Teaching Issue
Volume 10, Number 4 / April 2010
Teachings
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“Joy in Being” – An Edited Excerpt From Oral Teachings Given by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Spring 2009
As we engage in regular meditation practice, we come to recognize our limits as practitioners. We can benefit from trying to understand those limits, and from working with them in a way that helps us to be less conditioned by them. Then, we can work on gradually breaking free of them.
Initially our limitations will continue to affect us, so we can try to work with them so that they affect us in a more positive way. But eventually we want to go beyond all limitations, otherwise they will continue to condition us. Regardless of whether the effects are positive or negative, they are limitations.
A simple example is the joy of having versus the joy of being. The joy of having clearly has limitations — whether it is the joy of having money, possessions, relationships, or other positive external supports. You either have something or you don’t have it. When you have, you are happy; however, it is also the case that when you don’t have, you are definitely unhappy. Whereas for the joy of being – you can never lose your being. When you can discover the joy of abiding in the natural state, joy is not limited by having or not having.
A lot of people are not even happy when they do have. So as a first step, you can try to find a happiness that is based on recognizing that you are already blessed with many gifts. You don’t always have to look at what it is that you don’t have, you can look at what you do have and learn to be happy with it. Then gradually, you can grow to not be so conditioned by what you do have. Now and then, take a moment to imagine that all you have can be gone in one second. In one second, everything you own can disappear. And in the end, anyway, all that you own is guaranteed to not remain yours. Therefore, it is best not to be that attached to things right from the beginning, because just think about it – it’s guaranteed to not be yours one day. Someday somebody else will be enjoying your bedroom; that’s guaranteed. Someday someone else will be remodeling your kitchen that you have put a lot of energy into; that’s guaranteed. So don’t get too attached to what you have created there. Rather, appreciate and enjoy and live fully.
From there you can realize it is possible to move from that place of conditional joy to the place where your joy is found internally in the simple experience of being. This is the joy you are less likely to lose, for you can never not be. Once that shift begins to happen, then you are breaking some conditions. That is called true realization, right?
'Choosing One’s Practice'
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An Excerpt From Healing With Form, Energy and Light, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Whether or not meditation and spiritual practices are powerful depends on the practitioner more than the form of the practice. There is little benefit if they are done without a correct understanding of how to practice and what the practice is supposed to accomplish. The practitioner can engage in a fantasy of spiritual progress but genuine spiritual development may be lacking. For example, when we are weak, energetically disturbed, depressed, or holding tightly to a fragile identity, we are easier prey to negative external influences and to internal confusions. At such a time, believing ourselves to be practicing a very high practice like Dzogchen may not be very helpful. If we claim to be practicing a high practice but there is no positive effect, we are only deceiving ourselves. The highest practice for an individual is the practice that is most effective, whatever it is called.
No one can really tell you which practice you should do at a particular time. You must come to understand the practices, how they are meant to work and within what situations, and then be relentlessly honest with yourself about your own present capacity. Be clear with yourself. Don’t idealize. Find the right teacher. Study. And then make a decision. It’s not a question of which practice is better in an abstract sense, it’s a question of which practice you need. If you are dishonest with yourself or do not investigate the practices that you do, you may lose many years, even a lifetime, doing practices with little or no result.
In the West everyone wants the “highest” practice, a wish that indicates a misunderstanding of the path. Everyone wants to hurry through the foundational practices (ngondro). But great masters do these practices all their lives. They continue to contemplate impermanence, cultivate compassion, do purification practices, make offerings, and do Guru Yoga. It is not a stage to get over. The most accomplished masters and teachers do these practices and cultivate these qualities all the way to the highest stages of realization, because there is still benefit in doing them.
—From Healing With Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen, by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Available from Ligmincha Institute’s Bookstore & Tibet Shop >
A Letter to Sangha
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In Response to the Tibetan Earthquake — by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Dear sangha members,
As most of you know, on April 14 a tragic earthquake struck the remote Tibetan area of Qinghai province. Since then there have been more than 2,000 deaths, more than 200 people are still missing, and many thousands more are injured, a lot of them very seriously. The numbers may be much higher than the reports we are hearing now.
