Khensur Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche

We're almost through all the wonderful teachings of Khensur Rinpoche, and the Lamrim teachings are already available on CD and soon to be on the website. The rest will follow soon. For those of you who were involved with Nyung Nay teachings we have opportunities to put this in to practice over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We are offering Nyung Nays from the 22nd December to the 31st. The practice involves two days of retreat at a time, so you only have to do one (ie two days) but more than one is recommended. If you'd like to be involved with the Nyung Nay team, please email the office and leave your details.Khensur Rinpoche will be teaching in Leeds this weekend (13th-15th Oct.) and may be joining us again at Jamyang in London for Lama Chopa on the evening of the 16th October.

Then Rinpoche is off to Europe, see listing below. It's been wonderful to have Rinpoche's energy and wisdom with us over the past few weeks, and many thanks to all those who have made the event such a success.

Rinpoche has also offered a one way ticket which he is not using from London to Paris on the 3rd November to hear his Medicine Buddha teachings. If anyone would like this, please contact the office.

France and Spain18 – 24 Oct: Institute Vajra Yogini, Lavaur 26 Oct – Centro Nagarjuna, Barcelona - Lamrim27 Oct - 21 Tara Initiation, Centro Nagarjuna, Barcelona28 & 29 Oct - Single Hero Yamantaka Initiation, Centro Nagarjuna, Barcelona30 Oct - How to practice Yamantaka, Centro Nagarjuna, Barcelona3 – 5 November: Kalachakra Center Paris

THIS MONTH AT JAMYANG

OCTOBER 2006

Buddhist Centre

Affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition

Many thanks for all your kind comments on the new format for the newsletter. We are also providing a pdf version of this newsletter on the website so that you can print it out if your prefer to read it that way. I've had a great response for articles and I will try to include them all as soon as I can. Ed. Kerry Prest.

IN THIS ISSUEKhensur Rinpoche UPDATE

This month's events Animal Liberation Ceremony

Relic Tour by Ven. Dawa Kirti Tsenshab News

Di's Column Rosa the Elephant

Geshe la blesses weddingBookshop News

HH Dalai Lama in NYCCentre Manager's Column

A Path of Gold

REGULAR CLASSES

Mondays @ 7:30pm - How to Meditate and Buddhist Meditation. How to Meditate is for all levels and has no specific Buddhist content while Buddhist Meditation will explore Vipassana and Shamantha.

Please note: Geshe Tashi is not teaching on Tuesdays & Wednesday this month due to a trip to India.

Thursdays @ 7:30pm Transforming Problems (till 12th) & Retreat Sunday 22nd Learn how to transform problems into happiness.Wisdom of Emptiness (from 19th) Looking at the middle way between nihilism and eternalism.

SPECIAL EVENTS

1st - 4th Khensur Rinpoche - lamrim teaching 6th Khensur Rinpoche - bodhicitta ceremony

7th & 8th Khensur Rinpoche - Chenrezig Initiation

9th - 11th Khensur Rinpoche - Nyung Nay Commentary

14th Animal Liberation Ceremony - Lama Zopa recommends that liberating animals is a

wonderful way to gain merit and to purify life hinderances...

Animal Liberation Ceremony On the 14th of October the Jamyang garden will be invaded by worms and anyone else who wants to take part in a simple ceremony. This particular practise tradition was started by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and he says it is really the best thing we can ever do for animals. Not only does it save them from possibly being eaten, but it also purifies negative karma, and plants powerful seeds to attain full enlightenment.

There is a story that when Buddha gave teachings to 500 swans in a field, in their next lives they were born as humans, became monks, and all became arya beings. Lama Zopa also says it is a practical and powerful method to prolong life, and can help cure life threatening diseases.

This will hopefully be the first of many at Jamyang with the next one involving people’s pets, and the Asian Buddhist communities.

