November 2013 In This Issue Lama Zopa on the Mahayana Path Dalai Lama This Month at Jamyang Jangtse Choje Guhyasamaja
Editor's welcome Dear Reader, John, our usual editor is off to Asia for a few months, so default ed and typo supremo returns for a couple of issues until normal service is resumed.
Geshe Tashi's column The Director's Column Ven Robina Courtin Retreat Changes Comings and Goings Andy Weber Art Class Dalai Lama Friendship Ven Amy Miller talk Sutra of Cause and effect Vipassana 1 Vipassana 2 Free Buddhist teachings Tibetan Buddhist Art Resource
At the time of writing we are hosting a Foundation Service seminar being given by the indefatigable team of Merry Colony, Amy Cayton and Tom Truty from the International Office Team based in Portland, Oregon.
Ven Angie Muir ritual Mahamudra with Roy About FPMT Your Thoughts for Gentle Voice
Quick Links Jamyang Website Current Programme Talking Buddhism The Foundation Study Course The Lamrim Chenmo Study Course FPMT
The participants from around the world have seemed very happy to immerse themselves in the service and people culture of the FPMT. It has been a delight watching new friendships grow, old friendships rekindle and that wonderful warm sense of shared sense of purpose that comes with FPMT 'family feeling'. It is all very much a reminder of the value of community in our lives and of the crucial role that supportive human relationships play in our mental and physical health, as well as our spiritual path. And speaking of path, some thirty five serious souls immersed themselves in Shamata and Vipassana meditation over a long weekend with Venerable Antonio Satta. We can learn about subtle impermanence and that effects come from causes, we can contemplate that conceptually, but to see it manifestly in our daily lives, that brings home the message like nothing else. Wisdom well worth the physical aches and pains. I hope you enjoy this edition of Gentle Voice and that there is a little bit here for everyone. Best wishes Mike
The Mahayana Path - Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Mahayana Path Rinpoche gave this advice to a new student on the purpose of Dharma practice.
My very dear Frank, Before I saw your letter, I was very happy to see you on the road. You appeared to me as a sincere person with an open heart; somebody who is very good to start on the path to enlightenment, somebody who is sincerely looking for it, trying to achieve liberation and enlightenment, and somebody who is very worthwhile to help. This is how I thought of you when I saw you coming up the road. If Dharma is explained to you, you will really follow up; you will do it. Of course some people have many doubts. They fear losing themselves-the old self, what they believed-and they hold onto that. They fear becoming a new person, having a new experience, and they are unable to analyze which kind of life has a better effect and has the greatest benefit for oneself and others. They are unable to check and analyze that, because they have no wisdom. Fear arises after ignorance. Therefore, I must tell you that I was very happy to meet you on the road. There must be some karma. Even that meeting on the road came from past karma. It's quite inspiring to read about what you did in your life before-not in your past life, but in this life. It shows you are very sincere. Resisting religion on the grounds of blind faith is good. Maybe this happened because you have the good karma to meet Buddhism. If you believed easily in religion, then you would have been involved with other religions, but that might block accepting and learning about Buddhism with an open heart. Living with a strong sense or awareness of ethics-as long as what is called ethics is good karma-brings the result of happiness to you and sentient beings. There will be no harm to you and other sentient beings, so that's very good, extremely important. That means there is a possibility that you can become a monk later. I think you may have the possibility and the conditions to become a Buddhist monk. Here I am talking about being a Buddhist monk seeking liberation and enlightenment-dedicating your life for that, especially enlightenment for sentient beings who are numberless. It is important that you help other sentient beings, for example, the numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras and gods, to be free from suffering and achieve happiness-not temporary happiness, but ultimate happiness, liberation from the ocean of samsara's suffering and its causes, and especially great liberation, enlightenment. All the numberless sentient beings in these realms need your help. Therefore your life is not yours, but for numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras and gods. Also, your life is for the buddhas and bodhisattvas. You were already involved in helping people, rescuing people in Israel. That is amazing. So, being homeless for meditation and prayers is good. If there is nothing to be attached to, your life and mind becomes simple. Otherwise, being attached to things is like being in prison, so life has no freedom. And also having no possessions and living a simple life is amazing. Those are very good causes to become a monk. I'm not saying to become a monk now, but there is a possibility later. These are very good reasons that help you to be a good monk, a pure monk. There are much less distractions in life, so realizations can come. You went to Madagascar. Since I met the very first Western student, Princess Zina, from that time when I stayed with her, I heard about Madagascar so many times from her friends, French artists and a French doctor. They were always talking about the places they had been to.
