Kagyu Samye Dzong London News

January 2009

Contents

1. What About Me?
2. Stress - not just in the mind.. ..but that's where it starts
3. Forthcoming Events

1 - What about me?

If we're honest, this is the approach that most of us take to life - consciously or not - and yet it's fair to say that becoming a bundle of joy is not something that's been realised. Everywhere we're encouraged to reach out for the things / experiences that we hope will make us happy and yet we don't live in a society that has brought conspicuous contentment. Could it be possible that a different approach would help?

The Seven Points of Mind Training and the sayings associated with them offer such an approach along with direct and practical instructions for practice that anyone can follow. Of course it's often easier to read the instructions than follow them. "Be grateful to everyone" is the sort of instruction that feels so right until you see a traffic warden issuing you with a parking ticket. At this point the saying "You are proficient if you can practice even when distracted" may spring to mind when you realise that gratitude is not foremost in your mind as the ticket is stuck to your windscreen. This is of course why we talk about Buddhist practice - because the majority of us (including yours truly) are incapable of following simple instructions like these!

So we have a choice: keep doing what we've always done, with all the results that have come to us as a consequence; or try something different. In the words of the song again:

"You know what? None of it will make you happy
Unless you do one simple thing:
Change “me” for “you.”

Just wake up in the morning, and try something wild.
Just wake up, and not “me.”
Instead, say "you, be happy."
May you be happy."*

*Words from the song "What about me?" by Sakyong Mipham

If you would like to explore the Seven Points of Mind Training, Lama Zangmo will be leading a weekend of teaching and practice on the 24th-25th January from 10.00 - 4.00 pm. Full details can be found in Forthcoming Events. To book your place on this course, contact the office at Manor Place by phone on 020-7708 8969 or by email.

2 - Stress - not just in the mind.. ..but that's where it starts

Stress is caused by a combination of mental, physical and emotional factors which lead to your fight or flight response being repeatedly triggered.

The fight or flight response is an ancient survival mechanism that’s built into your DNA. Whenever you feel in anyway threatened the body prepares itself for massive physical exertion to either fight (anger) or run (fear) from the danger. That’s fine if you’re a caveman being chased by a woolly rhinoceros or a pack of wolves. It’s not so good if, for example, it’s because your computer has just crashed (again!), or if you’ve heard about a reorganisation and are worried about losing your job. If your work is sedentary with no real physical outlet, what you’re left with is the tension and readiness for action, with nothing to fight and nowhere to run. The reason that this is such a big problem is that:

Key systems for keeping your body healthy are
either depressed or shut down at times of stress.

This is how the fight or flight response works

When any form of threat presents itself, the body prepares to take massive action by increasing your

• Heart rate
• Breathing
• Blood pressure
• Muscle tension

The adrenal glands pump out a range of chemicals, including cortisol which gives short term energy and adrenaline which makes your heart beat faster and increasing blood pressure and muscle tension. The muscle tension starts around your neck and shoulders. This also has an impact on your breathing which becomes shallow and fast. Relaxed breathing is from the stomach - but when tense you will tend to breathe only into the top part of your lungs. Blood is directed to the major muscle groups that enable you to fight or run, and away from the extremities and digestive system (hence butterflies in the stomach when nervous, cold hands, etc). All of this has evolved over the millennia to give you the greatest possible chance of survival in situations of immediate physical danger. However these changes in your body have other effects too. The fight or flight reaction also inhibits the body’s ability to:

• digest food
• grow
• repair itself

It also depresses your body’s immune and inflammatory systems. That is why remaining in a stressed state for any length of time has serious implications for both your physical and mental health - in both the short and long term.

The health effects of stress:

Short term: muscular aches and pains due to holding tension, raised blood pressure, headaches, loss of appetite.
Medium term: more vulnerable to physical illness through suppression of the immune system. Also mental health problems such as anxiety and depression
Longer term: poor mental health, obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease to start off with. Longer term suppression of the immune system may be implicated in a wide range of other conditions.Put simply - stress really isn't good for your health!

What you can do today

As you’ve learned, stress has a very physical component to it - so what can you do to start dealing with it today?
At regular intervals through the day, check your body for tension. You can do this quickly and discretely sitting at your desk. Start by focusing your awareness at the top of your head and work your way down gradually. Are you holding any tension in your face? In your neck?... shoulders?.... chest?..... stomach?..... thighs?..... all the way down to your toes. If you do notice any, you can either just relax that part of the body - or alternatively, tense it up a little bit more for a second or two...then just let it go.
The other thing you can do is get some physical exercise. It doesn't have to be the gym - it could be just a brisk walk at lunchtime, getting off the bus one stop earlier on the way home. When I need a break from my desk, I love to do a few minutes juggling to get myself moving and loosen up my shoulders.

This is all aimed at helping raise your awareness of how stress impacts on your body. The greater your awareness, the easier it will be for you to identify specific trigger points - and when you know what they are.. then you can start dealing with them at source.

If you would like more in-depth instruction in ways of dealing with stress, Clive Holmes will be offering two course at Samye Dzong in February. "New Year, New Beginnings" on Wed 4th & Thurs 5th - 7.00 - 8.30 pm, and "Remedying Stress Through Mindfulness" on Sat 7th & Sun 8th - 10.00 - 4.00 pm. Full details in Forthcoming Events. To book your place on this course now, contact the office at Manor Place by phone on 020-7708 8969 or by email.

3 - Forthcoming events

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

JANUARY

INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION
Tues 20th Jan and Tues 27th Jan. 7pm - 8:30pm.
£18
An overview of meditation instructions covering such areas as posture, the use of breath as a focus, and dealing with commonly encountered obstacles.

SEVEN POINTS OF MIND TRAINING:
With Lama Zangmo
Sat 24th Jan and Sun 25th Jan. 10am-4pm.
£55
The main theme of Buddhism is altruism based on compassion and love. The feeling of compassion is important whether you are a Buddhist or not; everyone feels the value of loving kindness. A self-cherishing attitude is like a chronic disease. We become like only half a person when we are afflicted with this attitude. The mind which cherishes others more than oneself is the source of every imaginable benefit. During this weekend we will look at how to develop inner peace, kindness and compassion through mind training and meditation.

GURU RINPOCHE TSOK PUJA
Sun 25th Jan, 7pm - 8:30pm.
Free - everybody welcome.
Offerings of fruit and flowers for the Tsok Pujas are welcome.

TIBETAN LANGUAGE COURSE
with Lama Zangmo
Part two: Starting on Wed 28th Jan until Wed 18th march. 7pm-8:30pm.
£55
An eight week Tibetan language course for beginners. Suitable for those who finished the first part of the Tibetan Course in November and also for those who want to improve their reading and grammar skills. Those who join at this point should be able to read slowly in Tibetan. In order to confirm your place on this course please book and pay in advance.

FEBRUARY

NEW YEAR NEW BEGINNINGS:
with Clive Holmes
Wed 4th Feb and Thur 5th Feb. 7pm-8:30m.
£20
At this time of the year we can all feel "under the weather". We don´t realise how much of our moodiness is due to falling into bad habits. The refreshing news is that there are ways to awaken our minds from this sleep of unconsciousness. Old habits die hard but die they can! In order to allow space for a healthier mind to arise we must let go of the habits that limit our freedom and cause us harm. Get the year off to a flying start by taking this opportunity to learn how to use meditation to improve the quality of your own life and those around you.

REMEDYING STRESS THROUGH MINDFULNESS:
with Clive Holmes
Sat 7th Feb and Sun 8th Feb. 10am-4 pm.
£55
Mindfulness can remedy stress by cultivating a state of mind that can face and cope with the challenges of the twenty-first century. Specific simple and practical methods will be shared to help us find inner peace and a more helpful attitude to what arises. We cannot change the external world to make it perfect but we can change our perception to understand that "nothing is perfect but everything is fine". The approach to developing this inner strength, courage, and stability will be light-hearted and humorous.

MEDICINE BUDDHA PUJA
Sun 8th Feb. 7pm-8pm.
Free.
Everybody welcome.

INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION
Tues 10th Feb and Tues 17th Feb. 7pm- 8:30pm.
£18
An overview of meditation instructions for beginners covering such areas as posture, the use of breath as a focus, and dealing with commonly encountered obstacles.

VOLUNTEER DAY
Sat 14th Feb. From 10am onwards.
Come and share some jobs with us and have fun! Lunch and plenty of tea provided. Please let us know in advance if you can come.

CITY RETREAT:
with Lama Zangmo
Sun 15th Feb, 10am-4pm.
£30
An opportunity for a day of peace in the city through spending time in meditation. There will be instructions throughout the day, with the main part of the day spent in meditation. Lunch provided.

GURU RINPOCHE TSOK PUJA
Sun 22nd Feb, 7pm-8:30pm.
Free.
Everybody welcome. Offerings of fruit and flowers for the Tsok Pujas are welcome.

LOSAR - TIBETAN NEW YEAR
Wed 25th Feb, 7pm-8pm.
Free
Come and join us for this special occasion to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. There will be a light offering followed by prayers and meditation. Everybody welcome

GURU RINPOCHE INSTRUCTIONS:
With Gelongma Kunzang
Sat 28th Feb and Sun 1st March. 10am-4pm.
£55
The aim of this weekend is to provide preparation for the Guru Rinpoche Drubcho in April and for the monthly Guru Rinpoche Tsok Puja. Ani Kunzang will go through the text, giving guidance on chanting, visualisation, mantra recitation, music and offerings, so that by the end of the weekend everyone will be able to follow the Drubcho and the monthly puja schedule with ease.
Please note: as this is a specifically Buddhist practice, anyone wishing to take part in this weekend of teaching should have received the initiation and authorisation for this practice. Please bring a copy of the text (available from the shop), notebook, pen and pencil.

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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