Medicine Buddha (Menla)

This Mind Treasure, the River of Lapis Lazuli, the Practice of the Medicine Buddha
This practice is not medicine as we usually think of it, but a practice to remove all afflictions of body, speech, and mind. Meditating on the Medicine Buddha can even take the practitioner to enlightenment. If the practitioner remembers the meditational practice, the lama, the lineage master, and the dakini, he or she will have great benefit at times when things are not going well, and even at the time of death.

You are invited to bring any of the following that you can - text, white katag, yellow katag - and you can dedicate the practice to anyone you like by putting his or her name on an envelope with your offering.

Vajrakilaya

"The practice of Vajrakilaya blazes at the very heart of the ancient Vajrayana traditions of Tibet. The wrathful heruka Vajrakilaya is a yidam deity who embodies the enlightened activity of all the buddhas, manifesting in an intensly wrathful yet compassionate form in order to subjugate the delusion and negativity that can arise as obstacles to the practice of Dharma. In fact, the practice of Vajrakilaya is famous in Tibetan Buddhism as an exceptionally powerful method to remove obstacles, destroy the forces hostile to compassion, and purify the spiritual pollution so prevalent in this age." Sogyal Rinpoche

RIWO SANGCHO

Riwo Sangchö: "The Mountain of Burnt Offerings is Herein Contained."

This practice was revealed in Sikkim, the secret hidden land, to Lhatsun Namkha Jigmed, by the dakinis who revealed it to him as the practice which would open the gate to the secret land.

This practice is known as the diamond practice. It can prolong life and remove obstacles, particularly those associated with unpaid karmic debts.

RIGDZIN DUPA

A Practice on The Inner Aspect of Guru Rinpoche

"Rigdzin Dupa, 'The Gathering of Awareness Holders', is a very powerful practice for dispelling obstacles and is one of the three root sadhanas in the Longchen Nyingthig tradition." Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche.

This is practice is a tsog (or feast offering), so please bring an opened food offering, flowers and/or other offering. For first time visitors, this a longer practice that Namdroling holds once a month on Guru Rinpoche Day (the 10th day of the Tibetan calendar).

YUMKA - The Queen of Great Bliss

Yumka is a Dakini practice of the three roots of Longchen Nyingthik, the terma cycle reveled by Omniscient Jigme Lingpa.

Yumka is practiced on Dakini Day (25th day of the Tibetan calendar) in Namdroling and many other Nyingma monasteries and centers around the world. The central meditation visualization of the practice is on the wisdom Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, a consort of Guru Rinpoche and the Founding Mother of Tibetan Buddhism.

Her dharmakaya is primordial Buddha Samantabadhri, her sambhogakaya is Vajravarahi and her nirmanakaya is Tara. All female buddhas are manifestations of Wisdom Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal.

The sadhana (practice) is one of the most profound practices in Longchen Nyingthik tradition. Beginning from refuge, it is the ground in the Dzogchen teachings. Because of this, Jigme Lingpa himself, and other great lineage holders wrote commentaries and practice guides on Yumka.

Beginning Meditation Group

During this meeting time, we will practice two forms of meditation, as directed by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche: Shamatha and Tonglen.

Shamatha is a basic sitting meditation in which one usually follows the breath, while observing the workings of the mind. Often translated as 'Calm Abiding' (Tibetan shinay), comprises a suite or style of meditation or concentration practices designed to enhance sustained voluntary attention.

Tonglen is a Tibetan word which means sending and taking. With the practice of Tonglen, we work directly with our habitual tendency to avoid suffering and attach ourselves to pleasure. Using this powerful and highly effective practice, we learn to embrace our life experiences with more openness, compassion, inclusiveness, and understanding, rather than denial, aversion, and resistance. When we encounter fear, pain, hurt, anger, jealousy, loneliness, or suffering, be it our own or others, we breathe in with the desire to completely embrace this experience; to feel it, accept it, and own it, free of any resistance.

READING GROUP

Bodhisattvacaryavatara
A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life

Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche has requested that our next reading group be based on Santideva's classic treatise, the Bodhisattvacaryavatara. Santideva, an eighth-century Buddhist monk, is among the most renowned and esteemed figures in the entire history of Mahayana Buddhism. All are welcome to this reading/discussion group, regardless of any prior experience or knowledge of Buddhism.

We will be using the translation of the Bodhisattvacaryavatara by the Padmakara Translation Group, which is available at the Namdroling Bookstore. This discussion group will also use supporting texts and CDs from Pema Chodron and other teachers.

The group will take place once a month and start later in the Fall. Please visit the calendar page frequently for updates.