Video

THE FOUR REMINDERS

 

The Four Reminders can help with facing the reality and preciousness of a human life, the importance of impermanence, and the imminence of death:

Ringu Tulku’s words on the Four Reminders, from the Ngondro book:

“Precious human life endowed with every freedom and assets. It is difficult to get and can be easily destroyed, so now is the time to make it meaningful.

The universe and everything that lives therein is impermanent, particularly the lives of beings, who are like water bubbles. The time of death is uncertain, and when you die, you will become a corpse. Dharma will help you at that time, therefore practise it diligently now.

Thirdly, after your death you will have to experience your own karma, having no degree over what happens.
So give up harmful actions, all your time should be spent in the practice of virtue. Thinking this way, evaluate your life daily.

Your are constantly tormented by the three kinds of sufferings. Therefore, samsaric places, friends, pleasures and possessions are like a party given by an executioner, who will lead you to the place of execution. Cutting through the snares of attachment, strive for enlightenment with diligence.

Source:  https://livinganddyinginpeace.org/author/margaret/

No Lockdown on the River Garry

This short film by Sitar Rose is a pensive study of the Scottish countryside during lockdown.  The film contains a series of shots along the River Garry down to Loch Oich.  The river runs from the west of Pilochry to the north of Fort William in a north-westerly direction.

With only the sound of the flowing water at various stages in its travels, the images take us to standpoints on the river bank from where we catch glimpses of trees, lichen on rocks, spring buds on bare branches and reflections on the water of the sun and landscape.
(Ed.)

 

The Light on the Shore

Old as I am
Older than the threads of understanding
Which we weave between us
Old as you are
Older by far than the contours of the love
Which we leave behind us
Bold as I am
Bolder than the pioneers
Who trekked their way across the desert
Bold as you are
Bolder by far than the lovers
Who have swum the tide to be together
Are we old enough and bold enough to say good-bye?
Are we old enough and bold enough that we do not need to cry?
Well, I’m not so old and not so bold I don’t need you more
Now the light is slowly beckoning you to the shore
Cold is the ground
For which you’re bound
It’s a place where we can never more be together
Cold is the air
That takes you there
On a passage that will end with your end forever
But it’s not so cold I do not feel the warmth of your skin

And it’s not so cold I do not know the fires that burn within you
Though they are fading now, I wish that they would blaze once more
And keep you from the light that’s slowly beckoning you to the shore
If I could sail the seas of time, then I would keep you from harm
But I am no sailor and I cannot warn you
Though there is nothing in my life I ever wanted more
Than to keep you from the light that’s slowly beckoning you
Than to shield you from the light that’s slowly beckoning you to the shore
Source:

Stephanie Jones

Stephanie Jones is a world-renowned soloist and chamber musician who specialises in classical guitar performance. She is currently based in Germany and studying Konzertexamen at the University of Music Franz Liszt with Prof. Thomas Müller-Pering.

Here’s the Thing About Fear

 

 

JAIYA JOHN BIOGRAPHY. Dr. Jaiya John was born into foster care in New Mexico, and is an internationally recognized freedom worker, author, speaker, poet, and youth mentor. Jaiya is the founder of Soul Water Rising, a global rehumanizing mission that has donated thousands of Jaiya’s books in support of social healing, and offers scholarships to displaced and vulnerable youth. Jaiya is also the founder of Freedom Project, a global initiative reviving traditional gathering and storytelling practices to fertilize social healing and liberation. He is a former professor of social psychology at Howard University, has authored numerous books, and has spoken to over a million people worldwide and audiences as large as several thousand, including national and international conferences, schools, Indigenous reservations and communities, prisons and detention centers, shelters, and colleges. Jaiya is a National Science Foundation fellow, and holds doctorate and master’s degrees in social psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a focus on intergroup relations and identity development. As an undergraduate, he attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and lived in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he studied Tibetan Holistic Medicine through independent research with Tibetan doctors.

https://jaiyajohn.com/

 

LAZY LAMA FILM

Renowned German filmmaker Niko von Glasow’s newest film is now available to view here!

                                                                         LAZY LAMA FILM

The film shows Ringu Tulku not only as a Buddhist master and teacher – it also offers a personal, humorous and honest insight into his family and working life. It shows Ringu Tulku preparing four students for a retreat which lasts three years, three months and three days, in Sikkim, North India. Spending time with the Lazy Lama gives the audience the opportunity to reflect on their own lives, and find ways to create more room for spirituality, meditation, empathy and the right kind of “laziness”.