Dear All,
Welcome to the May newsletter, and for all those Star Wars fans reading this on Saturday, let me just say "May the 4th be with you".
Next, I just wanted to say that, as I was preparing this newsletter I realised that the sheer volume of events and activities that take place at the Centre can feel a bit overwhelming. It's like sitting down at a table with far more dishes to sample than you can possibly manage. But here's the good news - you don't have to try them all at once. Which one, or possibly two events this month speak to you? Try them, and then give yourself time to reflect on and digest the teachings you've had. You may contemplate just one sentence of the teachings that really applies to you and, in so doing, you'll gain more benefit than the indigestion that can come by trying too much at once. So if it all feels a bit intimidating, why not give this approach a go and let us know how you get on.
So, first of all, a reminder that, from today, the Centre and the Tibetan Tearoom will be open on Fridaysfrom 5.00 pm, with a Shinay meditation session at 7.00 pm.
One thing that won't be taking place this month are the Precious Garland teachings with Lama Zangmo. These teachings will be resuming on Thursday 6th June. However, here's what is happening during the rest of May:
Saturday 4th - as part of the Introduction to Buddhism series, Lama Zangmo will be teaching on Turning the Mind to the Dharma.
Sunday 5th - we have the next Vajrasattva Practice Day from 10.30 - 3.30 pm.
Thursday 23rd - from 7.00 - 8.00 pm, join us for a light offering and Chenrezig Puja on Saga Dawa, one of the most auspicious days of the Buddhist calendar.
Saturday 25th - there is an in-person Death Cafe at the Centre from 5.00 - 6.00 pm. Spaces are limited, so you'll need to book your place in advance. Please visit the website for full details and to get your seat.
Sunday 26th - there is a Green Tara Puja and Simply Meditation Day, which starts with the Puja at 10.00 am and the Simply Meditation Day running from 11.30 - 4.45 pm. .
Are you interested in taking refuge? If so, your next opportunity will be at Samye Ling on Thursday 23rd May. Abbott Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche will be conducting the ceremony and anybody who wants to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and Sangha is welcome to take part. Full details on the Samye Ling website.
Cook up some positive karma at Samye Dzong London! Yes, we have a cooking opportunity for the right person. If you enjoy cooking (vegetarian and vegan meals) and would like to experience life as part of a Buddhist community, there is a vacancy for a resident volunteer cook. The full details can be found on the website. Don't be shy!
Finally, Dr Soktsang, the Tibetan Doctor, will be at the Centre on the weekend of the 18th and 19th May. If you'd like an appointment, or just learn more about Tibetan Medicine, please visit his website.
Here's hoping that you have a great month, and that we'll see you at some point in May to partake of however much you want of the dharmic smorgasbord on offer this month.
Best wishes,
David Bates
Newsletter Editor
Teachings by Drupon Khen Rinpoche, Karma Lhabu in May
We are delighted that Drupon Khen Rinpoche, Karma Lhabu, will be giving three evenings of teachings at Kagyu Samye Dzong London,between the 7th - 9th May, from 7.00 - 9.00 pm;
Tuesday 7th, The Link Between Study, Contemplation and Meditation,
Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th of May, The Spiritual Song of Refuge by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye.
About Drupon Khen Rinpoche
Drupon Khen Rinpoche Karma Lhabu has received teachings from the revered Khenpo Jigme Puntsok Rinpoche, from the Dzogchen guardian, Khenpo Munsel, the highly learned Khenpo Pentse, Adzom Drukpa Rinpoche, the Milarepa-like Khenpo Choying Kunkhyab, Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro, Khenchen Chime Rigzin, Khenchen Sherab Zangpo, to name a few. You can find out more about Drupon Rinpoche and his activities on his website.
Drupon Khen Rinpoche will also be teaching at the UK Kagyu Monlam held in Samye Ling 11 - 18 May.
The 4th UK Kagyu Monlam in Kagyu Samye Ling, Scotland
The fourth UK Kagyu Monlam will be held in Samye Ling from the 11th - 18th May.
The Monlam will take place during Saga Dawa, the most auspicious month in the Tibetan calendar, where the anniversary of Lord Buddha’s Birth His Enlightenment and Parinirvana all occur. The final day of the Monlam will be the 10th day of Saga Dawa, a particularly auspicious day as it is connected with Guru Rinpoche.
Drupon Khen Rinpoche has kindly agreed to preside over the Monlam and to give daily teachings.
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. It is now also held annually in other countries all over the world on a smaller scale and this will be the fourth time it is being held in the UK.
Full details, including how to book, can be found on the Samye Ling website.
Teachings by Drupon Khen Rinpoche Karma Lhabu in May
We are delighted to announce that Khenpo Lekthong will be giving two days of teachings as Kagyu Samye Dzong London. These teachings will be across the weekend of the 8th and 9th of June.
Khenpo Lekthong studied in Rumtek Monastery, H H Karmapa’s monastery in Sikkim. He is a Buddhist author and also speaks fluent English so will teach directly without a translator. When in India he translates for Goshir Gyaltsap Rinpoche, heart son of H H 16th Gyalwa Karmapa.
More details regarding the topic of the course will be posted closer to the date. This teachings will cover both Saturday and Sunday.
Book your place on the event page on the website.
The reason Buddhists need to study the Tibetan language
Nima Bhuti teaches Tibetan as a second language both in-person and online. Nima writes:
"The English language cannot yet express the profound Buddhist concepts with the same clarity as the Tibetan language, it is important to study the Tibetan language if you are interested in Buddhist teachings, especially Buddhist philosophy.
For example, originally when translating texts into English the word Buddha was left in Sanskrit, as there was no equivalent in the English language, whereas in the Tibetan language Buddha is called Sangye “སངས་རྒྱས”. Sang “སངས་”means “all faults have been removed. ”and Gye “རྒྱས’means “all good qualities have increased”. In that way the Tibetan language expresses the deeper meaning of what it means to be a Buddha.
...the word Nangpa “ནང་པ་” is translated into English as "Buddhist." The English word Buddhist has no special meaning but in Tibetan Nangpa “ནང་པ་” means one who mainly considers peace of mind from the inside not from the external material.
The word Nang Cho “ནང་ཆོས་” is translated into English as “Buddhist religion.” The word does not have a profound meaning. However, in Tibetan, Nang “ནང་” means “inner mind” and Cho “ཆོས་” is the imperative of “ to correct or repair. ” And Nang cho “ནང་ཆོས་”means “to repair or correct the contamination of the inner mind with afflictions.
These examples show the importance and preciousness of the Tibetan language,and why it is important to study the Tibetan language in order to understand the Buddhist Dharma."
To read Nima's full article, visit the Community Blog on the website.