Rigpa Shedra East 2011

The next study programme at Rigpa Shedra East will be held in Pharping, near Kathmandu in Nepal from January 3rd to April 30th, 2011. The main focus will be Maitreya's Abhisamayalankara, a commentary on the hidden meaning of the famous Perfection of Wisdom sutras, describing the entire spiritual journey of the bodhisattva, from the first generation of altruistic intention through to the eventual attainment of enlightenment.

As usual, the course will include opportunity for clarification, discussion and contemplation, and will also feature Tibetan language classes at different levels.

More information and details of how to apply can be found on the shedra website.

Sogyal Rinpoche visits Italy and leads first Rigpa retreat in Spain

Sogyal Rinpoche recently travelled to Italy (September 17-19) and Spain (October  6-14).

Torino, Italy

In Torino, Italy, he taught to a sold-out crowd of 900 people in the magnificent Teatro Carignano.

There were more than 500 other people who could not fit into the venue. They sat on the pavement outside the Teatro listening to the teaching on loudspeakers that had been set up at the last minute so they would not miss it. 

Sogyal Rinpoche went outside to address them before and after his talk.

Rinpoche's talk was part of Torino Spiritualita. Bob Thurman and Matthieu Richard also spoke as part of this event.

To find out what else is happening in Rigpa Italy, go to www.rigpa.it 

First Rigpa Retreat in Spain, Tarragona

More recently, Rinpoche was in Spain where he led a 5-day retreat at Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain.   This was the first Rigpa retreat held in Spain and over 400 people from all over Europe attended. 

Rinpoche taught on What Meditation Really Is: Getting to know your own mind -  The Secret of Meditation and How to Actually Practice It.

Before the retreat, Sogyal Rinpoche gave a public talk in Madrid, his first in that city, and again in Vigo after the retreat.

For information about other Rigpa events in Spain, go to www.rigpa-spain.org

Lerab Ling hosts Buddhism and Medicine conference

Conference speakers in front of the statue of the Buddha at Lerab Ling. From left to right: Ursula Bates, Dr Frederic Rosenfeld, Sara Lazar, Rosamund Oliver, Erika Rosenberg, Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, Clifford Saron, Sogyal Rinpoche, Olivier Raurich, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Dr Lucio Bizzini, Dr Cathy Blanc, Dr Edel Maex and Laurence Bibas.

The Lerab Ling temple hosted its first major conference at the weekend as almost 1,000 people attended the Third International Forum on Buddhism and Medicine.

The two-day event brought together Buddhist masters, scientific researchers and leading experts in the application of meditation in medicine and therapy to discuss the health benefits of meditation.

Sogyal Rinpoche and Jon Kabat-Zinn

Speakers included Sogyal Rinpoche and Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche, Jon Kabat-Zinn—the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)—and Clifford Saron, the principal investigator on The Shamatha Project, the most comprehensive study to date on the effects of long-term meditation practice.

Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche

Day one of the conference covered some of the latest scientific research on meditation. The Shamatha Project, for example, examined two groups of 30 meditation practitioners as they took part in three-month retreats in the United States. Many of the results are still being evaluated, but the initial findings appear to show a range of effects, such as sharpened and sustained attention, enhanced well-being and an ability to respond with more empathy to the suffering of others.

Clifford Saron gives a presentation on The Shamatha Project

The second day focused on some of the ways in which meditation is being applied in hospitals and other medical and therapeutic settings, through programmes such as MBSR and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Rigpa's Spiritual Care Programme, and the Association Tonglen, founded in France by Dr Cathy Blanc.

Speakers came together for a panel discussion and the conference delegates, many of whom were healthcare professionals, were also given the chance to take part in guided meditation sessions.