Download work GentleV AprJune06 - Jamyang Buddhist Centre

the newsletter of Jamyang Buddhist Centre
Buddhist
Centre
April/July 2006
Affiliated with the Foundation
for the Preservation of the
Mahayana Tradition
Nagarjuna, via His Holiness Dalai Lama, goes to France
B
rittany in the summer – sailingskiffs and fruits de mer, berets
and les blagueries – and from the
16-21 July, HH Dalai Lama offering
Nagarjuna’s greatest hits of
emptiness, and an empowerment of
Padmasambhava courtesy of the
revealed treasures of the Fifth Great
Dalai Lama! Doesn’t really get much
better than that, as far as we’re
concerned. Apart from the star
attraction, easy proximity makes a
visit over the water this summer
well-nigh irresistible.
For his first teaching visit to
Brittany, the organisers of the event
– a triumvirate of French Tibetan
centres under the rubric Ocean de
Sagesse – have chosen to
acknowledge HH as one of the
greatest living interpreters of the
Prasangika-Madhyakmika by
focussing on Nagarjuna’s emptiness
teachings. These will come from the
following texts:
● The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way
Chapter 26 (An examination of the
twelve factors of interdependent
arising)
Chapter 18 (An examination of the
self of the person and the self of
phenomena)
Chapter 24 (An examination of the
Four Noble Truths)
● The Commentary on Bodhichitta
● The Jewelled Necklace
Chapter 3 (A brief exposition on the
causes of enlightenment).
A particular feature of the
Mahayana Great Vehicle, as we
know, is the teaching on emptiness.
These teachings are grouped
together in a collection of
scriptures known as The Perfection
of Wisdom sutras. Nagarjuna, a
Bodhisattva of great wisdom, who
received and understood these
teachings, expounded them in a
series of treatises, the most
important of which is the
Mulamadhyamaka-karika. The
twenty-sixth chapter of this text,
which His Holiness will expound,
deals with the twelve factors of
interdependent arising, whereby
beings are bound inescapably in
the cycle of existence, and in
which the first of the twelve
factors is ignorance. And it is in
order to remove ignorance that
Nagarjuna goes deeper into an
explanation of what ignorance is—
the ignorance of grasping or
attachment, beginning with egoclinging, which makes us think that
we are more important than
others. Nagarjuna’s exposition
becomes increasingly subtle,
exploring the condition of egoattachment and the ignorance that
is its basis, the ground from which
all grasping comes. All this
constitutes the analysis of the
“personal self” and the
“phenomenal self”.
Nagarjuna also explains the
Continued on page 2
HH Dalai Lama
For more information about His Holiness in Rennes - please see www.dalailama-rennes2006.fr
For more information about His Holiness in Belgium (May 2006)- please see www.dalailama-belguim2006.org
gentlevoice
Jamyang
Buddhist Centre
Jamyang Buddhist Centre is a
member of the Foundation for
the Preservation of the
Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).
FPMT transmits the Mahayana
Buddhist tradition and values
worldwide through Tibetan
Buddhist teachings, meditation,
community service, Buddhist
retreat centres, and projects that
preserve the tradition. FPMT is
based on the Gelugpa Buddhist
tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa
of Tibet as taught by our
founder, the late Lama Thubten
Yeshe and spiritual director, Lama
Zopa Rinpoche. Lama Yeshe’s
reincarnation is Tenzin Osel
Rinpoche.
Resident Teacher
Geshe Tashi Tsering
Director
Diana Carroll
Office hours:
10am-6pm
Monday to Wednesday and
Friday
House Manager
Mathew Harkinson
Office Hours 10am - 6pm
Tuesday - Friday
Office Worker
Kerry Prest
Office Hours 10am – 6pm
Wednesday – Friday
Education Manager
Gordon McDougal
Office Hours 9.30am-5.30pm
Monday – Thursday
Bookshop opening hours
2-6pm and 9-9.30pm
Monday – Friday.
Manager Dave Benn
Gentle Voice is edited by Kerry Prest and
designed by Richard Blaney.
Buddhist Centre
The Old Courthouse, 43 Renfrew Rd,
London SE11 4NA. Tel: 020 7820 8787
2
Nagarjuna, via His Holiness Dalai Lama, goes to France
Continued on page 2
Four Noble Truths, the first of
which is the Truth of
Suffering. In order to be free
from suffering, it is first
necessary to identify its
origin, the truth of the Cause
of Suffering. The practice
that removes the cause of
suffering is the truth of the
Path and this results in the
truth of the Cessation of
Suffering. Central to path
that leads away from
suffering, is Bodhichitta,
sometimes called the Mind or
Attitude of Enlightenment.
One could even say that
without Bodhichitta it is
impossible to find and follow
the path and to have the
ability to liberate oneself and
others from suffering.
Regarding the Jewelled
Necklace, His Holiness will
teach on the chapter dealing
with the causes of
Enlightenment, and here, one
of the main causes is, once
again, Bodhichitta, the Mind
of Enlightenment.
