Kagyu Samye Dzong London
News

March 2006

Contents

1. Lease for Manor Baths now signed - an update from Lama Zangmo
2. Mind is beyond everything by Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche
3. The mindfulness of seeing: learning to draw with awareness
4. Online survey now completed
5. Forthcoming events

News in Brief

• A very happy Losar (Tibetan new year) to everyone and all good wishes for the Fire Dog Year- "A dog year generally has a serious feel to it, with a focus turning to sincerity, justice and ethics. The well-intentioned are favoured and high ideals come to the fore. However, the fire component of this dog year may bring out the intransigent, intolerant, impetuous and stubborn side of its nature. Therefore kindness, sensitivity to others, broadmindedness and mindful forethought are to be fostered." From the Rokpa Tibetan Buddhist Diary for the Year of the Fire Dog (2006-2007).
• The BIG Raffle - has generated much interest. How many more people will want to have 108 chances? (And many thanks to the person who bought such an auspicious number of tickets!). However many chances you'd like, tickets are still available from the office at £1 each. Don't hold back too much from giving yourself as many chances as possible to win a ruby mala, a free weekend course at the Centre or even Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche's beautiful Tiger Rug!
• Complementary treatments at the Centre on Sunday mornings after Green Tara puja:
  Ear acupuncture with Mette Heinz is proving popular. A simple donation (minimum £2 per treatment) will cover you for a 20 minute treatment.
  Shiatsu with Joelle Peters is now available. There is a booking form on the notice board in the tearoom so you can book your session. The suggested donation is £7.

1 - Lease for Manor Baths signed - an update from Lama Zangmo

2 - Mind is beyond everything, by Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche

"Mind is beyond everything, beyond form and no form. Mind can be inside and outside at the same time. When dealing with mind, we are not considering something that is solid and finite. The mind is limitless, so when we talk about the mind we are talking about everything. True understanding of the mind comes through meditation.

What we learn to do in meditation is to experience the mind as it is; not what it was or what it will be, or even what it "should" be. In fact, meditation is really very simple - so simple that it is difficult for our complicated minds to understand. Let us return to the subject of the mind in terms of restoring the balance.

Balancing has two purposes: one is to heal the wound; the other is to guard against future wounds. If we have enough mindfulness we can do both. We can heal the wound; letting go of the past, seeing it as passing memory or learning from past errors and seeing it positively. We can also learn not to make mistakes by repeating actions done without awareness.

Perhaps one of the biggest lessons we can learn is that all aspects of life, ranging from the world we inhabit to the subtle balance of our minds, are interdependent. This means that everything affects everything else. If we continue to live greedy, selfish lives, we will surely destroy our world and ourselves along with it.

The remedy is to act as individuals to halt the harm and begin healing and balancing. The first step in this direction is to start taming the mind through some beneficial training such as meditation."

If you want to learn more about meditation and how it can be applied in everyday life, you may be interested in attending "Walking the walk", a weekend course at the Centre led by Clive Holmes on the 17th-19th March. See forthcoming events for further details. You can book your place by emailing the Centre or by phoning 020-7928 5447.

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3 - The mindfulness of seeing: learning to draw with awareness
 
David Bates writes:

"I used to have art lessons on a regular basis for a few years, and one of the things that really sticks in my mind is something one of my teachers said:

"You've never really seen something until you've drawn it".

And it was only when I'd done some drawing that I realised exactly what she meant. So much of the time our eyes skip over what's in front of us, our minds labelling things that we're familiar with. As a consequence we never really look at them closely. Once our mind has applied a label to describe an object, our eyes and attention move on to other things.

Drawing on the other hand requires sustained, quiet non-verbal attention. Verbal labelling / commentary gets in the way, distracts us from the actual shapes in front of our eyes, and as a consequence, the finished picture can show us clearly where our attention wandered from the subject. And yet when one reaches that space of quiet attention, seeing becomes clearer, the drawing becomes more accurate, and there is a relationship, a connection between the artist and that which is being drawn.

If this sounds suspiciously similar to meditation, you'll understand why Lama Zangmo and Bella Green will be leading a weekend course "The mindfulness of seeing: learning to draw with awareness" on the weekend of the 25th - 26th March. Bella Green is a practising artist who has also been teaching art and design for over twenty years. She is a visiting tutor of drawing and colour at the Royal College of Art in London and has previously led courses at Samye Dzong (I've still got the drawings from the one I attended).

You don't have to be an artist to attend, or to have any experience of drawing. Just come with an open mind and a willingness to pay attention. You may be surprised at what you come away with."

You can book your place on "The mindfulness of seeing: learning to draw with awareness" now by phoning the Centre on 020-7928 5447, or email London@samye.org

4 - Online survey now completed

Many thanks to all of you who took the time to complete the online questionniare during February. We had nearly 400 responses which has given us a lot of extremely valuable information and feedback. The Publicity Group will now be going through the replies with a view to both improving the activities and facilities at the Centre, as well as raising wider public awareness of Kagyu Samye Dzong London.

It will come as no surprise to many that the Shrine Room is the most popular part of the Centre, and we will try to make sure the new one at Manor Baths matches what we currently have.

Once we've been through all the questionnaires, we will provide a summary of the main points in a future newsletter.

5 - Forthcoming events

March

Chen style Tai Chi
with John Henry
Sunday 12th March, 10.00 - 4.00 pm.
£25
A monthly class of Chen style Tai Chi.  Beginners welcome.

Walking the walk
with Clive Holmes
Friday 17th March, 7.00 pm
Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th March, 10.00 - 4.00 pm
£55
This course will focus on ways to make meditation a useful part of our lives, such as: working with our immediate environment to encourage us to meditate and become better friends to ourselves; adapting our behaviour to liberate ourselves from limiting patterns of being; and making commitments in a realistic way that will be long-lasting, unlike some new year’s resolutions!
Clive Holmes has been teaching meditation for the last fourteen years within the UK. He has completed over a year in intensive retreat and has studied widely.
Book your place now by phoning the Centre on 020-7928 5447, or email London@samye.org

The Mindfulness of Seeing: Learning to Draw with Awareness
with Lama Zangmo and Bella Green
Saturday 25th - Sunday 26th March, 10.00 - 5. 00 pm
£55
This course will show how to combine meditation practice with observational-expressive drawing. Using a variety of materials and tools we will explore how to develop drawings that are more focused, free and energetic. No special skills are necessary. A list of what to bring will be given upon booking.
Bella Green is a practising artist who has also been teaching art and design for over twenty years. She is a visiting tutor of drawing and colour at the Royal College of Art in London.
Book your place now by phoning the Centre on 020-7928 5447, or email London@samye.org

April

Tibetan Language and Grammar
with Lama Zangmo
10am-5pm Sunday 2nd April
£25
A day focusing on Tibetan Language for those who can already read and write. The emphasis will be on learning more vocabulary and grammar and the day will be broken up with short sessions of meditation.
This course will only run if there is enough interest. If you would like to attend, please book your place now by phoning the Centre on 020-7928 5447, or email London@samye.org

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

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