Doing the course in the past has given you some help familiarizing yourself with meditation. However just that is not enough, because it doesn't explain the whole path to enlightenment. There is so much to study about the five paths-the path of merit, the path of preparation, the right-seeing path, the path of meditation and (the unification of) no more learning. Especially on the Mahayana path, there is so much to attain, so there are less and less obscurations, and greater and greater qualities. There are five paths and ten bhumis. When we achieve the eighth or ninth bhumi, for us it is like becoming a buddha and we have extensive means to benefit sentient beings. It is unbelievable what we can do. We can manifest all kinds of forms like bridges-anything that is beneficial for sentient beings. We can manifest as rocks, trees or water. It is just most amazing-we can manifest in a zillion, trillion ways. It is inconceivable. Then of course, there is no question about Buddha, who is totally free from subtle defilements and hallucinations and has complete compassion, wisdom, power and understanding. Buddha will definitely guide us; he is always thinking of us in every second. There is not one second that Buddha doesn't think of us. That means Buddha is working for us continuously in various forms. This is a very important quotation to keep, from the Sutra Meeting of Father and Son. Thinking this way will help you a great deal-to wake the mind up, to discover and live life. "I do work for sentient beings in the costume (guise) of Brahma and Indra, even as mara (an evil being) sometimes. But the worldly people cannot realize this. I also wear the costume of women. I am also in the animal world. I show attachment, even though I am not attached. I show fear, even if I have no fear. I show ignorance, even though I don't have ignorance. I show craziness, even though I am not. I show blindness, even though I am not blind. In various forms I subdue sentient beings." All the suffering of samsara comes from the mind. Happiness, liberation and enlightenment come from the mind. Suffering comes from the unsubdued mind. Liberation and enlightenment come from the subdued mind, therefore, subduing the mind is essential. So what Buddha said is just an example, manifesting numberless forms naturally without effort-as impure forms to sentient beings who have an impure mind, and as pure forms to sentient beings with a pure mind. In Buddhism, especially in Mahayana Buddhism, guru devotion is the root of the path to enlightenment. The Buddha's 84,000 teachings have three levels. There are the Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) teachings for the lower capable being. For those with greater intelligence and capacity, Buddha revealed the Mahayana Paramitayana teachings. Then for those with higher intelligence, merit or capacity, Buddha taught Mahayana Secret Mantra-Vajrayana. In Hinayana, we don't look at the guru as a buddha, but we respect the guru as if he is a buddha and we obey the guru, the abbot who grants ordination and gives teachings. In Mahayana Paramityana, we look at the guru as a buddha, having no mistakes but only qualities. In tantra, on that basis-seeing the guru as a buddha-we look at the guru in the pure form of a buddha, we look at the essence as a buddha. Obedience is most important, otherwise we cannot achieve realizations; we cannot achieve enlightenment. So now, the answer to your question. Your past karma has ripened for you to meet Buddhism now, so you can advance your understanding and practice with faith, which comes from understanding. Here, of course-definitely, as you have described yourself-you are ready to receive the guru. Yes, you can learn about emptiness more and more; you can meditate and gain experience. That subject is only in Buddhism. Only Buddhism shows that the truth of the I, the aggregates, mind and everything is emptiness. Only Buddhism shows that. Even though Christianity and so forth have many good things, this is
an extremely important subject. By realizing this, we can eliminate the root of the oceans of samsaric suffering, the root of karma and all delusions, which is ignorance. Only then will we be free from delusions, karma and oceans of samsara suffering. That is how we achieve liberation, free forever from the suffering of samsara and its causes. Practicing Dharma to achieve liberation is one time, while the works of this life-samsaric happiness-have no end. Understanding emptiness is an extremely important subject. With this realization we can liberate others; we can really help others to be free from the ocean of samsaric suffering and its causes. How? By introducing the four noble truths-by introducing suffering, then looking for its causes, then seeing if the causes can be ceased, then cessation of suffering and the path to achieve that. This path is the direct perception of