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Diane Berger is a senior Buddhist practitioner in Seattle, with a fascinating life story. It’s our good fortune that she’s also a writer. This book details her time in a solo three-plus year long retreat, guided by her teacher, the esteemed Tibetan master, Kilung Rinpoche. Diane is smart, direct and full of mischievous joy. I’ll be taking AmTrack up to see her in fall and hope to convince her to join us for a Zoom talk in our 2024 series of visiting teacher/practitioner talks. Tricycle magazine reviews her book here. Have a look!

Review of ‘Small Boat, Vast Ocean: My Years in Solitary Buddhist Retreat’

This video is wonderful. My lama-friend from Seattle, Diane Berger, is in it briefly and was a part of the project.

It is the story about a small project to build a bridge across a river so that local Tibetan nomads could cross the river safely four times a year, to move their yaks, sheep and people to new grazing areas. Before the bridge was there, lives were often lost in the crossings. The bridge was completed in 2004.

July 8th – 10 AM & 2 PM
July 9th – 2 PM

Kagyu Changchub Chuling Portland Center
4936 NE Skidmore St.
Portland, Oregon 97218

I highly recommend Lama Tsang Tsing as a genuine lama from whom you can receive authentic and pure empowerment. Except for the empowerments I received from Bokar Rinpoche and Khenpo Rinpoche, and a very few others, I have received the rest from Lama Tsang Tsing.

Just as refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha is the key element that makes one Buddhist and just as bodhichitta—the wish to wake up to be able to lead others to awakening—is what makes one a Mahayana Buddhist, empowerment is a key feature of Vajrayana Buddhism. Empowerment is a kind of initiation for a yidam practice where we imagine ourselves as expressions of awakened body, speech, and mind and familiarize oursevles with such to hasten realization. Through the empowerment ritual, a connection is established with the enlightened body, speech, and mind of the yidam that permits us to engage in these practices and confers a resonance that helps us accomplish it. Receiving the same empowerment again and again is encouraged. 

The three Vajrayana practices most utilized at KCC are these: Vajrasattva, Chenrezi (Avalokiteshvara), and Green Tara. Chenrezi and Green Tara are part of our weekly programming and Vajrasattva is part of the Bokar Rinpoche Mahamudra Program. Even if you do not have any immediate interest in these practices, this is still a wonderful opportunity. Often when speaking in Tibetan, the word for empowerment is modified with ‘ripening’. That is to say, just receiving an empowerment can create some spiritual momentum in our lives and practice. 

It has been many years since empowerments were offered at KCC, and we are delighted to be able to welcome Lama Tsang Tsing of our sister center, Kagyu Dakshang Chuling in Eugene, back to KCC for this weekend. Lama Tsang Tsing spent some of his youth at Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet and later did the second three-year retreat at Sonada under Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche and Bokar Rinpoche. He was later asked to come to the States to be the retreat master for Lama Michael Conklin’s and Lama Tara of Victoria’s three-year retreat from 1986-1989. Lama Tsang Tsing has since been the resident lama of KDC. 

These empowerments are priced for all three for $0 to $210. It is customary to make a direct offering to the lama giving the empowerments (Lama Tsang Tsing). KCC will likely make a center offering as well. Dekeling will proceed this with a one-hour zoom meeting on how to take an empowerment.

Saturday July 8

10:00 AM Vajrasattva Empowerment

2:00 PM Chenrezi Empowerment

Sunday July 9

2:00 PM Green Tara Empowerment

TO REGISTER

Lama Tsang Tsing Empowerments 2023 – In Person Registration

I was studying this week and came across this great little booklet on emptiness, a key concept of Buddhism. Have a browse!

Kathy Wu, founder of a rime (non-sectarian) Buddhist organization that supports nuns—particularly those in the west—interviewed me recently for her organization, Bodhi Blossoms. She asked that I share our talk and her talks with other nuns. I think you’ll enjoy reading these women’s stories. 

Kathy’s an amazing person with an important vision. We had lots of fun talking, and I have really enjoyed meeting other Bodhi Blossom nuns through their stories. Each woman’s story is so unique. 

THE WEBSITE SAYS, “Our group consists of a Tibetan monk, a business woman, a tech manager, and amazing nuns! In this dreamlike Samsara, we wish to utilize our unique abilities to bring wellness to the world. We’ve chosen to support female Buddhist practitioners because we believe their gentle but strong energy is essential for our modern world. Their energy can heal all beings.

