Kagyu Samye Dzong London
News

November 2005

Contents

1. "Healing wounds, preventing new ones" by Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche
2. Karma Yoga
3. The Four Reminders
4. Child's Play
5. Forthcoming events

News in Brief

• Manor Baths - We were hoping to have some good news to tell you regarding finalising the lease, but the truth is: We are still waiting..!! How does one speed up councils and their solicitors?! However, we will send out a separate email if we have some news in the near future.
• Towards the end of October, and a little over 2 years since our first issue, we were able to welcome the 1,000th subscriber to this newsletter. Wild celebration at the Centre followed, with your editor being presented with a bottle of olive oil by Lama Zangmo. I promised not to drink it all at once!
• For those of you who would like to be able to read Tibetan, but who are unable to make the classes during the week, Lama Zangmo will be leading a weekend course on the 19th - 20th November in which you can start by learning the Tibetan alphabet. Please book your place in advance. See Forthcoming Events for details.
• Songs of Realisation are sung in the Centre every Sunday at 5.00 pm in the Library. All welcome, no experience needed - just enthusiasm.
• A spiral bound 2006 Dharma Diary is now available from the shop. A double page spread for each week, with the diary section on the righthand page and a beautiful illustration / photo on the left. £10.99

1 - "Healing wounds, preventing new ones" by Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche.

"The Tibetan word for balancing is sowa. This word conveys two meanings. The first is that of healing, repairing damage. If we have a house that is damaged and we repair it, that is called sowa. When we have some weakness in a part of ourselves, our body, our speech or mind, we repair it through understanding. This process is called sowa or balancing.

The second meaning is protecting against any future wound and also finding a dynamic balance so that imbalances do not last for long even when they do occur. Any appropriate means can be used according to the needs of the person.Balancing in this context is useful even for healthy people, because it allows them to maintain their good health and state of well-being by being aware enough to avoid harmful situations and behaviour.

Balancing thus has a two-fold benefit.It will heal whatever needs to be healed, and it will enable us to avoid exposing ourselves to harm in the future. Many people may not need healing, but all of us need to learn how to protect ourselves from harm and prevent future damage. Every day we all experience new things; our education need never be finished. We experience different sensations, environments and ways of life; we meet new people all the time. What we learn is to find balance and stability within this continual change. This is very useful."
Taken from "Restoring the Balance"

Clive Holmes will be leading a weekend course on "Better Health Through Meditation" between 11-13th November. See "Forthcoming events" below for details. Contact the office to book your place now on 020-7928 5447, or email London@samye.org.

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2 - Karma Yoga

In the middle of October a group of 17 yogastudents held a weekend workshop in KSDLondon, and as part of their training offered daily "Karma Yoga"at the centre. The place was buzzing with enthusiastic people sweeping leaves in the sun and cleaning cobwebs in the dormitories. Below is the yoga teacher's explanation of Karma Yoga - we hope it will enspire you to join once again in our regular volunteer weekends.

Errol Sari writes:

"Karma is a Sanskrit word and it means action. So in a nutshell Karma Yoga could be said to be the Yoga of Action and more precisely the Yoga of Selfless Action/service. It is about undertaking a given task at hand without any expectations at all of reward be it financial, material, emotional or even spiritual. It is about tending to the sick, feeding the hungry or picking up litter on a deserted beach with an open heart and a focused mind. If the mind is troubled by what you do i.e. "I've paid good money to do this retreat, why am I cleaning toilets?" then the thing to do is observe the reaction, watch and learn from the self. One can't expect to behave like a saint on your endeavour so try to develop the quality of being a witness especially if you are troubled. Some may meditate, some do asana (physical postures of Yoga) some do Bhakti (devotion). Others do Karma Yoga often with a meditational quality to it, making their every effort part of their Sadhana (Path). By doing Karma Yoga you will work towards purifying the heart and it will develop a sense of belonging. As Swami Sivananda puts it "you will realise One in all and All in one".

If you are interested in yoga classes please contact Errol at: errol@innerunity.com

The next volunteer weekend at the Centre is on 26th-27th November - please let us know if you intend coming (phone 020-7928 5447, or email).

