The first UK Kagyu Monlam! Coming in May
Posted on 26 Jan 2018
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Monthly newsletter |
Welcome to the February newsletter. This month we have more details about the first ever UK Kagyu Monlam taking place at Samye Ling in May. Closer to home there's an article about what you can do to help the environment. This is part of the lead in to our celebration of Earth Day 2018 in April. To find out about these stories and more besides, read on....
News in Brief |
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1 - The qualities of the spiritual teacher and the student, with Lama Zangmo
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This 5 week course will cover topics such as: the need for a spiritual teacher and the benefits of finding a good guide; the qualities to look for in the spiritual teacher; the qualities needed in a student; the three types of Dharma person; the benefits of faith and devotion and the need for intelligent discernment on the spiritual path.
Lama Zangmo will give explanation on these and other related topics, and there will also be time for meditation.
This course is suitable for anyone wanting to learn more about Buddhism. Participants are asked to commit to attend the full course, 5 Thursday evening classes.
"The qualities of the spiritual teacher and student" with Lama Zangmo takes place on five Thursday evenings from 22nd Feb - 22nd Mar, 7.00-8.30 pm. You can book your place now by using the Donate button at the bottom of the course page on our website.
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2 - The first UK Kagyu Monlam, May 2018 |
 The first UK Kagyu Monlam will be held at Samye Ling on 22nd-29th May 2018.
The Monlam will begin on the auspicious date of the anniversary of Lord Buddha's Birth on 22nd May and will finish on 29th May 2018, the anniversary of Lord Buddha's Enlightenment and Parinirvana.
If you are interested in joining a group to travel up by coach from London, please contact the office as soon as possible. If enough people want to join, we will hire a coach and travel up together..
What is a Kagyu Monlam?
The Kagyu Monlam is a major international prayer festival held annually in Bodhgaya, India, where people gather to listen to Buddhist teachings and to pray for peace and harmony and the well-being and happiness of the world.
The Kagyu Monlam is now also held annually in other countries all over the world on a smaller scale. This will be the first time it is being held in the UK.
History: Though the Kagyu Monlam belongs fully to the contemporary world, its roots lie in 15th-century Tibet, where the 7th Karmapa, Chödrak Gyatso, established the tradition of great prayer gatherings. People from all over Tibet assembled annually to pray for the benefit of all sentient beings. In India, the Monlam tradition began in 1983, when two great lamas in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Kalu Rinpoche and Bokar Rinpoche, began holding annual prayer gatherings at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya.
After the 17th Karmapa assumed responsibility for the festival in 2004, he brought in many innovations, creating the international festival that exists today. The first UK Kagyu Monlam, 22nd-29th May, Kagyu Samye Ling. For more details and to book accommodation, please visit the Samye Ling website.
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3 - Transforming Time Terror - with Alistair Appleton |
 Most of us are terrorised by time. There are the daily stresses of commuting and childcare, of multitasking and meeting deadlines. Then there are the thoughts we torture ourselves with: "Have I done enough?" and "My life is slipping away". And finally those existential terrors presented by the internal body clock, the relentless footsteps of ageing and death and the environmental time-bombs of climate change and the planet's life-cycle.
These and other manifestations of "time stress" can often leaves us paralysed, anxious and dissociated. But by facing the phenomena of personal time face-on and developing a skillful way of transforming our relationship to it, life can be freed up in unimaginable ways.
This weekend at Spa Road is looking at how meditation and the Buddhist teaching of the "Four Reminders" allows us to do just this: re-frame our relationships with time and turn the ticking clock into an inspiration rather than a terror.
It's open to all levels - to beginners or people interested in approaching familiar dharma in a fresh light.
"Transforming Time Terror" with Alistair Appleton takes place on 3rd - 4th March, 10.00 - 5.00. Please note that this course is not being run by Samye Dzong London an there is a charge for it - £95 full price and £65 concessions.
You can book your place now via the Mind-Springs website.
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4 - 108 things you can do to help the environment |
 Buddhism has always included a strong awareness of our interconnectedness, not just with each other, but with all living things. With increasing environmental damage and climate change it is evident that we are in a long-term crisis which His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje describes as "the greatest challenge facing 21st-century society".
His Holiness continued "It gives hope for the future when special efforts are made to turn our attention to the state of our world's natural environment."
This is why, for the first time, we will be celebrating Earth Day this year on Sunday 22nd April at Kagyu Samye Dzong London. We will have a range of speakers covering topics including urban beekeeping, soil regeneration, the dispersal of plastic in our environment, and the benefits of a plant-based diet.
