Letter from the Deans for Fall 2019

Letter from the Deans for Fall 2019

August 8, 2019

Dear Friends,

It is well known that the Buddha taught a universal love and compassion that had a profound effect on all who met him, but he was also modeling a revolutionary way of caring for our mind at the deepest level, in order to resolutely pursue and come to know reality. The path he opened did not lead to some other transcendent dimension free from suffering. Instead, he offers us the possibility of a journey straight into the heart of reality, into an unfailing operability of knowing, shining and pulsing within each present moment.

His proclamation of reality as the ultimate medicine of liberation remains as startling today as it was two and a half millennia ago.  We stand, just like the Buddha’s first disciples, astonished at his invitation to enter reality as it is, and begin the ultimate journey that lies before all beings: to awaken from the dream of the self to a freedom that has no derivation, no point of reference in our limitations, and no reversibility.

The “how” of how we get there has been taught by the Buddha as an exacting process of study, contemplation and meditation.  Not merely cleansing and cultivating the intellect, this training aims at total embodiment of wisdom and compassion through a deep form of caring for the endlessly creative producers of experience — mind, body, speech, the sensory fields, and the subtle energies.

We live in a culture and an age of self-improvement, where we are always trying to “fix” ourselves, and worship at the altar of the ever-elusive perfect version of ourselves.  What would it mean to expand our imagination, to relinquish attachment to all “image”, and journey inward instead, into the depths of mind, where experience gets prepared, cooked, and consumed with the convincingly impenetrable feel of the “real”?

Here at the Institute, in a holistic way, we can practice the teachings of the Buddha, Padmasambhava, and other enlightened, extraordinary masters of this wisdom-lineage, including our founder and my father, Tarthang Rinpoche. Thanks to Rinpoche’s great skill and compassion, we have a rich array of secular and traditional dharma teachings that provide accessible, incisive lines of inquiry that can help us unfold our own unique manifestations of wakeful humanity.

Lama Palzang and I, our faculty and our staff are here to support you, ready to share our own curiosity, joy, and experiences on the path as we hold the space for your own discovery.  Please know that when you step into the Institute as a student, you enter a place that is connected to an authentic lineage of enlightenment. This lineage does not seek worldly power or many followers. It exists in order to keep alive the sublime pathways to the heart of what it means to be human. Its treasures are available today because its masters were passionate lovers of knowledge, tenacious practitioners of merit, and deeply devoted servants of universal awakening. Together, we can follow in their footsteps. Together, we can do our best to cultivate the same passion, tenacity, and devotion on our own journey.

With all best wishes, 

Pema Gellek and Lama Palzang

Our mission is to share the healing wisdom of the Nyingma tradition and reveal a path of inner freedom. The Nyingma Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donate or volunteer today!

© 2018 Nyingma Institute / 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 / Non-Profit Tax ID: 94-3081194

Why Study Tibetan?

Why Study Tibetan?

Why Study Tibetan?

A Language Created for Translating Dharma

Translation literally means “to carry across.” It is said that the Tibetan language was created with the purpose of translating Dharma texts. Translations into English are still works in progress and in the process of being improved upon. 

The terminology and understanding of translators at present is not adequate to convey certain meanings of the Dharma.

Tarthang Tulku

Milking the Painted Cow (2005)

In general, when translating any Buddhist teachings from Tibetan into English, especially precious wisdom teachings, there is a language problem, since it is difficult to connect substantial, nihilistic ordinary expressions with insubstantial wisdom expressions.

Dharma words are connected to mind, mind is connected to wisdom, and wisdom is intangible. Therefore, whoever translates Dharma must try predominately to write about the intangible qualities of wisdom . . . If words are chosen with the misinterpretation of substantial word habit, these qualities can be turned into ordinary intellectual, philosophical, or material conceptions.

For those who like to study or practice Buddhism, it is of great benefit to learn literary Tibetan rather than reading translations, since it is the most vast and profound language in the world in this generation for conveying pure spiritual meaning.

Thinley Norbu Rinpoche

Sunlight Speech That Dispels the Darkness of Doubt (2015)

What might people be surprised to learn about the Tibetan language?

