Hello dear friends and readers of Many Roads.

We’ve had several interesting and thought-provoking articles posted in the past few months by new contributors.  Mindfulness and Me is an honest depiction of how one can realise late in life the benefits of meditation and self-realisation by Gopal Lama; a fable about the meaning of freedom by Lama Rinchen, Eagle’s Wings, takes us to a land where the eagle’s predicament alludes to a condition with which we are all too familiar; A Prayer to Avert Nuclear War by Chatral Rinpoche focuses the mind on the dangers in the world today; and a review of the Reggio Emelia theory of education in Children’s Spirituality in two parts by Paula Schonberger invites us into the world of education for children; Linsey Friedman also shares her views on the death of a friend in The Three Interrelated Ds;  in the poetry section there is the touching Rebirth of the Soul by Patrick O’Brien and read at the end of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s teaching on Holy Island; and lastly, Angus Ogilvy’s well-crafted Four Poems.

The recently submitted articles by Liz Kemp on her visit to Kenya, Art Skills Training Workshop in Kenya and Kumanga Andrahennadi’s  Water:The Essential Spirit of Place, will provide plenty food for thought.

Lastly, Dr Sangita Rajbhandari’s beautiful photographs of Flowers of Nepal.

Reviews on film and literature and especially any photographs you would like to submit are welcome.

And don’t forget to JOIN THE MAILING LIST  if not already on it for updates.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy time wherever you are.

P & L

Dear friends and readers of Many Roads

I am happy to take on the task of editing Many Roads and look forward to receiving posts from contributors.   The articles and poetry published in past editions  have all been welcome and I look forward to receiving writing in the less-used categories of  Music and Photography as well as Fictional Writing.

Finding the writer in you is a bit like being mindful of the potential to express one’s experiences in the best communicative way.  This could be through any of the media mentioned above.  And I will welcome submissions on a wide variety of subjects. 

Now we need contributions from you.  This is easily done by sending an email to manyroads@bodhicharya.org along with any  photos; and a brief updated bio-data would also be appreciated which can be attached to the email.  Please post your submissions by July 31. 2013.

Lastly, a big thank you to Margaret Ford for her work in past publications.

Wishing you all well in your endeavours

Albert Harris

For Bodhicharya, Many Roads

Dear Friends in Bodhicharya

 This is my last editorial for Many Roads. I did try to give something a little different in my last attempt at an emagazine and in all the posts etc under the umbrella of Many Roads.  I hope it was of some help and interest to some of you at least.  But I realize now that maybe it is no longer needed.

 So, this is my goodbye to you all and Bodhicharya. My last link has gone.  It has been good to know you all.  I really mean that.

 Love and hugs.

   Margaret F  x

As promised last month, I’m very happy to be able to publish another issue of Bodhicharya’s Many Roads.  With many thanks to the contributors; Albert Harris, Vicki Mc Kenna and Shelagh Gardiner who kindly share their work here. 

Albert tells us about his recent trip to Singapore in An Interview  with Johnny Ho.  Vicki, a regular contributor, gives us advice on Living in a Technological World.  And I hope you will find my take on Twitter, Tweet your Heart Out, of some interest.  Lastly, Shelagh, who has been involved in a number of editing projects with Ringu Tulku over the years, has sent us her beautiful poem, Teahouse Blossom.

Please do send me any articles, poems, reviews, photos or anything you would like to share with the Bodhicharya Sangha. You can leave comments at the end of each article or send them to me and they will be posted in our next issue. 

All contributions and comments to: manyroads@bodhicharya.org

With very best wishes,

Margaret Ford

For Bodhicharya’s Many Roads

Hello Dear Friends,

Hoping you are all well.  It has been nearly ten months since I last wrote anything for Bodhicharya’s emagazine, Many Roads. I have been ill most of this time and now am happy to report that the condition is in remission. So, for now, I enjoy life again.  A number of people have told me that they miss the emagazine and I am happy to revive it again if that is what others want. But I need your help. I need contributions from people who want to share how they feel about life and Dharma. I need to hear from people who think they can say something that will help others, or just want to start a conversation.  If your first language isn’t English there is no need to feel left out as we have translators and editors who will be happy to work with you. So, are you ready to take Many Roads on its next journey and to bring us together?