It is sad and difficult for all of us to see the great suffering and pain that are continuing in these days since the earthquake. I personally know quite a lot of people whose family members have died, or whose local monasteries have experienced the deaths of hundreds of monks.
Everybody I know in the Tibetan community is showing their support and saying prayers during this very critical moment. I encourage all of you around the world as well to dedicate your prayers and meditation practice to those who have died or are suffering. It is good to light candles or butter lamps in dedication, and to recite the bardo prayer if you know it. In addition, I hope that whatever monetary support you are able to offer, you will consider donating to an earthquake relief fund. A number of legitimate organizations are accepting donations and assisting in relief efforts. Some of them are:
- The International Campaign for Tibet, http://www.savetibet.org
- Machik, http://www.machik.org
- Tibet fund, http://www.tibetfund.org
At my recent teachings and retreats we have been asking everyone to keep the earthquake victims in their dedication prayers. It is my wish that you all can help in these ways as well.
With gratitude,
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Children Invited
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Bon Family Retreat Scheduled for June 25 – 26, 2010
Please join us for the first annual Bon Family Retreat led by Lama Lhari-la Kalsang Nyima, resident teacher for Serenity Ridge. In this weekend program families with children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 12* are invited to participate as a family in four organized sessions per day. There will be plenty of time for socializing, play and caretaking around our meals together.
To register for the family camp, please email
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or call 434-263-6304.
The retreat will begin 9 a.m. Friday, June 25, and conclude at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 26, before the arrival of the first Summer Retreat** participants.
Mission: To provide an opportunity for opening and deepening the spiritual connection of the next generation of practitioners.
Daily activities include:
- Two simplified meditation sessions each day led by Lhari-la: one movement-oriented session of Tsa Lung Trul Khor yoga; one session of chanting mantras and prayers, such as the three heart mantras and Yeshe Walmo invocation
- Dharma arts activities: calligraphy and painting with Lhari-la
- Dharma story time and songs led by Cindy Allred-Jackson, M.Ed.
- Retreat caretaking with the children: gardening, cleaning, food preparation.
Costs:
Family registration: $50
Meals: $25 per day for adults (children free)
Materials and snack fee: $30 per family of four, $5 for each additional family member
Accommodations: Camping $10 per person per night. Only a few rooms with twin beds are available; or, if registered for Week 1 of the Summer Retreat, you may add days to the room you have reserved at the same cost per night. Please see www.ligmincha.org for pricing of on-site accommodations or off-site accommodations.
To register for the family camp, please email
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or call 434-263-6304.
Parents’ responsibilities: There will be work retreat activities and possibly a group of Tibetan language students also at Serenity Ridge during this time, so children will need to be supervised at all times to ensure their safety and that the work of others is not interrupted.
*Children younger than 2 1/2 are welcome but will need a primary caregiver willing to leave the larger group to meet the infant/toddler’s needs. Teens may also attend with their families and may assist with the younger children.
**Families staying for Week 1 of the Summer Retreat are invited to organize a parent-supported co-op for their children, keeping a similar schedule during the week and paying a materials fee. Cindy Allred-Jackson will create an activity plan and purchase supplies around the theme of the Five Elements.
About Lhari-la Kalsang Nyima >
To register for the family camp, please email
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or call 434-263-6304.