We are starting a small community for Buddhist nuns from all different traditions. We would like to share their stories and experiences to better support and learn from one another. Our vision is to one day build a living community utilizing permaculture and sustainable living practices for nuns.

Our goal is to set up a workable model for female practitioners who wish to dedicate their lives to practicing Dharma. We hope this model can be replicated anywhere and in any form allowing Dharma to flourish. This path will not be easy, so we will be taking baby steps along the way. We are open to your ideas and we are eager to hear your advice! What can be more joyful than serving Dharma in this dreamlike Samsara?!

May we be humble and truthful and see where Karma brings us.”

This news and request from Thrangu Rinpoche’s community abroad.

We have received word that Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche is ill, and in the hospital. We are asking at this time for all our Vajra Vidya family and sangha to be single-focused in prayers for Thrangu Rinpoche.

If you can during this time please practice the Guru Rinpoche Mantra recitation:

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

We will send updates as we receive more information
on how Rinpoche is recovering. 

Tashi Delek,
Khenpo Lobzang & Khenpo Jigme

To our mediation community, my friends, elders and companions on the path—

You may have seen the recent onslaught of social media reaction videos and ‘news stories’ about the Dalai Lama, reporting that he apparently requested a child to ‘suck his tongue’ after kissing the child on the cheek and then lips, after the child had, much to the chagrin of his very watchful mother sitting nearby, boldly asked the Dalai Lama if he could have a hug, in front of a public audience at a graduation ceremony captured on recorded and broadcasted video.

Two months after it was recorded, an edited version of the video re-surfaced and there was an outcry of judgement and a river of instant accusations of pedophiliac behavior, based on the “evidence” of a heavily edited video a matter of seconds long. I waited for a single person—including those from other oppressed and flash-judged communities—to say, “Hey let’s check in with Tibetans to see if we are missing something.” I watched about 100 brief reaction videos, and found exactly one person who identified herself as completely culturally ignorant in the case of Tibetan culture, and who was asking herself in a Tik Tok video, “Were we missing something?”

We were. We were missing “Che Le Sa.” (“Eat my tongue”, in Tibetan)

In Tibetan culture, particularly the high and rural region of Amdo, where the Dalai Lama is from, elders easily might kiss a child directly, and even give a child a bite of food or a sweet directly from their own mouth. Then, since they have given all the affection they can, they say, “Che le sa!”

It means something like, “You got the kiss, you got the candy (or food) the only thing that’s left is my tongue…go ahead, eat that, too.” Tibetan children know “Che le sa.” It is a joyful and playful expression of the powerful love of Tibetan community elders. In Amdo, where food-scarcity, hardship, and even death from poverty was not uncommon, elders express a willingness to offer affection, food—even their very body and life for the sake of their children and grand-children in the tender expression of “Che le sa!”

So why did the Dalai Lama say, “Suck my tongue”—three very loaded words in English, to a global audience that included English speakers? For the same reason that anyone who has lived in a culture where their fluency was not proficient, **like I did when I asked for—ugh, I can’t bear to tell you—** in front of a room full of people at a dinner party when I lived in Nepal. It was an accident. The difference was, my Nepali friends jumped to a different kind of immediate conclusion: that I was making an obscene but innocent language gaff. Instead of hatred, I was met with laughter, blushes, jokes and correction… not misplaced rage and blame borne of ignorance.

I don’t feel surprised that a nation as traumatized as our own would react through the lens of our own sexually repressed, racially charged, and horrifically violent experiences. We are all but wired to do that by events of recent years. It pains me that we still so eagerly jump to hatred of a person of color, but I understand that this will take time to heal.

Many people said, “Well, he apologized. So he did it.” The Dalai Lama’s office did issue an apology for any harm that was caused from his words. Any experienced Buddhist could tell you that an apology for harm, even when one was not necessarily responsible, is a matter of dignity and kindness in many cultures, and is encouraged in Buddhist practice. I didn’t participate in World War Two, but I am willing to say, “I am so very sorry,” to all those harmed in the war, and to the generations who come after, still feeling the impact. I am willing to put it in writing, as he did.

