Kagyu Samye Dzong London News

August 2007

Contents

1. Diamond Mind with Rob Nairn
2. Inner Potential, Inner Peace
3. The Samye Dzong London Bardo Group
4. The Low-Cost Clinic at Manor Place - by Joelle Peters
5. Forthcoming Events

Welcome to the August newsletter

News in Brief

• Summer closure - Manor Place reopens on Tuesday 7th August at 9.00 am for the regular low cost clinic, and Carlisle Lane reopens on Wednesday 8th August at 2.00 pm.
• When is Carlisle Lane closing? We have received some concerned emails asking if the Centre is still open after August to which the answer is.. yes! We just haven't got a programme together yet, however watch this space as one is currently in preparation.
• Last calls for the Richmond Park sponsored walk which is being led by Esther White on Sunday 25th August. Sponsorship forms and info about route and meeting time available from the office at Manor Place Samye Dzong, 020-7708 8969 .
• Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche will be teaching in Samye Dzong London on Thursday 20th September. A special date to put in your diaries now! See Forthcoming Events, and the next newsletter for further details.
• Coming in September 2008 - now this is what you call forward planning. In September next year we will be launching a three year study programme for those who would like to learn about Buddhism in depth. The course is currently in preparation to be made available through the various Samye Dzongs around the world - in London this will be led by Lama Zangmo. We'll give you more details as they become available over the coming months.

1 - Diamond Mind with Rob Nairn

In his book "Diamond Mind" Rob Nairn writes:

"The basis of meditation.. is the method of mindfulness. Bringing the mind in to the moment. The first consequence of training in mindfulness will be tranquility, when the mind begins to settle while being released from the causes of inner turbulence. In Sanskrit, tranquility is called samatha. Out of the tranquility arises the capacity to see what is really going on within the mind and this is called penetrating insight. The Sanskrit word is vipassana. This is where the mind, through its clarity which comes about due to tranquility, develops its inherent power to see and know and understand exactly what is happening within it. Through this we begin to gain true understanding about ourselves.

The big distinction between meditation and learning is that meditation leads to compassion because there is a process of true understanding through direct experience and observation of our own mind states. Learning is acquiring information and adding it to the mind. Learning will never penetrate to the depth of meditation because it is simply acquiring new concepts. The more we meditate, the more we realize that concepts are superficial. They only have to do with the rational, conscious, logical, intellectual mind. There is a very definite point in meditation where we have to let go of all that. So it's a case of moving from fixation on the conceptual, rational mind and learning ot move inward and trust ourselves and our own instinctive understanding that arises through insight and perception."

Rob Nairn will be leading courses at both Carlisle Lane and Manor Place at the end of August and early September:
"How Mindfulness Leads to Insight" Friday 31st August - Sunday 2nd September at Carlisle Lane and
"Diamond Mind" at Manor Place on Wednesday 5th - Thursday 6th September, 7.00-8.30 pm.
To book your place phone 020-9728 5447 now.

2 - Inner Potential, Innner Peace

David Bates writes:

"A while back I was speaking with a woman who had quite a lot of upheaval in her life in the previous year and what she was looking for was more rest, a balanced life and "more of this sense of well-being I've been getting glimpses of lately". I asked her to describe this sense of well-being and the circumstances in which it arose - so she did.

The first instance followed an afternoon gardening, and being so wrapped up in it that her sense of time vanished. In the evening she sat down and felt a sense of quietness / peace envelope her. The second instance was following a day in which she had been very busy, but again fully involved, totally committed to what she was doing. In both instances the peace, the well-being that she is seeking came after she'd been fully involved in activities which were important to her. Not getting distracted with what she should have done earlier, or what she still had to do later in the day - just a total involvement in what was being done at the time - living fully in the present moment.

When we go beyond the surface of our day to day activities and focus not just on our way of doing, but on our way of being - we add depth to our lives. We could take the example of scuba diving - when on the surface of the ocean there is the noise of the upper world - the boat's motor, seagulls, waves, and the light reflecting off the surface of the water. It is only when you dive that your perspective truly changes: as the noise and busy-ness of the surface world recede, as the immensity of the underwater world becomes apparent and you begin to gain an inkling of the depths and wonders that lie beneath the surface of the sea."