emptiness. When we achieve this realization, it becomes a very important wisdom eye. That is how we can help sentient beings and liberate them from the ocean of samsara's suffering and its causes. If we don't have this realization, we can't liberate others. To achieve enlightenment, we need the ultimate wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. This ceases directly not only the gross, but also the subtle defilements. Then we are able to liberate others from the ocean of samsaric suffering and bring them to enlightenment, with the support of bodhicitta, the method which collects limitless skies of merit in every second. That is how we are able to achieve enlightenment. In Hindu philosophy, there is the soul, atman, a permanent I. In Buddhism and in reality, that doesn't exist. There is no such thing. The I is impermanent; it exists dependent on causes and conditions. There are four schools of Buddhist philosophy, each with a different view and different explanation of the self. However, none of them accept a soul or permanent I. That is something to be realized through analysis. I will meet you if you are here after the Vipassana course. There is a possibility to meet. With much love and prayer Lama Zopa P.S. If you attend His Holiness' teachings, the very first thing you must do is take His Holiness the Dalai Lama as your guru. He is the embodiment of Avalokiteshvara, the Compassion Buddha. If you don't take His Holiness as your guru, this will be the biggest mistake in your life. This is most important. There doesn't have to be only one guru. For example, Lama Atisha, the great holy being from India, who was invited to Tibet to make Buddhism pure, had 157 gurus. I guess the reason was that he received different teachings from different gurus. He had two root gurus. One was Lama Serlingpa, from whom he received complete teachings on bodhicitta. Lama Atisha left India and travelled by boat for 12 months and arrived in Sumatra, Indonesia, where Lama Serlingpa lived. Atisha stayed there for 12 years and actualized bodhicitta by devoting to Lama Serlingpa as guru. This is the attitude of life that benefits all sentient beings. The other guru was Dharmarakshita. This doesn't mean we should take anybody who is teaching as our guru. Here we have to be most careful. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama mentioned, we can learn without recognizing the person as guru. Later, when we develop so much devotion-when we think we can follow the guru-then we can devote and take that person as guru. This is my general advice. Sometimes a person can be our guru if we have a strong feeling, which means we have a karmic connection from a past life, so we feel close. Still, we can analyse this. It shows our past life connection. When that person gives us teachings, it becomes effective for our mind and easy to have realizations. So usually it means we should try to devote to that person as our guru. That is it at the moment.
Downloaded from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Website. Pleasae visit the site for lots, and we mean lots, of teachings from Lama Zopa rinpoche, Lama Yeshe and high lamas like His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They are so kind to offer so much for free. NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS AT JAMYANG CLASSES AND EVENTS IN NOVEMBER AT JAMYANG CLASSES and RETREATS with GESHE TASHI Middle Length Lam Rim Wednesdays 6, 13, 20, 27 November 7.30pm Community Dharma 10 November with Geshe Tashi 2pm -4pm. Finishing with shared tea party. Feel free to bring something to share.
WEEK DAY EVENINGS Buddhist Meditation: Shamata (Calming) With Roy Sutherwood Mondays 4, 11, 18, 25 November, 2, 9 December 7.30 - 9pm Echoes of Voidness: the Geluk tradition of Sutra Mahamudra with Roy Sutherwood Tuesdays, 5, 12, 19, 26 November, 3, 10 December 7.30pm
VISITING TEACHERS Venerable Robina Courtin Tara Retreat Weekend 30 November, 1 December 9am - 5pm Register on-line here
Andy WeberTibetan Art Painting Workshop Weekend 7 & 8 December Talk on the evening of 6th Register Here Geshe Graham Woodhouse Debate Intensive Saturday 14 - Tuesday 17 December 10am - 5pm each day Register Here RETREATS, WEEKEND TEACHINGS and PRACTICE GROUPS Vajrayogini Tantra Practice Group Retreat Monday 4 - Friday 8 November 9am - 5pm each day initiates into the Naro Khacho system only
Meditation for Beginners with David Ford Thursdays 7 November, 5 December Dharma in Life, Life in DharmaVen Amy Miller Thursday 21 November 7.30 - 9pm Medicine Buddha Puja Tuesday 26 November 6:15pm Silent Meditation Thursdays weekly 7, 14, 21 28 November, 5, 12 December 6.15 7.15pm Lama Choepa Puja 28 November 6 - 7pm WEEK DAY DAYTIME Tara Puja Tuesday 26 November 4.30 5.45pm COMMUNITY Dying Well Group Sunday 3 November 10am
Guhyasamaja Practice Group Retreat Monday 11 - Friday 15 November 8am - 6pm each day Open to all with Guhyasamaja 32 deities initiation