Attend Teachings From Your Computer
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Upcoming Live and Recorded Webcasts by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Join us from your computer for an upcoming live Webcast by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, as well as to view recordings of his recent, past Webcasts. To sample brief excerpts or view the full teachings, click on the links below. Rinpoche’s next Webcast teaching, on June 15, will be broadcast during a free public talk offered in partnership with Unity Church, Charlottesville, Va. The talk/Webcast will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern Time U.S. (New York time). More information / enter the broadcast site >
‘Turning Pain Into the Path’ (4-min. excerpt from recorded live Webcast of public talk, April 13, 2010)
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6164265/highlight/67264
‘Maintaining Awareness’ (4-min. excerpt from recorded live Webcast April 22, 2009)
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1419528/highlight/67445
‘Drawing Attention’ (3-min. excerpt from recorded live Webcast April 22, 2009)
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1419528/highlight/67450
Second Online Workshop to be held this June
A Three-Week Interactive Course With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
From June 12 through July 4, 2010, through instructional videos Tenzin Rinpoche will explain and guide the practice of the ancient techniques of Tibetan Sound Healing. You can progress through these practices from the comfort and privacy of your own home, and Rinpoche will make himself available to provide personal guidance and answer questions. More information >
News From International Sangha
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Students Report From Around the World
News from Poland
Urszula and Bogdan Waszut, administrators for the Ciamma Ling retreat center near Warsaw, Poland, report that recent renovations at Ciamma Ling now provide a new, pleasurable setting for relaxing and resting. In an area surrounded by pinewoods, an old pool was removed and replaced with a nice place for meditation and physical exercises. This work done in March was made possible by the annual financial contributions of sangha members. Two sangha members gave additional financial help and spent more than 50 hours working on this project. Urszula and Bogdan created the video below as a way to thank their donors and share beautiful images of Ciamma Ling in winter. For more information, contact
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or visit http://a.bongaruda.pl/gb/
View the video of Ciamma Ling at:
http://www.youtube.com/v/7bVuEggBfd0&hl=en_US&fs=1&
Video captions, translated into English by Jitka Polanska:
Wilga – the Space of Loving Mother
Ciamma Ling 2010
Travelling together through this magical space we find ourselves beyond boundaries, in deep silence.
Just stop for a while, right now, step by step, a taste of experience…
For one thousand useless words there is one true; hearing this, peace arises.
All that is composed is subject to disintegration.
Follow your way to destination, persevere.
When mind is looking into mind, substantiality of phenomena disappear.
Every moment is an opportunity to share love.
If you catch the king of primordial perception, impurities become his servants.
As rain penetrates into a house with a bad roof, desires enter an untrained mind.
Nothing is worth being an object of desire. Space is already here, open and hospitable.
For the one who can see, nothing is permanent.
There are many ways but only one destination. Even the longest journey starts with a first step…
Works of renovation of our retreat center are in progress. If you feel like joining us in our activities, you are welcome to support us in one of the following projects: renovation of cabins, kitchen, cafeteria, completion of the gompa, building a dormitory in the old laundry…
News from Hungary
Katalin Jakab reports that quite a big practice group from The Gate of Dharma Buddhist College Budapest was able to attend teachings and meet Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche at the end of March in Vienna. The students appreciated the teachings and most of them plan to start the five-year training with Rinpoche beginning in October 2010.
As a teacher for the College as well as translator of two of Rinpoche's books into Hungarian, Katalin encouraged the students to read Rinpoche’s books in advance in preparation for his teachings. She says she hopes that local sangha in Europe will join together in inviting Rinpoche to teach the Healing Practice of Sipe Gyalmo, the topic of his recent teachings at Ligmincha Institute’s annual spring retreat at Serenity Ridge. To inquire further about this or about ordering the books in Hungarian,
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A note from VOCL editors: We are happy to be able to share news from students around the world and hope you will enjoy reading bits about what’s going on in the centers and sanghas where Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche teaches around the globe. To submit your own news and photographs of interest for possible inclusion in a future issue, please email us at
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Intensive Study in a Retreat Setting at Serenity Ridge
New Summer Tibetan Language Program
This summer brings an opportunity to immerse yourself in the study of Tibetan language. Join Geshe Namgyal Nyima, author of Colloquial and Literary Tibetan: Practical Usage (Berlin 2008), for an intensive program at the Serenity Ridge retreat center in two 12-day, successive courses from June 26 through July 19, 2010. Learn more >
Upcoming Retreats
Ligmincha’s Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
The retreats described below will take place at Serenity Ridge, Ligmincha Institute’s retreat center in Nelson County, Va. To register or for more information, click on the links below, or contact us at
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or 434-263-6304.
May 22 and 23, 2010
Weekend Work Retreat
Two days of service at Serenity Ridge
Please join us for a spring weekend of joyful service to help us beautify Ligmincha Institute's Serenity Ridge retreat center. Included: Free meals and on-site accommodations, plus daily guided meditation sessions.
More information >
June 2 - 6, 2010
Introduction to the Nature of Mind: The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 2
With Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche
This year we are again very fortunate to have Menri Lopon Trinley Nyima Rinpoche, the head teacher of Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, teaching these beautiful and essential practices to us. The concise and essential practice manual of the Experiential Transmission, the Chag Tri, provides pith instructions for those who aspire to practice dzogchen, the path of self-liberation.
Learn more or register >
June 20 - 26, 2010
Summer Work Retreat
Free of charge. Whether you join us for one afternoon or the full week, this is a wonderful time to share with sangha and to be of joyful service. Our work retreat includes vigorous work periods, daily meditation practice, and ample time for a swim in the pool or a walk along the Rockfish River. Participants are provided with free tenting and meals, and for those who participate in the entire work retreat there will be a 50 percent discount on one week of the summer retreat.
For more information or to register, please email Ligmincha at
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.
June 26 - July 19, 2010
Summer Tibetan Language Program
With Geshe Namgyal Nyima
This summer brings an opportunity to immerse yourself in the study of Tibetan language. Join Geshe Namgyal Nyima, author of Colloquial and Literary Tibetan: Practical Usage (Berlin 2008), for an intensive program at the Serenity Ridge retreat center in two 12-day, successive courses from June 26 through July 19, 2010. Open to beginning and intermediate students.
Learn more >
June 27 - July 17, 2010
Awakening the Self, Discovering Joy: Self-Realization Through the Three Doors of Body, Speech and Mind
19th Annual Summer Retreat With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Our own body, speech and mind can offer direct access to profound inner transformation. The keys to effectively unlocking these three doors are found in the ancient Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, whose powerful meditation practices help to remove physical, energetic, and mental blockages that keep us from achieving our highest potential. Join us for a unique, life-changing opportunity to discover your unbounded being, the source of authentic joy. Registration is available for one, two, or all three weeks.
New: Extend your stay >
Learn more or register >
Oct. 6-10, 2010
Sleep of Clear Light: The Practice of Sleep Yoga
With Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Centuries ago, Tibetan yogis developed the practice of sleep yoga to transform these dark hours of ignorance into a path toward enlightenment. A powerful tool for awakening, sleep yoga is more than a practice of the night. It helps us to integrate all moments — waking, sleeping, meditation, and even death — with the clear light of awareness. During this intensive five-day retreat, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will teach and guide us in the clear-light sleep practices of the Mother Tantra, one of the most important cycles of teachings in the Tibetan Bon Buddhist tradition.
New: Extend your stay >
Learn more or register >
Nov. 3 - 7, 2010
Tibetan Yoga, Part 2: Trul Khor Training From the Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu
With Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
The contemplative movements of Tibetan Yoga (trul khor) enable us to enter all three doors of body, energy and mind through a single practice, offering a powerful, skillful means for clearing the obstacles and obscurations to openness and clarity in meditation practice. Open to students who have received the Part 1 teachings of Trul Khor (Zhang Zhung Nyen Gyu) since Jan. 1, 2000.
Learn more or register >
Dec. 27, 2010 - Jan. 1, 2011
Dzogchen: The View, Meditation, Behavior, and Result
The Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 3
With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The Experiential Transmission of the Zhang Zhung Masters is the centerpiece of Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s dzogchen teachings and is presented at Serenity Ridge each year at our winter retreat. Prerequisite: Practitioners who have already received the Part 2 or higher-level teachings in a previous cycle of Chag Tri teachings are warmly invited to attend this retreat.
Learn more or register >
New: Extend your stay! You may stay up to three days after the winter retreat for personal retreat time. For more information or to register for an extended stay, contact Ligmincha office at
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or 434-263-6304
To register for any of the above retreats, or for more information about teachings in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, please contact us at
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or 434-263-6304, or go to: