AFTER ATTENDING TEACHINGS on the Guru Principle with Khenpo Kunga several weeks ago, Lorraine Aguilar, a physical therapist and yoga teacher in Long Island, New York, booked a trip to Nepal to join the Tergar community at Osel Ling. In this conversation with Franka Cordua-von Specht, she reflects on commitment, renunciation, and the mysterious pull of the dharma.

Franka: Lorraine, you attended the Guru Principle with Khenpo Kunga, and afterwards, you immediately booked a ticket to Kathmandu to attend teachings at Osel Ling? What prompted your decision?

Lorraine: I knew I’d really like to connect to people who are already in the Tergar community. That realization came very clearly — those are the people I want to reach out to, because that’s what I need to support me on my path, and that’s what’s going to be the way going forward, to be part of the sangha. The dharma and the practices are the things I want to talk about.

That’s where the renunciation piece really hit me. When I made this commitment to go to Nepal, it was like, “Okay, you’re really stepping in with both feet. You’re jumping in now, Lorraine!” This commitment to the 20-day retreat [Tai Situ Rinpoche’s teachings at Osel Ling prior to the Grand Opening]— committing to meditating every day — is a huge commitment. It was a little bit like, “Wow… Okay. This is it!”

And there’s the whole idea of recognizing what fits and what doesn’t fit anymore.

Franka: Tell me more about that.

Lorraine: For so long, my life has been about being out in the world. I had a business, clients — and I still do a little bit — but slowly things have fallen away. With Covid, I moved back to my home office, and there’s been this real realization that I don’t need to put myself out there and try to “make it happen,” to be known, to prove I’m “a somebody.” That’s the falling away.

Franka: What came to you when you heard the teachings this past weekend with Khenpo Kunga on the Guru Principle?

Lorraine: It was like popcorn going off. I’ve been doing the Nectar of the Path practice and experiencing its energy, but not the exact clarity. With Khenpo teaching in such a step-by-step and clear way, the teachings came alive! It was like “Oh, that’s it.” All the puzzle pieces came together. There was this recognition within me: this is the truth. The dharma is the truth, and this is what I want to do. And if I’m really going to do this, I have to step up my commitment.

It’s mysterious, it’s like a cord pulling me. I took refuge a long time ago, wandered into other studies, but there was always this umbilical cord pulling me back. At this point in my life, I trust that it’s leading me in the right direction. I’m grateful to be guided by something so mysterious.

Franka: You mentioned earlier about what [Tergar Instructor] Antonia [Sumbundu] had said. She was speaking about the powerful connection between teacher and student, a connection that may take us on an unexpected journey. 

Lorraine: Yes. Immediately after the retreat, I went online and booked everything in ten minutes. After I booked my flight, there was some apprehension — this anxiety about renunciation, like, “What am I doing?” Antonia had said that it may feel as if we are not in charge of our lives because of a deeper calling or longing.

Franka: What did you take from that?

Lorraine: I felt such gratitude. “Thank you for naming that,” because that’s exactly what I was feeling. 

I also loved the discussion about the lama seeing the buddha nature in the student, because we don’t see it ourselves. It’s pointed out, and there’s this remembrance: “Oh, that’s what I’m experiencing.” And when Antonia said that, I felt the shared experience — that we’re all the same, all in this together. There was such a beautiful sense of unity.

March 2026

Lorraine Aguilar works as a Physical Therapist and Yoga teacher on Long Island, NY where she lives with her husband and two kitty cats. She is the founder of Yoga Fluw Studio and Heartbeat Gatherings. She is a lover of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha along with travel, hiking and good film. She is so grateful to have found her spiritual home with the Tergar Community.