A Wish Fulfilled

Lama Shé-zér & I just returned from a week-long Ling Gésar retreat with Lama Bar-ché and Lama Mé-sèl at Talli Fageräng, outside Helsinki, Finland.  To date the Gésar retreats have focussed primarily on martial arts and the physical yogas, so it was a delight to help bring a different aspect of this gTérma into being.  After the formal dinner at the conclusion of the retreat, all the guests remarked what a fine occasion it was, in terms of ambience, cuisine and conversation.

Neither the Natural Dignity dining nor the Dance would have been possible of course without the hostess' entirely excellent serving staff, who performed sterling work in the kitchen and at table.

Amongst the many wonderful things we experienced on this retreat was the fact that it showed what will be possible when Drala Jong is established.  The wonderful Maria Mäkinen as well as her families - both relatives and the extended vajra family of apprentices - have created an amazing space for practice.

This is the first place since our experience of pilgrimage to Boudha that has felt naturally imbued with an atmosphere completely supportive to practice.  It was a real honor to be part of the first teachings in the Gompa that Maria has built.  This was especially the case because in doing so we in some small way have been able to help the Father Lineage Gésar gTérma come into being. 

Included within the shrine area is a Raven, who used to visit Lama Bar-ché in retreat on the land, but who recently passed away, and the Raven's family continue to nest in the forest.  If felt like we were under the watchful eye of the lineage, and of the extended vajra families of yogic practitioners everywhere whilst we taught.

To honor the passing of this fine fellow, The Raven was performed at the fire-side celebration on the first weekend of the retreat.  During the celebration we were fortunate enough to witness the sun conjuring rainbow light into the cloud-filled sky.

Indeed the whole retreat had the atmosphere of celebration.  Our son Tomas had his first ever riding lesson, and it seemed apt that the Icelandic Pony upon which he rode was a family favourite - and one of the oldest of the herd - who name was Osku, which means 'A Wish Fulfilled'.

Talli Fageräng really demonstrates the joy that can be created by fulfilling the wishes of others in making such a space available for practice.  Drala Jong will feel the same, when we finally fufill the wishes of Kyabjé Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche and Jomo Samphel, and bring it into being.

Help us do that today, by sending a credit or debit card donation via Paypal to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com.

Green Man Marathon Update - Don't Panic - Mirek is Fine!

First of all, and most importantly, I want to start by letting the readership know that Mirek is perfectly fine in spite of the travails and tribulations of the Green Man Marathon which supporters and friends of the Drala Jong Retreat Centre Appeal walked (slipped, slid, tumbled and almost swam) on Saturday.

The walk started well, with the Vanguard heading from Blaise and linking up with the main body of walkers coming down off Dundry Hill. 

Sky Larks were playing over the heads of the wheat fields, and spirits were high. . .

. . .although after a while the Gaveller was starting to look pensive, perhaps due to his weather sense kicking in. . .

. . . and then, it came. . .

Of course the benefit of a day that saw wind and stillness, rain and bright sunshine, thick black clouds, and clear blue sky (and an occasion that is supporting the vision of Kyabjé Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche), is that a rainbow was inevitable.

The final leg is where 'Uncle Mirek' nearly came unstuck, and started at the Compton Inn.  Here the advance party of Drowang, Thrinlé, Shé-zér, 'ö-Dzin, Mirek, Isa, and A-gyür were joined by Namgyal, Libby and the four children (Raechel, Tom, Milan and Jana) for the final 3.7 mile section - all seen on their way by Khandro Déchen, for whom a knee injury had alas sidelined her from being able to take direct part in the walk itself.

It turned out that following weeks of heavy rain, and a downpour during the penultimate section of the walk, the final leg had somewhat treacherous footing.  Fortunately however the six inch deep mud cushioned the various impacts that happening during the home stretch.

Two of the team of walkers did take major tumbles during the 22.5 mile 'Moon-wise' secton of the Green Man course, which follows the Bristol Community Forest Path around the City.  A-gyür took the first dip in the murk, shortly followed by Isabelle.  Despite this, fortunately 'Uncle Mirek' survived his nasty brush with death (aka a mud-soaked Isa) without a scratch upon him.

