connect with those people. To see it in action is a privilege and a teaching in and of itself.

The Flight Back: Big Gap!

We flew back to Cape Town. On the way, there was some pretty heavy turbulence, and our plane was thrown around quite a bit in the sky. Robin from Tergar International, who sat next to Rinpoche, is a nervous flyer. Pretty much everyone had their eyes closed and was probably praying, even those on the plane who had absolutely no religious or spiritual practice.

The plane touched down on the runway in perfect safetyEveryone opened their eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Rinpoche leaned over, put his big smile on his face and said, “Big gap, right?”

Day Twelve: Table Mountain (Almost!)

On the late morning of Friday, Day Twelve, we were hoping to go up Table Mountain with Rinpoche, do a walk along the top, and have a community picnic. Unfortunately, the weather closed the cable car station. We made a quick adjustment, and a community picnic and impromptu teaching at Kirstenbosch Gardens brought out the most hilarious humor from Rinpoche and the rest of the community who was there.

What followed was another wonderful walk through the gardens and forest. This time, Rinpoche continued to walk almost to the top of the mountain before heading to the University of Cape Town for that evening’s event.

The Essence of Meditation at UCT

That evening’s event, called “The Essence of Meditation,” was held in the iconic Sarah Baartman Hall—a beautiful setting where 762 people gathered. Just remarkable. This began the first of three days of events in association with the Department of Student Affairs at UCT, very much geared towards bringing meditation to students, staff, and the community at large.

The teaching was beautifully well received. There was a blessing line, where we explained the significance of offering a white scarf (also called a khata in Tibetan) and receiving a blessing cord from Rinpoche—making a connection on a personal level. Hundreds and hundreds of people queued up for the blessing, everyone incredibly buoyant and joyful. Another successful event concluded at the foot of Table Mountain.

Days Thirteen and Fourteen: Anytime, Anywhere Meditation

On Saturday, we began a momentous event—the Anytime, Anywhere Meditation program—which opened with a very unique and powerful celebration and showcase of ancient wisdom from the African and Tibetan traditions. There were performances by Pura Mgolombane, Gogo Bazamile for the cleansing and opening, Isazizi UNIMA SA’s Yobomi Youth, and Umrhube musical intervention. Mingyur Rinpoche offered a traditional sang offering, a smoke offering, where hundreds of participants offered a collection of fynbos plants and herbs into the fire, clearing away obstacles and invoking blessings for this program of meditation.

What followed were two days of small group discussions, Q&A, and guided meditation, not to mention incredible teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche, with many people joining from all over the world online in this hybrid event.

During this time, many people who were completely new to meditation—UCT students, panelists and experts from varying fields of science, psychology, coaching, medicine, climate change, environment, and so on—shared the experience of the transformative impact of meditation.

The Perfect Tendrel: Table Mountain at Sunset

In another incredible case of tendrel, we had the chance to very quickly take Rinpoche, Lama Tashi, and Lama Gyatso up Table Mountain on Sunday evening—which happened to be the full moon and the beginning of a lunar eclipse. It was also the conclusion of a five-month global teaching tour and the conclusion of the very first teaching tour in South Africa. According to traditional Buddhist astrology, to dedicate practice and collected merits on these days are hugely multiplying. So we all share this incredible power of concluding our teaching tour, efforts and energies on this auspicious occasion.

When we reached the top of Table Mountain, the moon was on one side, the sun was on the other side, with beautiful clear blue sky in between and the panoramic view of Cape Town spread below. The lamas remarked that we couldn’t wish for a better place for meditation.

As we completed the walk around Table Mountain, Rinpoche sat on a rock overlooking the Atlantic seaboard and the setting sun and entered into a profound meditation. This could be felt not just by those who knew him, but also by those who happened to be walking past—they couldn’t help but be drawn into this profound, peaceful, luminous presence.

Space, Rest, and Spiritual Maturity

During his time in Cape Town Rinpoche was incredibly thankful for the connection and community time spent together, but also for some privacy and personal space for him to enjoy Cape Town, the place where he was staying, and his practice. There was also time for the lamas to rest and to connect with each other, and to share this very special experience of their first visit to Africa and to South Africa.

There were three private audiences that people requested. Two of those audiences were for people who are terminally ill with cancer. The third audience was with a young man who intends to take ordination as a monk in the Tibetan tradition.

What struck me as the person responsible for liaising between Rinpoche and the community—and often in other places, Rinpoche can be really overwhelmed by organizers or the point of contact, and Rinpoche’s attendant can be overwhelmed by an onslaught of requests for audiences and time with Rinpoche—was that there was none of that here in South Africa.

People who really needed to see Rinpoche and receive very important instructions and guidance for their life had that opportunity. But this precious teacher also had some time and space for rest and relaxation at the end of a very demanding, busy teaching tour. For that, I really say thank you to everyone.

To me, this shows a level of maturity. That maturity is very much about being content with the incredible time we got to spend with Rinpoche, the incredible access we had to him, the ease with which he communicated with all of us—balanced with the very necessary line of respect between student and teacher.

The Gift of 17 Days

Towards the end of the visit, Lama Tashi said to me that he didn’t understand how it was possible that we managed to get so many days with Rinpoche. And in all honesty, that too was tendrel. We didn’t plan it. In fact, it wasn’t planned by anyone. It just so happened that some other arrangements were canceled, and instead of having seven or eight days with Rinpoche in the beginning, it became 17 days.

By far the most time that Rinpoche has spent with any one community on this tour. And again, another sign that so many causes and conditions came together for as many people, the place, and everyone in this situation to benefit. To be blessed.

Days Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen: Personal Time

You may wonder what happened to the last three days of that tour. Those days were some personal time, where Mingyur Rinpoche and Lama Tashi were able to go off and explore another part of South Africa, spending time connecting with some uniquely South African elements—animals, nature—and enjoying some quiet time at the end of this magnificent, rich, and jam-packed teaching tour.

Farewell

On Day Seventeen, the planning team that was involved with Rinpoche’s events met with him briefly to say farewell at The Vineyard. We drove Rinpoche to the airport, right up until he boarded, right up until he waved goodbye and went through the security gate.

After checking in for his flight, he gave messages to our tireless cameraman, photographer, and director Luke Younge, and gave a wonderful message, telling us that he would be back. We are hoping that will be in a couple of years’ time, but that is yet to be confirmed. What is confirmed is that Rinpoche will be returning to us.

As a farewell, Rinpoche put his hand very gently on his heart and said, “Thank you so much for all the hard work and for all of this. I really, really appreciate it.” He expressed his heartfelt connection with the people and the place.

And with that, he departed.

In Gratitude

These 17 days were a gift beyond measure—a blessing that continues to ripple through our community and beyond. The causes and conditions that came together for Rinpoche’s visit remind us that when we work together with open hearts and dedication, extraordinary things become possible.

May the benefit of this visit reach all beings. May we continue to practice, to grow, and to support one another on this path.

Until Rinpoche returns to us, may we keep the lamp of awareness, love, and compassion burning brightly in our hearts and in our lives.