Teachers visiting Jamyang
Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin-
Born in Tibet in 1934, Rinpoche was ordained
as a monk at the age of seven and entered Sera Je monastery when he was
seventeen. Rinpoche was awarded a Geshe Lharampa degree and later served as the
abbot of Gyume Tantric College, relocated in Hunsur, India. He primarily
resides in Sera Je Monastery in Bylakuppe, India where he teaches many students
preparing for their geshe degrees including young tulkus (recognized
incarnations).
Because of Khensur Rinpoche’s renown as a great scholar in the systems
of both sutra and tantra, he is called upon to teach in many places in
North America,
Europe, and Asia. He is a highly respected teacher and meditation
master.
In Geshe Tashi's words: "There are many
important reasons to bring these teachings from this great teacher this year.
Just recently on a visit to India I saw Khensur Rinpoche and I requested him to
give us a time for people to come to these teachings. So although it is
not very much part of Tibetan culture to schedule for many months earlier, very
kindly he understood my request and said 'Yes I will come in September and
start the teachings'. So therefore, both you and the people you know, your
friends, the spiritual connections in the past and present, let everyone know
this great opportunity is going to come."
Request for sponsors for Khensur Rinpoche’s visit
The costs of running such events in
London are high. We estimate on this occasion it will be around £8,500. We would like to offer the Lamrim teachings
for free, as well as sponsor places for nuns and monks to attend all the
teachings, while keeping the suggested donation low.
We are looking for sponsors. If you offer
£500 this will enable us to offer 3 free sangha places plus lunches for them.
If you can be a sponsor please indicate this when you apply. Thank
you.
Teachings on the Gradual Path to Enlightenment
Monday 7, Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 of September, 7.00pm- 9.00pm
Voluntary donation
The structured meditations of the ‘Gradual Path’ meditation system are
accessible to all and are a profound method for freeing ourselves from
unhelpful repetitive patterns of thinking and behaving and for turning the mind
from selfishness to altruism. Everybody of any level is welcome to these
teachings.
Heruka 5 Deities and Vajrayogini Initiation
and Commentary
(See dates below)
Vajrayogini is a fully
enlightened female Buddha. Her practice belongs to the mother tantras of
the highest yoga tantras. Her practice is simple, profound, powerful and highly
beneficial bringing results in this very lifetime as well as in the future.
"The Vajrayogini yoga method is extremely
powerful. It is just what we need in these degenerate times, with our delusions
running rampant and our minds grasping at concretized sense pleasures.
Therefore, a method such as this, which has the wisdom to transform delusions,
is of the utmost need, especially as it has the profound property of becoming
more powerful as delusions become stronger." --Lama Thubten Yeshe
In order to take the Vajrayogini initiation
you must attend both Heruka days. In order to take the Heruka initiation
you must attend the preparation day. There will definitely be a
commitment to recite the six session guru yoga every day and maybe short
mantras and short sadhanas. Please check our website or call Jamyang's office for
further details.
Heruka & Vajrayogini Initiation:
Friday 11th ,7 - 9pm Heruka
Preparation
Saturday 12th, 2 - 7pm Heruka Initiation
Sunday 13th, 2 - 7pm Vajrayogini Initiation Suggested Donation: £60
Commentary:
Thursday 17th, 11am- 7pm (includes lunch)
Friday 18th, 11am- 7pm (includes
lunch)
Saturday 19th, 11am- 7pm (includes lunch)
Sunday 20th, 11am- 7pm (includes lunch)
Suggested Donation: £80
Please note that this
is an advanced teaching and is only for those willing to take on the
commitments of the practice. You can check with your teacher for suitability.
 Sangye Khadro will be teaching at Jamyang on Friday 25th
and Saturday 26th of September.
Kathleen
McDonald was born in California in 1952, and took her first courses in Buddhism
in Dharamsala, India in 1973. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in Kopan
Monastery, Nepal, in 1974. She has studied Buddhism with various teachers such
as Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Thubten Yeshe, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe
Ngawang Dhargyey and Geshe Jampa Tegchog, and in various countries such as
India, Nepal, England, France, and Australia.
At the request of her teachers Ven Sangye
Khadro began teaching in 1979, while living in England, and since then has
taught in many countries around the world, most recently at Amitabha Buddhist
Centre in Singapore, for 11 years. In 1988 Sangye Khadro took the full
ordination or Gelongma vows. Her book, How
to Meditate, is a best
selling book of Wisdom Publications now in its 14th printing.
Applying the wisdom of dependent arising in our daily life
Friday 25th 7.30pm- 9.00pm (£10)
Saturday 26th 10am - 5pm (£45 including lunch)
Suggested Donation: £55 including lunch.
Dependent-arising
is one of the most important teachings in Buddhism. It is known as the “king of
reasons” for realizing emptiness, the true nature of all things, and the
realization of emptiness in turn enables us to become free from the ignorance
that is the root cause of all our problems and suffering. Understanding
dependent-arising is thus essential for the attainment of real freedom and
enlightenment.
But an understanding of
dependent-arising is also very useful and practical in our every-day lives. It
is not a complex philosophical doctrine that requires years of study to
comprehend; it simply means that nothing exists independently: that whatever
exists is dependent on other things. Everything is dependent, and
interdependent. Remembering it can help us to remain more calm in the face of
problems, both external and internal; it is an effective method for working on
disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, depression, fear, and jealousy;
and it can also help us to increase our positive mental states, such as
loving-kindness, compassion, patience, generosity, and so on. Therefore,
mindfulness of dependent-arising in our daily life enables us to have greater
peace and happiness, and less suffering.
In this course, Ven. Sangye Khadro
will explain the various levels of dependent-arising, as well as methods for
applying it in our daily life. The course will include talks, guided
meditations, and discussion, and is suitable for both new and advanced
students.
back to top ^
Robert Beer-
Robert
Beer has studied and practised Tibetan thangka painting for the last
thirty-seven years. One of the first Westerners to become actively involved in
this art form, he initially studied for a period of five years in India and Nepal with several of the finest
artists living at that time.
Over
the last fifteen years he has concentrated more on writing about the deities
than depicting them, and researching the historical and cultural context in
which they arose. His line drawings and paintings have appeared in several
hundred books, and he is the author of The Encylopedia of Tibetan Symbols
and Motifs, and more recently, The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols.
At
present he is working on an illustrated book about the modern Newar art
movement of the Kathmandu
Valley, a unique
tradition with its own extensive pantheon of Hindu and Buddhist deities. He
lives in Oxford.
Symbolism of Yamantaka and VajrayoginiSaturday 17th October
2pm-8.30pm
Suggested Donation:
£35 including a meal.
Drawing from his vast experience, Robert Beer
will lead a series of Saturday workshops at Jamyang, explaining the imagery and
symbolism of the Vajrayana path.
An opportunity not to be missed by students who are tantric practitioners
or are interested in Buddhist art and iconography.
back to top ^
Andy Weber is one of the world’s leading
artists specializing in Tibetan Buddhist art. He spent seven years living
and studying the iconographical art of Tibetan Buddhism under the guidance of
accomplished masters in India and Nepal. His unique style of authentic images
for visualization are highly respected, not only by the growing number of
Western Buddhists but also by Tibetan Lamas of all traditions, many of whom
have commissioned his work.
His thangka paintings (Tibetan scroll
paintings) can be seen in Buddhist centres and temples throughout the world,
including the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, and his images have become well
known and popular through numerous publications.
He conducts art classes all over the world,
and we are delighted he is a regular teacher at Jamyang.
Vajrayogini art workshop: Deity and Mandala
November and December 2009
Suggested Donation: to be confirmed
Following Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tenzin's Vajrayogini initiation, Andy Weber
will be leading this workshop on the female deity Vajrayogini. More information will be
available closer to the time.
For drawing please bring:
1. A3
(29cm x 42cm - 11.5 ” x 16.5 “) drawing paper – 2 sheets
or larger sizes for
large drawings.
2.
Mechanical pencils (0.5mm or 0.3 mm) with HB
lead or ordinary pencils
HB, 2B, F and a pencil sharpener
3.
Eraser or putty
4.
Long ruler (60cm - 24”)
5.Compass for drawing circles
6.Tracing paper
7.
Masking tape to attach paper to drawing board
8. Drawing board. One can obtain a cheap drawing
board by buying pre-cut MDF ( medium density fibre) or marine
plywood (10 mm – 3/8 “ thickness). Any size larger than the paper,
e.g. 18” x 24”.