For those interested in diving beneath the surface level of busyness, Lama Zangmo will be leading a day on "Inner Potential, Inner Peace" on Sunday 19th August, 10.00 am - 4.00 pm at Manor Place. To book your place phone 020-7708 8969.

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3 - The Samye Dzong London Bardo Group

Kitty De Costa writes:

"Bardo group day coincided with the Tour de France. Westminister Bridge was bubbling with excitement as people lined the route. I was excited by the day ahead of me.

We started at 10 a.m. with shinay meditation. It seems so easy to cultivate a positive attitude in the prayer hall that has the power of the lineage/ Boddhisattvas to help. I listened for the cheering of the Tour de France but hearing nothing soon found myself in a state of calm abiding.

After an hour of meditation and a short 15 minute break, Lama Zangmo started to instruct us on the practice of the Medicine Buddha. She did this by using the Medicine Buddha text, reading the Tibetan and translating it for us. The text begins, as do many texts, by making supplications to the lineage and asking for blessings and for the ability to understand these texts, so that a transformation of the mind can take place. In this practice, we take refuge in the Medicine Buddha as the essence of all Buddhas. Lama went through the text very carefullycovering a lot of ground, including the visualizations, describing how we take refuge and concentrate the mind on these visualizations.

Lama Zangmo also gave some explanation of the symbolism involved in the 8 auspicious symbols, for example, the conch: far reaching melodious sounds of the dharma; victory banner: the victory of the activities of one's body, speech and mind over obstacles and negativity; the golden fish: beings living in a state of fearlessness, without drowning in the ocean of suffering. I found it interesting to observe how symbolism is used as shorthand to remind yourself at all times about the dharma and thereby
provide a positive support for the mind. I began to get an insight and feeling for the very specific Tibetan teaching we were receiving.

I will go over my notes again and see if they enable me to follow the practice in a more heartfelt way. I liked having the shinay meditation before the instructions as it definitely helped me concentrate.

Meditation and listening seemed to take up a lot of energy, so it was delightful to stop for a tasty lunch that included sushi made by Kitty Lam’s daughters.

After lunch, we finished off our instructions and went through the Medicine Buddha puja in Tibetan reminding ourselves of all that we had learned during the day.

At 4 pm, Anne Sadie from Rigpa joined us. Anne’s talk contained a lot of information about the training that Rigpa provides to those who are bereaved and people who spend time with them. Anne’s experience arose directly from her own sadness and bewilderment after the death of her 17 year old son. After her talk, there followed the Bardo group meeting, where the new user forum was discussed among other things. One of themembers of the Bardo group put a very interesting question to Lama Zangmo
about organ donation and the removal of organs directly after death for the benefit of others, as this conflicted with the notion of leaving the (dead) body undisturbed for as long as possible. Lama recommended her to get familiar with the chod practice.

The day ended with the Medicine Buddha puja. It was a good day with a lot of practice, good food and food for thought."

If you are interested in finding out more about the Samye Dzong London Bardo Group please check the website at www.londonbardogroup.com

4 - The Low-Cost Clinic at Manor Place Samye Dzong

Joelle Peters writes:

The aim of The Low Cost Clinic is to provide affordable Complementary Therapies to everyone. These therapies are holistic in that they all help both in a physical and mental plane. Many conditions need quite a few treatments (six treatments is often quoted) and in normal circumstances this can be quite expensive. Especially for the elderly and chronically ill: groups of society, which the therapists in the Low Cost Clinic are particularly interested in treating.

To keep the costs down, most of the treatments are carried out in a large room. This is part of the charm, as this space has both a community spirit and a relaxing feel about it. The music also adds to the ambiance. Some clients enjoy refreshments either before or after the treatments, so one can further relax, whilst others take pleasure in a meditation session in the Shrine Room before venturing outside.

The cost of a treatment is £18.00 for 45 Mins. This is at least 50% less than the usual cost. Concessions and elderly are especially welcome, where the cost of the treatment can further be reduced. There is a disabled access and facilities.

Treatments available: Cranial Sacral Therapy, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Acupuncture, Seated Chair Massage.

To find out more, pick up a leaflet at Samye Dzong Manor Place or Samye Dzong Carlisle Lane. The Low Cost Clinic is held on Tuesdays from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm.

5 - Forthcoming events

To see the full programme of activities at the Centre, please click here to visit the website

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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