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Geshe Tashi Tsethar, Zengwen Youth Activity Center, Taiwan, October 2014. Photo courtesy of FPMT Taiwan.
Ven. Thubten Dechen, who interpreted for Geshe Tsethar during FPMT Taiwan’s and Heruka Center’s first jointly organize lam-rim retreat, reports on the special event:
FPMT Taiwan and Heruka Center in Kaohsiung jointly organized its first guided meditation lam-rim retreat during Taiwan’s National Day weekend on October 10-12.
The retreat was held in Zengwen Youth Activity Center, a sanctuary sitting amid a ring of emerald green hills and bordered at one end by the largest dam in the country by volume, the Zengwen Reservoir.
Geshe Tashi Tsethar, resident teacher of Heruka Center, led the retreat which was attended by 46 participants from primarily the southern parts of Taiwan, one third of whom we met for the first time.
Each day of the retreat began with Geshe Tsethar leading us through the practice of the six preparatory practices with steps of meditation and visualization clearly explained in great detail. The rest of the days were then spent, at intervals of an hour or so, in several sessions on the actual lam-rim meditation, prostrations to the 35 Buddhas, Q & A, and tea offering ritual to the protectors.
“One of the most touching facts of this retreat,” Heruka Center’s deputy director Dorothy Hung said, “is that you could see people really trying to help each other, the seniors helping the less experienced, and the younger ones assisting the elderly. You feel the togetherness of this group, and that is very beautiful.”
Many participants commented that they had never heard such lucid explanation on the six preparatory practices, while others mentioned that despite having studied lam-rim repeatedly for years, they had never learned how to put the instructions into practice until they attended this retreat.
Overall the retreat was very successful and beneficial, with many already expressed their wish to attend the next one! This marks an important milestone in FPMT Taiwan’s history – we are now a big step closer to actualizing Rinpoche’s vision in making lam-rim meditation retreat a regular practice in this part of the world!
Participants at the first annual lam-rim meditation retreat organized by FPMT Taiwan and Heruka Center, Zengwen Youth Activity Center, Taiwain, October 2014. Photo courtesy of FPMT Taiwan.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Child visitor at Maitreya Loving Kindness Tour relic exhibition in Toronto, Canada, 2014. Photo by Thupten Wangyal.
“2014 has been an inspiring year for Maitreya Loving Kindness Tour,” said staff member Michael Fouts. “In Russia, the relics visited Gunzechoinei Datzan which is the oldest temple in St. Petersburg and has hosted teachings from both Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche. More than 3,000 people from many different backgrounds came to be blessed by the relics.
“In Canada, relic exhibitions were held in both Saskatoon and in Toronto where the relics were displayed at the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre. On Sunday morning during the Toronto exhibition, 100 Tibetan children of different ages came to do their weekly meditations and prayers – this time in front of the relics! Many of the children offered khatas to the relics while others made prostrations and circumambulated the altar while praying.
“Recent United States exhibitions included the cities of Des Moines, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Grand Rapids, where 3,000 people from many different walks of life attended. The Grand Rapids exhibition was profoundly moving for many of the local visitors. As Grand Rapids exhibition volunteer Eric Wilkins put it, ‘The relics radiate the very depths of a sacred silence that continues to welcome me home and they sing an ineffable unified chorus throughout my blood, bone and tissues.’
“As the events of 2014 draw to a close, the schedule for 2015 is already brimming full with events in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Vietnam, USA, Mexico, Canada and Colombia. The tour soon enters its 15th year with no end in sight. Please join us in rejoicing and giving thanks to the kindness of Lama Zopa Rinpoche for founding this historic and beneficial tour.”
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the eight stupas that are part of the Garden of Enlightenment at Chenrezig Institute, Queensland, Australia, September 2014. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.
“An ABC National presenter visited us for the 40th anniversary of Chenrezig Institute [celebrated in September 2014] to include us in her show about the history of Buddhism in Australia. It has just been played [on Saturday, December 13] and will be replayed this week, but the link allows you to listen to it in full at any time. It was a well made show and had some interesting stuff about the 50s and 60s I was not aware of,” wrote Kathy Vitcha, a long-time Australian FPMT student.
The program “The History of Buddhism in Australia, as Practiced by Westerners,” will be broadcast again on ABC Radio National on Wednesday, December 17 at 1 p.m. local time. You can also listen to the program online at anytime.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
- The “Monk with a Camera”: An Interview with Khen Rinpoche Nicholas Vreeland
- “A Feast for Mind and Heart: A Report on the Tsadra Translation and Transmission Conference“ by Donna Lynn Brown
- “Parenting Unplugged: Self-Care“ by Kasia Beznoska
- And much more!
In our print issue, we share reports from the CPMT 2014 meeting held at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Australia; the official obituary of Geshe Lhundub Sopa and the prayer for his swift return; plus a feature on the women who took on the role of the five dakinis in the long life pujas for Lama Zopa Rinpoche offered at the Great Stupa.
If you would like to receive the print issue of Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT. Friends of FPMT also receive a downloadable PDF of the issue that can be read on computers and tablets. Have all the new teachings and practice advice is at your fingers, with or without a computer!
Occasionally Ösel shares his thoughts and experiences on his Facebook page. In this recent update, he reminds us that we are all connected and encourages us to go within to understand our own thoughts and intentions, rather than worrying about other people’s thoughts, words or actions.
Stop fooling yourself and wake up, open your eyes. We are all free interdependent souls; walk and you will see how far you go. Look back, but walk forward. Life gets complicated when you have a material body, but if you investigate inside and observe your mind you will see that it is very simple. Just being the self, aware that you are the captain of your boat, and the rest will fall into place. You have got to find the limits inside yourself, not from external agents, be a warrior and forget about what other people do or say. Forget for the time being about other people’s thoughts words, or actions. Go for the intentions and thoughts inside yourself. Everything starts there, after that you can worry about the words and actions that define YOU. You cannot see it in others without a subjective interpretation, so for the moment forget about them. Focus on what you have inside. Without the ignorance of illusion we have no separation from the rest. Separation is an illusion.
Deja de engañarte a tí mism@ y despierta; abre los ojos. Todos somos almas libres interdependientes; comienza a dar pasos, y podrás ver lo lejos que llegas. Mira hacia atrás, pero camina hacia delante. La vida se complica cuando tienes un cuerpo material, pero si investigas dentro y observas nuestra mente verás que es muy simple. Siendo tu mismo, y reconociendo que tu eres el capitán de tu barco, el resto caerá en su lugar. Debes encontrar los límites dentro de uno mism@, no a través de agentes externos, sé un guerrero y olvídate de lo que piensan, hacen o dicen otras personas. Ve a por las intenciones y pensamientos dentro de ti mism@. Todo empieza ahí, después preocúpate de las palabras y acciones que TE definen. Es difícil no verlo en los demás sin un punto subjetivo propio, por lo tanto olvídate de ell@s por el momento. Focaliza en lo que tienes dentro. Sin la ignorancia de la ilusión no hay separación del resto. La separación es una ilusión.
The Big Love Fund helps support the education and creative endeavors of Ösel. You can learn more about this project, follow Ösel’s news or discover other Charitable Projects of FPMT.
Jhado Rinpoche explores a tablet computer with Andy Wistreich and Geshe Kelsang Wangmo ready to assit, Dharamsala, India, July 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, India, shares its news and access to downloadable teachings recorded at the busy center with Mandala readers:
Tushita continues to keep the Wheel of Dharma spinning with packed course after packed course and waiting lists of prospective students thirsty for spiritual knowledge. By the time of closing for our annual winter break, we’ll have had 16 introductory courses, six Intermediate-level courses and five group tantric retreats in 2014, as well as our popular daily drop-in sessions, regular pujas and special events attended by thousands.
In the second half of the year we hosted special guest teachings by Geshe Lhakdor, Jhado Rinpoche and Gen Gyatso.
Geshe Lhakdor teaching at Tushita on Choekor Duchen, Dharamsala, India, July 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
We celebrated the festival day of Choekhor Duchen on July 31, 2014 in the company of Geshe Lhakdor, who gave a wonderful teaching on the meaning of Buddhism. Audio of this teaching can be streamed or downloaded.
Geshe Lhakdor has been the director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala since 2005, after serving as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s official translator for 16 years. (He still occasionally travels with His Holiness as a translator.) We felt so fortunate we are to have him come to teach here!
To wrap up the day, we had an inspiring Medicine Buddha puja led by Ven. Kabir Saxena and a light offering at our stupa. It was an amazing day and photos of our Choekhor Duchen events can be seen on our Facebook page.
Tushita took an unusual break this monsoon as most of our staff and students attended the Kalachakra initiation conferred by His Holiness in Leh, Ladakh, from July 3-14. During this period, Tushita was closed and there were no courses or drop-in events between these dates.
After the initiation in Leh, in order to support practitioners new and old, Tushita held two special Kalachakra related courses and retreats led by Kalachakra expert Andy Wistreich. On July 29, students on the “Harmony in Kalachakra” course were particularly fortunate in receiving special instruction from Jhado Rinpoche in the Vajrasattva gompa.
Jhado Rinpoche was unbelievably kind in also finding time to give a short talk to the “Introduction to Buddhism” students, and also checked in on the progress of our gompa painters to whom Rinpoche has given extensive advice on the painting of our four ceiling mandalas in recent months.
Gen Gyatso teaching at Tushita, Dharamsala, India, September 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
We also struck it lucky – once again – by having our very dear friend Geshe Kelsang Wangmo act as translator during all these events, as she also did at the teachings of Gen Gyatso, who led a three-day non-residential introductory lojong teaching entitled “Healing the Aching Heart” in September. Audio from these three-day teachings are available as are photos from this event.
We held an interfaith event by marking the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur on October 4. We were happy to grant the request of 17 Israeli students to allow them to observe Yom Kippur and to prepare for and break their fast with special meals. This post-fast feast was made possible by the kindness of Ven. Namgyel and Ven. Rita Riniker, who sponsored the meal. Ani Rita was in Israel at the time, and wrote:
I just wanted to thank Tushita for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and also for supporting the Israeli and Jewish students in their fast by giving them proper food on Friday. They will appreciate it very much and I am sure they will never forget how an institution of another religion supported the Jewish fast. This will be something new for them and maybe it will put the idea in their minds that different religions can not only live peacefully together, but also support each other. This is what has to happen in this area. Tushita started with being a great example of this.
Israeli guests celebrating Yom Kippur, Dharamsala, India, October 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche preparing to teach at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, UK, July 2014. Photo by Pierre Aloize.
Spiritual program coordinator Mike Murray from Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London reports on the center’s activities during June-August 2014:
This summer in London turned out to be wish fulfilling. Our kind guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche came in July to visit for the first time in a good few years. Over 70 people volunteered their time and offered financial support to make the visit a success and to make the center look its best.
Rinpoche was on top form. He gave one public talk in the Conway Hall and then gave five evenings of teachings at Jamyang, culminating in a Heruka Five Deities initiation. At the end, he kindly accepted a long life puja offering from the students. He was utterly extraordinary. The whole experience was uplifting, inspiring, heart opening, mind expanding and, at times, totally exhausting. May he come back very soon!
Afterward, Rinpoche left for America to be with Geshe Sopa at Deer Park. Our resident teacher Geshe Tashi Tsering once again led his annual nine-day summer lam-rim retreat in late July. This year, the students settled into retreat mode far more quickly than before, and the aura of contemplative caring calm that pervades retreat began to cover the building. For our very busy city center, this is our annual immersion in stability, clarity, kindness and calm. Geshe Tashi’s explanations and his insistence on combining training in shamata with lam-rim meditation from the beginning really gave students a taste of what transformation is possible.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche preparing for initiation, Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London, UK, July 2014. Photo by Pierre Aloize.
In late August, we hosted a six-day teaching on the Heart Sutra by Glen Svensson. It was with this that we launched our very first five-year Basic Program course. It seems odd that up till now the English-speaking countries in Europe have not hosted this amazing course, but now one of them is. Glen is a seriously good teacher and the 20 or so students embarking on the Basic Program found out just how relevant to daily life the Heart Sutra teachings are.
Geshe Tashi Tsering is currently teaching the Sublime Continuum on Tuesdays and the Middle Length Lam-rim on Wednesdays and our autumn program is in full swing. In November we hosted the Heart Shrine Relic Tour; then a visit by the very the first female geshe, Geshe Kelsang Wangmo; then Andy Weber; then Geshe Sherab from Kopan; then Geshe Graham Woodhouse; and we end with a double nyung nä before Christmas. Along the way, there were Tara pujas, Medicine Buddha pujas, Lama Chöpa tsok pujas, recitations of the Golden Light Sutra and of the Sanghata Sutra It was an autumn of much merit!
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
The Stupa for World Peace and Environmental Harmony, Spokin Lake, B.C., Canada. Photo courtesy of Gendun Drubpa Centre.
Dianne Noort from Gendun Drubpa Centre in Williams Lake in central British Columbia, Canada, sent Mandala some news about their stupa, their public programming, and their support of Tibetan refugees in the country:
Gendun Drubpa Centre is delighted to announce that the decorations on our Stupa for World Peace and Environmental Harmony are completed! Thank you to all who assisted in hosting Gelek Sherpa, who painted the stupa, for one month. Visiting the stupa at the Spokin Lake location is now truly an inspirational experience.
Resident teacher Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi has begun teaching “Cultivating Emotional Balance” to a group of 24 students.
In November, we completed a weekend intensive seminar on “Awakening Compassion: Teachings on the Bodhisattva Vows.”
A new day-long silent retreat format has been well received and the next topic is the four immeasurables on December 6.
About 10 of our students, plus family members, drove in support of the Tibetan Resettlement Project in British Columbia to Vancouver to attend His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Avalokiteshvara empowerment and teachings in October. At the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Canada’s Tibetan community, the Canadian government is facilitating the immigration of up to 1,000 Tibetans living in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, an impoverished and remote region of northern India that borders on Tibet. In this region, displaced and stateless Tibetans live with the threats of illness, deportation, and intensifying military tensions between China and India. This humanitarian program allows them the chance to start a new life and pursue their dreams in Canada. To assist those who are most in need, His Holiness himself directed that Tibetans from this region be chosen as candidates to come to Canada.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Geshe Tashi Tsering teaches on buddha nature to the students of Jamyang Bath, England, October 2014. Photo courtesy of Sandra Whilding.
“Jamyang Bath has a full program this autumn,” said study group coordinator Sandra Whilding. “We hosted a weekend of talks by Geshe Tashi Tsering on the subject of buddha nature. It was a great success and lots of people came and we were all inspired by Geshe-la’s talks which were delivered with warmth, clarity and humor. Geshe-la also gave us some helpful advice to help our group thrive and grow. An amazing weekend all round. Geshe Tashi has already agreed to come to Bath again at the end of February 2015.
“We enjoyed our visit by Geshe Kelsang Wangmo on November 12 who talked on ‘How Things Exist: A Buddhist View of Reality’ and look forward to Geshe Sherab on December 3 talking on compassion.”
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
Ven. Thubten Dechen with students from Do Ngak Sung Juk enjoy a delicious lunch during nyung nä, September 2014, Japan. Photo by Doc O’Connor.
