Ato Rinpoche visits the Rigpa London Centre

Recently, Ato Rinpoche, nephew of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and a great master of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, taught at Rigpa's London centre.  A student reflects on the special evening.

After trekking across London carrying my friend’s massive harp (a remnant of a gig that we had just played) I staggered into the London Rigpa centre at 1 minute to 7 o’ clock and only just managed to get a cushion in the far right corner of the shrine room. I felt rushed and unprepared for the teachings, but soon my mind settled just like the glass of muddy water to which the teachings of the Buddha so often refer, and my long journey was quickly forgotten.

After a brief introduction to Ato Rinpoche’s lineage and upbringing (his uncle was the great Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche) the man himself glided into the room with a grace that belied his years. Then with a gentle voice, with fitting touch of middle England in the accent, Ato Rinpoche began to teach. He told us that he would teach "from the ground, not from the air", beginning with a reflection on the foundations of Dharma practice -  meditation, the Four Thoughts (that turn the mind towards the Dharma, ie precious human birth, impermanence, karma and the suffering of samsara) and being in the present moment, rather than worrying too much about the past or the future.

He then started teaching on one of Milarepa's songs of realisation, the main topic of the evening. Milarepa, an 11th century yogi, is one of Tibet's most famous and well loved saints.  He endured many great hardships in his pursuit of the teachings of the Buddha and gained great spiritual realisation. Ato Rinpoche reminded us that “the spiritual path is not easy, and whatever suffering is encountered must be faced”.

All too quickly, the teaching was concluded and our time with this extraordinary teacher came to an end. As usual, we dedicated the merit of the wonderful evening for the benefit of all beings, and with the wish that Ato Rinpoche would return again soon.
(Charlie Morley)

For information about Rigpa's activities in London and the UK, go to:

www.rigpa.co.uk

Losar Tashi Delek - Photos from the day at Lerab Ling

This year Losar, Tibetan New Year, which fell on 14 February, was a bright and sunny day at Lerab Ling.  About 170 students gathered in the Lerab Ling temple for a full day of practice and celebration.

Wishing Mayum Tsering Wangmo (Sogyal Rinpoche's mother) Losar Tashi Delek (happy new year).

On the same day, a week-long Vajrakilaya drupcho (practice intensive) was completed and the siddhis from the practice distributed.

 

The Lerab Ling ducks also enjoyed the day

(All photos courtesy of Jonker Burger)

Lerab Ling Goes Green, Adopts New Environmental Principles

The Lerab Ling community is the custodian for a small, beautiful piece of land on the remote Larzac plateau in Southern France.  As the custodian, it has a responsibility to protect this unique environment, and many steps have been taken in recent years to do just this. But the community, like each and everyone of us, also has a wider responsibility - what His Holiness the Dalai Lama refers to as a 'universal responsibility' - to protect the environment and respond to climate change. His Holiness always emphasises the need for us to develop this kind of responsibility while acting personally for the benefit of all beings and future generations. 

Many other Buddhist masters have also emphasized how important it is to become more aware of environmental issues, and to make a real change in our personal and collective behaviour.
   

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa said: 

We humans have already done such immense damage to the environment that it is almost beyond our power to heal it. The challenge is far more complex and extensive than Buddhists can tackle alone. However, we can take a lead, and to do so we must educate and inform ourselves. This is the time when our pure aspirations and our bodhisattva activity must come together. Good wishes alone are not enough to bring about change. We have to assume active responsibility.

And, as Sogyal Rinpoche said recently: “We urgently need the vision and the courage to overcome our narrow, selfish interests. Our old attitudes and shortsighted ways of treating people and the planet have to change: they have brought us suffering, and they lie at the root of both the economic crisis and the destruction of the environment.”
     

In September, Rinpoche joined many other Buddhist teachers in signing the Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change, which was presented at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December 2009. The declaration is a commitment to help reduce the world's 'carbon footprint' so that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere falls from its current level of around 390 parts per million (ppm) to 350ppm, which is increasingly being accepted as the maximum level to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted.

Recognising its responsibility and, as Buddhists, the need to lead by example, Lerab Ling has made many changes to the way it governs its land and buildings and its patterns of consumption and use of resources.  And, for the first time, it has also adopted the following six environmental principles which will guide all its future activities:

1. Integrating environmental sustainability and climate change responses in all our policy making;
2. Implementing energy efficiency measures and maximizing the use of renewable energy;
3. Adopting environmentally friendly design, products and building materials;
4. Supporting sustainable food production;
5. Protecting Lerab Ling’s environment—its air, water, land, flora and fauna;
6. Implementing best waste management—the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse &  Recycle.

