News and Inspiration from Ligmincha Institute
Volume IV, Number 9
September 1, 2004
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For easy reading, we recommend that you print out "The Voice of Clear
Light."
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IN THIS ISSUE:
"Compassion" - an edited excerpt from oral teachings given by Tenzin
Wangyal Rinpoche, 2004.
Related excerpts on Opening Your Heart.
Tsa Lung Trul Khor Retreat Announcement.
Newly available at Ligmincha's Bookstore.
Visit New Chamma Ling Web Site.
With details about upcoming Chod Retreat.
Sangha Sharing
"Calm Winds" - a Chod-inspired poem.
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"COMPASSION" - an excerpt from oral teachings given by Tenzin Wangyal
Rinpoche, 2004.
We have a saying and it translates to something like this: "Having
compassion is like trading places with another person." When you
put yourself in the other person's place, then you'll naturally
feel what is needed of you. That's exactly what compassion is! You
can't have compassion without feeling the pain of others. If you are
not able to sense others' pain then you are not able to cultivate
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compassion. It's always like this, not only for compassion, but also
for acceptance, forgiveness, everything. The cultivation of these
all begin with your having some real understanding of where the other
person is.
However, we always cling to our particular point of view. When we
judge something, or when we get angry at someone, it's always based
on our own point of view. For instance, if someone close to you
says, "You don't love me enough." Immediately your reaction might
be, "What do you mean I don't love you enough? I've done this for
you, I've done that for you. Can't you see? Just look what I have
done for you." But who is it who's speaking? It's the "I" that is
reacting. "I" has all the reasons why and how much "I" love you.
Regardless of what I may think rationally or logically, though, often
it's beneficial in our relationships to try instead to feel directly
what the other person is feeling in that situation - to change places
with the other person. Go beyond the logic because logic isn't
always enough. Even if one's logic is very good, it is still based
on one's own point of view. In this case, it would be better to
connect directly with what the other person is feeling as "unlove."
If you have even a glimpse of understanding - of that pain or
suffering or confusion, then you are going to open up. We open our
hearts. Anyone can open their heart when they get just a taste of
that.
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RELATED EXCERPTS ON OPENING YOUR HEART
"OPENING YOUR HEART" - an excerpt from "You Have To Say Something" by
Dainin Katagiri:
"For anyone living a spiritual life, the most important practice is
openheartedness. But dealing with life with compassion and kindness
is not easy. We tend to live in terms of 'me.' But if you're
interested in the spiritual life, you will have to consider more than
just yourself.
"All religions emphasize the importance of openness of heart. But
very few of us actually practice it in our daily lives. So day after
day, year after year, century after century, wise people point this
out to us. They know how egotistical we are. But even one person
practicing love and compassion is a great source of peace in the
world.
"Whatever the future brings, we have to continue to seek a world
based on the practice of openness of heart. Perfect openness of
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heart brings into life flexibility, tenderness, and magnanimity.
This can't be fully explained conceptually. You can't put your
finger on it, but you can feel it. To live this way is what you're
really looking for."
*****
From "Opening the Heart of Compassion" by Martin Lowenthal and Lar
Short:
"Opening to other people is critical to our growth and happiness, as
well as to the well-being of our community. Our emotional patterns
arise and are played out daily in relation to others. To remove the
process of discovery of aliveness from the social context of our
lives is like trying to explore the beauty of an image by
investigating a single dot. The idea is not to withdraw from the
whole, but to realize the context of the whole through us.
"We often see ourselves in other people more readily than we do when
we are alone. If we work only for our own liberation from suffering,
we are unlikely to gain such self-knowledge. On the other hand, if
we work to relieve the suffering of other people, then our own comes
into perspective and our inner world opens from the closed system of
self-preoccupation."
*****
From "Cultivating Compassion" by Jeffrey Hopkins:
"With wisdom and compassion working together, feelings of empathy and
commiseration are built on the strength of valid realization of the
nature of persons and things, and analytical intelligence is warm to
the feelings of both oneself and others. For the time being, these
two sides have to balance each other, but in the end they are so
intertwined that they are indistinguishable. Other-concern makes
happy sense."
*****
From "A Heart as Wide as the World" by Sharon Salzberg:
"When we look at others, we see ourselves as well; when we look
within ourselves, we discover all beings and all things in the
universe. Every event, every entity, every mind-state, every
experience we have is born out of a web of interconnectedness. We
ourselves are born in every moment out of a web of
interconnectedness. A vast multiplicity of causes come together,
ceaselessly, to produce what we call ourselves, what we call
life."
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*****
SOURCES
Hopkins, Jeffrey. "Cultivating Compassion." New York:
Broadway Books, 2001.
Katagiri, Dainin. "You Have To Say Something." Edited by
Steve Hagan. Boston: Shambhala Publications Inc., 2000.
Lowenthal, Martin and Lar Short. "Opening the Heart of
Compassion." Boston: Charles E. Tuttle and Co., 1993.
Salzberg, Sharon. "A Heart as Wide as the World." Boston:
Shambhala Publications Inc., 1997.
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TSA LUNG TRUL KHOR RETREAT ANNOUNCEMENT:
"Introduction to Trul Khor - Body, Breath and Mind"
November 10-14, 2004, with Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, at Serenity Ridge.
Tsa lung, Trul khor, or "magical movement, channels and vital breath"
is a distinctive Tibetan practice of physical yoga that includes the
essential components of breath, awareness and mental concentration.
