By Arne Schelling

Siddharthas Intent Europe has opened a new City Centre in Berlin.

It is located in the heart of Berlin and will be a centre for meditation, study, art, translation and other Rime activities.

All visitors are whole heartedly welcome.

Address: Güntzelstrasse 42, Gardenhouse, 3rd floor, 10789 Berlin, Germany

Email:  arne.schelling@gmx.de for practice details

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche teaching on Jamyang Khyentse Wango's lifestory at SI Germany’s new centre

By Nikki Keefe

SIA Northern Rivers group enjoyed it’s 3rd annual Vipashyana retreat in Rosebank, in the beautiful Byron Bay hinterland, late September 2011. This year we decided to shorten the course from 10 days to 5 days in the hopes of allowing more people to attend. This strategy worked out well and we doubled our numbers to 28 with people coming from far and wide. Our resident teacher Jakob Leschly guided us with his usual panache and humour, wonderful food was provided by our ever attentive hosts and we were fortunate to have 2 great yoga teachers, Nicky and Donna from our Melbourne Sangha who gave us a much needed daily workout. Sessions were a mixture of sitting, walking and tea drinking and when the sun was shining we were able to make use of the tranquil gardens. This all provided a very conducive atmosphere for meditation and contemplation.

Please see the 2012 SIA program for this years planned Vipashyana retreats in Adelaide, Blue Mountains and Northern NSW at SI Australia calendar download

Retreat participants September 2011

By Lilith Rocha

Helping others according to their need is the true expression of compassion and I am always encouraged when people take practical steps like this to put such positive motivation in action…

His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

An amateur (from the Latin word for lover) is defined as someone approaching a subject with an open mind and financially disinterested manner, meaning amateurs (like Charles Darwin) do it for love…

Therapists and teachers from many traditions agree that underlying all fears is the fear of death, and that a willingness to examine this inescapable fact can help to free us from unnecessary suffering. The time of dying is rich in spiritual possibilities. This can be enhanced, through the Buddhist emphasis in care for the dying, on qualities of simplicity, kindness, humour, warmth, openness and stability.

During her work with the AIDS Council of NSW, long time Buddhist practitioner Judy Arpana designed and implemented care programs to support people through this transitional process.  A counsellor for many years to clients with life-limiting illnesses, their relatives and carers, Judy has been invited to hold training seminars for doctors, nurses, social and pastoral care workers, educators, staff and volunteers in aged care facilities and hospices in Australia, the UK, NZ, Ireland and Europe.

At the invitation of Siddhartha’s Intent Australia, for one weekend a month during winter 2011 Judy delivered a six-day series of seminars for dharma practitioners. This was with Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s wish that participants would go on to serve their local communities in the capacity of dharma mitra, or spiritual friend at the end of life.  The program’s aim was to train a group of volunteers to respond effectively to requests from the general public and sangha members for visitors with a Buddhist-based approach to those approaching death.

The interactive seminars used meditations and practices of mindfulness to explore the concepts of fearless receptivity, unconditional acceptance, quiet confidence, and authentic presence. The importance of providing a stable environment for the dying person and their relatives – of remaining peaceful, respectful and calm.  As it progressed, the program familiarised participants with the physiology and psychology of the dying process, and shared exercises on working with unfinished business, forgiveness, bearing witness, being fully present and offering the gift of compassionate listening.

With time in between each weekend for practice and reflection, the course addressed practical issues involved with the grieving process, organ donation, supporting bereaved families and communicating openly about death and dying using simple, everyday language. Participants learned the difference between help and service, wrote personal motivation and dedication prayers and reflected on their own spiritual journey in preparation for accompanying others on theirs.

Consciously experiencing life’s continuum of mini-deaths made the non-duality of life and death increasingly apparent, and we learned that healing is always possible, even while dying.  That facing our own death by putting our legal, family and funeral matters in order serves us well for being with another dying person. The parallels between the way we live life and the way we die deepened our appreciation of the necessity for maintaining a daily spiritual practice as a preparation for death.  As happens in group dynamics, while material was covered and skills developed, there were also beneficial side effects of learning from each other and teaming up in pairs to work into the community.

While insights from the course continue to unfold in our lives, Judy prepares for her annual North India pilgrim’s tour with Karma Rinpoche to attend the Dalai Lama’s teachings and present her workshop Facing Death, Embracing Life at Deer Park Institute. Here in Australia several Dharma Mitra volunteers are already responding to local requests…

Judy is teaching at Deer Park India later this year. Click here for details.

