Author Archives: jampalgamo

Rigul Greetings and Gratitude

Dear friends worldwide,

So very many of us have so willingly and graciously helped Ringu Tulku’s people in Tibet over the years.

The people in Rigul send their heartfelt greetings, appreciation and gratitude for all the help and the kindness that so many of us have provided with support and funds for health, education and poverty relief in Rigul.

Over the years we have helped fund the first purpose built school, the first purpose built health clinic. And! Funded two free school meals a day, free textbooks, free boarding, salaries for teachers and cooks. With the clinic we have funded the salaries of the doctor, the nurse and the running costs of the clinic along with funding an ambulance. We’ve helped fund the first ever piped water to several taps located in the school and the clinic  etc. And- the first ever toilets with water supply too.

Sometime ago, I was told by a lama from Rigul that the whole atmosphere of the people in Rigul had changed with them developing more confidence, more interest in the children’s education and  now receiving health care.

There are so many ways that we can help and will share with everyone some of the numerous fund raising activities that have taken place in the next Rigul news posting.

Wishing us all good health and a joyful mind for the new year,

Margaret Richardson and Ringu Tulku

 

Let’s Meet on Zoom

Online Summercamp 2020 Breakfast Zoom

Breakfast Zoom 2nd Sunday of every month

As a follow-up to the Breakfast Zoom at the Summer Camp, Andy Lowe has kindly offered to host an open breakfast meeting on Zoom for the international Bodhicharya sangha on a monthly basis as follows

Sunday 9th August 2020 07.00 UTC
Cancelled due to technical problems: Sunday 13th September 2020 07.00 UTC
Sunday 11th October 2020 07.00 UTC

Updated times:
Sunday 8th November 2020 08.00 UTC
Sunday 13th December 2020 08.00 UTC

The equivalent local time zones are as follows:
08.00 UK/Ireland/Portugal
09.00 Most of the EU
10.00 Finland
13.30 India
15.00 Thailand
16.00 Philippines
21.00 New Zealand

Or you can check your own local time at https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

In the US and South America this will be at night, but you are equally welcome to join these sessions, and we wish to see you all there.

Please email Andy Lowe at globalnomad999@gmail.com for Zoom link or ID, or  find it in the email we sent on 6th October under the title “New Link to Bodhicharya Breakfast on Sunday 11th October”.

Here is a topic Andy introduced during the Bodhicharya Breakfast on Sunday 9th August in something which can be a regular feature where Bodhicharya Breakfast participants are invited to share their own “good reads” of interesting and inspiring publications to be discussed during the BB zooms:
Wood Wide Web 1
Wood Wide Web 2

Practice and discussion groups by Bodhicharya Ireland

The Irish sangha invites everybody to join the following groups on Zoom:

White Tara Sadhana: weekly on Sunday mornings at 11am Irish/UK time. Starting August 9th.

Je Tsongkhapa’s “The Three Principal Aspects of the Path” Discussion Group: first Tuesday of every month from 7pm-8pm Irish/UK time. Starting September 1st.

Please  email pat.murphyspace@gmail.com for Zoom ID and passcode.

Bodhicharya London’s ongoing Zoom activities

All times are UK:

Daily 7:30am – 8:30am: Shamata meditation
Daily 10:00am: Chenresig sadhana (approx. 40 mins)
Daily 1:00pm: Medicine Buddha sadhana (approx. 40 mins)

Every Wednesday 7:00pm: Chenresig sadhana (approx, 40mins)
Every Thursday 6:30pm – 8:00pm: Meditation and discussion
Every Friday 7:00pm: White Tara sadhana (approx. 40mins.)

Everyone welcome (Medicine Buddha and White Tara sadhanas require empowerments).

Link:
https://usa.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a881f102bd51d266a248c576b&id=ab45785dd2&e=7ee0797c6e

Zoom ID: 325 545 986
Password: 025316

Reflections on Bodhicharya Summer Camp 2020

Online Summercamp 2020 Group photo

A video of making the Online Summer Camp group photo can be viewed in the Teachings Archive.

Reflections on Bodhicharya Summer Camp 2020
Tessa King

2020’s virtual Summer Camp finished yesterday and I am feeling rather sad!  It was a wonderfully rich five days. The Three Principal Aspects of the Path by Je Tsongkhapa is a central text in the Gelug tradition and is described ‘as a summation of all the paths of practice which lead to enlightenment’. The text is short and packed with meaning and Rinpoche in his gentle style laid out all its riches before us.   When Rinpoche says his signature phrase:  ‘now it’s like this’ – you know you are going to be given the heart of the teachings in an accessible and meaningful way.  Rinpoche’s gift to us all is that he makes you feel it is possible, we can progress on the path and that is the sign of a teacher who has fully realised the teachings himself. Continue reading

Rinpoche Has Started Teaching on the Bodhicharyavatara

Rinpoche is now continuing the course on the Bodhicharyavatara, and the first new session was posted today.