This five day retreat provides an in-depth exploration of the
energetic dimension that is composed of the body's subtle channels
(tsa), the vital breath (lung, prana, qi) that circulates through
them, and the subtler aspects of the mind (tigle). Through these
practices participants will explore the effects that the channels and
vital breath have on one's state of mind, along with their
correlation to the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space).
By harmonizing the vital breath and guiding its flow through the
physical and energetic dimensions, Tsa lung Trul khor is a powerful
practice that can clear long-held blocks in the practitioner's body,
energy, and mind. Tsa lung Trul Khor supports the spontaneous arising
of awareness during formal meditation and in everyday life.
Tsa lung Trul khor is a wonderful support for all spiritual
practitioners, not just for those with an interest in physical
yogas. This introductory retreat is open to everyone and is the
foundational course for, and prerequisite to, the Tsa lung Trul khor
training that will begin in the spring of 2005. It is not necessary,
however, to commit to the entire program or to have previous
experience with Tsa lung Trul khor in order to attend the
introductory retreat in November 2004.
Alejandro Chaoul-Reich is a senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
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and has studied and practiced with many great masters of the Bon
tradition, including Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, in Nepal, India
and United States since 1991. He also teaches meditation to cancer
patients and their supporters and is involved in research using Tsa
lung Trul khor with cancer patients at the University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Alejandro is a PhD. candidate in
Tibetan Religions at Rice University.
Register for this retreat by Sept. 8 for the early-bird price of
$300, or by Oct. 11 for $350 or after Oct. 11 for $400. Contact
Ligmincha at: (434)977-6161 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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NEWLY AVAILABLE AT LIGMINCHA'S STORE
"New Horizons in Bon Studies" edited by Samten Karmay and Tasuhiko
Nagano. Hardback, 738 pages. Price: $85.
This is an Indian reprint of a book that was originally published in
1999 in Japan, and is the second in a series on Bon Studies, the
first of which is the book, "Mandalas of the Bon Religion," co-edited
by Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche. "New Horizons in Bon Studies" has a
variety of articles that were originally presented at a Symposium by
the same name as the title hosted by the Ministry of Education in
Japan. The major headings are as follows: "Bon and its Relationship
to Buddhism," "Dzogchen Doctrines," "Myths and Rituals," "Monasteries
and Lay Communities," and "Bon in a Wider Context." Contributors
include: Samten Karmay, Per Kvaerne, Dan Martin, Donatella Rossi,
Anne Klein, among many other distinguished scholars of Bon.
REMINDER: The Dzogchen text that will be taught by Yongdzin Tenzin
Namdak Rinpoche (Lopon) during the second portion of the upcoming
fall retreat is available at Ligmincha's Bookstore. This
text "Heartdrops of Dharmakhaya," is a text by Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen
with translation and commentary by Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche,
published by Snow Lion Publications in 1993.
You can visit the online Ligmincha Institute Bookstore at:
www.ligminchastore.org or you can call toll-free: (866)522-5269 or by
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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VISIT THE BEAUTIFUL NEW CHAMMA LING WEB SITE.
You can visit the web site for Chamma Ling at:
http://www.chammaling.org/
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The web site gives us a connection to Chamma Ling (Land of the Loving
Mother) Retreat Center, the land in the Colorado Rocky Mountains,
generously granted by the Manitou Foundation a few years ago to
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Ligmincha Institute. Founded in 2002,
Chamma Ling is in its early stages of development. Rinpoche's vision
for Chamma Ling is as a simple place of solitary retreat, enriched by
the awe-inspiring natural surroundings of the Crestone area. There
are beautiful photos on the web site giving us a glimpse of this
amazing land as well as the design plans for dark retreat cabins, a
small teaching hall and lama's house, not to mention a couple of
great shots of Rinpoche!
The web site also provides us with information about retreats to be
held there in nearby Crestone. This month there will be a retreat
on "Chod: Cutting Attachments and Transforming Fear" from September
23-26, with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. You can still register to
attend this retreat. Details about this retreat as well as an online
registration form can be found on the web site. Please note
that the on-site registration/check-in times currently shown on the
On-line Registration Form reflect a change since the flyers were
mailed out.
The correct check-in registration times are:
Wednesday evening Sept. 22 from 7 PM to 9 PM
Thursday morning, Sept. 23 from 8 AM to 8:30 AM.
Thanks to all of those who worked to make this beautiful web site
available and to all of those working on the development of the
Chamma Ling Retreat Center!
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SANGHA POETRY
Calm Winds
Patterns changing,
stormy clouds
and then blue skies,
Branches sway,
pine needles fly.
The path became clear
upon contemplation.
I was awakened by a poem
that spoke of cutting through.
In my dream,
free of fear, you
pacified demons without second thought
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breathing enlightenment,
grasping stopped.
I watched for a while
and then
with open heart I chopped it up,
and drank my ego from a cup.
In celebration,
Machig struck the match and
I offered myself upon the pyre
in exchange for liberation.
Reborn as love,
arising from the ashes,
Fully protected,
my sword was faith,
the power of my intention.
Bodhicitta shines rays in all directions
compassion supplicates
and the bonds of samsara break
Demons and gods both dissipate.
Clear sky above
amidst the changing patterns
the winds were pacified
upon contemplation.
- Patricia Bukur
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For more information about Ligmincha Institute, the teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, or retreats at
Serenity Ridge or our regional centers, please contact us:
Ligmincha Institute
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313 2nd St. SE Suite #207
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434-977-6161 fax 434-977-7020
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.ligmincha.org
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For books, tapes and transcripts of teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche as well as other books and items
supportive to Bon and Buddhist practice, please visit the Ligmincha's Online Store at
www.ligminchastore.org or contact the Ligmincha Store at 434-220-0060
or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .