Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi and Ringu Tulku Rinpoche about young people

In a recent interview, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi said the following: "In the Western part of the world, for the younger generation, like my age, that I could make them interested in Buddhism in a way, that I bring some new ideas, or anything that I could interest them. Because we are of the same age, so that I can slowly slowly interest them. That is something that I would like to achieve".

That is wonderful to hear, especially since Rinpoche is visiting Lerab Ling for five days this summer! You can watch the interview here.

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche was asked about HH Karmapa's interest in young people, saying that "I think, maybe because of his own age, maybe he thinks that he can communicate with the youth better, but it is just not him, other people also feel that maybe he can communicate with the youth and bring a certain amount of spiritual guidance and [be an] example for the young people". You can watch it here

Thanks to Robert and Nicolas for the links

Lerab Ling introduces concession for students

Good news for all the poor students out there. If you send a copy of your student card with your registration form, you can get a reduction on your retreat fee. Not only students are lucky: "The concession fee is for the unemployed, university students or retired people, who have financial challenges and require a concession."

For the coming summer retreats, this would mean you pay 180 instead of 225 euros for the meditation retreat in July and 448 instead of 560 euros for the All-Mandala retreat. That saves 45 and 112 euros respectively. Not much, but perhaps a good start.

Read more about it here: Retreat Fee

Rigpa Shedra practices Yang Nying Pudri at Asura Cave

During Sogyal Rinpoche's visit to Nepal, Rinpoche advised the Rigpa Shedra to practice more. That meant doing more Sadhana's and Tsoks in general, but especially doing the Vajrakilaya practice of Yang Nying Pudri. And so it happened that the Rigpa Shedra prepared a Yang Nying Pudri tsok at the Asura cave in the Rigpa Shedra's hometown, Pharping. Performing Tertön Sogyal's Vajrakilaya practice at Asura cave can be considered as very auspicious, because it is the cave where Guru Rinpoche accomplished Vajrakilaya. It was also very fortunate that the Shedra’s Khenpo, Sonam Tobden, joined the practice. Because of the location, there was no big sound system and thus a tiny phone speaker was used to play the practice. Therefore the Shedra students had to chant a little bit louder themselves, but this was actually even more inspiring.

One student commented: "It was all very auspicious. When we walked to the cave we saw Chatral Rinpoche in his car, and when we got to the cave Neten Chokling was there, reciting prayers to Guru Rinpoche [in fact, from Rigpa's ‘The Prayer in seven chapters to Padmakara] "

Through this practice, may all obstacles for Rinpoche, the Rigpa shedra and Rigpa as a whole be pacified!

Buddhist Youth Festival

Awakening the Rimé Spirit!

I just came back from the Buddhist Youth Festival, and like all participants, my heart is filled with love and inspiration. Probably a little more than half the participants were new to the Dharma. From what I've seen, every single one of them has made a good connection with the Dharma and many want to start meditating at home and learn more.

Wonderful as that is, I took home even more! I'm deeply touched by the Rimé spirit; the ecumenical or eclectic movement of respecting and studying all different schools and lineages of the Dharma. Sharing our devotion for our teachers and the Three Jewels I have been deeply moved by practitioners of different lineages, that I know little about. It has filled me with enthusiasm to study different traditions and receive teachings from many more teachers.
My master, Sogyal Rinpoche, encourages students not to shop around too much but first to establish a solid basis in one tradition. At the same time, he invites many of the greatest teachers to teach and give empowerments in Rigpa's main retreat centre, Lerab Ling.
So it has been through his kindness that I've received teachings from some of the greatest masters of our time, from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as H.H. The Dalai Lama, H.H. Sakya Trizin and Kyabjé Trulshik Rinpoche and will receive teachings from the 17th Karmapa next summer.
In my experience, even having received teachings from many other masters, it's easy to think that your teacher and your Sangha are the coolest. Simply because it takes a long time really to be able to see the amazing qualities of a teacher and the practices you do. Superficial knowledge of other traditions can never bring such appreciation.

But what I have found during this festival, meeting other devoted and dedicated practitioners, opening your heart to them and celebrating the profound beauty of the Dharma, can bring about this appreciation!
There is a special joy in sharing your love for the Dharma with other young people. Those of us who are part of a Sangha mostly find ourselves amongst a majority of 40-60 year olds in our own groups. There is a kind of almost instant connection and depth of intimacy when you meet one of those rare young people devoted the to Dharma and dedicated to benefit all sentient beings.

I hope to make many more of such friends in the future and will make every effort to do so!

Thank you!

Find out about the Buddhist Youth Festival
or the Rimé Movement.

This is not meant as a report of the Buddhist Youth Festival 2009, describing the different workshops and the kick-ass new years eve party. I'm just sharing here what the experience has brought me.

Read a more general report on the festival in the Shambhala Times!

Namaste from Nepal

Mainly because the winters in Europe can be quite cold and wet, a large portion of the Rigpa Youth team migrated to Nepal for the coming winter. Apart from enjoying the slightly warmer temperature, they're also attending the Rigpa Shedra. This year we're studying the Madyamakavatara, or the Introduction to the Middle Way. But besides the shedra, the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal seems to be quite a good spot if you want to go Lama shopping. First we met Marcia Binder Schmidt at the White Gomba (Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche's Monestary), who was being called by Rinpoche's all the time because she was hosting the visit of Richard Gere. But before the tea was served, we rushed to have tea with Phakchog Rinpoche. It was very nice meeting him again, after the interview we had with him last spring in Lerab Ling. He gave us some advice on which commentaries to use to help our studies, after which we made a group foto. Before we left we also had the fortunate karma to bump into his father, Chokling Rinpoche, who was also very happy to hear we were studying at the Rigpa Shedra.

When we returned to our little village called Pharping, it was time for Khenchen Namdrol's opening adress. After a good meal with momo's and lemon tea, he gave an astonishing speech, as always. If you want to see for yourself you can find a link at the Rigpa news blog

But our week was not over yet, as Tsoknyi rinpoche was to visit and teach us. We had to purify a little bit of karma by waiting for quite a while in formal welcome line-up, but naturally it was well worth the wait. Tsoknyi Rinpoche was very happy to see many young western students showing special interest in Buddha-Dharma, and put special effort to come to this part of the world. It'a a bit messy, but somehow you can get a lot of good teachings here!

"First when I came to the west, I didn’t understand why Westerners were interested in Buddhism, such a highly developed and sophisticated country. Why would they want teachings from a Lama like me, coming from a village? But now after 15 years, I think you really need it!

After his teaching there was still time for some questions. In response to one of the questions, Rinpoche mentioned that it was fine to practice Hindu inspired yoga practices like hatha yoga, but just close your ears when they start talking about the theory!

Thinley Norbu was also in town, and rumors where going around that he was going to teach. Just as with our very own Sogyal Rinpoche, the only thing was that we had no clue when he was going to teach. But then finally it happened, and it was quite extraordinary! First he gave a lung on the Guyhagarba tantra, and then he directed his attention to the bunch of Westerners in the temple and taught until 12 o'clock in the evening.

And we're only here for two weeks! But drinking tea with Lama's can become a distraction, so now we're all back to our study books.

For those of you who think Nepal is a messy, stinking place full of bacteria’s, and prefer to stay in the god realms of the West, Rigpa Shedra West is resurrected after the three year retreat and has a very nice 'lineup' for next summer with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Khenpo Pema Sherab and more! See RigpaShedra.org for more inormation.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche's teaching to the Rigpa Shedra students

Interview with singer of Actual Mind CD, (Songs of Milarepa), Michaela Lucas

We interviewed Michaela Lucas, a 28 year old student of Rinpoche, who is following the Three Year Retreat and working in Lerab Ling. She recently released a CD of the songs of Milerepa which she has put to music. Proceeds from the CD go towards completing and maintaining the decoration of the Lerab Ling temple and to support dedicated practitioners in Lerab Ling. (Please see below if you would like to order the CD from Zam).


Rita: How do you bring the Dharma into what you do? Because it sounds like singing is something that you like to do.

Michaela: Before I came on the three year retreat in 2007, I decided I didn't want to ever sing or perform again. At that time I'd received teachings from Rinpoche and been with Rigpa for about 4 years, and I no longer saw any purpose in singing. I thought it was empty, selfish, and egotistical, and I slowly started to lose the drive to succeed. Then, when I came to Lerab Ling I was very happy to just let it all go, so I did, I stopped. Then slowly being here I started getting asked to sing and it started coming around again that I was a singer. But it seemed to start happening it a very different way than it did when I was in the outside world and it had more of a purpose. For example if I got asked to sing for Rinpoche, that's more of a purpose because it’s an offering. I started to see that it doesn't have to be so samsaric or negative, which is how I saw it before. Then Jane Bye suggested that I put the songs of Milarepa to music. It was then that I realized that I could use what I'd been trained to do to benefit beings. That's when I could bring the dharma into my craft and my craft into the dharma. It could be a two way thing. It's only since finishing this CD that I really have felt that I have a purpose and that if I don't sing I'm not offering my whole self in order to benefit beings. I also saw that it would be quite selfish if I don't sing.

Rita: Would you offer any advice to other dharma practitioners, your peers, for how to know when to do dharma or how to incorporate hobbies into dharma?

Michaela: I don't know what other people should do, but maybe I can just say what I did. For me it's not such a definite line between the dharma and my 'hobby'. For me, when I sing, it has to be used as integration and part of my practice otherwise I'd always be too attached to formal practice on my cushion. Whereas if Rinpoche says, 'can you sing', rather than me thinking 'I have to go home and practice though, I have to finish my ngöndro this evening'. Rather than me being tight about that, it’s actually to see that task as part of my practice and to dedicate. I think for me dedication is important, for example when we were recording we always motivated in the morning and dedicated in the evening. It's like a container you can hold your hobby in. If you dedicate, then actually everything has a purpose.

I don't think there's any right and wrong. Maybe it's also important not to block creativity when it comes and to actually see it as something pure. If you try to hold it back, it's not letting whatever comes, come. So, I think it's important not block and to just let it come when it comes. Also I think dedicating is the way. The three noble principles.

From what Phakchok Rinpoche said, if I remember correctly, as young people we should experience and know our emotions and thoughts and in this respect I feel we should also know our craft - what we can do. This way, as we get older, then we will know what we have to do in this world and what we have to offer in order to benefit beings. Because it might not necessarily be just sitting on a cushion, it could be so much more. For example, if I would have stopped singing at the age of 17, because I found the dharma [not that I found that dharma at 17] I would have never arrived at where I am now. I would have never studied singing and drama and I would have never received experiences in different places, so then I wouldn't have arrived to the point of being able to offer this project to Rinpoche and Rigpa. It's important to not ignore your passions and talents, because otherwise you may not be able to offer your whole self when it comes time.

Above, Michaela, Tobias, Nadia, Dawn, Frederick and Mary sing one of the songs from the CD as part of the Long Life ceremony held for Rinpoche at the end of this summer's all mandala retreat.

You can order the CD from Zam at:
http://www.zamstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&produc...

Interview with Ian Ives

This interview is part of a series of interviews with young people studying and practising the Dharma. We hope these interviews are useful and inspiring for you.
The idea came about through being inspired by another series of interviews conducted by Lotsawa House with experienced Tibetan translators.

This is an interview with Ian Ives conducted by Han Kop. It took place in February 2009 on the rooftop of the Rigpa Shedra accommodation in Parping, Nepal.
Download the full document or read an excerpt here:

So we can start with the obvious question, how did you meet the dharma?

When I was about 14, my dad was sort of searching around for spiritual paths and so forth, very curious, and someone gave him the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. He read it and at the time a close friend of his had just died tragically and the book really connected with him, and I was sort of interested in everything he was doing, so he went to the local Rigpa centre. It was a very small group in Oregon, he may have gone once without me, but either the first time or the second I went with him, and they were playing audio tapes of Ian Maxwell, it was a series on the four immeasureables, I think it was starting with equanimity, and I just loved it, just immediately. From then on I went to that Rigpa course every week for 4 years, until I went to college. Yeah, and then I soon picked up the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying and read that and was just totally mesmerized, even though my friends thought I was kind of nuts talking about mantras and bardos and whatever, it was completely…weird, but for me it was just sort of immediately, you know, it was the right thing. That was about 14 years ago.

And how did it then develop, you read all the books and?

Well, no I didn’t read very many books, I really had the Tibetan book of living and Dying and I listened to Rigpa-link tapes, I think I read a couple books by the Dalai lama, but I never really read that widely, especially when I was younger and mainly these Sunday evenings we’d go and we just listened to tapes of Rinpoche or read passages from TBLD and just reflect on it and do some meditation. Very simple, there weren’t courses or anything. And the group at a certain point was meeting at my father’s house, and I became a bit more involved and sometimes when the main instructor wasn’t there I’d lead the meditations.

The first time I ever saw Sogyal Rinpoche he just popped his head into the Tibetan class I was attending in Lerab Ling and wrote on the board in Tibetan ‘it’s easy’. That was it, and then he left. And then a few days later he actually gave a teaching. It was quite a special teachings because it was mainly these sort of residents of Lerab Ling and people who had come out of retreat. I can’t quite remember what he taught on but I just remember my mind being kind of blown, and at the end of it someone sort of pulled me aside and said ‘you want to meet Rinpoche?’. I said yeah and came out and I met him on the little bridge to his apartment and they said ‘you know this boy has come from America and he’s here’. Rinpoche didn’t say anything, I just handed him my mala and he blessed it. And I just had this feeling of, that I had met for the first time someone who loved me completely unconditionally, and I was just.. I think I then walked around in the fog and just sobbed for like two hours after that. That really sticks with me, meeting Rinpoche.

Did you encounter any difficulties in the beginning? How did your friends and family react to your getting involved with the Dharma?

They were actually quite open. I was in a real liberal university town, and so people were pretty open too that. Actually I had one friend who started coming to the Rigpa group with me as well, she came for two or three years actually, she was quite into it, and my other friends was also kind of investigating other kinds of spirituality especially as we got older like 17,18. So it was cool actually, and we’d have discussions about it. My mom was quite skeptical at first and of course the grandparents thought it was just a phase, that I was gonna grow out of it, and questions like, “Will Santa Claus still come if you’re a Buddhist?” And mom was just sort of debating me, and because I was quite young and mom’s a professor of law she could easily win the debates so I would lose them. But still it didn’t really faze me, I knew it was a good thing. This was my thing and yeah, I did not have too much difficulties.

And did you find any practices in the beginning which really worked for you?

I guess it was mainly just a lot of meditation in the beginning , and I really connected with the Benza Guru mantra, pretty early on, and I remember being quite inspired reading the chapter on guru yoga and the different phases described in TBLD. Then when I got to college I was more and more quite inspired by the bodhicitta, and I think in 1999 or 2000 I received teaching on the Bodhicharyavatara from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in Vancouver and from then on I would read that book like almost every day, like different parts of it out loud, I just loved it totally. I did my ngöndro in a very funny way you know, just totally out of order, because there wasn’t clear guidance, and over a period of like ten years.

But before that you did university as well, how did it relate to you being a Buddhist?

I didn’t study Buddhism at all at the university. I mean sometimes it didn’t relate at all, I mean more and more as I was in the Dharma…I was in international studies and the tracks that you would follow was you would go to the united nations or state department and government, or become a lawyer, or work for a non-governmental organization ,those were the kind of typical things you would do. But more and more I just wanted to study the dharma. I mean it was really good , I really appreciated getting this awareness of the world and a lot of knowledge and also a lot of skill in writing English, which has proved extremely useful. And I did some traveling, I spent time in South Africa and the Middle East and that was really eye opening.

But there were also times… I remember I was at the Dalai Lama’s teachings in 2000 and I came back to university and I walked straight into my political science class and they were talking about these different theories of liberalism and realism and neo-mercantilism and I remember my first thought being this is just such crap you know. This is totally useless, but then after a few days you know I sort of consigned myself to it again, I resigned or whatever the word is. By the time university was done I was just ready to be done you know. Partially also my parents paid my way and I had to just get my diploma or my mom would have blown, popped a couple of ribs out you know. I just had to finish.

Could you tell me more about going to the Shedra in Nepal?

I think for young people to study the Dharma in a sort of traditional way, for some of us to really do that is absolutely crucial for the survival of the Dharma in the future. I think if there’s not a group of people who from relatively young age really spend a long time really learning the teachings traditionally then there’s no way we’re really gonna be able to translate them authentically into the West for a Western audience. And its really, I mean the studies are the basis for everything. For the practice, for continuing the lineage in the future.

