INESSA MURADYN IS A WARM, OUTGOING, and talented Armenian who works as an AI product manager for Krisp, an Armenian-American start-up known globally for its noise-cancellation innovation. Last year, Inessa initiated the first Tergar Practice Group in Armenia, more specifically in Yerevan, the capital city, and one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities.

Armenia is a small, landlocked country in the Caucasus Mountains, bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. With a population of roughly three million, it is internationally known for its chess culture and for being the first government to declare Christianity a state religion in 301 AD.

Today, younger Armenians tend to relate to religion more as cultural heritage. “People may be religious by tradition, but they’re not churchgoers,” Inessa said in a recent interview. Instead, many are oriented toward education and global careers, often with an emphasis on technology.

It was this cultural landscape that made the Joy of Living program feel relevant.  “It’s a very secular country,” she said. “It’s non-ritualistic, so it’s more acceptable for Armenians.”

As well, Inessa felt the program would help her fellow Armenians, who have been under the shadow of war for decades. 

The conflict with Azerbaijan in recent years has made headlines, and the memory of the 1915 Armenian Genocide is a defining trauma in the country’s collective consciousness. “War has always been part of our history,” Inessa said. “It feels like a kind of national karma.”

“I actually believe that peace might be possible,” she said about the conflict with Azerbaijan, “but here, locally, people are not that optimistic.” Still, the possibility of peace flourishing is something Inessa carries deeply in her heart.

In 2023, during a period of active conflict with Azerbaijan, Inessa accompanied her Armenian Buddhist mentor on a group pilgrimage to Nepal. Standing at Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu during  Buddhist (Guru Rinpoche) practice, she made a heartfelt aspiration.

“I made an aspiration that I would really like to contribute to bringing some peace to Armenians, and helping to bring peace to the whole country,” she said. “And I thought that the dharma would be the best way for that.”

The Armenian group visited sacred sites and monasteries, meeting Tibetan teachers, including Mingyur Rinpoche’s oldest brother, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. The experience left a deep imprint, and another aspiration emerged.

“It was such a profound experience,” Inessa recalled. “I realized that I really needed to practice more authentic dharma. What we did before [in Armenia] was a mix of everything — Tibetan dharma, Russian Buddhist practices, and some esoteric teachings. I realized I needed to find a teacher with a clear lineage and take refuge. That’s where it all really started.”

What followed felt like “a twist of fate,” she said. One evening, the touring Armenian group learned that their guide would not be joining them the next day. Instead, a new guide appeared: Paul McClay, a film director of Armenian descent whom Inessa had known previously. 

McClay recommended a book to her: In Love with the World (also the basis for his soon-to-be-released English-language film, Everythingness). Reading the book, Inessa felt an immediate recognition. “I didn’t want to take refuge with anyone else,” she said. “Just Mingyur Rinpoche.”

Not long after, her wish became reality. On a subsequent visit to Kathmandu, as Inessa stepped off the plane, she was again met by Paul McClay, who, in that very moment, received a message from Mingyur Rinpoche. Shortly thereafter, she was welcomed into a meeting with Rinpoche, accompanied by her parents, and took refuge with him. She shared her wish to bring his teachings to Armenia. Mingyur Rinpoche encouraged her to complete the Joy of Living teachings as a foundation for a Tergar practice group.

Back in Yerevan, that encouragement has taken form. The Tergar practice group now meets weekly, offering sessions in English, Armenian, and Russian. It is a small group, and she is supported by practice coordinator Vahe Safaryan. 

There is hope for future expansion. Plans are underway for Tergar Russia to hold a retreat in Armenia, which may help support the group’s growth. One day, she hopes Mingyur Rinpoche will visit.

To conclude our conversation, I asked Inessa what had first drawn her toward meditation and Buddhism.

“Actually, it’s a mix of things,” she said. As a child, she experienced lucid dreams. These were so natural to her that she assumed that everyone experienced them. Only later did she realize that they were unusual. She also carried a sense that she was meant to do something for the benefit of others. “I always felt I had some kind of mission, even though I didn’t know what it was.”

A turning point came with the loss of a close friend. “I started trying to understand what happens after death,” she said. “I was looking for some proof that something exists beyond this life.” That search led her to the Tibetan Book of the Dead and, eventually, to meditation practice.

Trusting her intuition, Inessa sought guidance rather than going it alone. That search led her to the mentor who would bring her to Nepal in 2023 and eventually to Mingyur Rinpoche.

In her spare time, Inessa also pursues music. She is a musician at heart, and her music can be found on Spotify. She is also helping with the launch of Paul McClay’s film, Everythingness.

How does she manage this and raise three children with her husband? 

“I believe the more you take upon yourself, the better you handle that. And then when you do something with passion, it’s less of a responsibility, more of a joy to do that.”

March 2026