Bodhicharyavatara is regarded as one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist texts and is studied extensively by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners everywhere. Rinpoche will deliver his understanding of the text in a way that will make it fully accessible to anyone who is looking for support and help in these times whether or not they are buddhist. According to the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the buddha dharma should not be taught as a religion, but more as a general teaching applicable to all traditions; it must be useful and help us deal with life’s problems. He feels that in this way it will be beneficial to everyone.

Each session will be around 15 minutes long, and there will be a new teaching each week. We are currently in Chapter 6, but before going into the chapter, Rinpoche begins by giving a synopsis of the Bodhicharyavatara, the name and subject of this book.

Everybody can follow Rinpoche’s new teachings as they are posted every week on the Archive Bodhicharyavatara page. There you will also find all the previous sessions. You don’t have to be an Archive member to view them. However, you may consider becoming one to have access to all the additional materials for the course, like transcripts, and all the other recorded teachings in the Ringu Tulku Archive.

Questions to Rinpoche can be submitted through the teaching page, and he will answer them in a later video. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

You can visit the Bodhicharyavatara course here on the Ringu Tulku Archive:

bodhicharya.org/teachings/courses/bodhicharyavatara

These teachings are dedicated for all who are sick and dying of corona virus, and for all who are tirelessly working in order to help them.

Life Is A Continuous Celebration

RTR July 16, 2019, at Bodhicharya Berlin. Photo by Harald.

I rest in the natural state of being.
Appearances of six senses flow unobstructed.
Peace and joy permeates without seeking.
Life is just a continuous celebration.

~ Ringu Tulku

Rinpoche shared this stanza during his teaching on the topic Facing Difficulties at Bodhicharya Berlin, where he was staying for the week of his 67th birthday celebrations. The verses had spontaneously arisen in his mind at 4 am on July the 20th, 2019.

The teaching can be listened to in the Teachings Archive.

Photo by Harald Schwericke.

 

Summer Camp 2019

Summer Camp 2019 – 29th July to 4th August 

Dear friend,

Registrations for Summer Camp are now open. Please check the Bodhicharya Portugal webpage to register.

Summer Camp 2019 – Du 29 juillet au 4 Août

Cher ami,

Les inscriptions pour le Summer Camp 2019 sont ouvertes. Visitez notre page internet pour vous inscrire.

Summer Camp 2019 – de 29 de Julho a 4 de Agosto

Car@ amig@,

As inscrições para o Summer Camp 2019 estão abertas. Visite a nossa página para se inscrever.

The Gift of Group Altruism in Action at Summer Camp

One evening at Bodhicharya summer camp, Andy Lowe so very kindly invited all of us to watch the film Akong Rinpoche – A Remarkable Life.

Akong Rinpoche has left a remarkable legacy of kindness, dedication, helped thousands and thousands of Tibetans and westerners, often under very challenging situations. A doctor, a spiritual friend, a labourer, an innovator of so very many Samye activities and centres in so many countries.

The escape from Tibet was gruelling, without food many times, having to eat the leather they carried.

His journey out of Tibet would have been similar to that of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s escape from Tibet, over the Himalayas for nearly two years constantly under threat of gunfire from the Chinese. They had to leave everything behind, possessions, home, friends, families, animals and country.

The incredible life of Akong Rinpoche has brought and still is bringing great inspiration to his students, friends and those who are hearing about his bodhisattva and altruistic life through this heart touching story.

Continue reading

Shamatha, Vipassana and Mahamudra through Deity Yoga

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Bodhicharya Summercamp 31st July – 6th August 2017 Casa da Torre, Vila Verde, Northern Portugal

Using the deity as meditation practice, in particular White Tara, was the topic for this years summercamp held for the 6th time in northern Portugal. The venue was once again Casa da Torre near Vila Verde, and the delightful Portugese sangha were as welcoming as ever. It is always lovely to meet so many now familiar faces after twelve years of Bodhicharya Summercamp retreats here and in France since 2006. The warm weather and fresh vegetarian food laid the ground for a spiritually nourishing week with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.

Rinpoche told us that White Tara was the first sadhana taught by the Buddha: in India, where White Tara was already a common practice, she was known as Saraswati and associated with healing and long life. The great yogi-saint, Atisha Dipankara, felt he was guided by White Tara and believed himself to have been saved by her, and when he was invited to re-introduce Buddhism to Tibet from India, he brought this practice with him. Gampopa later inherited the practice and passed on the sadhana to the first Karmapa, Dusom Khyenpa. Since then White Tara has been regarded as an important bodhisattva in the Tibetan school of Vajrayana Buddhism and this particular sadhana has been recited throughout the entire Karmapa lineage until today.
Continue reading