Thrangu News July 2015

THRANGU NEWS T H R A N G U R I N P O C H E U P D AT E Rinpoche remains healthy and we are looking forward to him joining us in Richmond within the next 6 weeks. Although the date of his arrival is not yet confirmed, he will be presiding over this year’s North American Kagyu Monlam, being held from August 26th-30th. Participants will be fortunate to receive teachings on the Dorje Chang Thungma/ Lineage Prayer and to receive a Chenrezig empowerment from Rinpoche during the Monlam.

Long Life and Excellent Health, Rinpoche!

MAY & JUNE HIGHLIGHTS

Rinpoche and ordained sangha members held prayers for those affected and killed

by Nepal’s earthquake throughout May and June, and volunteers organized a fundraising dinner. As the nation rebuilds, the people of Nepal continue to be in our thoughts.

Dungse Lama Pema and Khenpo Sonam led a over 200 people to Seattle on May 8th to meet H.H. the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje. What blessings! May our devotion be pure and strong. Long live His Holiness.

Thrangu Monastery Canada was honoured to host Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro from Larung Gar, one of the largest Buddhist establishments in Tibet and China, on May 15th. Khen Rinpoche is

renown throughout Asia for his scholarship and profound understanding of the Dharma.

Dungse Lama Pema taught on the essential text, The Seven Points of Mind Training in May, and Khenpo Sonam e x p l a i n e d t h e fi r s t s e c t i o n o f

Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom in June. A big thank you to Peter Roberts for traveling from the US to translate for us.

June was the special Buddhist month of Saga Dawa, the month when Shakyamuni was born, attained enlightenment, and reached parinirvana. The results from our acts done during this month are said to be especially powerful. We had the Buddha bathing ceremony and other prayers throughout the month. Towards the end of June, members celebrated H.H. Karmapa’s 30th birthday with prayers and cake. Honoured guests included Lama Paljor, Lama Tsultrim, Lama Rabten, and the presidents of the Tibetan Associations of BC and Seattle.

JULY 2015 volume 4, number 5

THE ORDAINED COMMUNITY’S ANNUAL SUMMER RETREAT Many of Thrangu Rinpoche’s monks and nuns will be observing the annual Summer (or “Rains”) Retreat from July 31 to September 13th. Since the time of the Buddha, monastics around the world complete this retreat, taking Sojong Vows every morning and remaining within their monasteries. This means that most of the monks at Thrangu Monastery Canada will not be eating dinner, nor will they be traveling outside the monastery grounds (except to complete essential work). This retreat is a time of study, reflection, and contemplation.

Every July, Thrangu Monastery Canada members’ participate in the Annual Long Life Prayers for our precious teacher, the V.V. 9th Thrangu Rinpoche. Having pure intention, faith, and devotion for our teacher becomes the foundation that strengthens our practice. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gave a talk on devotion during his Spring Teaching this year:

[H.H. Karmapa] began by explaining that devotion is critical for our dharma practice, particularly within the Kagyu tradition. And yet, it isn’t all that easy to correctly develop devotion.

First we need to understand what devotion means. Drawing a clear distinction between faith and devotion, the Gyalwang Karmapa said, “When we think about faith, then faith is like a feeling we have in our minds. But devotion isn’t just a feeling. It’s not just an emotion. It’s something that we put into practice with our body and speech.” To illustrate his point, the Gyalwang Karmapa then explained the meaning inherent within the Tibetan term for devotion, mo-gü. The first syllable of the word means to have great longing, he explained, while the second syllable means actually doing things with our body and speech. Only by bringing these two elements together can we fully understand the active nature of devotion, which is more than a mere emotion or feeling. Rather, devotion means an act that we do with all three spheres of our being – our body, speech, and mind.

The Gyalwang Karmapa then touched on the vital role played by the qualified teacher. When correct understanding from the side of the student meets with great compassion from the side of the teacher, we must open the door of our devotion in order to receive their blessings. “The student needs to have faith and longing, and if this faith and longing come together then I don’t think that sort of a student will have any difficulty finding a genuine, authentic Lama. The reason is that all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are ready at all six times of day and night to do things to benefit sentient beings. They’re all ready and waiting. If you have both faith and longing then they’ll all come rushing towards you to help you. You just have to open that door of faith and devotion.”

During the session the Gyalwang Karmapa also returned once more to a core theme which he has emphasized throughout the Spring Teachings – how to practice the dharma with our whole being. “When we say practice, it’s not all that helpful for us just to hear the dharma, or listen to the dharma. It’s not all that helpful for us to develop some kind of understanding about the dharma. What we really need to do is join the dharma with our own being, and then we need to practice that over and over again. Joining our being with the dharma, so that we can become habituated and familiarized with it – this is what is most important.”

JULY EVENTS

2

3-5

11

15

16

Dzambala Practice

“Letter to a Friend” with Khenpo Tashi

Chod Practice

Long Mahakala practice

Calling Lama from Afar and Lamp Prayer

7:30pm

See schedule

7:30pm

1:30pm

7:30pm

18

24

26

27-2

31

Teachings with Master Haitao

Medicine Buddha Practice

Guru Rinpoche Tsok

Rains retreat starts

7:30pm

7:30pm

Long Life Prayers for Thrangu Rinpoche See schedule

1:30pm & 7:30pm

www.thrangumonastery.org

We are overjoyed that Khenpo Tashi has agreed to return and teach this month. His teachings are always relevant and helpful.

JULY 2015 volume 4, number 5 page 2