Tibetan is the largest and most comprehensive repository of the Dharma in the world. The Tibetan written language was specifically and consciously designed to translate the teachings of the Buddha. Unlike Chinese and other East Asian languages, Tibetan is alphabetic and largely mirrors the Sanskrit alphabet, thereby affording highly precise and accurate translations.

What type of person is the Tibetan language course designed for? Or, what kind of person would particularly be interested?

Many Tibetan students are engaged in traditional study, including a personal engagement with the ngondro or preliminary practices. The study of Tibetan provides the time to engage traditional Dharma materials in much greater depth and detail than simply reading translations in English.

How much homework is there?

We recommended that students engage in Tibetan for a minimum of 20 minutes each day.

What types of reading / texts do you frequently work with for Beginning classes? What about for Intermediate?

Once students have grasped the basics of the alphabet and grammatical structure, we start with short prayers and texts, gradually moving towards longer works like the Bodhicaryavatara by Shantideva. Our focus is on writers central to the Nyingma tradition such as Lama Mipham and Longchenpa.

What does the Beginning class start out focusing on?

Beginning Tibetan starts with studying the alphabet and then moves into a close study of the phrase connectors that form the unique grammatical structure of classical Tibetan.

I started to study Tibetan as a way to deepen my understanding of the prayers and practices recited in  my practice. The language class here is taught as written Tibetan, starting with the very basics like alphabet and pronunciation, and a systematic look at the grammar. This is supplemented very early with translating text, which lifts it out of a purely mechanical language study into Dharma practice. Applying what is learned in the grammar in this way builds a sense of the structure of the language, and vocabulary is acquired fluidly. Most of all, I have come to treasure the effort Mark makes to clarify the meaning of the text as Dharma teaching. The longer I study the more the beauty of language and the texts shine!
L. H.

Tibetan language student, Nyingma Institute

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Our mission is to share the healing wisdom of the Nyingma tradition and reveal a path of inner freedom. The Nyingma Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donate or volunteer today!

© 2018 Nyingma Institute / 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 / Non-Profit Tax ID: 94-3081194

Women’s Group

Women’s Group

June 3, 2019

Dear participants of the Women’s Meditation Practice Group,

We were delighted by the interest and enthusiasm generated in our first two Sunday gatherings, and were pleased that attendance grew significantly on the second Sunday. We anticipate that it will continue to grow as more women hear about it who are interested in finding community support for their individual practice, or starting a practice. We hope that the gathering will support both seasoned and beginning meditators.

We are learning about how to best serve this budding community. We will vary the practices offered in the meditation room, and follow with tea and discussion for those who are interested in participating. Our format during tea last Sunday – with questions as sparks for discussion in small groups – may have worked for some, and not for others. Bear with us as we refine what follows the communal meditation.

Many of you have been in the Nyingma community a long time, or have practiced for many years. We really welcome your participation if you are interested in leading group practices, want to offer topics for discussion, or are skilled in facilitating discussion. Please reach out to us. Snacks to share are also welcome!

Our intention is to promote a beneficial and supportive experience. We can speak more about our wishes for our community as a group.

We so look forward to our next opportunity to be together. Upcoming dates in 2019 include June 30, July 28, and August 25. If you are receiving news of this group for the first time, we hope you consider joining us.

Warmest regards,

Donna and Abbe

Free Sunday Talks & Gatherings

Our mission is to share the healing wisdom of the Nyingma tradition and reveal a path of inner freedom. The Nyingma Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donate or volunteer today!

© 2018 Nyingma Institute / 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 / Non-Profit Tax ID: 94-3081194

The Evolution of our Long Retreats

The Evolution of our Long Retreats

Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche first created the Human Development Training Program, an eight week residential summer program, for psychologists, social workers, educators, counselors and other professionals interested in the nature of mind. This program was held annually from 1973-1977.

In 1984, it was expanded into the Four Month Human Development Retreat. Practices in this program were carefully sequenced to help explore the very fundamental operating systems and patterns of human thinking, feeling, and sensing.

In 2019, we are offering a new take on our keystone program. The practices of the Human Development Program will be offered in a two month format — the Healing Mind Retreat. 

A Few Words from the Retreatants. Here’s what the retreatants of 2016 had to say about their experience with the Four Month Retreat. 

 

Interested?