This is such a small practical thing that we have the capacity to do, and can bring so much inconceivable benefit to these beings. If a fly following cow dung around a stupa was a cause for it to become a monk and later to become a Buddha, in Lama Zopa’s words this really is the greatest gift we can offer these pitiful beings. Jake Fisher

RELIC TOUR IN DUBLINFor one weekend in July this year, an interfaith centre at the City University in Dublin became one of the holiest places in Europe, as the Maitreya Relics Tour were displayed. It may have seemed an incongruous location, but the light oval space that was the centres’ prayer hall, made a perfect setting for the golden Maitreya statue that stood surrounded by the precious relics of the Holy Beings, the crucifix at the end of the hall

serving as a reminder that they bestow blessings on those of all faiths, without distinction.

Although I had seen some of the

relics when they briefly visited Nalanda Monastery last year, I had never attended a full show, let alone served as the representative of the Sangha, so I was more than a little nervous as I performed the bath offering on the first evening. But the opening ceremony, influenced as it was by the

calming influence of the relics themselves, together with the prayers, music and anticipation of all those present, soon made me realise that I was at the heart of a very special occasion. All I had to do was to relax, enjoy the atmosphere, and serve as a vehicle for people to receive the blessings of the holy relics.

I don’t know how many of those that came were Buddhists, but it was clear that all those who came were drawn by the power of these holy objects; some to look with devotion, some to circumambulate, and others just to sit quietly in their presence. No one who came went away quite the same. Even those who looked in out of curiosity having seen the Maitreya statue through the window seemed touched by the feeling of joyful peace that radiated from the shrine.

Many people of many religions queued up to be blessed, to receive the touch of the reliquary on their head as I recited Shakyamuni Buddha’s Mantra. Not a few were overwhelmed by the experience, others were joyful, all, knew that it was a chance they would probably never have again.

To spend all day in the presence of the relics was privilege enough, but to be able to give so many people the incalculable merits of receiving blessings from their touch, was simply extraordinary.

When I got back from Dublin, Gordon Emailed to ask how it had gone, I replied that it was the most worthwhile thing that I had ever done. I would like to thank everyone involved for allowing me to be there. Ven. Dawa

Kirti Tsensab News

I think you will be happy to hear about Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche's dream that occurred the same night that he was told about the total (and still raising) number of tsog offerings. Rinpoche told Alak about the dream he had last night. In the dream Rinpoche was advised to do some long-life practices and in order to do that he needed to present offerings. At that time an ocean of offerings appeared. These were offering that were presented to Rinpoche by all of his students. It was an endless banquet of every food imaginable, drinks, and various other beautiful and useful substances. The offerings appeared to be inexhaustible. Rinpoche commented: "Alak, my students around the world are making continuous prayers, they practice animal liberation and offer Lama Choepa tsog for my well-being. I feel that the message of the dream was that my resources, including my life and realizations on the tong-len, will be vast and inexhaustible, just like the appearance of these offerings." http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/kirtitsenshab_news.asp

Di’s Column

Here at Jamyang we are in the middle of the visit and teachings of Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin, I really hope you are able to come and receive teachings from this great master.

Recently I came across these words from Lama Zopa Rinpoche (our Spiritual Director). I found them very helpful and inspiring, and feel they fit this time when we are receiving teachings to answer how we repay the kindness of our teachers.

“I think the most pleasing thing at each centre, the first thing, the most important thing is to be able to develop one's own mind, to practice bodhicitta and patience as much as possible, to develop a good heart. Then, you see, that centre will really develop, it will have an incredibly good vibration, harmonious and with no confusion, and just by being there people will be able to generate realizations easily. People will want to stay there, they will want to do retreat; they will want to do things. This is the best way to develop a centre.

Just to talk generally about the development of the centre, about teachings, without relating it all to one's own mind, makes the dharma something in the sky. You can't point out the teachings somewhere in the sky. We must relate them to our own mind, our own life. That is the best offering to the Lama, that is fulfilling Lama's wishes.

If you were to have a competition between the centres it should be in relation to dharma practice and the development of the mind, not material. “

(Lama Zopa Rinpoche talked briefly to the people attending Lama Yeshe's funeral, Wednesday March 7th, 1984 at Vajrapani institute, from WisdomMagazine, 1984)

I’d also like to say how sorry we were to hear that Dana, the centre director of our sister centre in Riga, Latvia, passed away just a few days ago. Geshela and Steve met Dana when Geshela went to teach in Latvia this year, and Kerry, Minoli and I met her at the European FPMT meeting in Paris – she was a lovely bright energetic person and will be much missed.

Those of you who have been coming to Geshela’s teachings on Wednesday nights will know that Steve…who loves to keep us up to date with the latest technology has set up a skype connection so that students in Latvia can watch and listen to the teachings live and even ask Geshela questions. We hope we can extend this to make the teachings more widely available.

And imagine Maya’s (one of our Volunteer programme hospitality team) surprise when she was in the gompa (teaching room) on her own arranging the flowers and a voice manifested saying “right a bit! “ and then “that looks very nice!”….. not a miraculous speech from the Buddha, but Steve on the sykpe link from the bookshop .

Ex-Centre Manager Jon Underwood gets married! Ex-centre manager Jon Underwood and Donna were married last month and Geshe la attended and also gave a blessing to the couple. Dave Benn and Steve Sinclair even wore a suits for the event!

Rosa the Elephant gets blessedWendy Floyde from the Colchester study group was sent on an errand of mercy on 1st October, when her friend Claire, the zoo keeper at Colchester zoo asked her to come and bless Rosa the elephant. Rosa had been part of a circus and badly abused and is now being treated at the zoo but remains in a very bad state.Wendy held Rosa's trunk and said mantras to her. The effect, according to Wendy, was dramatic, with Rosa being calmed and actually crying.

BOOKSHOP NEWS“Wisdom of Imperfection” is the second book by Rob Preece and deals with Jungian individuation in its relationship to Buddhist psychology and symbology. It’s a inspiring read dealing with the hidden area of integration of our negative shadow zone. It’s a great read of self-discovery and a way of integrating the maturation of our growth and ageing personality. "Know Thyself" was inscribed in gold on the walls of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi ancient Greece. As Buddhists we know that the misguided self is to be transformed from emptiness that it arises from but due to our individualities and attitudes we project negativities onto this clear emptiness. This book costs £11.50 and is published by Snow Lion Publications.

Besides being involved in facilitating scientific conferences in which His Holiness the Dalai Lama debated with established scientific specialists over the years. B Alan Wallace has focused on Mindfulness meditation “Attention Revolution”, and has gone back to one of his favourite subjects that of Shamatha which he first brought to world with his work with Gen Lam Rimpa over a decade ago. Again he focuses her on mindfulness techniques in a unique way with the hope to facilitate an experiential view into this very advanced meditation practice. Of course mindfulness demands more than mere concentration because even the best cat-burglar is aware of every pitfall of the potential burglar alarm, this is why motivation surrounding actions are paramount. Published by Wisdom @ £11.95.

Though not yet released for public consumption the second volume taken from the popular FBT course devised by Jamyang’s Geshe Tashi Tsering is for immanent arrival in Jamyang Bookshop. This just a hint to let you know, as it hasn’t yet arrived in UK as yet; this one is on Buddhist Psychology and the price will be the same as the Four Noble Truths volume. Dave Benn

Centre Managers Column

Hello! How wonderful to meet so many students of Rinpoche over the last few days. We had a marvellous turnout with over 130 students for the weekend initiation. We would like to thank you all for making the event such a success.

On a more earnest note, a few months ago we had a fire inspection and were given an Enforcement Notice to extend the smoke detection system to include Geshe-la’s flat and the flat

above his. In order to pay for this work we fundraised over £900 at the Jumble Sale and someone kindly donated £1000 but we are still short by £300 – hopefully it will only cost as much as their initial quote. The work will commence on 18th October and we will have to pay the remainder of the balance soon after. If anyone would like to help, then please contact me at the centre. If by chance people do offer more than needed for the fire alarm extension, then these monies will go into a Building

Maintenance Fund – maybe one day we’ll have enough money to fix the heating and make the place warm in winter.

On the volunteer front, if anyone is interested we are looking for a volunteer bookshop manager and vols to help run the bookshop from January 2007 as Dave Benn will be retiring. Also we require help in the garden as Dave Ford has taken on more responsibility as Treasurer. Additionally, I would like to create a committee to co-ordinate a new fundraising event for next year. The idea is to organise a Street Party as an alternative to this year’s Jumble Sale. So please get in touch.