Dharma Mitra Training Winter 2011 Photo Nikki Keefe

Lobsang Jamyang reports

TV-online for Latinos

Buddha’s Amigo is a free online TV channel that discusses and brings closer the Buddha’s wisdom to the Spanish speaker community. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche gave us the name for the program on November of 2010, when we started our first program and we are under his guidance and inspiration. Directed by Lobsang Tonden, today Buddha’s Amigo has a growing number of followers in many countries like the USA, México, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and Chile among others. Following Rinpoche’s advice, we are starting a plan to make the project grow, we are going to implement a studio and add some more days and topics. One of its particular features is the way to approach to Buddha’s teachings by relating them very closely with the daily issues and worries of the latinos. You can follow us every Sunday at 9:00pm (central time US and Mexico) on: www.lagartijapop.com

“I think this project of Buddha´s Amigo is a quite good idea. If you have time, energy and means, you should really put emphasis on it and make Buddhadharma accessible to the Mexican thinking, without bringing to much of the culture into it, Tibetan culture, etc. Take the essence of the Dharma and of course, depending on the time and the situation, you have to make it more accessible and entertaining to the people. If you just read a sutra for hours and hours people will fall asleep. I have a good feeling about Buddha´s Amigo, it has a very good potential to reach people. It should be a non-sectarian project and you should speak about different topics of common interest”

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Rinpoche is wearing a traditional Mexican mask of lapis lazuli given to him by his Mexican students

This was filmed at the pyramids of Teotihuacan (behind Rinpoche is the pyramid of the sun, the biggest in Mexico).
The message was recorded for the TV-online program of Buddha=B4s Amigo:

Siddhartha’s Intent Europe was very happy and honoured to host Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in Berlin/Germany for a whole month in 2010. It was a great visit with profound teachings, amazing empowerments, inspiring puja’s and – of course – with watching the world cup day and night.
One of the reasons why Rinpoche visited Berlin was to take care of the Dharma Gar, a 10 years curriculum of retreat integrated in every day life. For this purpose, SI Europe has rented a house near a lake, where practitioners can live and practise together. Visiting teachers to this retreat place in 2010 include Alak Zenkar Rinpoche and Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche.
After leaving Berlin, members of Siddharthas Intent Europe were helping and supporting Rinpoche’s extended European tour, where he travelled over six weeks visiting Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Spain and France.
Other local activites of Siddharthas Intent Europe are the Manjughosha Edition, which is printing rare and precious text of great Tibetan Buddhist masters on demand,and a fundraising event of public screening of Rinpoche’s video-teaching every two weeks, which is in cooperation with the Khyentse Foundation.

Contact Person: arne.schelling@gmx.de

Dharma Gar House

www.siddharthasintent.de

www.dharmagar.de

www.manjughosha.de

Nine days of teaching with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

“Buddha Nature and Vajrayāna” 13th-21st May, 2011

Bangalow, NSW, Australia

Please click here to go the SI Australia Site for further infomation on the teachings

and other updates.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

By Michele Sierra
During the Uttaratantra Teachings in Australia 2008 Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche announced that he had invited one of his senior students, Jakob Leschly to be resident teacher for Siddhartha’s Intent in Australia. Rinpoche expressed confidence in Jakob to relay the authentic Buddhist teachings according to the Khyentse lineage.
It was not until I had the good fortune to attend several of these teachings and also the 10 day Vipashyana retreat , that I realised what a great blessing and opportunity Rinpoche has given our Australian sangha.
Throughout the year we studied the student practice manual, refined some of the pith instructions for the Riwo Sangcho practice and contemplated the profound text “The Great Medicine”, written by Shechen Gyaltsap Rinpoche, the first root teacher to His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and explained by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche.

Rosebank Vipashyana Retreat 2009

On each occasion we gathered together in a small group which allowed time to reflect and formulate questions or request clarification as we went along. These study groups with Jakob were structured in such a way, that there was time to go through the profound teachings offered in the allocated text – contemplate – ask questions – invite Jakob’s comments and later meditate together with our local Sangha. There was also an option, if required, for individual interviews with Jakob to support or refine personal practice.

Blue Mountains Vipashyana Retreat 2010 Photo by Hugo Croci

Blue Mountains Retreat 2010 Photo by Paul Stevenson

Blue Mountains Retreat 2010 Photo by Paul Stevenson

As a participant in these study groups and Vipashyana retreat, what has been immensely important for me is that Jakob stays true to the authentic Teachings (doesn’t offer a diluted version of Buddhism) He has the knowledge and capacity to make the most complex and profound concepts accessible to people of varying degrees of familiarity with Buddhist philosophy and practice. Through his own practice, as a student of Buddhism, of effort, diligence, self reflection- as well as powerful personal stories of the great Masters, I feel both humbled and inspired by him. In chaotic times like these and with the information overload we all experience, Jakob is able to speak to the intellect as well as the heart using the authentic language of his lineage masters. His modern method of teaching and accessibility has offered a renewed inspiration and appreciation in my own study and practice of Buddhism.