If so, please email me with any contributions to manyroads@bodhicharya.org.  If you have any questions about how you can contribute please email me and I’ll be happy to answer anything you have to ask!

wishing you all best wishes and love,

Margaret Ford

For Many Roads and Bodhicharya

As I type this, I can see the golden leaves shimmering in the bright Autumn sunshine in my garden.   It is a beautiful time of the year and one I’ve always loved.  So, maybe it’s fitting that it’s during this season of so many changes that I’ve decided to take a break from the work I do for Ringu Tulku and Bodhicharya.  It’s mainly due to continuing ill health but also because I believe that there comes a time in one’s life when you know that you have to move on and do something different. And it’s that time for me now. After many years of working for RTR and Bodhicharya; I’m taking a year ‘out’ but I have no plans. I will take life as it comes.  So, this will be the last issue of Many Roads, for a while, but it’s a great issue.

As usual, we have another article from my dear friend and our regular contributor, Vicki McKenna. Vicki writes here about  A Capsizing World and what we can do to help us ‘maintain a sense of order and harmony’ in our changing world.   Also, another great interview by Jet Mort ,who this time speaks to Lama Tsultrim of Bodhicharya France. 

Many of you will have seen recently a post in the Bodhicharya web site about the retreat with Rinpoche in Sikkim this December.   Last year, there was a similar retreat in Sikkim in October/November, also organised by Erika van Greunen from South Africa.  Mary Heneghan, one of Rinpoche’s students from Oxford, England, attended that retreat and  Mary’s very personal account of her time in Sikkim can be found at Vajrasattva Retreat with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche at Bodhicharya Retreat Centre.

I am very happy to include more of the poetry that has already been posted in the Writers and Poets Community of the Bodhicharya Communities Website.  Firstly,  Ani Tsering Paldron’s very beautiful poem, The Unbearable Love Poem (Manjushri’s Song).  Next, Ani Karma Tsultrim shares her poem written while she was receiving treatment for cancer, Bring Sickness onto the Path.   Mustapha Zaidi shares too his Dharma inspired poem Leaf and Anne H was equally generous in allowing us to publish here Out of My Mind, Unique Falling.  

And, I would like to end here with something very special.  Last week, Mary Heneghan (of the Sikkim retreat above) sent me some inspiring words written by her daughter, Katie, aged eight.  I was so touched by Katie’s Rules that I wanted to include them in this last issue.  Of course I have Katie and her mum’s permission.  I especially like Katie’s first rule;   ‘If you drop anything or go off course, you must go back to the beginning’.  Maybe that is what I’m doing?   

With many grateful thanks to all the contributors to this issue and all previous issues of Many Roads. It has been a pleasure working with you all and so very nice to share this space with you here.

I would like to wish you all the very best of health and happiness whatever you do and wherever you are.  

Love,

Margaret Ford

For Many Roads

As the lazy days of August gradually fade, I am very happy to send you a slightly ‘thinner’, but none the less, an entertaining issue of Many Roads.

Our regular contributor, Vicki McKenna gives us some food for thought in her article, Letting go of Being Right. This is a topic close to my heart because, of course, I always think I’m right!  And, this month, I’m taking the  opportunity to write about something else very close to my heart; Kindness.  Very often I find myself wondering, why can’t we just be a bit kinder to each other? Let me know what you think.

Once again, we have a surfeit of beautiful poems.  Firstly, Madeline Schreiber shares her very recent poem in praise of HH Karmapa: Nomad Dharma King. Then, David Gardner makes me smile with his poem House of Meringue. And Colin Moore, whom you will remember from last month’s issue and his article Sustainable Living, this time shares a poem Awake in the Dark.    

As many of you will know, Bodhicharya has set up a new  network of communities at http://bodhicharya.intouch.net which includes a community for writers and poets. So, I am very pleased to include three poems here that have previously been posted on the Writers and Poets Community.  We have;  Devotion by Isabel Rodrigues and two Haiku by Tharlam Gyamtso and Minna Stenroos.