As Sogyal Rinpoche has said: 

We have to put our minds and hearts together, with vision and with courage, for the future good of humanity. 

Israeli sangha gather for annual Rigpa retreat

More than 60 people from all over Israel gathered last weekend at Kibbutz Kadarim, in the north of of the country, for the annual Israeli Rigpa retreat.

There were established students of Sogyal Rinpoche, newcomers who learned about meditation for the first time, and others who follow and practice other Buddhist traditions or religions, such as Judaism.

The teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche were presented by Andrew Warr, a Rigpa senior instructor. This was Andrew's sixth visit to Israel to hold the annual retreat.

Last year, the retreat was on "Loving Kindness". This year, Sogyal Rinpoche's recent teachings on the Profound methods of bringing forth the Nature of Mind were shared. It was marvelous to see how this series of teachings brought the deepest meaning of meditation to an audience regardless of the level of their experience. Many were deeply touched and inspired, some moved to tears several times.

One participant said: “Rinpoche's teachings are so vast and deep, that even if the next retreat would be identical to this one, I would still learn so much from it”.

Another student, who had studied meditation in other traditions, remarked how tremendously helpful this retreat was for him. He said that even though he had studied many meditation methods in the past, this time he understood the deeper meaning of what meditation is, and its profound purpose.

About Rigpa Israel
Rigpa Israel started more than 10 years ago. Although still a small group, it has developed over the years and there are now a number of students following Rigpa's Home Retreat and some who have just returned from Lerab Ling, Rigpa's main retreat centre, where they completed a three year retreat.

There are two groups that meet in Israel, one in Jerusalem and one in Zichron Yaakov. Next month the group hopes to hold its first Rigpa Youth event, hopefully to be followed by many more.

Even though the Rigpa Israel group is still quite small, Sogyal Rinpoche's book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, available in Hebrew, is widely known in Israel and is read by many. It is a source of inspiration to people of all traditions, especially when facing death and sickness, and in a part of the world where there is so much suffering.

To contact Rigpa Israel, go to www.rigpa.il

(Story by Eszter Hoffman)

Who do Buddhists pray to? Sogyal Rinpoche explains

Sogyal Rinpoche explains how prayers work from a Buddhist point of view.

He gave this teaching on 15 December 2009, during his recent visit to Vancouver, Canada.

Lerab Ling launches major renewable energy project

On 3 December 2009, Lerab Ling officially launched its new renewable energy heating system in the presence of the Mayors of Lodeve and Roqueredonde, other regional officials and local media representatives.

You might wonder why a new heating system is worth reporting, what it has to do with Buddhism and why on earth busy government officials and local media would travel all the way to Lerab Ling on a freezing and rainy day to cut a ribbon. It's because the heater, Lerab Ling's first major renewable energy initiative, is a very important green project, which will significantly cut Lerab Ling's carbon emissions and our contribution to global warming. It is also an inspiration for others in the region to switch to renewable energy.

(L-R) Mme Christine Bouquet, Mayor of Lodève, Mme Béatrice Négrier, representative of the Region Languedoc-Roussillon and M. Jean Reverbel, Mayor of Roqueredonde launch the wood heater

Because it is highly efficient, the new heating system produces almost no ash at all, while reducing the production of both the greenhouse gas, CO2, (350 tons per year) and the acid rain producing SO2 (900kg per year).

It provides 80% of Lerab Ling's heating requirements via 900 metres of underground pipe network and 8 substations dotted around the Lerab Ling site, providing heating and hot water to all the buildings at Lerab Ling, including the temple. It was switched on in September 2009 and has been heating Lerab Ling ever since, keeping everyone warm and cosy during the recent cold snaps.
It uses waste wood, sourced from Lerab Ling and other local forests, reducing fire hazard and improving the sustainability of the forests. The heating system also reduces Lerab Ling's dependence on fossil fuel and will save Lerab Ling up to 50% on its annual heating bill.

It was built with the support of sangha members and grants from regional government agencies.

At the launch, Mme Bouquet, the Mayor of Lodeve, spoke about the very positive contribution Lerab Ling has made to Lodeve and the region. You can watch her speech (in French) here.



As Buddhists, we should lead by example and our understanding of the teachings should be evident in our actions. His Holiness the Dalai Lama always emphasises the need for us all to develop a sense of universal responsibility and to act personally to protect the environment for the benefit of all beings and future generations. He recently said:

I believe that to meet the challenge of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for his or her own self, family or nation but for the benefit of all mankind. Universal responsibility is the real key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace, the equitable use of natural resources and through concern for future generations, the proper care of the environment.

The wood heater is a major step towards addressing our carbon footprint. But there are others the Lerab Ling community plans to take, so stay tuned for updates.