There is much that could be said about this, but more is not necessarily better. The events themselves have been potent reminders about my responsibility for the impacts of my own reactivity and the harm that it can cause. These events have caused me to look again, and with great regret, about how easily I might inflict pain on others as a result of my own confusion. I see how even my best intentions don’t necessarily make my actions noble or even innocuous. All of these observations kindle my determination to continue to work towards clarity, kindness and unconditional love.

I am not here to change anyone’s mind except my own. But to those in our meditation community who have asked for guidance in this matter, I remind you: You never have the whole story. There is no such thing. It is not possible to see the beginning and end of any event. What you see and even experience is a result of all you think, feel, and believe, true or not. What you know for sure is simply one of many possible perspectives. Be careful—our confusion is contagious. The main leverage point for radical change is your own mind, heart and actions.

In humility and gratitude, with wishes that all beings be free,

Lama Lekshe (Julia) King Tamang

Join us for a contemplative workshop that combines two simple but profound ways to boost mental, emotional, and physical health: sitting meditation and mindful movement.

Sitting meditation (shamatha, “evenly abiding”) is a simple but challenging practice of being present with whatever arises. We begin with mindful breathing, and gradually build the capacity to experience sensations, feelings, and thoughts in stable and clear attention. 

The workshop’s movement practices (qigong, “energy practice”) will include the Eight Pieces of Brocade, the Eighteen Movements of Shibashi, and Standing Like a Tree. 

Science is just beginning to measure how meditation and mindful movement can radically improve physical and mental health. You can learn more about this at the Natural Awareness website. 

This workshop is suitable for people of all ages and physical condition, and all levels of experience.  The workshop will be held at the Heart of Wisdom Temple, 6401 NE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97211.

This class is offered in-person only and will not be streamed or recorded. 

This workshop is a great adjunct to our regular ongoing Sitting and Moving in Awareness practice sessions. 

The workshop/retreat starts on Saturday, June 24th at 10 AM and goes to 4 PM.

This workshop is with George Draffan. Learn more about George here.

Our practices at Dekeling fall roughly into three categories at this point in time:

• meditation (shamatha and vipassana for now; and for those who wish to integrate movement into their daily routine, qi-gong on weekday mornings via Zoom

• lojong (mind/heart training, including tonglen) and the four immeasurables practices, designed to decrease self-cherishing and increase wisdom and compassion and

• yidam practice (Green Tara and Medicine Buddha and soon, Chenrezig).

My aim with the scheduling this year is to strengthen your practice in each of these areas. 

For meditation, we have

• Weekly free public Monday evening sits and discussion and
• 5 days a week, we have free group shamatha sits in the morning and afternoons.
• And you had access to Lama Yeshe’s February sessions of learning 14 different shamatha and vipassana practices across a two-week period. 

For the Four Immeasurables (compassion, loving-kindness, joy and equanimity and the practice of Tonglen and Mind/Heart training) we have coming up soon:

• A full-day face to face and Zoom practice day in all of the Four Immeasurables (March 18th)
• The 6-month long, every other week study/practice group on Seven Points of Mind Training (which includes Tonglen) and the once-a-month Saturday 2-hour group tonglen practice sessions. (Starts March 9th)
• A Thursday night through Sunday at noon retreat (face to face and Zoom options) at Great Vow led by Lama Lekshe on loving-kindness, from a Tibetan approach. (May 4th – 7th) 

For yidam practice, we have coming up

•  A talk by Lama Sarah Harding on why we do yidam practice (March 5th) 
• A Green Tara full day at the temple both face to face and Zoom (April 15th) 
• An on-going, informal weekly gathering of Green Tara practitioners on Zoom
• An on-going, informal monthly gathering of Medicine Buddha practitioners on Zoom

Late in the year, we’ll have a week-long, face-to-face rural retreat where you can learn and spend time integrating these powerful practices into a continuous stream of dharma, across seven days in the solitude of rural Oregon. 

And, as always, you can meet with me one-on-one for individual practice guidance. 

I hope that you can avail yourselves of as many of these opportunities as possible. To have this cogent thread of practice laid out sequentially is an unusual opportunity and if you avail yourself of these times, you lay the foundation for other practices in the future and a life-long continuously-evolving path of liberation. 

Thank you for your practice. May it benefit beings until not even the word for suffering remains. 

—Lama Lekshe