Rigpa Shedra is Coming to the USA!

‘Exploring the View’

The First Rigpa Shedra Event in the USA

hosted by the Tenzin Gyatso Institute

With Professor Steven Goodman

September 25-29, 2010

In what promises to be a lively and engaged introduction to the Buddhist view, Professor Steven Goodman will explore the importance of contemplative inquiry and investigation as a support for our spiritual practice. By offering a fresh perspective on key topics like the Four Noble Truths, right view, the empty nature of all things, the eight consciousnesses, and buddha nature, Professor Goodman will show how our everyday experiences of suffering and change can be transformed into a mindful and wise attitude of acceptance, compassion, openness and devotion. The course will include presentations, discussion and guided meditation. Some prior knowledge of Buddhism is preferable, but not essential.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Professor Steven Goodman is Director of Research and Core Faculty for Asian and Comparative Studies Department, at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Far Eastern Studies from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1984. He currently serves as a Board Advisor to the Khyentse Foundation, and is on the Working Committee for the Buddhist Literary Heritage Project, which will oversee the translation of the entire Buddhist canon into English. Professor Goodman taught on Abhidharma at the Rigpa Shedra in Lerab Ling in 2002, and a book based on the teaching he gave on that occasion will soon be published by Snow Lion.

Lerab Ling says goodbye to Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche

An estimated 5,000 people around the world watched the live streaming
of Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's teaching at Lerab Ling.
Photo: Bart de Natris

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche concluded his visit to Lerab Ling with a promise to return after taking part in six days of celebrations with Rigpa students in southern France.

Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, who turned 17 last month, has travelled to the West for the first time to mark the centenary of the birth of his previous incarnation, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Having begun his trip at La Sonnerie in the Dordogne, which was Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's main seat in Europe, Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche was welcomed by Sogyal Rinpoche, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche and 1,500 others as he arrived at Lerab Ling.

He was accomplanied by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's grandson and spiritual heir, and Matthieu Ricard, who spent many years as Khyentse Rinpoche's translator and attendant.

The highlight of the visit was the teaching that Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche gave in the temple as he spoke on The Lineage of Good Heart. It was watched live via a free internet stream by an estimated 5,000 people around the world, including Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's mother in Bhutan.

Sogyal Rinpoche and Rabjam Rinpoche applaud as
Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche finishes his teaching.
Photo: Ane Damcho Drolma.

Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche granted the empowerments of Rangjung Peme Nyingtik and Pema Tseyi Nyingtik, 'mind treasures' revealed by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He presided over a full day of practice in the temple on the anniversary of the birth of Guru Rinpoche, as well as a sang offering practice on the hilltop at Lerab Ling.

He also met teenagers from Rigpa's youth group, answering their questions on how they could apply the teachings in their lives, and gave an interview for View magazine.

Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's visit came almost exactly 20 years after Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche gave his last major teachings in the West.

In welcoming Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche to Lerab Ling, Sogyal Rinpoche said: “At Prapoutel in 1990 I requested Khyentse Rinpoche to return and he promised that he would. We have been waiting ever since. And now today, that promise has come true. This is why it is so incredibly moving, and meaningful, Rinpoche, to welcome you here today.”

Each day was packed with opportunities to remember Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and to hear about the incredible amount he accomplished in the service of the Buddha's teachings.

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche shared stories of the time
he spent with Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Photo: Jens Arnoul

Rabjam Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche both shared their own memories of Khyentse Rinpoche, and Matthieu Ricard showed photographs that he took during his time with Khyentse Rinpoche.

There was a screening of Brilliant Moon, the recent film made by Neten Chokling Rinpoche about Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's life, as well as an exhibition of some of the relics and artefacts that belonged to Khyentse Rinpoche, including relics of the Buddha.

Matthieu Ricard shows a selection
of his photographs in the temple.
Photo: Jon Schmidt

Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's travels will now take him to Portugal, Croatia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia before the centenary celebrations conclude at Bodhgaya, India in December.

As he prepared to leave, Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche said: "I won't forget to come back again to Lerab Ling."

For more photos of the visit, click here.

1000's tune in to Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's Public Talk

On 18th July, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche gave a public teaching to over 1,500 Rigpa students, guests and members of the general public who gathered in the temple at Lerab Ling, together with Rabjam Rinpoche, Sogyal Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche. Many thousands more watched via live video streaming in 23 Rigpa centres around the world, and in their homes.

Rinpoche taught on The Lineage of Good Heart and shared some key points from the teachings that he follows in his own life. 

Khyentse Yansgi Rinpoche is conducting his first tour in the West. For the complete tour dates click here.

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche Arrives at Lerab Ling

Yesterday afternoon Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche arrived at Lerab Ling to a traditional welcome. More than 1,000 students gathered along the road to the temple to greet him with white scarves.

 Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche arriving at Lerab Ling with Rabjam Rinpoche (behind), Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche (far right) and Namkha Rinpoche (far left)

Today (Sunday 18th) his Public Talk will be video streamed live in English, French, German and Spanish.  Everyone is welcome to join in for free at: http://videostreaming.rigpa.org  Tune in at 3pm (Paris time). 

  Sogyal Rinpoche greets Yangsi Rinpoche as Rabjam Rinpoche looks on.

(Photos courtesy by Jonker Burger)

His Holiness Sakya Trizin at Rigpa Berlin

On 3 July 2010, His Holiness Sakya Trizin arrived at Rigpa's centre in Berlin to a traditional welcome.

Photo by Alexander Lauber

Photo by Jana Biedka

In the evening he gave taught on the Six Paramitas to nearly 300 students from different Buddhist groups, and to people new to Buddhism. At the same time, more than 20 Rigpa centres around the world joined the teaching via live video streaming.

Over the next two days His Holiness bestowed a very special Vajrakilaya empowerment of the Khön lineage.

L-R: Rangdrol Rinpoche, Tulku Pema, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche 
Photo by Alexander Lauber

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, Rangdrol Rinpoche and Tulku Pema were also in Berlin and came to the Rigpa centre to offer their respects to His Holiness and to receive the empowerment.

Photo by Ane Damcho Drolma

His Holiness Sakya Trizin is the throne holder of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism. He also is the 41st patriarch of the Khön lineage which dates back to 1073. He is a childhood friend of Sogyal Rinpoche and he regularly gives teachings and empowerments to the Rigpa Sangha.

Less than a week to go! Free Video Stream, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's Public Teaching

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche and Sogyal Rinpoche at the opening celebrations for Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's Centenary, Nepal, February 2010

Hope you can all tune in to Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's Public Talk, The Lineage of Good Heart.

WHEN: 18 July 2010, 3pm (Paris time).

WHERE:  Simply go to: http://videostreaming.rigpa.org for free video streaming.

Streaming will be in English, French, Spanish and German.

World Cup Winner Inspired by Tibetan Buddhism

One of the members of Spain's World Cup-winning football team has a keen interest in Tibetan Buddhism which began when he read The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

Carles Puyol was part of the Spain side that beat the Netherlands 1-0 after extra-time on Sunday to win the World Cup for the first time.

According to a report on phayul.com, Ven. Thupten Wangchen, of the Casa del Tibet in Barcelona, told the Voice of America that “Puyol’s interest in Tibetan culture and Buddhism started after reading Sogyal Rinpoche’s book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, which helped him deal with death of a family member.”

Puyol, who plays his club football for Barcelona, met the Dalai Lama when His Holiness visited the Spanish city in 2007.

Ven. Wangchen (pictured above on the right) added that Puyol has a Tibetan tattoo on his left arm which reads 'Power is inside the Mind. The strong can endure.'

To read the report on phayul.com, click here.

Sogyal Rinpoche Teaches in Mexico City

At the invitation of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche and in the context of the celebrations of the centenary of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Sogyal Rinpoche gave public talks for more than 1,000 people in Mexico City on 30 June and 1 July.


Rinpoche's visit to Mexico was an exciting and moving event for many, as The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has already had an enormous impact and appeal in this country. The publisher of the book in Mexico expressed the feeling of many participants when he said the visit was like 'a dream come true'.


On this joyful occasion, Rinpoche's teachings transmitted the heart of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, with its profound wisdom on how to understand life and living, and how to approach death and dying.



Report by Javier Torales. Photographs courtesy of Shechen Mexico.

Grand Opening For Tenzin Gyatso Institute

The Tenzin Gyatso Institute, founded by Sogyal Rinpoche in order to advance, explore and put into action the values and principles that His Holiness the Dalai Lama holds closest to his heart, has entered an exciting new phase in its work.

Last month, about 500 people travelled from across North America, as well as Mexico and Europe, for the opening celebrations at the Institute’s home, Tongnyi Nyingjé Ling—the ‘Center for Wisdom and Compassion’—in upstate New York.

The highlight was the open day on 19 June, when Sogyal Rinpoche was joined by Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, Lobsang Nyandak, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Rinchen Dharlo and Daniel Goleman (all pictured above) in a number of talks and teachings.

Sogyal Rinpoche spoke about Tibet’s Buddhist ‘culture of compassion’ and how its practices can transform our lives. Lodi Gyari Rinpoche (right), HH the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy and a principal advisor to the Institute, explained ‘why the Tenzin Gyatso Institute matters’; and Lobsang Nyandak, the Dalai Lama’s representative to the Americas, offered support to help the Institute become a place of pilgrimage and a centre of activity for Tibetan and Himalayan people living in North America.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche (right) spoke eloquently about the benefits meditation can bring to our busy lives, and Daniel Goleman shared recent scientific research into the effects of meditation and compassion training on the brain. Rinchen Dharlo, the President of the Tibet Fund, joined the other speakers in paying tribute to the Dalai Lama, and highlighting the importance of the values that he embodies.

