Kagyu Samye Dzong London
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News in Brief
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1 - Teachings, Refuge and Empowerments with Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche Wednesday 25th May - Monday 30th May This is a precious opportunity to receive teachings, empowerments and refuge from Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, the Founder of Kagyu Samye Ling in Scotland and the President of Rokpa Trust. Rinpoche will give advice on how to integreate the Dharma in the 21st century. He will also give Refuge to those wanting to enter the Buddhist path and give the empowerments of White Tara, Green Tara and Amitabha, as well as the scriptural authorisations for those practices. He will be assisted by Gelong Thubten. Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche was recognised by the 16th Karmapa at the age of three as the reincarnation of the first Akong, the abbot of Dolma Lhakang monastery in Kham, eastern Tibet. At the age of six, he entered the monastery where he began the intensive training given to tulkus. Among his many teachers were His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and his root teacher, Sechen Kongtrul Rinpoche. He has received numerous Dharma transmissions from all the main Kagyu lineage holders, and his vast and unceasing activity to benefit beings along with his great kindness has helped make the Dharma accessible to his students all over the world. Please note that accommodation is limited and must be booked well in advance. A detailed program for Rinpoche's visit can be found in Forthcoming events. |
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2 - A personal message from Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche During the last few years Samye Ling has had many building projects. In the beginning our projects were very much based on voluntary effort. When work is done by sincere Dharma practitioners and is carried out from the depth of one's heart and is done like a purification, as a pure mandala offering, the projects often turn out to be of the highest quality. Recently, however, due to rules and regulations, lack of engineering knowledge and also the need for people to make their own income and support their families, we have had no choice but to use contractors for our bigger projects, so have had less opportunity to use volunteers. Now however, I would like to invite people to help me with one particular project, which I would like to be done entirely by volunteers, using only donated or sponsored materials. This project is the prayer wheels near the Stupa. As you know, Samye Ling has completed the building of the World Peace Stupa, which houses the Amitabha Shrine. The Stupa has a wall around half of it, and on this wall we wish to erect prayer wheels. Those of you who have travelled in the East will know that wherever there is a Stupa, there are hundreds of prayer wheels. The Stupa gives people the opportunity for circumambulation, and also to accumulate merit through turning the prayer wheels. The project is to build a wall and a covered passageway and to install the prayer wheels. Also the wall will have cubicles where ashes can be stored, particularly if people wish to have entire urns preserved rather than just the small amounts that are able to be housed inside the Stupa itself. I am looking for about 30 people, to work for either one, two or three weekends. Both men and women are welcome, whoever is fit enough to work. The first weekend will include Friday July 1st until Sunday July 3rd. On the Friday we will prepare the foundations for the walls, then finish building them on Saturday and Sunday. Also we will prepare the roofing, which has to be cut to the right length by joiners. The second weekend will be Saturday July 9th and Sunday 10th - which is the *Wheel Day* which commemorates the Buddha teaching the Four Noble Truths. This weekend will be devoted to putting on the copper roof. We will need a group to work on the roof and also a group of joiners. The third weekend will be Saturday July 16th (which is the anniversary of the Birth of Guru Rinpoche) and Sunday 17th, when we will finish the roof and work on the passageway. We will also finish the garden and prepare the Tara garden as the next large statue to be built in the Samye Ling garden will be Tara. I myself will be working with you throughout these three weekends. For the first weekend I am looking for 6 bricklayers and about 10 joiners. For the second weekend we need one or two bricklayers, 10 joiners and 10 people who know about roofing - especially copper roofing. For the third weekend we need 6 joiners, 6 roofers, 1 or 2 bricklayers and 4 people who can lay paving slabs. The rest of the workers will be diggers and labourers. All three weekends we will need one licensed electrician and also someone to build drains. Please can everyone bring their own tools. We will of course provide meals and floor space to sleep on for those who do not have tents. Please bring your own bedding. For those who enjoy working with me, this is a good opportunity. Together we can achieve something very meaningful. If you can help with this work please contact George Briggs at Samye Ling. Email admin@samyeling.org or telephone 013873 73232, ext 27. |
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3 - Opportunity for trainee sculptors at Samye Ling Over the next two years in Samye Ling we will be making a large number of clay statues in many sizes. Thubten Kunsal, whom some of you may know from his previous visit when he produced many beautiful images for Samye Ling, is here again. For anybody who is interested in art, who wishes to learn statue making, there is the opportunity to come to Samye Ling to learn from Thubten Kunsal for either 6 months, 1 year or 2 years. Samye Ling will provide cheap dormitory accommodation for £10.50 per night, including meals. The project will start in the last week of May 2005. Please contact George Briggs at Samye Ling. Email admin@samyeling.org or telephone 013873 73232, ext 27. |
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4 - Silent auction to support the men's retreat on Arran Ten items of exceptional quality will be tendered by silent bid at Kagyu Samye Dzong London. All proceeds will fund a special, large mandala set for the men's retreat on the Isle of Arran. These items have high opening bids because they are valuable, rare and wonderful. The items include:
The items are now on display in the Samye Dzong shop, and to bid all you have to do is get a bidding form from the office, then complete and return it by noon on Saturday 28th May. |
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5 - Sponsored walk and Grand Picnic in Richmond Park Welcome walkers! On Sunday 5th June there is another opportunity to escape the daily grind and gloom, and walk your way around the beautiful Richmond Park. You will be spending some time close to nature and have a nice picnic beside the ponds halfway through, and raise some funds for the future of our treasured Centre in the process. The pace can be as quick or slow as you wish and children are welcome. Sponsorship forms and more details are available from the Samye Dzong office. |
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May Volunteer Day Teachings, Refuge and Empowerments June Chenrezig Instructions Sponsored walk and picnic in Richmond Park Amitabha Practice and the Bardo Chen style Tai Chi Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche |
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About the Newsletter This newsletter goes out to those who have expressed an interest in Kagyu Samye Dzong London. It covers news of the efforts and progress towards finding and funding a new site for the centre, and other events taking place in the coming weeks Being on this mailing list is not compulsory. If you do not want to receive this newsletter, or would like it to be sent to a different email address, please use the links at the bottom of the newsletter. |
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Kagyu Samye Dzong London Tibetan Buddhist Centre Carlisle Lane, Lambeth, London, SE1 7LG Tel: 020 7928 5447 Fax: 020 7633 9339 Web-site: www.samye.org/london Newsletter editor: David Bates davidjbates@mac.com |
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