Padmasambhava
Empowerment
On the morning of Friday 21
July 2006, His Holiness will
bestow an empowerment of
Padmasambhava taken from
the “Quintessential Collection
of Inner Accomplishment”,
according to the secret
teachings of the Fifth Dalai
Lama. From the historical
point of view,
Padmasambhava was a
Buddhist master from the
ancient country of Oddiyana
(now the Swat valley in
Afghanistan) who brought
Buddhism to Tibet in the
eighth century, where he
taught extensively on the
Vajrayana, the adamantine
vehicle of Secret Mantra. We
can also understand the
appearance of
Padmasambhava in this world
as foretold by the Buddha
Shakyamuni himself,
who declared that he
would be a
manifestation of
himself. Revered in
Tibet as the Second
Buddha,
Padmasambhava is
considered the
embodiment of all
enlightened beings of
the past, present and
future. He created a
situation in Tibet
thanks to which the
three vehicles of
Buddhism, especially
the Vajrayana, were
HH Dalai Lama
preserved intact for
centuries. It is thanks also to
be given by His Holiness this
Padmasambhava that there
summer in Rennes.
exists the tradition of hidden
In this age of spiritual
spiritual treasures called
decadence, to receive an
termas. Although it is present
initiation of Padmasambhava
in other schools of Buddhism,
is a source of great blessing,
the tradition of treasure
which will help to remove
teachings is a particular
personal sufferings such as all
feature of the Nyingma, or
kinds of frustration, sickness
Ancient Translation School of
and so on. On the outer level
Tibetan Buddhism, where it
too, it will help to pacify wars
provides one of the main
and conflicts, epidemics,
sources of study and
famines and the other ills
meditative practice.
that afflict the world. To
Gyalwa Ngawang Losang
practise the treasure
Gyatso, the fifth Dalai Lama
teachings and simply recite
(1617-1682), often referred to
the mantra is considered to
simply as “the Great Fifth” on
be a powerful way of
account of his spiritual,
removing obstacles so that
political and cultural
one may progress rapidly on
influence in the history of
the spiritual path. This
Tibet, was himself a revealer
initiation is open to everyone
of spiritual treasures hidden
and may be received simply
by Padmasambhava. Identified
as a blessing.
in certain prophecies as the
So, take your beret, grab a
manifestation of the
baguette, your cushion, a
enlightened activity of the
friend and an open heart and
King Trisong Detsen himself,
soak up some rays of blessing
the fifth Dalai Lama enjoyed
in Rennes this summer. With
profound spiritual experiences
this combination of causes
from his earliest childhood,
and conditions, don’t be
and he beheld
surprised to see Nagarjuna
Padmasambhava in numerous
himself wandering around,
visions, in the course of which
delighted at these 21st
he received a many teaching
centuries manifestations, and
transmissions, one of which
not least His Holiness’
was the Quintessential
immaculate transmission of
Collection of Inner
the age-old Way.
Accomplishment, which is to
Martin Kovan
gentlevoice
Gyudmed Khensur Rinpoche to
visit Jamyang in the Autumn
We have just heard that
Gyudmed Khensur
Rinpoche will be able to
visit Jamyang London (and
Leeds) around late
September and early
October this year. He has
already agreed to give
commentary on the Lama
Choepa practice for
strengthening the close
connections with our
teachers and to give the
initiation of the great
compassion Avalokitesvara
Khensur Rinpoche
and a commentary on how
to practice that deity. The
programme for Leeds has
yet to be fixed but is likely
to be a weekend. We will
send out further details
when the exact programme
becomes more certain.
Please make sure that you
have about 3 or 4 days
holiday saved so that you
can attend these teachings
from a very inspiring
practitioner.
In the meantime, Mike
Murray is once again
looking for people who
would be willing to join a
small group of sponsors to
help make the event
happen
Events like these cost
around £14,000 to run and
cannot take place unless
sponsors come forward. So
if you can sponsor £2,000,
£1,000 or £500 or anything
above or in between please
contact Mike at the Centre
or leave a message for him
with the Jamyang Office.
Very many thanks.
Mike Murray
Talking Buddhism update
The site is now up and running, and
appearing in its first incarnation. The
address is www.talkingbuddhism.com
The site is still in the early stages, but
we hope to make available all of
Jamyang's teachings in the coming
months.. Many thanks to Jan, Martin
and Simon who are making all this happen!
Items for wish list
If you are able to donate any of the following items to
Jamyang, new or old (but working!) please email
[email protected].
■ Digital Camera
■ Toaster
■ Vacume Cleaner (for Gompa)
■ Calculator (x2)
You are invited to
Jamyang Community
Day on: Saturday 13
May 11am—5pm
Jamyang Community Day is an annual gathering for all the
Jamyang community (that means you!) to come together and
share what’s happening at the centre and how we want it to
develop. This year we are focusing especially on the courses that
we offer in our dharma programme. We will present you with
our new ideas and please bring yours.
This is also an opportunity to socialise and meet people and
we will share a lovely vegetarian lunch.