Various records were set during the walk (albeit none of them relating to the pace of travel), including most biten by horseflies (Thinlé - 5) most times having a shoe sucked off her feet (Jana - 3), most times teased about not wanting to get even a spot of mud on him, whilst his wife was virtually swimming through the murk & mire (Mirek - 547) and most times staring down a charging Bullock that seemed intent on attacking the walkers from behind (again Mirek - 1).  Also Drowang (The Gaveller of the Honorable Order of Woodwoses) has officially declared that this was the muddiest excursion ever for a Green Man event.

All who participated enjoyed the event immensely, and are thinking of walking the other half of the 45 mile route next year.  Well, nearly all. . .

. . . and in addition to the mud, they are all now proudly sporting a Drala Jong Appeal wristband (send £2 + £1 P&P to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com for yours. . .)

Having been introduced by Drowang, run by Rin'dzin (the Mad-as-a-Snake Khandro) last year for Aro Ling, and now walked by sangha, friends and family this year, the Green Man (now renamed by those who walked it the 'Green Man, Brown Woman' walk looks set to be a sangha fixture

With about half the donations for the event declared, we're delighted to advise that so far £488 has been pledged to the appeal. 

If you still want to make a contribution you are of course most welcome to do so, by sending a credit or debit card payment via paypal to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com

My profound thanks to all who took part, Lama 'ö-Dzin who took the photos, all who came along to support, all who couldn't attend but have pledged their petrol money to the appeal, to those who donated, or who just wished they'd been there to see Mirek jump a full 12 feet in the air when Isa approached him covered in mud.

Here's to brilliant blue skies, and the swift establishment of the Drala Jong Retreat Centre, and the enactment of Kyabjé Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche's vision.



Green Man Challenge

On Saturday June 30th - fifteen apprentices and friends of the Aro Tradition will be undertaking the Green Man Challenge as a sponsored walk to raise funds for the Drala Jong Appeal.

The Green Man Challenge follows the 45 mile course of the Community Forest Path around the city of Bristol.

We will be undertaking the challenge as a relay team with people undertaking legs of between 4 and 22 miles each depending on their age and ability. Two hardy souls - Naljorma Thrin-lé and Drowang Pawo have both committed to completing half the walk each - 22 miles, and our younger participants Tomas (age 5) and Raechel (age 9) have committed to walk 4 miles each.

If you would like to sponsor our team effort you can do so via Paypal or for other methods please get in touch. 

Just 5 pence per mile for Thrin-lé & Drowang's efforts would make all the difference.  Send your £2.20 donation to sncd.treasurer@gmail.com via www.paypal.co.uk and if you are a UK income tax payer include your name, house number and post code marking it 'Gift Aid' and we'll claim 55p tax relief on your donation.

 Now we're just hoping it won't rain. . .

Fundraising 101 - part 2 - Little and Often

Now okay, 101 part 2 is probably 103 (think about it) but I hope you'll forgive my mathematical meshuggenations after our little discussion about 101.

Let us proceed. 

Raising money is much like eating an elephant - a subject with which Tantrikas should be intimately familiar.  Having first established that you don't have to work as hard as you originally thought (based on the - don't do more than you have to principle) despite the joys of the tax break, you're still confronted with a mighty target.  When approaching the Drala Jong project I had not the slightest experience of raising funds (unless you count bob-a-job week - the first time round in the early 1980s).  At first I thought we had to raise the whole £500,000 in one hit. 

And I was wrong wrong wrong.  The most important thing about being wrong, is recognising that you're wrong.  In most circumstances everyone will see it pretty quickly, so you can always ask the opinion of others. . .

. . . anyway, I digress.  The best way to raise a large sum of money, is to start.  Why?  Well, because if you wait for a big donor to come along you'll be waiting a long time.  Like many things in life, it's better to pitch for little, and often.  As a Management Consultant colleague once advised me (stay awake, this bit will be over quickly) 'Waiting is not an activity. . .'

If you're not used to fund raising, you should start small - simply because if you set achievable goals you set yourself up in a pattern of succeeding.  Once you've got some success under your belt you can go for something grander.  And remember, nothing sucks seeds like a parrot. . .

So, here are some simple suggestions you might like to consider

1) Sell your old junk

- two donors have been selling unwanted CDs and DVDs on Amazon and e-bay, and raised £170 in 6 months
- in a variant on this, another volunteer has gather together other people's unwanted stuff, and sold it on e-bay on their behalf, raising £240

2) Sell your skills

- table top, garage and street-front sales of home grown plants and home made cakes have raised £500 in the last few months
- you could even donate the prize money from your successes in a local horticultural show, if you fancy it

3) Go without something that you won't really miss

- one supporter is putting 1/3rd of their restaurant tips towards the appeal
- one supporter is going without their daily Starbucks hit, and putting the money aside in a jar for the project

don't go too far unless you're pretty confident of the outcome

4) And there are always sponsored events (although again set yourself an achievable target)

I'd welcome hearing of other fundraising ideas that people have put to good effect, and we can flag them here for others to learn from - not just for this project, but for any charitable cause that folk wish to support.

If you've enjoyed this post, why not donateto the appeal, by sending a Paypal donation to

sncd.treasurer@gmail.com

The one thousand nine hundred dagger wielding ngakpas

This is a post that has been floating around for a few months, whilst I've been waiting for a good time to pop it up.  Now the title has got the better of me, and I can't keep it back any longer.  Enjoy!

Recently had a remarkable day at the ARHC/SOAS conference on 'Unity & Diversity: Monastic and Non-monastic Traditions in Amdo', where the conveners were kind enough to let myself and Lama 'ö-Dzin attend as observers.  The material from the conference will be published presently through an academic publishing house and before rolling on I should make it completely clear that although I have received academic training I make no pretence at presenting an academic assessment of the proceedings here.  I am simply so inspired to hear of the sheer number and range of Nyingma and Bon ngakpas and ngakmas in Amdo that I'm moved to write about it.  More specifically, there are some lessons about the form and function of the 'community of ngakpas' (or ngak mang) that touch on what we're doing with Aro Ling and with the Drala Jong project.

One of the conveners & speakers was Professor Geoffrey Samuel (above) who wrote Civilized Shamans.  This is a book which for me when I was a new young apprentice back in the 1990s closed the door on the vajra-Muppet's I'd encountered early doors in my practice career.  Back then there were westerners who suggested that there was no such thing as the go-kar chang-lo'i de and Ngak'chang Rinpoche had 'made up' the ideas that the ngakpa style of practice had ever been widespread.  Indeed some challenged the very existence of this style of practice, suggesting if it had ever existed at all it was 'reserved only for High Lamas'.  Now nearly 20 years have passed and so much more is known - such that today the conference was presented with 5 very different papers each of which illustrated different aspects of the ngakpa tradition.  In fact some of the early critics have even taken ngakpa vows in the intervening time (vajra-muppetry duly recanted - good show chaps - no hard feelings, we all make mistakes). 

Well, the conference certainly laid flowers at the gravestone of the idea that being a ngakpa was somehow a fiction, a thing of the past, or something distant and unobtainable to mere mortals.  In Repkong in fact there something in the order of 2,000 ngakpas practising today from the Nyingma and Bon traditions (perhaps 80% Nyingma), and in the wider Amdo region this figure increases to around 3,500.  In Repkong itself between 5% and 10% of the male population are ngakpas, and the number of ngakmas whilst much smaller is growing at a pace.  I say much smaller, but the conference recognised that in fact ngakmas are much harder to spot than ngakpas, with neither party overtly displaying the white skirt of the tradition and thus only being identifiable by their hair (which women wear long anyway) and their presence as major rituals (which tend to be male dominated affairs).

The reasons as to why there should be so many ngakpas in this area seem many and varied, and there was not a single core view as to how this came to be the case.  What is certain is that the vajrayana house holding style of practice had been present in the region for some centuries before monasticism arrived (which it did circa the 16th century).  A number of small assemblies of ngakpas are noted from 12th century onwards, including in the 12th century when Rig'dzin Dorje established the 100 tantrists of Zho'ong, and the 14th century where Drupchen Dorje Tsering (1325-1403) established the 30 'Ja' mo Tantrists in 'Ja' mo village.  The key spark for the huge spread and also survival of ngakpas in the area is attributed to Rig'dzin Palden Tashi (1688-1743) who was deeply troubled by the politically motivated massacres by Mongols that reached as deep into Tibet as Lhasa. 

Although trained at Drepung He ceased to be a Gelug monk instead taking ngakpa vows at Mindroling.  He organised the somewhat disparate Nyingma ngakpas of the region, enlarging structures, merging some traditions and encouraging new lineages where he could.  This organisational force was cemented in a 15 day ceremony where he started giving out wooden phurbas to ngakpa attendees.  By the end of the ceremony he had given out 1,900 - so the first major large scale establishment in the area was the '1,900 phurba wielding ngakpas' (phur-thog gos'dkar' lcang-lo-can) also called the 'Community of many yogis' (sngags-mang).  The name ngakmang survives to modernity, most recently embodied by the excellent ngakmang institute, which strives to support this style of practice in Repkong today.

In modernity there are several overlapping structures which seem to knit the Repkong ngakpas together in a variety of different ways, and some of these structures seem entirely applicable in terms of Drala Jong, Aro Ling, and the evolution of go-kar chang-lo practice in the west.

Many of the ngakpas practice as part of a family lineage, and fullfil a local social role in their village and immediate surroundings.  They often assemble and practice in a local village ngak khang.  Their external ritual practice here tends to be focused on the needs of local people, and their personal focus is often on a local yidam or protector and on their family lineage.  Larger gompas also exist, both with their own contingent of ngakpas and ngakmas and also as centres which draw practitioners from the surrounding areas to events specific to that gompa, or the lineage to which the gompa is affiliated.  There are 6 major gompas, 3 older ones on the 'shady' side of the valley which are associated with Mindroling, and 3 newer ones on the 'sunny' side of the valley associated with the Longchen Nyingthig tradition.  Major events also occur throughout the year, some of which are specific to a single gompa, and others which cycle through different major locations in the region.  There is a strong reflection here of the model which we hope to create in the Aro gTér, where Drala Jong will act as that central hub, with centres like Aro Ling providing local focus for practitioners in one particular geographical area.  All we need now is one thousand nine hundred phurbas. . .

If you've enjoyed this post, why not donate 1,900 pennies to the appeal, by sending a £19 / Euro19 / $19 Paypal donation to

sncd.treasurer@gmail.com

Tibetan Buddhst Calligraphy Gallery & Charity Sale - Scorpion Seals aplenty

Well, you lucky people, here is an opportunity for you to indulge your own artistic interests, your desire to acquire, AND your charitable spirit. 

Some of the calligraphies created by Ngak'chang Rinpoche for the talk in Bristol have found their way into our tender care, and we display them here for your delight and delectation, and most importantly your purchase!

Below are images of the last remaining calligraphies created for the Drala Jong appeal. . . get 'em while they're hot!  Each of the calligraphies pictured here is for sale (bar the last one - see below) and each is a unique and original artwork.

Price: £150 plus postage and packaging (£4.99 UK, £9.99 airmail Rest of World)

Orders can be placed and payments made via the e-mail address at the top of this page.

Size: 30" x 20" (75cm x 50cm)

(Apologies by the way for my imperfect photographic efforts - I was unable to get a completely square-on shot of the artworks, despite standing on various pieces of furniture and trying various tacks.  I did think of trying to suspend myself from the chandelier to get a better angle, but realised that might have hurt my back - not least because we don't actually have a chandelier).

Just as an aside - before proceeding - but did you know that the blog piece on the Scorpion Seal is the most read item on this site?

Anyway, on to the calligraphies. 

É Ma Ho:

wonderment

(exclamation of delighted-surprise, wonder, or amazement)

Hung:

Seed syllable

(2 available)

Ga’chen

empyrean ebullience

(enrapturement, great joy, overjoyed, boundless beatific delight)

**SOLD**

rLung

spatial wind

(the subtle motility  which animates being, breath, breathing, air, vital current [vayu / prana] the subtle energy which moves within the spatial channels)

Nu-thu

magical radiance

(dynamic appearances generated through conjuring with energy of phenomena)

Gyü’trül

miraculous vision

(sGyu ’phrul ’drwa ba chen po’i ting ’dzin – meditative absorbtion within the interconnectivity-web of reality)

Seals central 

Ma-kyé

immensity of empty-potentiality

(that which allows all phenomena to arise, uncreated, unborn, unoriginated, non-produced, unmanufactured, unobstructed, devoid of artifice)

Long

 vast expansiveness of reality

(space basis space, immensity, limitless scope, unboundedness)

Dzü’drül

spatial enchantment and miraculous orchestration of phenomena

(creation of apparitions, magical power and display, telekinesis / psychokinesis, et cetera)

Gyü’trül

miraculous vision

(sGyu ’phrul ’drwa ba chen po’i ting ’dzin – meditative absorbtion within the interconnectivity-web of reality)

Seals to the left

Chö

(chos)

as it is - reality

(Dharma [and dharmas as in ‘phenomena’], teaching of Buddhas, religion [teachings / doctrine / scripture / text / tenet /precept] quality, attribute, characteristic, ability)

**SOLD**

This is the only calligraphy which is not currently for sale.  You may notice both the fine profusion of ink spots, and accompanying Scorpion Seal - associated with Wrathfulness - and also the fact that this is the only calligraphy where the script lies outside of the circle.  When asked, Ngak'chang Rinpoche confirmed that this is the first time he has written script outside of the circle on any of his works.  Thus it is that this work is particularly distinctive - and particularly desirable.  Several offers have been made for this work, but none yet accepted, and the current thought is that it will be raffled auctioned at a charity dinner later this year.  If you wish to submit a speculative electronic bid for this work, you could chance your arm via the e-mail address above.  This *may* be the only calligraphy Rinpoche ever creates in this way in his lifetime. . .

[Update - this last calligraphy was sold by auction mid-2012, with a final bid several times higher than the normal sale price of the other calligraphies - thank you to those who bid]

BTW - Blues Masters up next.

Diggin' it

Well, we're back from the latest Apprentice Retreat here in good old Blighty, and although the event itself was nothing to do with fund raising for the project, various folk have been diggin' the Drala Jong fundraising effort one way or the other.  Nearly £2,000 has poured into the appeal as a result.  It's particularly good to see this sort of casual fund raising happening, with lots of little projects providing people with things that they want and need, for small contributions here and there - including vajrayana instruments, gZi stones and shawls all donated to the project and sold to grateful practitioners.

As well as vajrayana artifacts 13 Sky Signature calligraphies were sold in Finland by Bar-ché and Me-sel, and several more found new owners during the retreat.

My lovely wife Shé-zér has also added a few pennies to the coffers in her one woman Dig-For-Dharma campaign - by selling 50 strawberry plants for the appeal. 

On it's own it won't keep Jerry from the door (but it will give Margo something to peer at over the hedge row).

Most significant though was the arrival in Britain of several of the Blues Masters images courtesy of Ngak'chang Rinpoche.  Their creation was sparked through his work on his autobiographical work An Odd Boy

Shortly we'll be posting images of the first set of Blues Masters works on the Blogsite - and they will be available for sale here, as well as being hung for viewing and sale at Aro Ling some time in the summer, when volume two of An Odd Boy is launched.  These images are a collection of works, that have been extensively recoloured and restored by Rinpoche using a host of tools available through the wonder that is Photoshop.  Up until this point they were only visible via Facebook, but thanks to the work of Lama Shardrol's sangha in the USA, they are now available on canvas.

Some of the source images were black and white, or of very low resolution, and have been touched up, sharpened and refined.  The Jimi Hendrix image was in fact sourced from a photograph of an original painting by Rinpoche himself - and again has been retouched for the Blues Masters collection.  Each image has had something like 60 to 100 hours of work put into it, before being printed to canvas in medium and large scale, for hanging.

 

Images include a host of Blues artists from both the USA, and also from the British Blues boom.  Where images were cut or cropped, instruments have been restored from scratch by adding them from other photographic sources from the period.  Friends and relatives of many of the Blues artists pictured have been good enough to get in touch with Rinpoche and express their appreciation of the work that has gone into bringing these performers to life.  Now they will be made available for public sale - with 100% of the proceeds going to charity.

The most ambitious part of the Blues Master project will appeal to fans of An Odd Boy.  Amongst the images there are several restored pictures of the band Savage Cabbage - in which Rinpoche himself played. As no extant image of the band on stage could be found, these works have required sourcing faces, bodies and instrument images from a host of different sources - including Rinpoche's son - a bass player himself - providing a body double for the performers in their stage poses.

The next two posts will catalogue the currently-available Blues Masters and Calligraphy images that are available to buy - and will detail how supporters of the appeal can get these unique works to hang upon their walls at home.