Tsoknyi Rinpoche's Blog, page 17
January 31, 2014
Downloadable Chants Offered to Rinpoche & Pundarika
Calling the Lama, Long Life Mix, and Dorje Yudronma chants are offered here by student Jen Laun to Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Pundarika. We hope you enjoy her creations.
Above photo: Dorje Yudronma at Crestone, Colorado
January 17, 2014
News from Mingyur Rinpoche & Lama Tashi
Just in from Tergar Learning Center: New Photos and Letter from Mingyur Rinpoche on Retreat
January 17, 2014
From Tergar Learning Center
We received the following letters and pictures from Tashi Lama, Mingyur Rinpoche’s close friend and attendant. When they met last year, Mingyur Rinpoche had just left a strict retreat in Yolmo, a sacred area for retreat located deep in the Himalayas, and was on his way to Dolpo, another sacred area near the border of Nepal and Tibet. Mingyur Rinpoche was stopping for provisions when Lama Tashi spotted him. At the time, Rinpoche was staying in a run down hotel and had very little food or clothing. The sleeping bag and jacket that you see in these pictures were given to Rinpoche by Lama Tashi. At this point in time, we do not know where Rinpoche is or when he will be out of retreat, but judging by his letter, he is healthy and thoroughly enjoying the life of a wandering yogi!
Lama Tashi (left) and Mingyur Rinpoche (right). September 2013. Photographer unknown.
Mingyur Rinpoche cooking in a retreat cave. September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
Mingyur Rinpoche eating in retreat cave. September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
Mingyur Rinpoche in the mountains. September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
Mingyur Rinpoche hiking in the mountains. A true wandering yogi! September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
Mingyur Rinpoche sitting outside a retreat cave. September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
To my dear mother, relatives, monastic community, students, and all those with whom I share a connection,
Due to the blessings of the gurus, I am in good health and not experiencing any obstacles. At present, I am wandering without any fixed location from place to place. Right now I am with Lama Tashi, whom I met unexpectedly. Lama Tashi earnestly asked to accompany me and I accepted his request. He gave me some food, clothing, and other necessities. He also relayed to me both good and bad news, which left me feeling a mixture of happiness and sadness.
Recently, Lama Tashi has been diligently practicing the foundation practices (ngondro) and main practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. I myself am wandering without any fixed location, staying in isolated mountain hermitages and other such places. I have experienced feelings of happiness and suffering, rising and falling like waves on the surface of the ocean. At times, food and clothing have been hard to come by and I have felt cold, hungry, and thirsty. Even when I have begged for alms, I received nothing but insults and harsh words. At other times, I have received food and clothing effortlessly, without even asking for them, and in my mind it felt as though I were enjoying the pleasures of the gods. While I have experienced both happiness and suffering, the most important thing is that a deep and heartfelt sense of certainty has arisen in the depths of my being, such that no matter what happens, I know that the true nature of these experiences, their very essence, is that of timeless awareness and vast compassion.
This natural clarity of awareness has been with us from the very beginning. It is the very essence and true nature of our minds. Day and night, it is always present. Therefore, one must maintain the flow of pure awareness to the best of one’s ability, without meditating, yet not getting lost in distraction. Great love and compassion are also innate qualities of our being. All the thoughts, destructive emotions, and suffering we encounter are, in essence, completely permeated by vast compassion. As a sign of this, we naturally wish to enjoy happiness and to be free of suffering. While all beings have great wisdom and compassion, this is not always apparent. This is simply because they have not recognized what they already have. Thus, aside from merely recognizing our own true nature, there isn’t the slightest thing to meditate on. Recognizing the importance of this, I have passed my days feeling joyful and content, wandering through the mountains and valleys and staying here and there. From my heart, I sincerely encourage all of you to practice diligently in this manner as well.
Lama Tashi has now returned to the city with this letter, along with some pictures of my retreat that he requested. I hope you enjoy them. I pray that we meet again before long, gathering together with joy and happiness to enjoy the richness of the Dharma.
Mingyur Tulku
January 2nd, 2014
Translation by Cortland Dahl
Mingyur Rinpoche sitting in a retreat cave. September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
Original hand-written letter from Mingyur Rinpoche. Photo: Lama Tashi.
Mingyur Rinpoche is currently on an extended solitary retreat in the Himalayas. In truth, no one knows exactly where he is. In the tradition of the great meditation masters of times past, he is wandering freely with no fixed plan or agenda. His only companions are an unswerving commitment to the path of awakening and a heartfelt desire to benefit others. Throughout this period, he will likely be spending his time meditating in caves and hermitages in remote places. Meanwhile, the Tergar Meditation Community continues to thrive in his absence. Tergar lamas and instructors are holding meditation workshops and retreats around the world (including online) and there are many groups and centers that continue to follow his teachings. We expect Rinpoche to return in late 2014 or early 2015.The letter above was received January 17, 2014.
The following letter is from Lama Tashi, Mingyur Rinpoche’s close friend and attendant.
Lama Tashi cooking in a retreat cave. September 2013. Photo Mingyur Rinpoche?
Dear kind and loving lord of refuge Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mayum [Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche's mother],
I hope you are both well and that your efforts to benefit the Buddha’s teachings and beings are effortlessly and perfectly accomplished just as you intend. With respect, I would now like to relate to you the following:
On June 12th, I visited [Boudhanath] stupa on some errands. Between three and four o’clock in the afternoon, I was walking around the stupa and I saw a yogi walking along, carrying two big bags. “The way that person carries himself seems familiar to me,” I thought to myself, but I wasn’t sure who it was so I didn’t give it much thought.
Not long after that, I again saw him near a store next to the stupa. He was a thin, bearded man. I felt that I had seen him before, so I glanced back, as he was walking five or ten steps behind me, and then he quickened his pace. Upon seeing him, I experienced an indescribable feeling, at which point I felt that I had to pay close attention.
As I followed him, I thought to myself, “I wonder who this is?” The way he carried himself made me feel that I had some connection with him. I hurried after him, thinking that I would ask who he was, and it was then that I realized it was Mingyur Rinpoche. I continued to chase after him, but then he got into a taxi, so I quickly caught a taxi as well. He eventually stopped near a bus stop in Balaju and entered a shoddy place called the Bedro Hotel. That is where I finally met him.
We expressed our amazement at meeting one another and had a leisurely conversation. I told him everything that had happened in his absence, inside and out, as best I could recall, and answered his questions. Rinpoche then told me a bit about his own situation. He had just finished a period of strict retreat in Yolmo and was on his way to Dolpo. He had stopped at the stupa to get some tsampa, butter, cheese, and other provisions for the journey. He then asked what I had been up to. I then begged him again and again to let me accompany him. In response, he said, “This time, you may not come to Dolpo with me, but you may join me at a later date in Sharuk.” He then ordered me to keep this news secret. The next morning, he left for Dolpo. [It appears that the rest of the letter is missing]
Mingyur Rinpoche, September 2013. Photo Lama Tashi.
http://learning.tergar.org/2014/01/17/new-photos-and-letter-from-mingyur-rinpoche-on-retreat/
January 14, 2014
Rinpoche in Israel!
Haifa, Israel (11/8-13/2013)
Rinpoche’s visit to Israel was greatly meaningful to his students here. His two public talks in the Tel Aviv and Haifa Cinematheques were well attended. The six-day meditation retreat was at full capacity with over 100 participants. Many people came from abroad especially for the teaching from Norway, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, and France. The atmosphere was delightful, a mixture of Rinpoche’s humor and warmth with the participants’ devotion and determination to keep silent. As usual, his teaching was most profound, and in the parts which we can publicly share, there was wonderful advice about (among other things) child care, parenting, and education. We are truly looking forward to his next visit. ~ Melinda Friedman
Thank you Vladimir Zavodchikov for the wonderful photos!
January 10, 2014
Historic Retreat in Hong Kong!
by Lizzy Grindey
“Rinpoche traveled to the Far East in October 2013 to teach for the first time in Hong Kong. Stepping in for his younger brother, Tsoknyi Rinpoche gave four days of teachings on the Bardos to Mingyur Rinpoche’s close-knit and dedicated sangha at Tergar Asia. It was a pleasure to see the local audience responding to Rinpoche’s blend of warmth, wit and wisdom—as they openly received his teachings on juicy love, chicken heart and happy without reason, delivered with all the ease of a polished stand up routine. Rinpoche also had specific advice to share on parenting healthy kids and coping with the stresses of Hong Kong’s speedy and competitive consumer culture.
“During his brief visit, Rinpoche launched the Chinese publication of Open Heart, Open Mind and sat down to a hearty Chinese banquet with the Tergar Community. By the time he left, he’d embraced several hundred more members into the family and given promises, amidst cheers of applause, to soon return.”
A condensed written version of Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s teaching on the first night of this retreat is reproduced in the retreat organizer’s magazine (Joy of Living) in an article called, “The Gap of Experience,” pp. 28-31. Please note: Following is the link to the article, but we’re having a difficult time making the connection with our western computers: http://hk.tergarasia.org/ebook/JOL2013Q4/
The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, also published a favorable article on Rinpoche’s retreat, which ran on Monday, November 25. Again, please note: Following is the link to the article, but we’re having a difficult time making the connection with our western computers: http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1362920/visiting-tibetan-buddhist-master-explains-benefits-meditation
December 30, 2013
Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns Progress
~ Reported by Kunsang Nyima, 11/6/2013
The Gegya Monastery is the largest nunnery in Qinghai Province, and it belongs to the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This well known nunnery has more than a 100-year history and is considered to be a very important monastery in both the Qinghai and Sichuan areas. The monastery is located about 390km from the Yushul prefecture seat. Due to heavy rains and accumulating underground water over time, much of the grand prayer hall’s structure, constructed out of wood and earth, has fallen into disrepair. Because of the resultant wood rot, the first floor main structure, containing the main prayer hall and supported by wooden pillars, began to sink into the earth, creating the potential risk of collapse. After consultation with local architects, we learned that the only way to save the main building was to tear down the old grand prayer hall and rebuild it anew.
Reconstruction started in May 2012 and is expected to be complete by July 2014. There are now over 100 construction workers laboring at the site–among them are approximately 30 skilled workers hired from both the TAR and Sichuan. To date, the project has received a total of 370,000RMB out of the 1,240,000RMB committed by Tsoknyi Rinpoche and distributed via The Bridge Foundation. The initial grant was used to purchase construction materials and pay the workers. There is no government financial support for the project. Gegya Monastery is looking forward to receiving the balance of the grant money pledged, so that construction can continue as planned.
Thank you very much!
Location: Watsor Village, Nyigyiser Township, Yushul Prefecture, Qinghai
Population: 2,000 in Watsor Village; Semi-agriculture/semi-pasture
Total Project Budget: 3,860,000RMB; Support from TBF: 1,240,000RMB
Fund Received from TBF: 370,000RMB in two disbursements
December 26, 2013
Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns Year-End Wishes
May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy.
It is in thanks to the miracle of the generosity of people around the world that we have witnessed the blossoming of Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s vision at the Tsoknyi Gechak Ling Nunnery. Please click here to read the year-end newsletter provided by the International Friends of the Tsoknyi Nepal Nuns!
December 16, 2013
Sad News: Sangha Member Frick Burden’s Sudden Death
Please click here for more information about Frick’s life and untimely death.
December 12, 2013
Dorje Yudronma: First Snow
The Dorje Yudronma shrine in late November after our first snowfall.
Students of Rinpoche in Crestone have prepared the materials to fill her rupa (juniper, jewelry, mantra’s) and will invite Tulku Sangnak Rinpoche to come in May, 2014 (tentatively) to perform the blessing ceremony.
Thank you, Michael Volchok, for the photos.
December 10, 2013
Dental Camp at Tsoknyi Gechak Ling
From Fionnuala Shenpen, Director of Tsoknyi Gechak School
“Sunday, October 27th, we had our first Dental Camp at Tsoknyi Gechak Ling. Nurse Bobby Steel, an ongoing member of our health team, connected us with Carol Vernal (CEO of Children’s Medical Aid Foundation, a charitable organisation that runs health and dental camps throughout Nepal). Carol, assisted by Dr. Raju, also from Children’s Medical Aid Foundation, organized a volunteer dental team from Himal Dental Hospital (HDH) to visit Tsoknyi Gechak Ling. In preparation, our resident nurse Dadun filled out a Children’s Medical Aid Foundation dental record sheet for each nun.
“We welcomed Carol and Dr. Raju, as well as Dr. Rajendra Bhatt, Managing Director of Himal Dental Hospital (HDH), Dr. Abhishek Sigh, Principal HDH, Dr. Puskar Tiwari, HDH, Dr. Shalu Shrestha HDH, Shantosh, Dental hygienist, HDH, Mehndo, Dental Hygienist, HDH.
“The dental camp started with a presentation on dental health and hygiene in the Lhakhang for all the nuns. A number of the dentists contributed to what was a very informative and useful talk in Nepali, with very attractive props such as a giant set of teeth and toothbrush, and colorful wall charts. Nurse Dadun translated the talk into Tibetan.
“Then each nun received an individual check up followed by a fluoridation treatment. The team was also able to perform a number of minor treatments, such as removing milk teeth and temporary fillings. Referrals were made for more serious problems. The nuns were each given a new folding toothbrush and mini-toothpaste at the end of their treatment. I’m happy to say there has been an increase in tooth brushing since last week’s camp, so here’s hoping we can keep it up!
“On behalf of all of us here at TGL, I would like to thank the entire team and all of the organizers for a great day.”
December 6, 2013
Pema Chödrön Drubde Progress
We’ve just received five new photos of the construction progress on the 3-year retreat center sponsored by the Pema Chodron Foundation at Tsoknyi Gechak Ling. For more information on this project, please visit: www.tsoknyinepalnuns.org/capital-campaign