Geshe Tashi wrote about Community Day in his column in the
last e-edition of Gentle Voice. As some of you may not yet be
signed up for our egroup (do it now!) we are repeating this
extract here:
“The second point I want to say in this article is about the
programme here at Jamyang. The Tuesday and Wednesday
classes that I do at Jamyang, relatively, are going OK as is the
Lamrim Chenmo course. But I would like to see some new
courses, new in terms of new ideas and new ways of presenting
the Dharma and although I have great support from people like
Mike Murray and others to do these activities, it would be good
if other people can give their support or suggestions.
Particularly for example when we have the community day
where there is the opportunity to share your knowledge, your
experience your wishes about what the centre can do. In my case
this is presenting the Dharma to the public and how to reach the
public in that way. Quite often I meet people saying “I have been
around here a long time, but I hadn’t realised until a few weeks
ago there is a centre very close to me” and also “I went to India
and I saw in Dharmasala this centre, but actually I live very close
to this centre”. So there are people who are not getting the
information about existence of the programme of the centre. So
people who would really like to help give Dharma and the
teachings to the wider London community, if you have some
suggestions, or some support about how to do that, it would be
very helpful to share this at the community day. What I’m saying
is that we need to spread Dharma to the wider community. That
doesn’t mean to make more Buddhists, but as people who come
to the Tuesday and Wednesday class will know, my main talk is
really based on the general Buddhist teachings which will help
people learn to be kind, gentle, how to be compassionate, have
more knowledge, more understanding and tolerance. That was
really the main theme behind these classes, although I chose
different topics and different texts, that was the main theme. So
in that sense it will be good to try to reach the bigger
audience/more people. So I’m asking in that way for your
support for the centre. “
3
gentlevoice
Comings and goings
Sitting in the bookshop like the fool on the hill while trying to stay perfectly
still I see dedicated people come and go through the process of working for all
sentient beings behind the scene in Jamyang. Our work programme scheme is a
drive to give people a chance to work behind the scenes here while learning
how to act in a Dharma environment.
Though most people who come to visit us only see them as the person who
takes your donation for the teachings their work is very demanding
Mathew Harkinson started work as
because besides this public face of Jamyang the work programme’s day
Jamyang’s new Centre Manager on 27
is of constant change. Changing the Tara room from an
February 2006 — just in time for Losar.
area set up for workshops for social workers training and
He was first introduced to the FMPT in
other groups that hire the space. Then daily this has
Bon voyage Roisin who is flying to India
October 2003 when he decided to have
to be taken down and reset for evening yoga or chi
to go to Tushita Daramasala to get the
a break from London and went
kung classes and again this has to be remade in time
Losar teachings from His Holiness the
travelling in India for six months, where
for the next workshop the following day. The centre
Dalai Lama then go into a Vajrasattva
he met Venerable Namgyel who runs a
is in activity from 8-30am to 10.00pm. The resilience
retreat, before extending her knowledge
centre in Goa. He spent a wonderful
and adaptability of the work programme to put on
of dharma while staying in India and
three months, doing yoga, meditation
a happy face is commendable. The clouds come and
drinking many cups of chai. Roisin left
and learning about the lam rim, before
go, the sun rises and sets while time passes. Those
in December after succeeding in the
heading to Dharamsala for the annual
workers who have been here but have moved on to
unenviable task of being Jamyang’s
public teachings
other opportunities are: Aija Skrastina - a keep fit
house manager. Besides utilising her
with His Holiness
Dakini from Latvia who besides being a bundle of
time being mother to the work
the Dalai Lama and
fun would go for a long jogging session every
programme - those people on their
stayed at Tushita.
morning. Sumana Lai – a Malaysian who left our
three month stay in the centre without
He was then
cold climate and headed back to the sun of her
whom we couldn’t function, she
offered the chance
native country. Alejandra Echeverri from Chile – who
developed a restructuring of the data
to work as an
brought a level headed but rejoicing attitude to the
base and created a file of tasks to run
organic gardener at
running of Jamyang and now is back in her country
the centre when she wasn’t here. This is
the Milerapa Centre in Vermont for the
of origin. David John from San Francisco USA - after
one of the most important areas of
spring and summer of 2004, where he
picking the olive crop for Insituto Lama Tsong Khapa
thought in
met John Feuille, who is well known to
in Italy brought a touch of Monty Python wacky
Buddhism,
Jamyang and Nalanda. He inspired him
humour to Jamyang. David now is working
“We wake up
on further, as Mathew went on a
reconstructing New Orleans after the devastation of
each morning
month retreat with Lama Zopa
Hurricane Katrina. Debbie Fisher - an English woman
not knowing if
Rinpoche at the Lama Tsong Khapa
who now lives in Toronto but decided to get the
our death shall
Institute in Italy. He briefly returned to
warmth of an English winter after the cold of
occur this
London but wasn’t ready to settle, so he
Canada. As we moaned about the freezing
day”and to
popped over to Nalanda in France, to
temperature she told me that the temperature in
have a centre that can’t function due to
scrape the mud plaster off the floors of
Toronto was minus 10 C. “Winging Poms” or
the fact that a member has passed on,
the new building for a few weeks.