It's easy to be intimidated by the scale of what we see on the news, however it's also important to know what each one of us can do. Previously on Earth Day, His Holiness wrote:
"I am happy to release the 108 Things You Can Do today on Earth Day and hope that this auspicious act has far-reaching benefits for the Earth.
Our world is facing an environmental crisis which is complex, overwhelming and affects us all, but it is difficult to know where to begin and what we can do.
It is very important for all of us to change our behavior and we need to start taking practical steps. These 108 Things You Can Do are a path that everyone can follow in order to make a difference. "
Although originally intended for monastaries, the message is intended for everyone. We would like to share this with you in the run up to Earth Day 2018 and we hope that as many of you as possible will join us both on the day and, over the longer term, in becoming more mindful and careful of how what we do impacts on the environment we share with all other living beings.
"Earth Day 2018" will be celebrated at Samye Dzong London on Sunday 22nd April with a series of talks on related topics. As we get nearer the time more details will appear on the website. Please put this date in your diary and watch this space for more news in the weeks ahead.
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5 - Forthcoming Events |
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Toward an Understanding of Spirituality - with Philippe Jacquet Sat, 3rd Feb , 9:30 - 4:30 pm £50- Tara and Chenrezig Practice Day - with the Samye Dzong Sangha Sun. 4th Feb, 9:30 - 5:00 pm Introduction to Meditation - a 4 week course with Bernard Mordan from 7th - 28th February Wednesdays, from 7th - 28th Feb, 7:00PM - 8:30PM Meditation and Mindfulness for Beginners - a 4 week course with Gelong Trinley from 8th February Thursdays from 8th Feb - 1 Mar, 7:00 - 8:30 pm Tara Practice - with the Kagyu Samye Dzong Sangha Thurs. 8th Feb, 7:00 - 8:00 pm Level One Mindfulness Training: Being Present (Apr-July-Sep-Feb) Sat - Sun. 10th - 11th Feb, 10:00 - 5:00 pm Medicine Buddha Puja Sun, 11th Feb, 7:00 - 8:00 pm Tara Practice - with the Kagyu Samye Dzong Sangha Thurs, 15th Feb, 7:00 - 8:00 pm Losar Celebration - Losar Tashi Deleg - Year of the Earth Dog Fri, 16th Feb, 7:00 - 9:00 pm Bodhicharyavatara with Lama Zangmo Sat, 17th Feb, 10:00 - 4:00 pm Simply Meditation Day Sun, 18th Feb, 9:30 - 5:00 pm The Qualities of the Spiritual Teacher and Student, with Lama Zangmo
Thursdays from 22nd Feb - 22nd March, 7:00 - 8:30 pm The Four Dharmas of Gampopa, with Gelong Thubten Sat - Sun, 24th - 25th Feb, 10:00 - 4:00 pm Guru Rinpoche Tsok Puja Sun, 25th Feb, 7:00 - 8:30 pm MARCH 2018
Thursdays from 22nd Feb - 22nd March, 7:00 - 8:30 pm Transforming Time Terror with Alistair Appleton MAR. 3 - 4, 2018 10:00AM - 5:00PM Simply Meditation Day SUN, MAR. 4, 2018 9:30AM - 5:00PM Introduction to Meditation - a 4 week course with Bernard Mordan from 7th - 28th March WED, MAR. 7, 2018 7:00PM - 8:30PM Meditation and Mindfulness for Beginners - a 4 week course with Gelong Trinley from 8th - 29th March THU, MAR. 8, 2018 7:00PM - 8:30PM Lucid Dreaming with Charlie Morley MAR. 10 - 11, 2018 10:00AM - 5:00PM Medicine Buddha Puja SUN, MAR. 11, 2018 7:00PM - 8:00PM Bodhicharyavatara with Lama Zangmo SAT, MAR. 17, 2018 9:30AM - 5:00PM Level One Mindfulness Training: Being Present (Nov-Jan-Mar-May) MAR. 17 - 18, 2018 10:00AM - 5:00PM Simply Meditation Day SUN, MAR. 18, 2018 9:00AM - 5:00PM Emotional Intelligence with Clive Holmes MAR. 24 - 25, 2018 10:00AM - 4:00PM Guru Rinpoche Tsok Puja SUN, MAR. 25, 2018 7:00PM - 8:30PM Tara Practice - with the Kagyu Samye Dzong Sangha THU, MAR. 29, 2018 7:00PM - 8:00PM
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