Learn More

Our mission is to share the healing wisdom of the Nyingma tradition and reveal a path of inner freedom. The Nyingma Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donate or volunteer today!

© 2018 Nyingma Institute / 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 / Non-Profit Tax ID: 94-3081194

Getting Started & Clearing the Way

Getting Started & Clearing the Way

Garden Updates

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First stage: demolition! Clearing the way to make room for the new foundations. 

Protecting the fish. One of the first things we did was to move the fish into a temporary abode; a large tank with a water filter and roof to prevent critters from playing with them. They will be returned to the pond after construction is complete. 

Renovating the Prayer Wheel House. We have replaced old rotting wood and made repairs to the frame of the Prayer Wheel House. 

This monument is one of the largest and first prayer wheels built in the U.S. and is unusual in its design.

Stay Tuned!

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Our mission is to share the healing wisdom of the Nyingma tradition and reveal a path of inner freedom. The Nyingma Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donate or volunteer today!

© 2018 Nyingma Institute / 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, CA 94709 / Non-Profit Tax ID: 94-3081194

1969

Tarthang Tulku arrives in the Bay Area. In a small house on Webster Street, he holds classes on Tibetan language and basic Buddhist teachings on Tuesday evenings, as well as four-hour sessions on Saturdays consisting of basic teachings, prostrations and meditation practice.

Vajrasattva Purification Workshop

April 1 (10 AM–4:45 PM)

All beings carry some negative karma that may present obstacles to the accumulation of merit and wisdom. This workshop will focus on the invocation of Vajrasattva as a powerful means of purification of the negativity of body, speech and mind.  The practice of the Four Reliances and prayers, mantras and visualizations related to Vajrasattva offer a process of deep purification of both gross and subtle imprints of the history we carry within mind.  As karmic bonds loosen in the brilliant light of bodhicitta, mind experiences ease and renewed vigor to continue the path of liberation.

Cost: $80. Instructors: Lama Palzang and Pema Gellek

A Return to Light

April 8 (10 AM-4:45 PM)

The Time, Space, and Knowledge vision describes a “light transmission” that is activated through knowledge. The discipline that leads from darkness to light begins with an experiential exploration into inner time and space. In this workshop, we discover a lightness of being through practices that illuminate the interplay of mind and world. We learn to find points of clarity within the world we inhabit, activating a path of light.

Light, radiance, and clarity then lead us forward on a journey that awakens delight and creativity. This journey takes us beyond outworn identities and concerns. “Lightly” we question the apparent limitation of who we are and what we can do—and mine each moment for clues that point beyond all limits.

Cost: $80. Instructor: Ken McKeon. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s, Dynamics of Time and Space. Open to all levels of students.

Mindfulness through Tibetan Yoga

April 15 (10 AM-4:45 PM)

“Kum Nye is based on mindfulness or body and mindfulness of feeling, the first two of the four foundations of mindfulness that are the traditional basis of the spiritual path.” Tarthang Tulku, Joy of Being.

Tibetan Yoga (Kum Nye) practices take us to direct sensory experience, free from labels or identification. Touching the very roots of perception, they activate the latent power of penetrating insight. This workshop presents Tibetan Yoga practices that develop and maintain mindful attentiveness of body and feeling.  As we partake of a symphony of rich and relaxed sensation, we learn to use the senses as agents of awakened awareness.  

Cost: $80. Primary Instructor: Santosh Philip. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Joy of Being. Prerequisite: Kum Nye or meditation experience.

Embodiment of Beauty

April 22 (10 AM-4:45 PM)

“As we let beauty speak to us, if we bring our experience close to the heart, it will expand, and even overflow the ordinary boundaries between self and world. We may touch a quality of bliss or openness or merging where being itself is celebrating ecstatically.” Tarthang Tulku, Seeing the Beauty of Being.

Our physical senses are capable of receiving great beauty, bringing moments of exquisite feeling and deep satisfaction. To activate this capacity for beauty, confusion and repressed anger must be cleared out of the pathways of the senses. The Kum Nye practices introduced in this workshop initiate a stream of inner feeling that purifies the senses.

Cost: $80. Primary Instructor: Santosh Philip. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Seeing the Beauty of Being and Joy of Being. Open to all levels of students.

Seeing Through Self-Images

April 29 (10 AM-4:45 PM)

In this workshop, we will explore the restrictive force of ‘self-images,” the conceptualizations our minds make of who we are. Developing neutral observation of these images, we can recognize how they operate and notice the thoughts and emotions tied up with them. This recognition begins a natural process of healing, allowing us to release negative self-talk and to let go of the images themselves.

Cost: $80. Instructors: Erika Rosenberg and Olivia Hurd. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Openness Mind. Open to those with some experience in meditation or Nyingma Psychology.  

The Wheel of Life

May 5-6 (Friday, 7-9 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-4:45 PM) 

The symbolism of the Tibetan Wheel of Life demonstrates fundamental Buddhist teachings concerning the force of actions, interdependent arising, and how mental patterns evolve and take form as conscious beings (like us) in various realms of existence. These key teachings point out how suffering arises, is perpetuated, and how it can be brought to an end.

Cost: $95. Instructors: Mark Henderson and Hugh Joswick. Friday, 7-9 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-4:45 PM.  Prerequisite: sincere interest in the Buddha’s teachings.

Integrating Flow of Feeling in the Energy Centers

May 13 (1–4 PM) 

Practices in this 3 hour workshop stimulate awareness and address tension in the head, throat, heart and belly centers. Learning how energy flows through or may be blocked in various centers, we can encourage positive energy, clarity, and more balance in our lives. This workshop is intended to support the Kum Nye students taking the weekly Working with Energy Centers class. Others are welcome to join in

Cost: $40. Instructor: Abbe Blum. Open to all levels of students.

Resolving Problems

May 13 (10 AM-4:45 PM) 

“By testing and refining understanding, we experience directly for ourselves how knowledge works. In time we find knowledge in our hands and in our voice; we know it so closely that there is no need to seek it or even give it names.” Tarthang Tulku, Mastering Successful Work.

Are your thoughts helpful? Do they resolve your problems at home and work? Why do some problems never get resolved and some situations seem hopelessly complex? Innovative cognitive and experiential exercises in this workshop show us new ways of thinking that address our problems directly. We feel better about ourselves and open new windows of opportunity.

Cost: $80. Instructor: Barr Rosenberg. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s, Mastering Successful Work. Open to all levels of students.

Increasing Brain Health through Tibetan Yoga

May 20 (10 AM-4:45 PM)

What is good for the brain is good for the whole being. This workshop presents an integrated program of Tibetan Yoga movement, breathing, and awareness exercises that can increase the healthy functioning of the brain. You will also learn about foods that nourish brain health and how exercise and good sleep patterns can rejuvenate the brain.

Recent research studies provide clear evidence that regular meditation, healthy eating, exercise, and a positive mental outlook slow the aging process in the brain—allowing us to stay healthy and happy longer. Writer Jeffrey Kluger recently wrote in Time Magazine that, “Deciding to live better, it increasingly seems, is the same as deciding to live younger.” Tibetan Yoga helps us to do just that: decreasing stress and negative thinking, while increasing circulation throughout the body as it opens the senses to positive stimuli. Tibetan Yoga instructor, physical therapist, and nutritional consultant Donna Morton has successfully worked for many years with students and clients battling illness and physical limitation. She firmly believes that we are never too old or too young to make healthy lifestyle changes. Says Donna, “Tibetan Yoga offers techniques and approaches that simultaneously benefit body and mind. This is a powerful combination that can be utilized directly to increase brain functioning and health at any age.”

Cost: $80. Instructor: Donna Morton. Open to all levels of students.

Honoring the Buddha

May 27 (10 AM-4:45 PM)

This workshop will focus on meditations and prayers that connect us to awakened presence. Devotions directed in this way can cleanse the dark ignorance and frustration of desire and aversion, transforming mind into a precious receptacle for realization. Staying balanced within this open and responsive space, each thought and each dimension of experience conveys radiance and the visible blessings of the Buddha.

Cost: $80. Primary Instructor: Lama Palzang

Prerequisite: Sincere interest in the Buddha’s teachings.

Dharma Contemplation

The Four Seals

All compounded things are impermanent.

All that is tainted is suffering.

All phenomena are empty and devoid of self.

Nirvana is peace.