Chi Kung and Tai Chi Monday evenings taught by William Walker. For more information and to book call William (follow the link above)
Kalachakra Tantra Practice Group Retreat November 18 - 22 8am - 6pm each day initiates only
Satyananda Yoga Tuesday evenings taught by Judy Watchman For more information and to book call Judy (follow the link above)
Insight Meditation Practice Group 2, 16 November 10.30-12.30pm open to all Nyung Nay 3 sets of 2 day Nyung Nay Chenresig Fasting Retreats led by Steff Hill Start 6pm Friday 20 December. 1st set of 2 days 21 & 22 December, 2nd set of 2 days 23 & 24 December, 3rd set of 2 days 25 & 26 December. Retreat ends 9am Friday 27 December Register Here Please book for all weekend classes or retreats other than practice groups on-line if you can. If you can't call the office on 02078208787 or email admin@jamyang.co.uk
Hridaya (Heart Centre) Yoga Wednesday evenings 7:30 taught by Naz For more information and to book call Naz (follow the link above) Awareness through Movement (Feldenkrais Method) Wednesdays 6 - 7pm To book contact Jonathan (follow the link above) SPECIAL EVENTS Holy Buddha Day - Return from Tushita Day with Geshe Tashi: Sunday 24 November 8am - 5pm
Full details of these and all other events are on our website
You can drop in to all evening classes unless we state otherwise
The Two Stages of Guhyasamaja - Jangtse Choje Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin The Two Stages of Guhyasamaja Teachings by Jangtse Choje Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin January 7 - 21, 2014 Tsangpa Khangtsen, Sera Jey Monastery, South India Jangtse Choje Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin, one of the greatest masters of the Guhyasamaja tantra, has given many teachings in Sera Monastery, and taught and inspired people all over the world. Following last year's teachings on Lama Tsong Khapa's A Clear Lamp Illuminating the Five Stages, Jangtse Choje Rinpoche will this year give teachings on the sadhana: The Yoga of Pure Stages; and on the generation and completion stage commentaries: Commentary on the Stages of Presentation, A Clarification of the Essential Meaning of Glorious Guhyasamaja and An Explanatory Tantra of Glorious Guhyasamaja, A Commentary Gathered from All the Vajras of Exalted Wisdom. Prerequisites: Must have received a Guhyasamaja empowerment. Commitments: There are no special commitments related to these teachings. The teachings will be translated into English, so attendees are encouraged to bring a personal FM radio if they would like to have translation. Notice: All foreigners are required to have a PAP to visit Tibetan settlements in India, and need to apply approx. 2-3 months in advance. Please see www.serajeymonastery.org/services for more details.
Geshe Tashi's column Hello Everybody, It will be interesting to see how it goes with the live streaming that we will do for my Wednesday evening class. If it works I think it will help people who cannot attend the Centre in the evenings to keep the connection going strong. My Wednesday evening class is on the Lam Rim. As many of you know I very much like the Lam Rim meditations and particularly like combining Lam Rim with Calm Abiding Shamata meditation. I think this makes a good combination for daily life meditation. I'm not the only person saying this. Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche has been recommending these two for a good while now and His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in the middle of a big transmission of the key Lam Rim texts of our tradition. So it is not something I just made up. It comes from good authority!
Director's Column Our glorious leader is having a break from writing this month but will return in full flow next month for the Xmas bumper edition
Tara Retreat with Venerable Robina - 30 November/ 1 December
Venerable Robina Courtin will lead a retreat on Green Tara on the weekend of Saturday 30 November/ Sunday 1 December. Not sure if she needs an introduction, but if you want one her website says it better than we ever can. A tour de force, her commitment to moving people on from being stuck in samsaric patterns of behaviour is awe inspiring, as is her boundless energy and cracking sense of humour. This year we have a limited supply in the shop of the Australian Arthouse movie made about her life and work 'Chasing Bhuddha'. If you haven't seen it, do. Not only does it capture her energy perfectly but also gives insights into her personal journey into Buddhism. Dont miss out - re-energise and re-direct your life with Venerable Robina and Lady Tara the Liberator by taking two days retreat. Register for the Tara Retreat here. Venerable Robina is also going to Bath and Togme Sangpo study group in Scotland (near Findhorn) so check out those websites too and catch her while you can.