3 - The four reminders

The first of the seven points in the Lojong (mind training) teachings is "First, train in the preliminaries" - a key part of which is to contemplate the four reminders (also known as the four ordinary foundations) so that they become a part of our thinking. These can be particularly helpful for people who have difficulty settling down to a regular meditation practice! In the foreword to the Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche's book on the four reminders, Clark Johnson writes:

"The first foundation or thought is the understanding of why it is important that we are born a human being and not some other animal. Being born a human also involves the obligations that come with this precious birth. The second thought is the understanding of what is permanent and worthwhile in our lives and what just comes and goes. To do anything meaningful in life, we must first understand this idea of impermanence. The third thought is the understanding of karma, which is very important because if we do not understand karma, there is really no reason at all for leading a virtuous life, for meditating or helping others, and not just doing whatever our impulses desire. Finally, the fourth thought is that we cannot achieve any results on the Buddhist path without understanding what is wrong with our daily behaviour and our present view of the world. This then is the understanding of samsara."

Lama Zangmo will be leading a series of reflections on the four reminders over four Thursday evenings, 7.00-8.30, from 17th November to the 8th December. Contact the office to book your place now on 020-7928 5447, or email London@samye.org.

4 - Child's play

On Sunday 20th November we are holding a "Child's Play" afternoon from 3 till 6pm. All children and parents are invited to join in the fun, for everyone and by everyone. The afternoon may also be helpful to those parents who would appreciate some time for their own meditation.

Depending on the level of interest, we would like to hold these play meetings regularly. If you have any questions and/or ideas, please email Marianne Molloy at maryanntara@yahoo.co.uk or phone 020 7633 0342.

5 - Forthcoming events

November

Silent Shinay retreat
with Lama Zangmo
Saturday 5th November, 10.00 - 4.00 pm
£25
A day devoted to the practice of the shinay meditation of calm abiding. There will be brief instructions in the morning with the main part of the day spent in silent retreat.

Dorje Sempa retreat
with Lama Zangmo
Sunday 6th November, 10.00 - 4.00 pm
£25
Instruction in the practice of Dorje Sempa which is the second of the Four Special Foundation practices of the ngondro. Participants need the Dorje Sempa empowerment to attend this day.

Chen style Tai Chi
with John Henry
Sunday 6th November, 10.00 - 4.00 pm.
£25
A monthly class of Chen style Tai Chi.  Beginners welcome.

Better Health through Meditation
with Clive Holmes
Friday 11th November, 7.00 pm and Saturday 12th - Sunday 13th November, 10.00 - 4.00 pm.
£55
Clive Holmes will teach on how meditation can help us improve both our physical and mental health and stay well even when adverse conditions challenge us.

The Tibetan alphabet
with Lama Zangmo
Saturday 19th - Sunday 20th November, 10.00 - 4.00 pm
£45
A weekend course for beginners, the emphasis will be on learning the alphabet. With a few meditation sessions throughout.

Child's Play
Sunday 20th November, 3.00 - 6.00 pm
All children and parents are invited to join in the fun, for everyone and by everyone. The afternoon may also be helpful to those parents who would appreciate some time for their own meditation. If you have any questions and/or ideas, please email Marianne Molloy at maryanntara@yahoo.co.uk or phone 020 7633 0342.

The four reminders
with Lama Zangmo
Thursdays 17th November - 8th December, 7.00 - 8.30 pm
£40
This is a series of reflections on birth, impermanence, karma and the unsatisfactory nature of conditioned existence.

Volunteer Weekend
Saturday 26th - Sunday 27th November - 10.00 - 4.00 pm
Please bring lots of energy and enthusiasm and we will provide good food and lots of tea (although if you really must have coffee we can probably dig some out).
Please let us know in advance if you would like to come.

December

Taming the mind
with Lama Zangmo
Saturday 3rd - Sunday 4th December, 10.00 - 4.00 pm
£45
Suitable for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, this weekend will draw on the methods used in Akong Rinpoche's book "Taming the Tiger" to help develop relaxation and inner peace.

Chen style Tai Chi
with John Henry
Sunday 11th December, 10.00 - 4.00 pm.
£25
A monthly class of Chen style Tai Chi.  Beginners welcome.

Dharma video afternoon
Sunday 11th December, 2.00 - 5.00 pm
£5
An afternoon watching a selection of videos of some of the masters of the Kagyu Lineage.

Volunteer Weekend
Saturday 17th - Sunday 18th December - 10.00 - 4.00 pm
Please bring lots of energy and enthusiasm and we will provide good food and lots of tea (although if you really must have coffee we can probably dig some out).
Please let us know in advance if you would like to come.

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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