I hope you will find some things of interest in August’s issue of Many Roads and I would like to thank all our contributors this month.  I would also be very grateful for any articles or poems or anything you would like to share for forthcoming issues.

Please email me your contributions to manyroads@bodhicharya.org

With all best wishes,

Margaret Ford

Bodhicharya’s Many Roads.

I am very happy to send you all the July issue of Bodhicharya’s Many Roads.   There are so many great pieces this month and it is a bumper ‘poetic’ issue!

We have another article from our regular contributor, Vicki McKenna. Vicki reflects on All the Time in the World and how we can change our perception of time.  Next, an article from Colin Moore which I know will interest many of you. It is Sustainable Living and Colin explores ‘ how Buddhist teachings can shed light on the various ecological and social disasters looming ahead, and how they might aid our responses to them.’

The first of our poems is from Shelagh Gardiner and is a beautiful poignant study of impermanence in Passing.  Then, a very clever poem from David Gardner called May the Jewel of Compassion arise in the Lotus of your Heart. In Snapshots from Journey to Sikkim by Marion Knight, Marion shares with us two of her very lovely poems written during and following a retreat at the Bodhicharya Meditation Centre in Sikkim.

In our Reviews section, Vicki Mc Kenna returns to review Gesar Mukpo’s documentary film Tulku. If you have also seen the film, your comments would be welcome.  My favourite part was actually the extended interview with Dzongsar Rinpoche in the ‘extras’.

So, July is almost gone.  It has been a strange month, overshadowed of course by the tragedy in Norway.  But, I wish you all the very best for the coming month and I hope to be able to share more articles and poems and whatever contributions I might receive at the end of August.  So please do keep sending them to me at manyroads@bodhicharya.org

With many thanks to all the contributors this time.  Also, thanks to Minna for her technical help and to Jack Ford for patiently helping his mother with the layout of the Sikkim poems.

Now, enjoy!

Margaret Ford

For Many Roads

As we roll into the Summer months the days are longer and, even in Scotland, we are enjoying some (very occasional) sunny days.  Now is the time to feel good to be alive! But, if you are not feeling so happy then Vicki McKenna’s article on Happiness will be just what you need.   Also, if you have time to look at those lovely clear skies, then you may be interested in my ramblings about how I deal with some of the biggest changes in my life in  Sky-Watcher.

We are very rich in poetry in this issue; firstly, another great poem from Madeline Schreiber titled Quartz.  Then, Maribel González shares with us a poem she dedicated to Ringu Tulku, A Poem for Rinpoche.  Rinpoche enjoyed it so much he asked her to send it to Many Roads.  And Lastly, an amazing poem from Nepal, The Beggar by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, which has been translated by Albert Harris from the original Nepali.

I hope to continue to publish more of your articles etc over the coming months, so please keep sending them to me at manyroads@bodhicharya.org   With grateful thanks to all those who contributed this time.

Enjoy!

Margaret Ford

Many Roads

This last month has brought some significant changes in my life.  Not only have I taken early retirement from my job in the civil service but my two sons, both in their mid-twenties, have also moved out of the family home into their own place.

If I’m completely honest, leaving my paid work after 30 years in an office environment has been more of a relief and one I don’t regret.  Sure, the work was ‘okay’ and the regular salary was nice, but the freedom of not being tied to a (flexi) nine to five existence is really great.  My sons leaving home has been another matter.  I’ve been a mother for nearly 38 years (I have an older daughter who left home about 15 years ago) and I guess my main focus has always been about caring for them; feeding, cleaning, clearing up after them.  So, now there are no ‘children’ I begin to wonder, ‘what do I do now?’  And before you all shout that Dharma practice is about accepting change , I can only say that I know, I know, but…………………….. Maybe I’ll write more about big changes in another issue.

And of course I have more time for Many Roads and this Spring issue is  bursting full again of brilliant articles, poems and art.  Vicki McKenna, who has agreed to be a regular contributor (thanks Vicki!), shares again some of her down to earth wisdom in Get Yourself Connected.  Dirk de Klerk has sent us a very beautiful and moving piece about his friend Jean Paira Pemberton in The Enjoyment of Sound and Anne Vosse has written a fascinating article about teaching  BEING happy in her school in Germany.

