Tsoknyi Rinpoche's Blog, page 24
June 14, 2012
The Fifth Paramita: Going Beyond Techniques
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Please click here to read Rinpoche’s most recent post on the fifth paramita of dhyana.
Here are this week’s challenges:
“And in the process, a childlike wonder begins to open up, an innocent perspective that is one way of experiencing essence love begins to awaken. Can you describe others? That is one challenge for the week.
“Here’s another: When you encounter a situation that requires concentration, can you approach it as an opportunity to welcome distractions? Can you allow your mind to become spacious enough to see a bigger picture? Can you allow your heart to become a ‘home?’ ”
June 12, 2012
Tergar International, MN: 6/8/12
With 50 people in attendance at Rinpoche’s book signing event sponsored by Tergar International in Minneapolis on Friday June 8th, Rinpoche gave the group a guided meditation on mindfulness of feeling in response to a question. He talked about dropping into the body and just staying with whatever feeling was there. Not trying to do anything with the feeling, just being with it. No application of any antidote. Just being with whatever is arising. He had the group close their eyes in order to feel more directly. When they opened their eyes, Rinpoche asked them to remain with the feeling in their bodies. It was very touching, and people felt it to be very powerful and direct.
June 8, 2012
Rinpoche in Chicago 6/7/12
People waiting in the chapel for Rinpoche to arrive.
Before speaking at Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago last night, Rinpoche spoke earlier in the day to an intimate group at Barbara’s Bookstore in Burr Ridge, IL. On the topic of experiencing strong emotions like anger and how different that seems than being calm and loving, Rinpoche said that one should not try to suppress or avoid anger, but one should add ‘space’ to the anger or experience the space around the anger. ‘Bigger space’ is the practice to apply.
In the evening, Rinpoche continued speaking about Open Heart, Open Mind at Rockefeller Chapel. Approximately 100 people attended the event in this beautiful setting. Continuing the day’s earlier theme of practical application of the Buddhadharma, someone asked him how to deal with a person who had lied. Rinpoche said that one should have loving kindness toward that person, but not toward the negative action of lying itself. So rather than just accepting or rejecting the person and his or her negative action, practice compassion for the person without condoning or rejecting the negative deed.
Rinpoche demonstrates a teaching using a piece of paper.
June 7, 2012
Book Tour and Retreat Updates!
The Vairotsana Foundation and the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies hosted Rinpoche at the Unity Church on a clear, fragrant spring evening. Rinpoche was able to stroll from his hotel across the lovely public gardens to the church, which was beautifully decorated with a horsehair thangka made by a local dharma student, splendid arrangements of fresh flowers and a gathering of over 200 locals. Kimberley Snow, who is the director of the Santa Barbara Institute for Alan Wallace, had a lively dialogue with Rinpoche on themes from his book. The following morning, Rinpoche met with many of Alan’s students (Alan was teaching in Thailand at the time and happy that his students got to meet with Rinpoche, his friend from Mind and Life) and Vairotsana to discuss more detailed practice questions.
Integration Workshop 4/29-5/312; Santa Rosa, CA
This experimental workshop was primarily for students of Ming Tong Gu and Rinpoche, and its aims were to explore how subtle body energy practices (e.g., Qigong) could help open and vitalize Western dharma students who have not or cannot practice the more arduous and secret Tibetan practices such as the Six Yogas of Naropa, meant for yogis in secluded and supervised settings. The workshop also explored how traditional Hatha yoga asanas and pranayama breathing, led by Tias Little and his wife, Surya, worked with the body and subtle body to prepare for meditation and deep relaxation. Another important aspect was psycho-spiritual exploration with John and Jennifer Welwood. The 30 participants learned how to engage in a Mahamudra approach to feeling and awareness, experiencing through various exercises how to gently recognize and allow feelings to open, move, shift and deepen within the space of awareness.
Rinpoche actively participated in all of the Qigong, Yoga and Psychology sessions as a student, asking many questions and exploring each in a rigorous manner to help develop a possible curriculum in the future.
Spirit Rock 5/6-12/12; Woodacre, CA
This week-long retreat was an introduction to Dzogchen which included a thorough examination of the four “I’s”, especially the reified sense of self: how it was formed in our early childhood experience and how it insidiously frames so much of our experience, whether or not we call it ordinary or spiritual. Rinpoche explained how the “mere” I is different from this reified sense of self and its natural connection to essence love, the root human emotion and at the same time the spark of Buddha Nature. Rinpoche’s playfulness, humor and “juicy” qualities were woven seamlessly into the teaching mandala. Many experienced the presence of a master teacher, artfully reading and shifting the energies of the students like an artist of light. At the end of the teaching, over 50 people signed up to be part of his sangha – meaning they consider him one of their most precious teachers.