The Tenzin Gyatso Institute’s President, Patrick Gaffney, said the Institute would strive to make a real contribution in three fields that reflect HH the Dalai Lama's principal areas of concern: education, religious harmony and compassionate social action. He outlined the scope of the Institute’s programmes, and gave an extremely warm welcome to the Tibetan and Himalayan people present.

The audience included 100 Tibetans and people from the Himalayan region now living in America. Many were moved by the presentations, and the audience roared its appreciation when Tenzin Kunsel, a talented young singer (in the main photo at the top of the page), offered a Tibetan musical presentation. There was also an unveiling of the longest scroll of Tibetan calligraphy in the world.

With the support of local residents, Sogyal Rinpoche and Lodi Gyari Rinpoche opened a public trail that will enable people in the region to enjoy the beauty of the land. In the presence of local dignitaries and officials, Sogyal Rinpoche offered his gratitude for the help and encouragement that the Institute has received from the community.

During the weekend, it was announced that the inaugural class of Tenzin Gyatso Scholars will enrol in American universities in the autumn of 2010. Nine specially chosen Tibetan monastic scholars will journey from India to engage in one or two year-long courses of study in neuroscience, biology, physics, psychology and philosophy.

The aim of the initiative is to help broaden the base of education within the Tibetan Buddhist monastic system, enriching the tradition and shaping the emergence of a group of Tibetan men and women capable of taking on leadership roles in monasteries, in society or in government. At the same time, these scholars will be better equipped to communicate the teaching of Buddha in an accessible, effective and beneficial way in the wider world.

Six scholars, who will attend Emory University in Atlanta, were blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama during a special audience in Dharamsala, India in June. The other scholars, who will attend Hampshire College in Massachusetts, were personally selected by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Tsoknyi Rinpoche.

Over the coming months and years, the Tenzin Gyatso Institute will aim to provide an environment where Tibetan and Himalayan people can meet and continue their religious and cultural traditions. It will also develop ways to make the Buddhist teachings on ‘training the mind’ in compassion (lojong in Tibetan) available to the widest possible audience, and specifically to leaders from business, government, education, the arts and the helping professions. Tongnyi Nyingjé Ling runs weekly meditation courses, and spiritual care and traditional Buddhist education programmes are being developed.

For more information on the Tenzin Gyatso Institute, click here.

All photographs by Barbara Mullin.

Save the date: Free Live Video Stream: Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche: Public Talk, 18 July 2010, 3pm (Paris Time)

On 18 July 2010, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche will give a Public Talk, The Lineage of a Good Heart, during his visit to Lerab Ling, Sogyal Rinpoche's main retreat centre in France.

This teaching will be video streamed live and for free in English, French, German and Spanish. 

Everyone is welcome to join.

Simply go to: http://videostreaming.rigpa.org

Details
Date: 18 July 2010
Time: 3pm, Paris time (GMT+2)
Video streaming website: http://videostreaming.rigpa.org
More information:  http://www.lerabling.org  OR http://www.rigpa.org

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who was one the greatest spiritual teachers of our time. A number of special gatherings, teachings and events have been arranged this year to celebrate his life and remarkable accomplishments, and to introduce his incarnation, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, to the world.

For more information about the tour and the anniversary celebrations, go to: 
http://web.me.com/vsandoval/Shechen_News/2010_Centennial_Celebrations.html

Happy Birthday Your Holiness!

On the occasion of the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Lerab Ling, Rigpa's retreat centre in the South of France, a group of musicians gives a rendition of a prayer for the Long Life of His Holiness based on a traditional Tibetan chant.

Free Streaming of Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's Public Talk at Lerab Ling, 18 July 2010

In fewer than 10-days time, Lerab Ling will welcome Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche for the first time.  Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche is, of course, the incarnation of the great Tibetan master Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who was one of Sogyal Rinpoche's root teachers.

On 18 July 2010, at 3pm (Paris time) Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche will give a Public Talk, which will be video streamed live and for free.  Anyone can join in.

Simply go to: http://videostreaming.rigpa.org 

Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche's visit to Lerab Ling, Rigpa's main retreat centre, is part of his world-wide tour, which coincides with celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's birth.

The centenary celebrations began in Nepal earlier this year and will continue throughout the year with  different events and teachings. See the full programme of events here.

And you can read about the opening celebrations in Nepal on this blog here.

Why is Sangha so Important? Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Explains at Rigpa Berlin Centre

On 26 June, 2010, under a brilliant blue sky, Dzongsar Khyenste Rinpoche arrived at Rigpa's centre in Berlin, to give a morning teaching to students from different Buddhist schools. 

He taught on the importance of Sangha, one of the 'Three Jewels' (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), to over 200 people gathered in front of the 3-metre high Buddha statue in the Centre's main assembly room. 

Rinpoche also taught on the practice of Tendrel Nyesel.

To read more about Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, go to: www.siddharthasintent.org