I am really pleased to include an image of a beautiful painting by Andrew McConnach and I’m including details of his web site so you can see more of his work.  And, two great poems; firstly, another poem Electronic Consorts, from Madeline Schreiber who is fast becoming my favourite poet.  Also,  Broken Heart Poem from Heidi Trondsen from Oslo.

With many thanks to all our contributors.  Thanks also to Jet for her help and support with this issue.

Please do keep sending me your articles, thoughts, comments, poems, painting, photos and anything you want to share.  Please send to manyroads@bodhicharya.org

Wishing you all well.  

Enjoy

Margaret Ford

Many Roads

l

In April’s issue of Many Roads we have the third and final part of Annie Dibble’s Sikkim Conference Report.  The first and second parts are still available to read if you have missed our previous issues.

We also have an enchanting article by Annette Tamuly Jung   about the ‘Oasis of Long Life’,  an innovative Dharma venture in the centre of France. This is a place of peaceful residence for elderly Buddhist practitioners that has received the blessings of many, including our own Ringu Tulku Rinpoche.  If, like me, you are of a certain age you will be very interested in this.  

Pat Little shares with us her delight in a BBC programme about tigers in Bhutan, in the Lost Land of the Tiger.  I do hope they will show the programme again as Pat made me want to know more about these magnificent creatures.

And finally, a beautiful poem, Lifetimes, by Madeline Schreiber from Novia Scotia in Canada.

With many thanks to all the contributors.

I really need your articles, poems, reviews and musings, so please continue to send them to me. While Rinpoche is now into his Spring teaching tour, it would be great to hear about your experiences of attending the teachings and meeting up with other practitioners.  All photos will be gratefully received.

Please email at manyroads@bodhicharya.org  

Now, put your feet up, relax and enjoy!

Margaret Ford

For Many Roads

I’m a little late with this issue of the magazine but it’s worth waiting for!  Here you will find a photo diary of Rinpoche’s time in Thailand in February. It’s full of beautiful photographs and details of the many varied places and people who hosted Rinpoche while he was there.  Thanks to Andy Lowe for sharing with us.

Also, the second part of Annie Dibble’s Sikkim Conference Report.  Part three will follow soon.

And lastly, we have poetry from  Shelagh Gardiner and Tim Barrow.  

In a week when there has been such sad news from Japan, let’s open our hearts and be grateful for all and who we have.

Enjoy!

Margaret Ford 

For Many Roads

Please keep sending me your contributions for the Many Roads Magazine to manyroads@bodhicharya.org

I have two more great articles for you. 

Annie Dibble was fortunate enough to be in Gangtok in December 2010 during the International Conference on Science, Spirituality and Education which was attended by HH Dalai Lama, as well as many other respected Lamas and specialists in the field of education and science.  Annie will send us her report from the conference in three parts. 

Please go to the International Conference on Science, Spirituality and Education for the first part. The other two parts will follow soon.

Vicki McKenna has been has been practising acupuncture in Scotland for more than twenty five years and is the author of “A Balanced Way of Living; Practical and Holistic Strategies for Coping with Post Polio Syndrome”.  Vicki shares with us her joy in swimming, in water and in life, in her article The Trick is to Keep Swimming!  If you are stressed and need some tips about how to relax, you will love this article. And if you just like swimming, you will love it too.

Please keep sending me your articles, poems etc.  I will be posting as many as I can over the coming weeks.

Please email with your contributions and any views you have about the new format of the magazine to manyroads@bodhicharya.org

Take care.

Margaret Ford

Bodhicharya’s Many Roads

First of all, I would like to thank you all for your best wishes and comments following the first issue of Many Roads. I think most people found something of interest there. Unfortunately, due to pressure of work, I’ve been unable to give as much time as I would have liked to the magazine and I’m sorry about that.