I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility and I think it’s so important for as many people to do that as possible. And also it’s just, the benefit for yourself, really studying the teachings. In the west you know we are really educated , we’re very intelligent people and so I mean for me and I think for a lot of others, you don’t just immediately have irreversible faith for the teachings when you hear them. And without that you’re not really able to communicate them in a powerful way to others.
But by really studying and through really understanding and reflecting on the teachings, really questioning them, just again and again and again, you will slowly start to see how extraordinary they are, and how true they are and how logical and just absolutely amazing, just beyond this world. I mean, they’re not from ordinary mind you know, and I think that really then carries over into your practice and to your ability to help the great teachers like Rinpoche and to help others, the studies is just so important, yep.

And in what way is it different, the study at the shedra and at the university?

The main difference is you’re studying your own mind. This is what Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche would say, when you study things in Western university’s its all sort of abstract and out there. But here, even though the teachings sometimes can be quite dense themselves, ultimately it comes down to you, it comes back to your mind, your suffering, your enlightenment and that of others, so its infinitely more practical and infinitely more personal then the other studies and in that way I think infinitely more satisfying.

Do you want to say something about what was the best thing and what was the worst thing during your time in the Dharma?

It’s always good to end with the best thing so.., so the worst thing, I mean all the worst things are just my own mind, my own sort of habits and it’s really important, especially if you’re studying, not to neglect the really basic points of the teaching. I mean like Tsoknyi Rinpoche says, this whole point about being a healthy human being, really having that respect and love for yourself. And just the basic what the Dharma is about; removing suffering, wanting to be happy, wanting to be free from suffering. I think the hardest things usually come when I loose touch with those things and then the teachings can kind of get a little bit used by ego and twisted around a bit, and that’s usually where all the problems come from.

I think the best thing is again and again feeling like there is nothing more meaningful I could possibly do with my life then this and just how extraordinary it is that I have this opportunity to do this. And there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing when I think about it. I mean sometimes on a bad day I could think you know, there’s still time I can still drop this and go to law school. And then you think about it for a while, and you’re just like god yeah, that would really be kind of boring dull life, and I really would feel I’m neglecting something quite important. I think that’s the best thing, really that sense of incredible meaning and value.

First Youth evening in Amsterdam

It was barely 2 weeks after Robert and Han came back from Lerab Ling, but there was no time to lose: the Dutch Rigpa curriculum had to be upgraded with some youthfull events.

We had a short evocative teaching from Rinpoche, did some sitting practise and exchanged how our practise was going. After that, some of us closed the evening with some beer, nuts and polish vodka.

Unfortunatly promotion wasn't something we had thought of very much, our friends were to lame to come and some people could not attend because of the distance (even in holland!) and so we had to be content with a total number of 5 people attending (and one of them came 1 houre late). Well, at least it shouldn't be to hard to improve on that the next time!

Rigpa Youth covered at Rigpa News

Rigpa News posted a brief news article about Rigpa Youth:

"There is a new Rigpa project to bring together and support young adults in the Rigpa sangha. The new group is for older teenagers and young adults. It shouldn't be confused with Rigpé Yeshé, Rigpa's children's programme, which is for young children and teenagers up to the age of 16. The new group is for older teenagers, people in their 20s, and even early 30s.

It was started in Lerab Ling in 2008 by a group of young students of Sogyal Rinpoche who wanted to find a way to support younger students, facilitate their becoming holders of Sogyal Rinpoche and Rigpa's work, and connect more young people to the Dharma.
As one of the founding members said:
We want to inspire young people to see that Dharma is relevant to their lives. That it's not just something you do when you retire, it is actually something you can do everyday!
One part of the plan for group is to have regular events, such as meditation evenings, for young students in Rigpa centres around the world.So how can you get connected? Go to the new private online community set up for the group at rigpayouth.ning.org or send an email to youth@rigpa.org.

Rigpa Youth Meets Erik Pema Kunsang

We've not even told you that some Rigpa Youth members at Lerab Ling had a meeting with Erik Pema Kunsang, who was translating for Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Fortunately, Jurek has reminded us by commenting on the meeting on his blog My Dharmic Life
"Besides translating for Tsoknyi Rinpoche, he was also invited by Rigpa Shyönnu, Rigpa's younger generation of students between 18-30 years. Erik answered questions concerning being a Dharma-student in the west, translating and other topics. Without a need for a break before the next teaching, he sat together with the small group in the Nirmanakaya of Lerab Ling's temple for almost 2 hours."

Now that things have quieted down a litle bit after the fnishing of the three year retreat, we hope to be able to edit our interview soon and provide you with Erik's wonderfull advice about dharma, translating, and stories about his own youth!
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