Every year the students of Tokyo’s Do Ngak Sung Juk complete a nyung nä, an intensive two-day retreat connected with Chenrezig. Doc O’Connor reports:
On September 12-15, Do Ngak Sung Juk (DNSJ) had their annual nyung nä. The past two years we were at a traditional Japanese inn near a 2,000-year-old mountain temple. This year our larger venue was near the beach. Our international participants, led by Ven. Thubten Dechen from FPMT Taiwan’s Heruka Center, recited prayers in either Japanese, English, Chinese or Tibetan. As you see, global friends are welcome to join us!
A Japanese professor interested in Tibetan and historical Japanese Buddhism gave DNSJ a wonderful compliment. He said DNSJ is reviving practices that were done centuries ago in Japanese Buddhism. These include the nyung nä, animal liberations, and sutra recitations. DNSJ is able to do this due to the kindness of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT and DNSJ’s amazing translators!
Read more blogs about Do Ngak Sung Juk already published by Mandala.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from nearly 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
The new translators with Gen Sherab, Gen Teresa, Geshe Wangdak, Sally Dudgeon, Acha Choezom-la and Martha Urbina, celebrating the graduation from the first part of LRTZP 6, Dharamsala, India, October 2014. Photo courtesy of Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program.
Yaron Bahir, director of Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program, recently shared this update with Mandala:
The first two years of the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program 6 finished on October 16. All 10 students successfully passed their exams. It has been two years of intensive study while facing many hardships. Now, the young lotsawas [translators] can see the result of their efforts. Not only are they able to speak and understand Tibetan, but they can understand and interpret teachings and especially understand His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings. That’s an achievement to rejoice about!
Out of the 10 students, four will continue on with apprenticeships in FPMT centers; two are waiting placement; one started interpreting in Dharamsala; one will work as a written translator for FPMT; one will join the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives; and one will continue to work in the Lotsawa School as director.
Thanks everyone who helped to make LRZTP 6 happen! Many thanks to teachers Gen Sherab and Gen Teresa; past directors Sally Dudgeon and Claire Yeshe Barde; conversation partner coordinator Geshe Wangdak; Martha Urbina; Acha Choezom and many others.
The next cohort, LRZTP 7, is now in the making and is scheduled to meet September 2015. If you wish to become a translator, please visit LRZTP.org or send an email to lrztp108@gmail.com.
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.
“Wisdom Publications has been traveling across the globe over the past few months,” reports Wisdom’s Lydia Anderson. “In October, editors David Kittelstrom and Andy Francis attended the Tsadra Foundation’s Translation and Transmission conference in Colorado; publisher Tim McNeill attended the Frankfurt Book Fair; and staff members Daniel Aitken and Kestrel Slocombe attended the Buddhist Geeks conference, which Wisdom cosponsored. In September, Daniel also represented Wisdom at the CPMT meeting in Australia.
“Tim has continued to represent Buddhist publishing in the publishing trade press most recently participating in a Publishers Weekly forum on digital innovation.
“Wisdom authors Mark Siderits and Shoryu Katsura were awarded the Khyentse Foundation Prize for Outstanding Translation for their book Nagarjuna’s Middle Way, the second in our Classics of Indian Buddhism series. This is the second year in a row a Wisdom title has won this award. Last year’s prize went to Bhikkhu Bodhi’s The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha.
“Forthcoming and new publications from Wisdom include a new book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron, Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions [see Mandala‘s recent interview with Ven. Chodron]; the latest in the Tibetan Classic series, Mind of Mahamudra by Peter Alan Roberts; and a new reprint of Lama Yeshe’s Becoming Vajrasattva, edited by Nick Ribush. Wisdom continues to add new digital editions of our new and backlist books to our website for direct sale.”
Mandala brings you news of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and of activities, teachings and events from over 160 FPMT centers, projects and services around the globe. If you like what you read on Mandala, consider becoming a Friend of FPMT, which supports our work.