Change and Comings and Goings at Jamyang The big change is in the cafe kitchen area where a modern workspace with new oak worktop has materialised due to the hard work of Ian Collins, sterling chirpy chippie chap that he is. The place seems so spacious compared to before, though it still a miracle that the hard working cafe team produce quite so much tasty food from such a small
space. Gianlucca from the Cafe has gone back to Italy for an operation on his gall bladder. We wish him a speedy recovery and a swift return to Blighty. Talking of the war wounded Ian continues to improve- though the right heel clearly has some healing left to do. We wish him a speedy recovery too. A big thanks to all the paid staff and the volunteers in the cafe crew for the service they provide to the local area. Even now it is very rare to get vegetarian food round here, let alone good vegetarian food. Andy Weber Art Workshop 7th and 8th December This art class will explore gompa (meditation hall ) decorations, specifically dragons and garudas. Students will be taught the drawing and painting of dragons, which decorate many temple doors and ceilings. Both mystical creatures have specific meanings in many Asian cultures and have a long history in Buddhist art. The course is designed for both beginners and advanced students. These workshops are always fascinating and Andy is a very engaging presenter. Andy is a world renowned Thanka painter famous for his encyclopaedic knowledge and his informal and relaxed teaching style.
From the Field Museum Chicago
He will also be giving an illustrated lecture on this topic on Friday evening the 6th December. Please book your place via the Jamyang website and let your imagination flow. Christian Meditator Father Lawrence Freeman in 2012 on his friendship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama You seem to have a very warm friendship with the Dalai Lama and he speaks of you warmly as his friend and spiritual brother. How did this friendship develop? When was your first meeting? I first met the Dalai Lama in Montreal in 1980, when John Main invited him to visit our new community there after an interfaith service in the Cathedral. I was an early professed monk at that time. The Dalai Lama visited us for midday prayer and meditation followed by lunch. Fr. John had a very positive conversation with him and as he was leaving presented him with a copy of the Rule of St Benedict. The Dalai Lama I think was very impressed and interested by the idea of Christians meditating and teaching meditation from their own tradition. In his book Towards the True Kinship of Faiths he describes this meeting and how moved he was by it. He and Fr. John certainly met at a deep personal level. Some year later, after Fr. John died, I invited his Holiness to lead the John Main Seminar. He accepted in respect of this friendship. Then he asked "What would you like to me speak about? I was slightly taken aback and thought quickly and then said "Would you be willing to comment on the Gospel from your Buddhist tradition?" The Dalai Lama pondered a bit then smiled and replied: "I don't know a lot about the Gospels but yes, let's try it." It was a sign both of his commitment to deep dialogue seeing from the other's point of view and letting go of attachment to one's own - but also
of his personal courage and self-confidence. And that was the beginning of The Good Heart Seminar of 1994. The book of that title has become something of a classic on inter religious dialogue. The Dalai Lama often says this is one of his favourite books, because he has so many letters from Christians around the world saying that his commentaries on the Gospel have helped them to reconnect with their own tradition. How did the idea for The Way of Peace arise? During the Good Heart Seminar we decided to extend the dialogue into "The Way of Peace" in which we would explore different forms of dialogue based in meditation. This was a three year program, beginning with a pilgrimage. His Holiness invited us to Bodhgaya, where the Buddha was enlightened. We had several days of dialogue on the meanings of salvation and enlightenment and we began every day meditating under the bodhi tree, Christians and Buddhists together in a beautiful serene way. He was especially welcoming and it was a wonderful experience. He gave us a beautiful thanka painted at his request by Tibetan monks depicting the Birth of Jesus. This is in our meditation room at our centre in London where we meditate every day. The second phase of The Way of Peace was a retreat in one of our monasteries in Italy. During it we had more times of meditation together but also some stimulating dialogue sessions on the relationship between images, silence and meditation. The third phase was the John Main Seminar in 2000, held in Belfast. We wanted to show that if a Buddhist and a Christian monk could