Retreat opportunity for teachers

Recently, Mr Sangay Tenzin, a teacher with Lhomon Education (LME) took part in a short retreat program coinciding with the Chotrhul Dawa.

He said, “It was an exciting three days journey where I got time to meditate, contemplate, and observe my mind. It was a strict full-day practice from 6 am to 9 pm. The practice included were tara practice, smoke offering, meditation and recitation of seven-line prayers.”

The retreat was offered as a part of teacher development training to allow individuals to cultivate and develop the innate quality of our minds, using our own wisdom tools such as meditation, recitation, and visualization in a solitary environment.

For us, developing innate qualities is about cultivating kindness and compassion as a basic foundation for a teacher’s transformation, as Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche has pointed out “The most important quality of a teacher is kindness. Teaching should not be treated as a job. It is a big responsibility; you are actually responsible for somebody’s life.”

Thread Art

Tashi Wangmo, a student of Phuntshothang school, Bangtar who took part in our basic embroidery training at Selmothang came up with this beautiful art of His Majesty the King.

Sutra Resounding

Thanks to all the youth and other participants who joined us in reading aloud the sutra “The Good Eon”/བསྐལ་པ་བཟང་པོ།. Reading the words of the Buddha aloud is said to benefit oneself and all those who can hear them.

What are the benefits of a Resounding? (From 84000 website)

- It allows one the time and space to really engage and familiarize oneself with a new text, and similarly, holds the potential to pique one’s interest in reading further.

- It may also provide more understanding and insight into the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings.

- Strengthening the imprint of Dharma in one’s mind while avoiding less wholesome forms of distraction.

- Planting the seeds of Dharma in all those who hear your voice resounding these wisdom words.

- Accumulation of merit attained by participating in a group Dharma activity and in reading the words of the Buddha with the right motivation.

Mind and Wakefulness Talk

A fact we can’t deny, we all have minds. It is possible that by investing time and energy, we will be able to cultivate our minds. The Mind is undeniably powerful and the most important entity to pay attention to.

Here, we are joined by Lopon Pema Longdrol of Chokyi Gyatso Institute - Dewathang to talk about how to cultivate our minds with the local community people of Dewathang.

In collaboration with Chokyi Gyatso Institute

Seven-Line Prayer! New Year Resolution with Local People

Chotrul Duchen (Great day of Miraculous Manifestations) is an auspicious period for us to engage ourselves in various positive actions.

Thus, to join our teacher, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s New Year resolution and to garner a multi-merit and devotion, some 100 local people from Dewathang gathered virtually to receive oral transmission (lung) and instruction from Khenchen Sonam Tashi to begin chanting the seven-line prayer. We will maintain a record of chants.

If anyone wishes to join us, you are welcome!

Excerpt from Rinpoche’s New Year Resolution

“My new year’s resolution is to chant the seven-line prayer 1,000 times every day. I should add that I may not necessarily chant all 1,000 in one sitting or in a formal session (sitting with a straight back and so on). I may, for example, chant during conversations I have with other people, or as I browse the shelves in shopping malls, or as I surf the internet, watch YouTube videos, or catch the latest episode of an intriguing television series. To some of you, I know, this approach will sound a little scandalous — it is not the perfect way of accumulating prayers. But in this day and age, if someone like me can isolate my mouth for long enough to chant just one seven-line prayer, it can only be considered a very worthwhile activity. And it’s definitely better than doing nothing. So if any of you feel you would like to make a similar resolution, please join me.” – DJK Rinpoche

Celebrating the Losar!

Thank you to all the participants, particularly the youth, who joined us today in celebrating the Losar. While there was no feast, we had time for meaningful discussion to reflect on the qualities of Tiger–Water Tiger Year (courageous, assertive, generous, resilient, etc.).

As a part of the celebration, we recited the heart sutra and seven-line prayer to invoke blessings and to create auspiciousness as the New Year begins!

You know, we are born really to be kind, generous, elegant, and beautiful not just outwardly, but inwardly. We must pay close attention to these innate human qualities.

Last but not least, we wanted to thank Phelden Yoezer, all the way from Paro, who talked to us about his discovery of the Buddha in his comprehensive presentation.

Losar Tashi Delek!