The day after Lama Lekshe returned from Ashland, she welcomed Peter ‘Daishin’ Renner to the Vicarage (the Lama’s House) in Portland for a two-day visit. Lekshe then accompanied Daishin to Great Vow Zen Monastery, where he attended a ten-day meditation retreat. Peter is from Victoria, British Columbia, and years ago lived for some time at […]
Dekeling Blog
Meeting with Lama Sarah and Others in Ashland
Lama Lekshe and Dekeling board member Nan Whitaker-Emrich travelled to Ashland, Oregon, for a teaching retreat with Lama Sarah Harding called, ‘The Other Woman, a Teaching on Sukhasiddhi.’ The dakini Sukhasiddhi was one of two women that transmitted dharma to Khyungpo Naljor, the initiator of the Shangpa Kagyu Lineage. The “Other-Other Woman” was the dakini […]
What Happens When We Have Time? Part Two
After crossing the country from New York City to Portland, Oregon, I landed with dear friends, with a couple of days to spare to get ready for a month-long backpacking trip with Dharma teachers Soten and Shinei. A couple of days quickly passed, and became a couple of hours, becoming mere moments. My dear friend […]
Pause In Peace
I recently read that there are more than 140 large scale armed conflicts in the world right now. As the Resident Lama at Dekeling, I am committed to practicing and teaching the principles and practices of peaceful intent and action of body, speech and mind. I acknowledge I am learning, and so have made and will continue […]
What Happens When We Have Time? Part One
The past four years, I have been living primarily in Brooklyn, New York. I moved here to study at Union Theological Seminary, to eventually receive a “Masters of Divinity” and work as a chaplain. After graduating from seminary, and completing my chaplaincy residency the mission was complete. However, the mission was overlaid with significant life […]
The Wonderful Practice of Letting Go
It’s Saturday, December 16th and we are preparing to leave Nepal for a few weeks in Thailand. We’ll jump from 64 degrees to the mid-eighties as we disembark in Chiang Mai—another place saturated in Buddhism. A dharma friend of mine will meet us at the airport and we’ll check into our hotel and then go […]
Wish You Were Here
This is Boudhanath, the neighborhood where I am staying. The photo is borrowed from the internet, because it’s a drone shot. I am three minutes’ walk from the stupa in the center. This is how the stupa looked when I was walking home last night. Last year I had the good fortune of staying at […]
Patience, Humor, and Grace
Hello, Friends, It’s early in the morning—frosty and dark outside—and such a good time of year to turn inward. Off in the distance I hear jets at the airport warming their engines. I am aware of the good fortune of a safe and comfortable home. Thank you for your efforts and your altruistic intentions in […]
Tonglen and the Farmers’ Market
Today, after our tonglen practice, I accidentally found myself at Woodlawn Farmers’ Market. I meant to get coffee and a roll at the bakery, but I saw the market was open and I decided to go there instead, because I was hungry and had some cash in my pocket because last week was my birthday. I walked around […]
New book by a friend of mine
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 […]