“Moaning Minnies” who knows but I guess that it is
not leaving notes for a hand over, which
He eventually came back to earth
all relative.
doesn’t help those left here having to
and London in January 2005 and
Work programme members in other areas of
cope with not knowing what work they
started working as the web editor for
Jamyang who have moved on were Thomas
have to accomplish, on top of the
Nature magazine, a Macmillan scientific
Kreisel who did the job of kitchen yogi, it is said
grieving for a colleague now dead. The
journal. He did this for 14 months and
that an army marches on its stomach, with food
work that goes on behind the scenes in
he will continue to work for them on a
prepared by Thomas along with Yolanda, Jamyang
Jamyang is essential to the fulfilment of
freelance basis, as he’s only working
obviously could march for a long distance. Helping
the dream of Lama Yeshe and Lama
Tuesday to Friday at the centre. He is
in the office during the difficult period after Rosin
Zopa.We wish Roisin all the best in her
also busy doing a part-time MA in
had moved on and before our new house manager
new endeavour while we sing the old
Creative Writing (Novels), which he
Mathew Harkinson had been selected, Martin Kovan
wartime song of Vera Lynn on her
expects to complete in September 2007.
ably stepped into the breach answering the phone
departure “We’ll meet again, don’t know
He heard about the vacancy, just
with one hand while tapping a rhythm on the
where don’t know when, but I know
before Christmas, when he went to
keyboard of the computer in glorious syncopation to
we’ll meet again some sunny day” On
Bodhgaya to do a 5-day retreat with
the general hub of activity in the office. At the
that note we move into the present and
Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
moment Martin is thinking of walking through
welcome Mathew Harkinson who has
Spain living in Monasteries while contemplating the
become the replacement for Roisin.
theme for a book he is planning.
Dave Benn
Dave Benn.
Hello
Mathew...
...Goodbye
Roisin
4
gentlevoice
Introduction to
Buddhism weekend
Stupa at Kopan Monastery, Nepal
Dying well: the
next generation
As you may know, a few years
ago Jamyang set up the Tara
Hospice Service and successfully
trained a group of volunteers to
become befrienders of people at
the end of their lives. The
training was excellent and several
very committed volunteers did
help people at this difficult time.
But, because of our inexperience,
we were unable to provide the
back-up and referral system
necessary and Tara, sadly, ceased
to function.
However, the trustees have
always had the intention to
restart the service in some form
when the time became right.
Geshe Tashi has stated that he
would like us to proceed very
gently and carefully and let our
support for the sick and dying
grow organically. He has also
suggested that we repeat the
Dying Well weekends on a
regular basis to be lead by others
as well as by Robin and myself. It
seems like a good idea to bring
these two pieces of advice
together and to include a session
of brain-storming in our next
Dying Well weekend.
- How should we support the sick
and dying?
- Should it be for the general
public?
- or for our own community in
the first instance?
- Should we develop a funeral
service?
- How about a group of
volunteers willing to be
contacted to sit with/talk
to those who are frightened?
- or perhaps need help with their
practice as they near death?
What are your ideas? Please
think about how you would like
Jamyang to develop in these
areas and if you have any ideas,
or if you don’t but are interested,
please come along on 27th/28th
May. We will also cover similar
ground to the previous Dying
Well weekend with talks about
spiritual and practical help for the
dying, meditation and discussion.
We hope to see you then.
Sue Aldam
by Ana Aguirre
The Introduction to Buddhism weekend led by Geshe
Tashi at the beginning of February was certainly a
wonderful way of enjoying a weekend. During two
afternoons Geshe-la gave us an overview of the main
points of Buddhist thought and practice, a practical
summary that was both concise and profound.
Personally I wanted to attend because Geshe-la´s
teachings are always an inspiration for me. However, I
must confess that, although I am still a beginner in
Buddhism, I also thought that this might be too
introductory for me. I am very happy to say that I was
completely mistaken.
On several occasions the discussions on the
Buddhist view of existence and impermanence
reached levels where we felt we could not follow
Geshela´s arguments. However, he always managed to
skilfully turn the discussion and explain his points in a
practical way
that we could
all understand
and learn how
to apply in our
daily lives. As
always, he did
so in his
humble,
practical and
kind way.
Geshe-la also
explained that,
in Buddhism, we
cultivate ethics,
concentration
and wisdom in
Geshe Tashi
order to attain
happiness. He
explained what they mean in Buddhism, why they are
important and how they are practiced and cultivated.
As a beginner I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the
vastness of the Buddhist teachings. Geshe-la´s
overview of Buddhism was extremely useful for me
since it gave me the perspective to understand and
keep in mind the most fundamental aspects of
Buddhist thought and practice.
During our lively coffee breaks I learnt that a few
more people had also gone thinking that this might
be too introductory for them. They had also realised
their mistake and, just as I did, were learning a lot
and enjoying it a lot too, so a very positive
atmosphere was created. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank Geshe-la and all the people who
attended this course for a wonderful and productive
weekend.
5
gentlevoice
Basic Buddhist Practices
PHOTO: RICHARD BLANEY
VISUALISATION MEDITATION
Part Two. Edited from a course given by Geshe Tashi at Jamyang London January 2005
6
The second part of a daily
meditation practice, after the
motivation, is the actual
meditation, starting with a
visualisation of some kind. The first
stage is to bring the mind into a
calm and concentrated state,
called single-pointed
concentration, I can’t
overemphasise the benefits of
doing this regularly.