be friends then surely Catholics and Protestants could achieve friendship as well.We believed that the friendship that arises from deep dialogue can became a force for healing the wounds of division between people - even very deep, complex and ancient wounds. I remember one beautiful moment during that seminar in N. Ireland when we went together into a room to meet a group of victims of violence from both sides. The mood was very tense and unfriendly; there was a very cold atmosphere as we walked in. The Dalai Lama immediately registered the emotional mood, skipped the formal introductions and went straight into dialogue beginning by telling his own story and his attitude towards the people who had occupied his country. By the end of the session, the mood had change dramatically and there was a wonderful spirit of self-discovery and openness to each other. It was actually in that meeting that he met Richard Moore , who he admired very much as an example of the human capacity for forgiveness. So over the years, and especially through these dialogues, my respect and very warm affection for the Dalai Lama have grown and deepened and enriched me. Tell us about your last meeting in the UK... Recently I met him during his visit to the UK. We caught up with each other's news and then we discussed further dialogues on the horizon. The first of these will be the dialogue that we will hold in India, in Sarnath, where the Buddha made the first turning of the wheel of Dharma. That will be January in 2013. It will take place during our WCCM pilgrimage to India. We also discussed a new Way of Peace series that will focus on the contemporary issues and problems that have come to the foreground of modern life in recent years, especially our contemporary crisis, since the first Way of Peace. So we will announce more information about that 3-year programme soon. Today, what does the Dalai Lama represent for you? The Dalai Lama has been an inspiration to me. I would even say a Christ-like figure. He has dealt with great personal loss and suffering. And he has become a human being with boundless compassion and also infectious joy. He teaches by example as well as by words. He can communicate with everyone in simple, informal ways from his own direct experience, without having to use jargon or complex ideas. So he is a wonderful witness I think to every human being on the planet of the human capacity to rise above our isolation and even our worst suffering. He reminds people of the full capacity of human consciousness. In my dialogues with him I have been always struck by the fact that the similarities and the differences in our experience and in our approaches are equally important. This coincides with the Dalai Lama's opinion, that we must never underestimate the importance of the differences that are highlighted in the course of dialogue. My own feeling is that there is a paradox here. We enter into the deepest sympathy and
even deepest union of experience through the differences even more than through our similarities. So the Dalai Lama has enriched my Christian faith in a surprising and creative way. He has also spoken about how his respect for and sympathy for the Christian tradition and Christian faith has been enriched by the contact that he had with our Community and of course with many other Christian groups. I have no doubt, strange though it may sound, that he has enhanced and deepened my Christian faith. So its always a great joy to meet with him. It refreshes my optimism for the work of our own community - The World Community for Christian Meditation - especially our recently launched Meditatio outreach which is bringing the spiritual fruits of meditation to the secular world - which is also deepening the much needed spiritual renewal of the Church. I travel a lot as the Dalai Lama does too. Sometimes our paths cross and that is a great happiness; but even in the times between our meetings I feel very connected to him as a fellow monk, a meditator and, as simply as that very rare phenomenon - a peaceful, joyful and normal human being! l and our community look forward very much to the January meeting in Sarnath and the next Way of Peace and we keep His Holiness and his extraordinary work for the contemporary world in our prayer always. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copied from the website of the World Community for Christian Meditation Venerable Amy Miller - Thursday 21 November 2013 Venerable Amy is giving a one night talk 'Dharma in Life, Life in Dharma' on the evening of Thursday 21 November starting at 7.30pm. A short biography is here. A skillful and engaging teacher Venerable Amy also is the Director of the beautiful Milarepa Centre in Vermont USA . Check out her talk on our website here. Venerable Amy is also touring the UK giving talks in Bath , Liverpool and Leeds so check out those links too.
The Sutra of Cause and Effect - An extract from the beginning
Namo Buddha, namo Dharma, namo Sangha! Thus have I heard: Once the Buddha was at Sravasti town, in the garden of Jeta, with many monks (sramana) and countless bodhisattvas and gods (devas), and they were with countless other worlds in company. The Chief Sovereign of the World (Lokajyestha) was expounding the Law and the assembly was listening with pure minds. Thereupon Ananda, on account of these human beings, addressed the Buddha thus: "Chief of the World, now I see that each creature is born alike among people. There are handsome and ugly, strong and weak, rich and poor, happy and sad, noble and base, and their voices are not alike and their words diverse. There is the person who at one hundred years does not die and there is the one who
dies at thirty; there is the one, not yet of full age, dies in the womb. There is the person who is handsome but poor, and there is the base and ugly, but who is rich; then there is the noble and strong without dignity and without rank, and there is the weak with dignity and rank, but unhappy. There is the person whose life is long and who is happy, and there is the one whose life is short. Then there is the person who does good and gets into trouble and the one who does evil and gains success. There is the person with white lips and squinting eyes and there is the black person with attractive eyes. There is the person who has many sons and daughters and there is the one who is alone and solitary, childless and orphaned. There is the person who goes out, wandering and straying and numbed with cold, and there is the person who thirsts and hungers, and the one who stays at home and eats and puts on clothes at will. There is the person who in their youth is poor and needy and in their old age is rich. There is the one who is true and just, and without fault or sin suffers imprisonment and is confined in prison. There is the parent who is compassionate towards the child and the child who is respectful of its parent, and there are such children who always fight and quarrel. There are those who make their life and sustenance from everything without stint; and there is the one who has no house of their own and always stays in another's house. There is the person who dwells in desert country like a wild beast; there is the person who is always settled, with joy, and there is the one who endures servitude, from evil; there is one who is intelligent and clever, and one who is stupid and ignorant. There is the person who makes efforts and then gains, and there is the one who does not seek and the thing comes itself. There is the rich person, but greedy and mean, there is the poor person who is generous; there is the one who speaks gentle and fine words and there is the one who speaks words as if they were pricking with thorns. There is the person dear to all, and with whom all have dealings, and there is the one who is hateful to all, so that they avoid them. There is the person who is compassionate towards all living beings, and there is the person who likes killing. There are those who seek and find and rejoice; and there is the one whom people chase out. There are the mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law who hate one another, and brothers' wives dear to each other. There is the person who likes to hear the word of the Law and there is the person who hears the sutra and sleep comes upon them. There is the one who understands neither law nor rule, and there is the one who has love for the doctrine; and there are also those like both animals and other beings of different forms. "Now, O Lord, expound to us the causes and the effects so that this great gathering may hear with pure minds and may go sincerely towards good actions." Then the Buddha spoke to Ananda thus, "This question that you are asking--it is all on account of a previous existence, in which every one's mind was not alike and equal. Therefore, in consequence, the retribution is of a thousand and a myriad separate and different minds. Thus the person who in this world is handsome comes from a patient mind, and the ugly comes from amid anger; the needy come from meanness. The height and noble comes from prayer and service, and the lowly and base comes from pride. The great and tall person comes from honor and respect and the short-legged person comes on account of contempt. The person who hinders the bright splendor of the Buddha is born black and thin; and the one who tastes the food of the fast is born deprived of food. The person who is too sparing of fire and light is born infirm; the one in whose eyes fault always appears is born night-blind. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To read the full translation please visit the Sutra section of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website
Vipassana - Ilana Gorban, Jamyang volunteer, reflects on her experience of Ven Antonio Satta's recent four day Vipassana taster retreat In guiding us, Venerable Antonio said: to meditate is not to relax, it is to be awake. Coming back home after the last day of retreat, I found myself alongside a dog on the sidewalk. One of those dogs that I see as 'can bite type of dog'.
And it wasn't on a lead. My heartbeat sped up, I observed fear, I observed physical sensations. Then I observed no fear, and then I observed not having any habitual reactions, such as speeding up my pace. For one moment, I was practicing it. Skillful considerations at the beginning of each of the retreat's sessions encouraged us to observe our story telling to ourselves. Yet framed by a distracted mind I was in this surrealist Italian ďŹ lm at a Tibetan Buddhist centre in London. I was poorly playing the role of the one who is waiting as Venerable Antonio observed, waiting for this session to ďŹ nish, then waiting for the break to ďŹ nish. When, unexpectedly, this thought jumped in front of me: 'you should do this retreat for one year', it was followed by the memory of Ven. Antonio's voice: 'thought, thought', and quickly by placing the mind back onto the movement of the abdomen. When all I could watch was an uncontrolled mind, moment by moment, it was actually easy not to engage with that thought, not to identify with it. After all, I could hardly face a 40 minute session! And yet, for this very same reason, it is the only thought that I now recall. The intensity of such retreat helped to create a vague dream: 'what if one dares being for just this moment...' Thank you all who created the conditions for and supported all of us during this retreat at Jamyang!