Ming Tong Dinner 5/7/12; Spirit House, Woodacre, CA
Ming Tong Gu is a Chi Gong Master trained in China by the great master and western trained medical doctor, Doctor Pang. Ming Tong has many students connected to Tsoknyi Rinpoche and who have benefited from his teachings, especially as they address the subtle body with an ancient and highly effective healing approach. Ming Tong led much of the Integration Workshop led in late April. He and Rinpoche continued their deep discussions and exploration of chi and how it functions in the subtle body, promotes physical health and allows for the mind to open naturally to meditation practice.
Anam Thubten Dinner 5/10/12; Spirit House, Woodacre, CA
Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Anam Thubten Rinpoche were able to have some time to talk personally and have a relaxed dinner together. Anam Thubten Rinpoche said that he felt the meeting was auspicious, given the ease and speed in which the arrangements were made and that both Rinpoche’s were so close geographically to each other. Tsoknyi Rinpoche also felt this was a relaxed and happy occasion where he and Anam Thubten could explore dharma in the west together, both having taught here for over 20 years.
Benefit for the Tsoknyi Nuns 5/13/12; Spirit Rock, Woodacre, CA
Sharon Salzberg and Rinpoche gave teachings throughout the day to about 150 people as a benefit to the nuns and the Spirit Rock scholarship fund. This was a joyous day replete with great stories by both Sharon and Rinpoche, teachings on essence love and loving kindness, time for sitting and walking meditation and questions. One aspect of Rinpoche’s teaching was how true love is unconditional and remains stable even if someone spews all over us with their kleshas (e.g., wounded love and harsh negative conditioning). He discussed how we could bring inner space to the darkest parts of our being through kind practice and begin to let go of the engrained judgmental parsing of our being.
In Conversation with Jack Kornfield 5/14/12; Spirit Rock, Woodacre, CA
Approximately 370 people came to hear Jack Kornfield and Rinpoche have a dialogue on Open Heart, Open Mind. This two hour meeting focused, in part, on essence love, a major theme of the book, and ways to do uncover emotional wounding and recover the feeling of being “happy for no reason.” Jack punctuated the evening with selections of contemporary poetry, teaching stories and his sharp insights into the promises and perils of the path in the modern world. Time passed so quickly, it was hard to imagine that the evening was over – the delightful conversation ended with the soft chanting of “Namo” and then resolved into a rich stillness.
Pundarika Foundation Study Group 5/15/12; Oakland, CA
Rinpoche met with about 17 of his students in the greater San Francisco Bay area for a couple of hours addressing many specific practice-based questions, including how to care for a recently deceased member of the group, Christine Keyser, while in the bardos. A few days before, he had given her blessings and teachings in Berkeley, shortly before her passing. Rinpoche pointed out that his new book could be read on many levels and should not be taken only as a public audience entry book to the dharma. He invited the sangha to reflect deeply on the stories and practices, looking beyond its seemingly simple language.
Stanford University 5/15/12; Palo Alto, CA
Hosted by Lauren Aguilar of the Clayman Institute for Gender Studies at the Bechtel Center at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. Approximately 100 people watched the film Blessings, directed by Victress Hitchcock and inspired by Tsoknyi Rinpoche. The film presentation was followed by a panel discussion with Lauren, Vicki and Rinpoche on women in dharma, the nuns in Tibet and the experience of western women encountering the nuns in eastern Tibet.
La Jolla Museum of Modern Art 5/16/12; San Diego, CA
This event at the La Jolla Museum of Modern Art, expertly organized by San Diego Rigpa (the U.S. national headquarters of Rigpa) was attended by more than 200 people. The talk focused on the main themes of Rinpoche’s book, Open Heart, Open Mind: (1) the three individual aspects of our being (cognitive stability, emotional transformation, and ego deconstruction) that we must separate out and then integrate to experience and heal the conditioned patterns of the subtle body causing suffering; (2) the four kinds of love; (3) the four types of mindfulness; and, (4) the four “I’s”(called “mis-identifications”). Excerpts from the book on the bodhi leaf, absolute bodhicitta, boundless love, and tonglen (both authentic and “feel good” variations) were read aloud. At the very end of the talk, Rinpoche wove the theme of crossing the glass bridge in Malaysia, found at the very beginning of the book, with moving from karmic patterns (deep samsaric entanglements) to Rigpa, free of all conditions created by dualistic patterns. This was fitting in the sense that Rigpa San Diego hosted this event so beautifully, and it was a way to honor the teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche, its founder.