Hope to see you soon.Mat (mathew@jamyang.co.uk)

HH Dalai Lama in New YorkFrom 23-25 September, HH Dalai Lama gave teachings on 'The Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation', (attributed to Dharmarakshita, which were brought to Tibet by Atisha in the 11th century), in the beautiful art deco Beacon Theatre on Broadway, New York. Mike Murray and Jane who were very fortunate to attend, enjoyed the hospitality and warmth of New Yorkers, including two FPMT correspondence students, Kathleen Lyon from New Jersey, and Sean Sands from Washington. Kathleen offers a few thoughts on these wonderful few days below …

The Upper West Side of NYC, a largely residential area, on a Saturday morning, early. Usually where I might be heading to Zabar's for a bagel, when I lived here, now the sidewalk crammed with 'civilian' Dharma practitioners, monks, nuns and

lots of security. Once inside, after bag checks and metal detectors, to shiver a bit in the cold auditorium, air conditioning turned up high, (HHDL's request). Finally the teachings begin, monks filling the stage, Dr. Thurman giving his brief, but fitting introduction, ('and with no further ado...' ) HHDL begins. Putting on his maroon visor to block the bright lights, HHDL speaks with a clear, strong voice, and the room is rapt. How many ways can we be taught that self-cherishing and self grasping are harmful, the cause of all our suffering? Many, many ways, with humour and anecdotes, never feeling scolded or shamed, we hear how illusory, and destructive this grasping onto self is. HHDL speaks in Tibetan, for 10, 15 minutes at a time, until we become certain the translator will be overwhelmed. Amazingly, he doesn't, feeding us the English version of the precious teachings, erect and proper in his grey suit, accepting with gratitude the occasional correction, he is our verbal link to the teachings, and we are so grateful. Before one session, an unexpected recitation of the Heart Sutra, in Sanskrit. After the final morning, an unannounced Green Tara transmission. So many blessings. Finally, after the last session ends, we try to find our way to a restaurant for lunch.

The street is crammed and impassable, devoted practitioners waiting in the streets, held back by police, waiting for a glimpse of His Holiness as he leaves in his car. We wander off, filled to overflowing, with blessings for Him in our heart.

PATH OF GOLD by Robin BathSravasti was the place where the ageing Buddha spent his last rainy seasons' retreat. We arrived to this final site on the tour just as the wheat fields were ready for harvesting before the impending rains. On our last night there, I was exhausted and unsettled knowing we'd be ending the magic of the Pilgrimage... Then I had a dream.

A PATH OF GOLD

Last night in Sravasti I dreamed.Despite the heavy air and leaden limbs it seemedThat from a shroud of sleep there came a kindOf winnowed lightness to my restless mind.

The dark dispelled, a gilded screen unfurled,And I gazed down upon an ancient worldWhere full crops gleamed amidst a rustic scene.The threshing of my thoughts at last serene.

Enraptured now, I felt drawn, enthralledTowards a gathering around the one they calledThe Bhagavan, his final year to Jeta Grove returnedTo sow once more the fertile wisdom learned.

He'd walked the glowing northern plain for daysIn humble robes, to turn a rainy seasons' inner gazeOnce more upon Samsaras' woes, with safroned monks,Beneath the bamboo, bodhi and the call of crows.

At last close by Sudattas' gracious hermitageA seat was placed before the weary body of the sage.His radiant smile lit up the earth as he reclined,And turned towards me with a look compassionate and kind.

Joyously impelled, I bowed, and trembling knelt,And silently disclosed the longing that I feltTo stay secure there, by him, and make that moment last.Then tenderly he said..."But I'm the Buddha of the past!

Let go...take refuge...look deep inside,And choose the ever-present Buddha as your guide.Gather now, my son, the harvest of your gainsFor very soon will come the season of the rains."

They were like grain those potent words, but bittersweet,Reluctantly I moved away towards the ripened wheat.One final scene was staged in my dreams' sightless play,A spring of willing tears arose, and bathed my fears away.

In the burnished field before me, suddenly each blade and stalk,All bent aside in graceful arcs inviting me to walkWith newfound courage onwards, revealing what I'd known...The path illumined straight ahead was mine to tread alone.

And it was golden... it was golden!