Alan Wallace-
 Alan Wallace will be leading a Shamata retreat at Jamyang from the 10th to the 16th of December 2009.
Alan Wallace, a
scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and
meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a
Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an
undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College
and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford. in the US.
From 1995-1997, he was a Visiting Scholar in the departments of religious
studies and psychology at Stanford University.During this time, he and his wife, Dr. Vesna A. Wallace, produced a new
translation from the Sanskrit and Tibetan of the classic text A Guide to the
Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Snow Lion, 1997).
From 1997-2001, Alan Wallace taught
in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, where he held classes on Tibetan Buddhist studies and the interface
between science and religion. His most recent academic books are Hidden Dimensions: The Unification of Physics and Consciousness (Columbia University Press, 2008), Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge (Columbia University Press, 2007),The Taboo of
Subjectivity: Toward a New Science of Consciousness (Oxford University
Press, 2000) and Buddhism and Science: Breaking New Ground (Columbia
University Press, 2003), and his latest popular book is Buddhism with an
Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind-Training (Snow Lion 2001). After
leaving University of California Santa Barbara in June 2001, he spent six months in a solitary contemplative
retreat in the high desert of California. He now lives in Santa Barbara, where
he is the president and founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness
Studies. He teaches Buddhist philosophy and meditation throughout Europe and
North America. You can read more about Alan Wallace at his website: http://alanwallace.org With his unique
background, Alan brings deep experience and applied skills to the challenge of
integrating traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with the modern world. The Way of Shamatha: Soothing the Body, Settling the Mind, and Illuminating
Awareness: Theory and practice for developing different methods of meditative
quiescence
10th - 16th of December
Suggested donation: Full
Retreat (living in) £360
(living out) £320
Accommodation
and other practical advice if this is your first retreat at Jamyang here!
During this retreat we will explore in theory
and practice a range of methods for developing meditative quiescence, or
shamatha. We will begin with the practice of mindfulness of the breathing as
taught by the Buddha, which is an especially effective approach to soothing the
body and calming the discursive mind. This will be taught in three phases: (1)
mindfulness of the sensations of the respiration throughout the body, with a
primary emphasis on relaxation; (2) mindfulness of the sensations of the breath
at the abdomen for inducing stability of attention; and (3) mindfulness of the
sensations of the breath at the apertures of the nostrils for simultaneously
cultivating relaxation, stability, and vividness of attention.
We will then explore an approach to shamatha
called “settling the mind in its natural state,” as taught by the
nineteenth-century Dzogchen master Lerab Lingpa in his commentary to the “Heart
Essence of Vimalamitra.” This entails observing the space of its mind and
whatever mental events arise within that field of experience, so this practice
enhances the faculties of attention and metacognition.
Finally we will engage in the practice
of “shamatha without signs” as taught by Padmasambhava in his classic terma
“Natural Liberation.” This practice of cultivating mindfulness of awareness
itself is widely regarded as the deepest method for achieving shamatha.
Although this subtle practice is taught explicitly as a means of achieving
shamatha, Padmasambhava comments that it may even result in a realization of
rigpa, or pristine awareness.
The achievement of shamatha is widely regarded
in the Buddhist tradition as an indispensable foundation for the cultivation of
contemplative insight (vipashyana), and this retreat is designed to provide
students with a sufficient theoretical understanding and a
basis in experience
to enable them to proceed effectively toward this extraordinary state of mental
and physical balance.
Recommended reading for the retreat:
B. ALAN WALLACE, "THE ATTENTION
REVOLUTION: UNLOCKING THE POWER OF THE FOCUSED MIND."
B. ALAN WALLACE, "GENUINE
HAPPINESS: MEDITATION AS THE PATH TO FULFILLMENT."
B. ALAN
WALLACE, “Mind in the Balance:
Meditation in Science, Buddhism, and Christianity” (Columbia Series in Science and Religion). You can watch an
interview on You Tube by following this link (http://www.youtube.com/user/sbics) Please book in advance. Please let us know if you can provide accomodation for students coming from outside London as we have limited "living in" space at Jamyang. Thank you.
back to top ^ |