Vipassana - John Bonell of the IMPG reflects on his experience of Ven Antonio Satta's retreat "I didn't realise that my mind was so out of control', just one of the many comments from those taking part in Venerable Antonio's four day insight meditation retreat at Jamyang in October. It was an intense four days. As Venerable Antonio explained, "A city centre retreat is very intense. Normally the sitting meditation is balanced by walking meditation but here, because we do not have the space, we just do sitting and the breaks are shorter. That makes for an intense retreat, but because most of the participants go home for the evening, then they can relax and the experience is not too much.' It certainly was intense, as a person new to the practice said, 'Sometimes I just did no want to sit with myself, with my own thoughts, my own stories.' So the retreat was a real eye opener for many of us. In this intense environment, normal distractions are not present and the mind in its full, raw, conditioned state is experienced. That can be quite overwhelming, but the practice teachs us to stand back, watch, disengage, and start to connect with the moment by moment changing nature of the mind. Then the core Buddhist teachings of impermanence, selflessness and the unsatisfactory nature of the phenomena of unenlightened experience can be appreciated in the here and now. It comes as a great release to let go of the endless grasping and suddenly experience the nature of the mind, free and unconditioned. This is the great purification that comes with this practice. This is combined Shamata (calm abiding) and Vipassana (insight) and Venerable Antonio is that rarest of breeds: both a great practitioner and a very astute teacher and meditation leader. He became a monk in the 1970's and Lama Yeshe encouraged him to learn the Mahasi Burmese meditation techniques which he is so adept at teaching. The retreat was very well attended with people travelling from all over Europe to participate. Venerable Antonio himself normally lives in the Blue Mountains of NSW in Australia. Whilst we were on retreat, his home was threatened by a massive forest fire and had to be evacuated. We are happy to report that the immediare risk to the property has receded and he will be able to return home as planned. We hope to continue to host these retreats in years to come. In the meantime you can attend the Insight Meditation Practice Group which meets on Saturday mornings about twice a month to practice in this style.
This is the direct link to ven. antonio's page with the recordings: http://jamyang.co.uk/index.php/multimedia/audio-teachings/teachers-s-z?showall=& start=5 & this is the direct link to the downloads: https://ia600808.us.archive.org/25/items/Ven_Antonio_Satta/02_vipassana_retreat/
FPMT Audio and Lam Rim Radio - free Buddhist teachings on the web Don't forget that there is a wealth of free dharma out there. So if you can't get to a dharma centre then remember to check out dharma radio/ audio. Lam Rim and FPMT and IMI Jamyang London tries to do it bit too audio
Himalayan Art Resources: a fine online resource for Tibetan Buddhist art We share with you a link to the Himalayan Art Resources website which contains a wealth of images of Tibetan Buddhist paintings, sculptures and textiles . Informative and fascinating, it is a very valable resource for identifying the deities. Himalayan Art
Puja rituals with Ven Angie Muir Friday 1 Nov, Sat 2 Nov and Sunday 3 Nov all from 6pm We are very pleased that Ven Angie Muir has been able to arrange a space in her busy schedule to come down and train up people in the three pujas we do regularly here, Mandala Offerings to Green tara, Medicine Buddha and Lama Choepa. Venerable Angie has spent a number of years in attendance in Lama Zopa Rinpoche's house in Aptos California - which is more like a beautiful inspiring temple than your average house or apartment. She knows how things are done there. Venerable Angie is a Scottish nun of many years standing, visits the UK only very occasionally and even more rarely strays over the border into the Sassenach Lands below Berwick. Do take advantage of this rare opportunity. Ritual with Ven Angie Geluk Mahamudra with Roy Sutherwood - Tuesdays from 5 November at 7.30pm The Geluk tradition of mahamudra, or great seal, meditation is a core practice of the tradition. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has taught on it, and Alex Berzin has a published translation of the root text by the second Panchen Lama. Usually students meet the meditation when they start working with the Highest Yoga Tantra style of meditative practrice, but there are non tantra forms as explained by the Panchen Lama. Roy is a skillful dharma teacher and also the Director of Jamyang Buddhist centre. Do come
along for a very interesting and practically applicable introduction to this marvelous practice.
FPMT Jamyang is affiliated with FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) and is one of more than 150 centers and projects worldwide. FPMT is based on the Gelugpa tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa of Tibet as taught by our founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe and spiritual director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. If you would like to receive FPMT's monthly newsletters please subscribe here.
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