However, I’m delighted to say that I’ve received a number of enlightening, moving and thought provoking pieces for the magazine and I hope you will all continue to keep sending them in to me.  But, following advice from Rinpoche, I’ve decided to change the way we present Many Roads and instead of a one- off magazine a few times a year, we will from now on post different articles etc on an on-going regular basis. Perhaps one or two articles a week.  This way, you can read and digest articles as they are posted and still be able to go back and read over your favourites.  Let’s see how this develops.

To start this off, I am very happy to share with you all one of the best articles I have read about quantum physics and Buddhist thoughts on the nature of reality. It is by Graham Smetham, who has written a book about this subject called: Quantum Buddhism – Dancing in Emptiness. This article introduces the ideas presented in Graham’s book and  Ringu Tulku was so impressed by the article that he encouraged me to make it available to everyone as soon as possible.

With many thanks to Graham for kindly sharing with us. 

Please click on ‘Quantum Emptiness – The Quantum Illusion-like Nature of Reality’  by Graham Smetham.  As usual, you are welcome to leave your comments.

Please continue to send me your articles, poems, thoughts and comments for Many Roads to manyroads@bodhicharya.org

With many thanks to Minna and Paul for their technical help!

Margaret Ford

Welcome to the first issue of Many Roads, the Bodhicharya ‘blogazine’!

In this first bumper issue in ‘articles’  we start off with Jet Mort’s interview with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche at the recent Bodhicharya summer camp. With many thanks to Jet and of course RTR for giving his time so generously.  Following on, we have Annie Dibble’s beautiful and life affirming piece about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Northern Ireland in 2007.  Margaret Richardson then shares her enchanting story about how she came to help ‘Lucky’ in Nepal.  Marita Faaberg also shares with us her thoughts on modern spirituality in Dreaming Our World.  Then, the very wonderful and inspiring story of a spiritual journey over many decades and Denise Nélis explains ‘Why Buddhism’ and exactly why she became a Buddhist officially at the age of 82!  Most of you won’t be surprised to know that meeting up with a certain RTR had a lot to do with that.

But we haven’t finished yet, oh no, still lots more! We then have Vicki McKenna who tells us just why mindfulness and contentment have become her practice.  Then the first of our regular contributions from Laurent Nottale who starts off by explaining why he is attracted to Buddhism as a scientist.  The following  Happiness article came about when, as the editor of this first issue, I took the opportunity of exploring my favourite subject, happiness, and I sent a set of questions to a number of Sangha members about their experiences and thoughts on the subject.  Their very personal replies are included in full here. Following on, Rinchen, who is now a RTR monk and who used to be a Zen monk, tells us just how that came about.  Then, a very brave story of breaking free from Blue Butterfly, who is a young Asian woman who was born and brought up in the UK and how she has found inner freedom.

In ‘Reviews’ we have Cesare Saguato’s reflections on Rinpoche’s teachings in London this Spring and Annie Dibble’s thoughts on  Pico Iyer’s 2008 book ‘ The Global Journey of the 14^th Dalai Lama.  We finish off in our Arts section with some  amazing photos and art from our US cousins (with thanks to Jackie Roemer in Oklahoma for sending these to us).  And finally some poetry;  just because I like poetry.

I have been very touched and rather overwhelmed by the generosity of all the contributors to this first issue of Many Roads and I thank them all very much. Please take your time and enjoy all they have shared here.  Please do  comment, we really want to hear from you, whether about the idea of the magazine  generally  or  the individual articles.  We also need your contributions for our next issue;  please  share a little of yourself.  You can add your comments at the end of each article or send your views and/or articles or questions direct to me at manyroads@bodhicharya.org We are looking forward to hearing from you.

With many thanks to the Many Roads team, Jet Mort, Claire Trueman, Minna Stenroos and Rachel Moffit.  Special thanks to Jet for her enthusiasm and energy and support for this project.  And to Minna, my patient ‘techno’ friend and genius who input most of the photos in the magazine.  Also, with great appreciation, our thanks to Paul O’Connor for his invaluable help in setting us up on-line and making it all look so beautiful.

Now, just enjoy.

Margaret Ford

For Many Roads at Bodhicharya.

Deadline for the next issue of Many Roads is 30 January 2011