Click here for a link to Jakobs Teaching schedule for rest of year

and please note Jacobs next retreat for SIDDHARTHA’S INTENT AUSTRALIA
10 Day Vipassanā Retreat – Rosebank NSW
30th September – 10th October 2010

by Amelia Chow and Ron Stewart
Over the last few years SSRC’s activity has increased with 2009 marking the 15th year open as a retreat centre. In 2009 Sea to Sky Retreat Centre was blessed with the Rinpoche’s presence for a 3 month retreat. Before and after Rinpoche’s retreat, SSRC was fully booked with a variety of community and external group retreat programmes. The 2009 SSRC season began with a Shamatha/Vipashyana retreat that was attended to full capacity and ended with a two week Green Tara ( Zabtik Drolma ) retreat dedicated to Rinpoche’s long life. A full house of participants from Europe, Asia, the USA as well as Canada made this retreat a wonderfully rich event in the icy wonderland of SSRC.

SSRC Lojong Retreat Photo from SSRC

As SSRC does not advertise, it relies on word-of-mouth referrals for its external group bookings. Most of these are by repeat participants delighted with the staff, facilities, and great food. Increasingly, numbers of residents of areas nearby to SSRC such as Whistler, Squamish and Vancouver are attending yoga, therapy, and meditation programmes and confirming SSRC as a valuable regional asset.

In 2010 SSRC has added Dharma Gar retreats to its schedule of community programmes. Also the number of its popular work-as-practice weekends have been increased to one per season; short meditation sessions will bookend the days’ physical work. The Spring’s work weekend focuses on forest clean-up, Summer’s on roadwork and painting, and Autumn’s on winter preparation, tucking in the centre for its sometimes quieter but never dull winter break. There is always much to do as the centre operates its own hydro-electric system, has fire protection and silviculture concerns for its buildings and 40 forested acres, and must maintain 12 buildings and the long private road into the property.

SSRC has developed a plan that covers its financial, human resource, and environmental requirements. Coincidentally, the first draft of this SSRC Sustainability Plan was completed on Earth Day, 22-Apr-2007. Since that time, SSRC staff members, guests and volunteers, as well as Siddhartha’s Intent (SI) Board members have extensively reviewed and commented on this document. The Board also resolved to re-assess the plan annually on Earth Day; an up-to-date version is posted on the SI website:
www.siddharthasintent.org/centres/retreat-centres/ssrc/sustainability.html

MEDITATION & STUDY PROGRAMMES:

Alex Trisoglio has been leading an on-going Sunday morning Dharma group, first at Amelia house, and then, when that sold, in his own apartment. Readings have been from: The Student Manual to Rinpoche’s new Ngondro, Buddhism: A Short History, What the Buddha Taught and both Patrul Rinpoche’s “Words of My Perfect Teacher and Dzongsar Khyentse’s Teachings on that text. Via Skype, sangha members from Victoria, Edmonton, Sooke, Seattle and SSRC have been able to join the wide-ranging and spirited discussions

SI OFFICE IN VANCOUVER

With the sale of Amelia’s house and treasurer Rob MacLachlan’s move to Sooke, the SI office has become a floating one. With our increasing shift to electronic communications these moves have not impeded the work of Siddhartha’s Intent–meetings continue to be held via Skype when gathering is not possible and email communication thrives in the intervals between meetings. In June, SI board members gathered and did a work retreat for 3 days in the very relaxing setting at SSRC. In Amelia’s home office, Pat Armstrong set up the equipment and procedure for volunteers like Lakshmi and Jamyang to digitize teaching cassette tapes. Those already digitized and uploaded are archived at SSRC under Ron’s care.

We regularly invite Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and organise his Teachings in Germany. Also Rinpoche’s Dharma Gar, an open retreat for 10-20 years, and regular study groups lead by his instructors are held near Berlin. In addition to that we are running the Manjughosha Edition under Rinpoche’s guidance to publish rare texts on demand and to translate them into German. If you are travelling through Germany and wish make contact please email Arne Schelling at the.great.sun@gmx.de

Click here for Siddharthas Intent web page Europe in German and English

Afternoon mantra: "There are more important things to attend too", Berlin, Dharma Gar 2010 by Tineke Adolphus

Rinpoche visits Hong Kong normally once a year to give teachings which are organized by Siddhartha’s Intent Ltd. (SI HK). Despite the absence of a physical centre, some students of Rinpoche gather together for group practice on a regular basis at a private place. (more…)