After checking our posture is
good, you focus for a while on the
body, being aware of where it
touches cushion or clothes and so
on, and of the heart beating and
blood flowing and so on. Then you
bring the focus on the breath, thus
narrowing the area of
concentration of the mind.
Generally this will be the sensation
of the air at our nostrils as we
inhale and exhale. Try to do this
part of the meditation for about
ten to fifteen minutes. I won’t
describe this in detail, but you can
learn about this at any of the
meditation sessions at Buddhist
centres, or from books such as
How to Meditate by Kathleen
McDonald.
What is common in Tibetan
Buddhism after this stage is to do
a visualisation meditation. You can
visualise anything, but of course it
is much more useful to visualise
something positive and so create
positive imprints on your mindstream. Concentrating singlepointedly on the image of a block
of chocolate probably won’t get
you to enlightenment but will
undoubtedly help the profits at
your local sweet shop! In
Buddhism the most positive image
we can think of is of course
Shakyamuni Buddha, so this is
what I’ll use as our visualisation.
Although we use the term
visualisation it is in fact a mental
image created in our minds.
Having said that, at the very early
stages a visual image can help.
Studying photo of a Buddha
image or a statue before the
session will help with the
visualisation.
Using the single-pointed mind
you have developed from the
breathing meditation, you now
slowly start to imagine the
Buddha in front of you, facing
you. The height is quite
important; too high and it’s
difficult to concentrate because
the mind gets scattered, too low
leads to drowsiness. It’s said that
the best height of the
visualisation is about level with
your eyebrows and the best
distance is between one and a
half and two metres in front of
you. The image should be a
comfortable size; too big and you
will be overwhelmed, too small
and you won’t be able to fit in
the details. Traditionally the texts
suggest about a foot in height.
At first try to get a good sense
of the shape of the Buddha, the
head, shoulders, body, legs and
the lotus he is sitting on. There is
no real need at this stage to try
to bring any details into this; it’s
just the overall impression—the
blueprint—of the Buddha. If you
can create a simple but stable
image and let your mind rest on
that image—let it be with the
image—then not only will this be
a good basis for your future
visualisations but there are two
other bonuses - it will also bring
both stability and clarity.
Breathing meditation and other
such single-pointed meditations
might bring stability but they
don’t have the ability to bring
clarity, so this is a huge
advantage of visualisation
meditation over single-pointed
meditation.
When you are happy with
your simple “blueprint” Buddha,
you can start to elaborate, taking
different features and making
them clear and sharp in your
mind. Try to visualise his hands as
they are, with the left hand in
the mudra (gesture) of
concentration, resting in his lap
and holding a begging bowl filled
with nectar, and his right hand
resting on his right knee with the
fingers reaching down and
touching the base. This is called
the “earth-touching mudra” and
represents the fact that the
Buddha’s realisations are
grounded in reality.
From that add more details,
his body with the robes folded as
they look in the picture you have
used as a model, his head with its
blue-black hair in tight curls and
the crown protrusion, his long,
beautiful eyes and extended ears,
and so on. It is important to build
this image up slowly, over
months if necessary, and not to
rush it.
To bring further strength to
the mind, it’s good to see how
important the Buddha is to us.
Try to contemplate his message
and his teachings, such as the
four noble truths, and what he
meant to this world. The more
you feel that this practice you are
doing is based on the teachings
of the Buddha and that it will
take you all the way to
enlightenment the stronger your
motivation to perfect your
visualisation. The stronger your
conviction that the Buddha is
your route out of suffering, the
better your visualisation.
One thing you should be
doing when you reach this stage
of the visualisation is to really
feel, very strongly, that the
Buddha is there in front of you.
Feel that this visualisation
represents the actual Buddha.
This might seem a bit weird but
it’s part of the process of coming
closer to the Buddha and hence
coming closer to becoming a
buddha yourself. The Buddha’s
energy is all around us, so we are
locking into it by feeling our
visualisation represents this.
Much later you will probably be
doing deity yoga where you
transform yourself into a buddha
in your imagination, in
preparation for that wonderful
time in the distant future when
you actually do it. This is
preparation for all that. We are
loosening our sense of the
ordinary and starting to accept
the extraordinary in this world.
Imagine what it would be like
to do a meditation on the
Buddha and really feel that the
Buddha is sitting there in front of
us! This is what we are leading to,
and even a tiny sense of this is
very powerful and will help
immensely, not only with this
stage of our meditation, but with
the whole spiritual journey of
developing wisdom and
compassion to its fullest degree.
Of course this won’t work if you
blindly follow my advice and just
pretend the Buddha is there. You
need to investigate why this is
powerful and whether this is just
some psychological game or not.
I’ve found that over the years
Western students with very
logical and (from a Tibetan
perspective) narrow scientific
prejudices, do slowly start to
accept things that normal
Western society might think is
weird. It’s not that they’ve found
inescapable proof, but more that
they’ve started to get a feeling
that there is a lot more to the
world than what we see, and the
sharp divide between material
“reality” and the supposedly
superstitious world of religion is
in fact not so sharp at all. And
more importantly, it really helps!