Vroman’s Bookstore 5/17/12; Pasadena, CA
Vroman’s is one of the oldest and most established bookstores in Pasadena, California. Rinpoche spoke to about 45 people at a noon gathering. Wherever he goes in the U.S., Rinpoche has friends and students, and Vroman’s was no exception. Often after his energetic and moving talks, students, Tibetan or Nepali locals, and friends come up to his book-signing table for blessings and to say hello.
Insight LA 5/17/12; Los Angeles, CA
Trudy Goodman, the founder and main dharma teacher at the burgeoning center in Los Angeles, hosted Rinpoche and Sharon Salzberg for a delightful evening of dharma talks, stories, great humor and insight. Approximately 200 people attended the event. One person, a psychiatrist by profession, asked about the art of raising children to be healthy and free of unnecessary neurotic conditioning. Rinpoche gave a very compelling and compassionate answer to this important question that we hope to have on the Pundarika web site soon. One key point is that young children attune themselves very much to their parents’ subtle bodies, which can be healthy or not. If a parent can rest in essence love and not be distracted by too much doing or cognitive interaction with the child too early (talking at, correcting, socializing), the child learns to rest in this freedom, be free and happy to play without too much structure and trust the parent is supportive without being intrusive. Later, when more socialization is needed, the child has a strong foundation rooted in a deep trust of the parent who instructs the child as to how to behave and survive in the modern world.
Bookshop Santa Cruz 5/19/12; Santa Cruz, CA
Over 115 people came to this coastal city on a beautiful evening with the fresh ocean smell lingering in the air. The audience seemed primed to love Rinpoche from the first and thoroughly enjoyed his ever-changing stories—often with new twists and turn—as his English begins to meet his creative imagination. Because the chair he was provided didn’t allow visibility to the large audience, he sat on the arm rest to be seen, so necessary with his demonstrations of “cow meditation,” “yak alertness,” and how to “drop and to let go.”
June 4, 2012
Buddhafest Film Festival 6/14-17:Washington, DC
Attend Buddhafest Film Festival 6/14-17 in Washington, D.C., and hear Rinpoche speak about his new film, “When the Iron Bird Flies,” as well as his new book, “Open Heart, Open Mind.”
How to Engage Life with Energy (And Be More Present)
Please read and enjoy Rinpoche’s latest Huffington Post essay on “How to Engage Life with Energy (And Be More Present).” Your thoughts and comments are welcome!
May 30, 2012
Perfecting Patience
Rinpoche’s latest essay, Perfecting Patience, is live on the Huffington Post! We invite you to read it and leave a comment with your thoughts. Please click the link to read the article.
May 18, 2012
Interview by Danny Fisher
Click here to read “Reconnecting with Essence Love: A New Interview with Tsoknyi Rinpoche” by Danny Fisher, just posted just yesterday on Shambhala Sun online!
May 16, 2012
Tsoknyi Rinpoche Talks about “A Different Discipline” on Huffpo
“As I’ve written before, aspiration bodhicitta – the motivation to free all beings from ignorance, pain, and suffering – is the juice that really transforms our meditation practice from a kind of mental aerobics exercise into the profound experience of the kind that changes not only our own lives but the lives of everyone around us,” says Tsoknyi Rinpoche in his latest essay for The Huffington Post.
“In order to make that aspiration really live in our experience, we engage in a set of behaviors known as paramitas, which can be understood as positive qualities or characteristics that we strive to perfect in all aspects of our conduct….
So here’s the challenge for this week: How kind can we be? How soft? How gentle? How radically can we redefine discipline?”
Read the full essay by Tsoknyi Rinpoche on The Huffington Post.
May 14, 2012
Buddhadharma Review of Open Heart, Open Mind
“What’s striking about Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s new book, Open Heart, Open Mind, is that it’s so personal,” writes Michael Sheehy in his Buddhadharma review (Summer 2012).
“It’s unusual for a lama to open up about his own vulnerabilities and fears, particularly in print, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche does so in a way that is both touching and reassuring for practitioners …. He also explores such themes as boundless love, habits of the self, and the subtle body in the same personal narrative style of teaching.”
Download the full Buddhaharma review of Tsokynyi Rinpoche’s Open Heart, Open Mind.
Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s new book OPEN HEART, OPEN MIND: Awakening the Power of Essence Love is now available wherever books are sold. Check to see if Tsoknyi Rinpoche will be in your area on his Open Heart, Open Mind book tour.