By feeling strongly that where
you visualise the Buddha, the
Buddha actually is, it will not
only develop your visualisation it
will also help you feel you are
doing the practice in the
presence of somebody who is
very important for our spiritual
development.
This is our conceptual mind
doing all this. If you know
anything about the mind, the
perception is what is real while
conception is our imagination
(very roughly, anyway). So the
visualisation is conceptually
created and not real, but the
power of our mind is such that,
when it’s properly developed, we
can feel this thing is real. Of
course if this is some
hallucination that keeps us from
reality, then it’s better not to do
it, but in fact, this is a mental
image that can move us closer
to reality. Our mind feeds us
misinformation all the time and
what we see as reality is
nowhere near it. Here, with this
visualisation of the Buddha
helped in perfect stillness by a
mind in meditation, is a lot
closer to reality than we have
ever been. To enter into deep
intellectual debate about
whether in point of fact there
actually is the Buddha in front
of us is to miss the point
entirely. If we feel there is then
we get the same benefits as if
there were.
7
gentlevoice
The essence of all the ancient religions
“In Buddhism we have very
deep scientific, psychological,
and philosophical explanations.
I am never doubtful that all
people need these but the
point is if they are not
presented in the right
language then it doesn’t work.
By presenting them in the
right way one can understand
the essence of all the ancient
religions without belonging to
any religion.” (Lama Yeshe,
June 1983)
Lama Yeshe, the founder of the
FPMT and the original Spiritual
Director of Jamyang Buddhist
Centre, laid out his inspirational
vision for a new kind of
“universal education” in the last
years before he died. Now, more
than twenty years later, it feels
that the causes and conditions
have ripened to turn that vision
into reality. This is what I have
been working on since I left my
position at Jamyang two years
ago.
An international conference
held just outside London last
October was attended by
various Jamyang students as
well as nearly 100 other people
from 14 different countries
around the world. The
conference launched a new
international organisation
which Lama Zopa, the Honorary
President, has titled “Universal
Compassion and Wisdom for
Peace”. UCWP for short!
UCWP will be the sister
organisation of the FPMT. It
aims to help people everywhere
develop their capacity for
compassion and wisdom – ‘to
be kind and wise’. It will do this
by providing resources and
training courses for people all
around the world who want to
share the essence of Buddhism
in a non-religious form. We are
calling this ‘Essential Education’.
Essential Education is already
being underway in a few
8
Pictured top: The home page of the
UCWP website. Above: The UCWP
inaugural conference last October
(photo: Nicolas Brun).
locations such as Maitreya
Project School in Bodh Gaya
and Tara Redwood School in
California. In the future we
hope it will be made available
to people of all ages in settings
as diverse as office boardrooms,
hospices, prisons and adult
education centres. In our wilder
moments we dream of creating
Essential Education music, video
games, cartoon books and
bestsellers. The sky’s the limit.
“Why forgiveness?” is one of
UCWP’s first projects and is
being managed by Jamyang
student Federica Cardelli.
Federica is a 21 year-old
photography student based in
London. During the coming year
she will be creating a DVD and
workshop programme designed
to help young people
understand and practice
forgiveness in everyday life. She
is looking for people who are
already involved with the
education of young people to
get involved. If this interests
you, please contact her on
[email protected].
If you’d like to join the
UCWP mailing list and receive
regular electronic newsletters
about our activities please
contact [email protected]. We also have a
website on www.essentialeducation.org.
Alison Murdoch
Director, UCWP
● Come and experience the
forgiveness workshop for
yourself at Jamyang, on Friday
9th June at 7:30pm. See
programme for more details."
An Evening with
Geshe Wangchen
IN
1981 a lama – a
Lharampa Geshe from
Drepung – came to the then
Manjushri London centre who
was destined to transform it.
The impact of Geshe
Wangchen’s presence led to the
acquiring in 1983 of a small
semi-detached house in
Above: Geshe Wangchen on the third anniversary
Finsbury Park Road, and the
of his arrival as resident teacher, April 1984
centre acquired a feeling of
permanence. People no longer
felt they had to go to India.
Geshe-la looked about
twenty-five for most of the
time I knew him, although
chronologically he was in his
early fifties. Always beaming,
he created a very special
atmosphere in what in
retrospect appears a
spectacularly small venue. He
was willing to see people for
interviews at very short notice
Geshe Wangchen had the
most incredible knowledge of
English, understanding
different registers with ease.
He was fond of walking in
Finsbury Park. On one
occasion, a somewhat
benighted individual
Above: Geshe Tegchok and
challenged Geshe-la there,
Geshe Wangchen – May 1986
saying ‘Oi you, what are you
doing in a dress?” Geshe-la
replied, “I’m from Scotland”.
in 1987. Since then he has always
Whilst at the Centre, Geshe-la wrote –
been pleased to see Jamyang
in English – his popular work, Awakening
students. A group of us visited him
the Mind of Enlightenment, which
in the re-established Drepung
appeared in 1987. His other English work
monastic complex in Karnataka in
is The Emptiness of Emptiness, a translation
2004. That trip is due to be
of Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara , with
repeated in November this year.
C.W. Huntington, published in 1989. He is
Geshe Wangchen has been
the author of many works in Tibetan. We
appointed by His Holiness the Dalai
hope some of these may be translated in
Lama as the personal tutor to a number of
To celebrate the contribution which
future.
important incarnate lamas in Drepung
Geshe Wangchen has made to Jamyang
Geshe-la taught extensively whilst in
Loseling monastery, including the
we are holding an Evening with Geshe
London, including some of the monastic
reincarnation of the previous Ling
Wangchen on Saturday 17th June at
textbooks such as the Uttaratantra.
Rinpoche the senior tutor to the Dalai
7:30pm. There will be video clips, former
Unfortunately Geshe-la was made ill by
Lama for many years in exile. Geshe la is
students’ stories and more…
the English climate and returned to India
very highly respected in the monastery.
By Richard Pope
9
gentlevoice
EDUCATION
AT JAMYA
Jamyang has
many different
ways and levels to
study the Dharma,
and here are just a few
experiences of those
students involved. Don’t
forget about the chance to have
your say about the education here
at Jamyang on community day
(see page 3).
Foundation of Buddhist Thought
student Katy Writtle, currently
studying Module 1 – The Four Noble
Truths.
Discovering Buddhism student Margaret
Vander, currently studying Module 8 –
Establishing a Daily Practice
“I am currently part-way through my third module
having completed those on Karma and Refuge in the
Three Jewels. The format is to have six weekly evening
sessions of an hour and a half each, followed by a
weekend retreat of either one or two days.
This is an excellent format – an hour and a half is
just about right towards the end of a busy week at
work. The weekend retreats are fantastic (perhaps they
should be called the “weekend treats”!) They give us a
chance to get to know each other better, consolidate
our learning, explore some of the topics in more depth,
and use other materials such as video teachings. At the
retreats we meditate together, learn together, eat
together and – on one memorable occasion – stand
outside in the freezing cold to burn our written
confessions together!
Although I’m only on my third module, I think the
course gives an excellent all-round introduction to some
of the main aspects of Buddhism. This is very useful for
those of us who have a particular interest in one or two
aspects of the teachings, perhaps running the risk of
avoiding others. It gives us some discipline and
encouragement, and a little prod perhaps, to learn
about a range of topics and broaden our horizons.
I have met very few people on the course who are
completely new to Buddhism. The title Discovering
Buddhism still applies though – for me, anyway – not
just because there is always more to discover, but also
because learning more about Buddhism really is like a
voyage of discovery. In fact, I’m already looking
forward to the next leg of the journey … “
10
Discovering Buddhism is
a beginner level course,
which consists of 13
modules and an
integrated practice
module. It can be
studied in two ways, at
an FPMT centre, or by
correspondence.
Jamyang offers the
course on Thursday
evenings at 7:30pm (see
programme for details)
and the FPMT website
has details about the
correspondence course
(see www.fpmt.org).
I first came across this course on the Jamyang
website, the excerpts I read from the course
really appealed to me because it was written in
a way I could understand. There are some text
books suggested that you can buy and they are
written by different authors which I have found
very useful, I think they have been very well
selected because they are quite easy to follow. I
have found the course to be very well
structured, you know exactly what to listen to
and read each week which is very useful as I am
not very disciplined! I haven’t always found the
reading material or the questions easy but the
longer the course goes on and the more I study,
things start to fall into place and it all becomes
easier to understand.
I used to meditate when I felt like it and it is
a challenge for me to get into a daily practice
of meditation, I must try harder because it
really improves how I feel and how I approach
studying. I have really enjoyed the CD’s and
have learnt a lot from them, it seems to have
given me some sort of connection being able to
listen to Geshe Tashi and I feel quite close to
him through the CD’s. Even though it has only
been a few weeks, the course has already
enforced how important the Dharma is in my
life and it keeps me mindful of my actions
throughout the day. It is wonderfully written
for westerners to understand and I am really
enjoying it. I would recommend it to anybody
who wants to deepen their understanding of
Buddha dharma.
NG
Lamrim Chenmo student Estelle Rose,
currently studying Volume 3: great scope:
detailed explanation of emptiness
Foundation of Buddhist Thought student
Joseph Bovard, currently studying Module
6 (last module) – Tantra.
The course gave me a helpful grounding in Buddhism
and helped me understand many important Dharma
concepts. I liked the practical approach of the course
and the way that it related all of the Dharma teachings
to my daily life. That made the Dharma really come
alive for me and it helps me immensely to live the
Dharma on a daily basis. My interactions with the cyber
sangha and with my tutor, Kristina, helped me a great
deal to express my questions, doubts, ideas and I gained
a lot of confidence through these interactions. Being
required to write the exams and the essays and to
answer discussion questions on a regular basis helped
me to clarify key areas of the teachings in my mind so I
could write about them. I benefited tremendously from
the course and I would highly recommend it to anyone
interested in furthering their spiritual practise.
FBT CAMPUS STUDENTS 2003
The Foundation of Buddhist Thought was kindly and
inspiringly put together by Jamyang’s resident
teacher, Geshe Tashi Tsering. It is an intermediate
level course, which consists of 6 modules taking two
years to complete. It was offered as a Campus Course
(and hopefully will be again in the future) but is
currently only available as a correspondence course.
The modules covered are Four Noble Truths, Two
Truths, Buddhist Psychology, Bodhicitta, Emptiness
and Tantra. The correspondence course consists of CD
teachings, course books, meditations, online
discussion groups, short essays and questions. For
more information please visit
www.buddhistthought.org
When I completed the Foundation of Buddhist Thought
Course with Geshe Tashi a couple of years ago, I planned
to do the next course that Geshe-la made available.
Studying with Geshe-la changed my life by encouraging
me to discipline what I had thought of as my intuitive
mind. Geshe-la is a precious person and we are so lucky
to have the opportunity to study with him. His skill in
making Tibetan Buddhist Teachings
accessible to beginners as well as
The Lamrim Chenmo
advanced students allows each person to
course is taught by
understand as much as he or she is able
Geshe
Tashi Tsering,
and to progress at their own pace.
and
follows the
The Lamrim Chenmo Course is based
Lamrim
text composed
on the first complete English Translation
by
Lama
Tsong Khapa.
of ‘The Great Treatise of the Stages of
This
is
an
advanced
the Path to Enlightenment’ written in
level
study
programme,
Tibetan in 1402 by Lama Tsong Khapa,
offered as a campus
and it is only just available here. His
course
at Jamyang for
work was inspired by ‘ Lamp on the Path
current
students only.
to Enlightenment’ written by Atisha who
Hopefully
this will be
came from India to teach in Tibet in the
offered
as a
early 11th Century.
correspondence
course
As Robert Thurman says in his
in
the
near
future.
Foreword ‘The stages run from… The
preciousness of human embodiment
endowed with liberty and opportunity, the
immediacy of death, evolutionary causality and
pervasive suffering of unenlightened living, into themes
that open the heart….finally transcendent wisdom.’
We have the opportunity to study this text in depth
with Geshe-la over 18 months.
Each month we read some chapters for homework,
and on the weekend of the course Geshe-la goes
through each chapter and discusses some points which
he feels are especially significant. As he speaks I realise I
may have understood one tiny bit of the depth of
meaning there is in each chapter, and what Geshe-la has
clarified is only a small part of what there is to be
understood if he had the time to explain it all.
When we split into groups for discussion it is great to
get the chance to explore the questions with fellow
students and get to know them better. Personally, when
I try to explain what I have understood I realise again
how weak is my reasoning.
The structure of the course encourages us not only to
learn the theory of Buddhism but to put it into practice
with daily meditation and discussion with peers. As
Geshe-la said ‘It is not just a technical explanation - it is
important to understand ourselves.’
Thank you to all who made this experience possible.
11
gentlevoice
Bookshop News
by Dave Benn
Times passes and slowly, slowly
money accumulates in the
donation box in the bookshop
that is dedicated to obtain new
books for the library. Recently I
managed to get my good friend
Jamyang librarian Richard Pope
to aid me in choosing a few
new books to grace our library
shelves, to aid all beings along
the path of self-development
and enlightenment. We
obtained books more in a
category that may have been
overlooked in the general
donations of books given to us
for the library, used books from
member’s bookshelves. Now
that they are no longer in use
they go onto our shelves or if
duplicated on the library shelves
either get given to other centres
for there library shelves or they
end up on the shelves of
Brixton Prison. The books we
bought are, “Nagarjuna in
context” historical investigation
of Nagarjuna, “Ornament of
Stainless Light” the translation
of a commentary on the
Vimalaprabha or Stainless light,
which is a commentary on the
Kalachakra Tantra. “Tibetan
Renaissance” by R.
Davidson, this a historical
investigation into the
movement of Mahayana
12
Buddhism to Tibet from India in
the translator phase from the
9th century onwards. “Ordinary
mind”; by Barry Magid a book
about Zen and psychoanalysis
that covers such questions as “Is
meditation an escape from or a
solution to our psychological
problem. Is the use of
antidepressants counter to
spiritual practice” “Svatantrika –
Prasangika Distinction” is a
series of essays on this subject.
“Steps on the path Vol (1)” by
Geshe Sopa this is the huge
work done by Geshe
Sopa over the last few
years explaining in
detail the Lam Rim
Chenmo. We hope to
have volume two of
this work on the
shelf very soon this
goes in depth into
the subject of
Karma. “Mind
training” by Thubten
Jimpa is another in
the series of
essential books spearheaded by
Buddhist topic. “Tantric Ethics”
an initiative by His Holiness the
by Je Tsong Khapa translated by
Dalai Lama to bring important
Gareth Sparham this is all you
teachings from the vast
need to read to be able to
literature of Tibet and make this
implement your Tantric vows.
available to
the world in
general. This
is an
important
book and is
the acme of
explanation
to this
essential
Join the Jamyang e-group for breaking news on
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