What Does a Buddha DO All Day?!

HOMAGE TO THE BUDDHA. HOMAGE TO THE DHARMA. HOMAGE TO THE SANGHA.
HOMAGE TO THE LAMA WHO EMBODIES ALL THREE!

The Buddha's teachings tell us that we are all, by nature, buddhas.

But how would it FEEL to be a buddha?
What would be DIFFERENT about us?
What would we DO with our time and energy?

The answers to these and so many other questions are contained in the teachings on The 6 Paramitas.
 
Thanks to my master Ringu Tulku Rinpoche for tirelessly and continually offering these precious jewels. Of all the masters currently travelling and teaching worldwide, RTR must be one of the busiest.

When you know better... you do better

Calligraphy by my master Sogyal Rinpoche

Looking around at the world and how so many people behave, you could get depressed or just give up on the human race. 

But when you think about all the stupid and bad things you have done in your own life, you know that [just like you did] all people change and become better when they know better. We all have a good heart, from the beginning, as our true nature.

As individuals, we are just starting a long journey of waking up and being better people.
As a species, we are not that far from cavemen when you think about it. It is still early days.

Assorted thoughts from someone who thinks too much...

I was honoured to have been invited this week by Mahidol University, Bangkok, to present a guest lecture to their esteemed PhD in Buddhism students.
The title of my lecture was INVOCATION and EVOCATION:  
The concept of Buddha Nature in Vajrayana Buddhism.

I received a very warm welcome from their main Professor, Dr Pathompong Bodhiprasiddhinand, who also gave me lots of helpful advice over lunch beforehand.
Although many students still cannot come to university as a result of flooding damage at their homes, the talk was still quite well attended.

Calling All Pioneers of Good Heart...

To re-inspire ourselves here in Bangkok, a few days ago we went to see the long-awaited and much-anticipated movie THE LADY.

[You can view the trailer HERE ]

I cannot recommend this film highly enough!

Only two problems... Far from being disappointed by Luc Besson's treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi's life story, we were all so moved and impressed that it was hard not to cry most of the way through it. Tears of despair, tears of joy. 
The other difficulty was, for ardent followers of Suu's story, that the last quarter of the movie was very unclear and seemed to end way too soon.
For example, Suu is suddenly back under house arrest without explanation. And we only really discover she is when the soldiers come to tell her she has been freed. Curiously, there is no mention of the American who swam over to her house or any of the circumstances that surrounded her being freed for the second time. The protests/revolt led by the monks is scarcely referred to... Before you know it, the credits are rolling and you're left wondering why we weren't shown the most recent chapters of Aung San Suu Kyi's epic, continuing story.
But, that said, it is a heart-rending, uplifting film. 
It makes you wonder if the Future, or Destiny, or whatever you want to call it, is calling YOUR name with great purpose and urgency... Maybe we ARE being called but just don't quite hear our name... People like Suu are so uplifting that they inspire us to wonder what WE might also be doing for the benefit of others.
If you are a fan of good-hearted pioneers, then don't miss this.

On the other hand - if you yourself ARE a pioneer of Good Heart - you will also take inspiration from hearing the story of this lady too...

Her name is Krisadawan Hongladarom, and she is almost single-handedly introducing authentic Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism to Thailand through the many activities of her Thousand Stars Foundation. You can read about Kris's incredibly inspiring personal story, and the Foundation's work, HERE .

In this photo I am presenting her with a treasured image of Tara [the Tibetan Buddha of Compassion and Fearlessness, in female form]. This was on the recent occasion when Thousand Stars invited me to present the Buddha's teachings on Fearlessness at their Foundation House in Bangkok. I have posted some more photos of this event on my own FaceBook page [see link in side bar to the right].

I first heard of Kris and her work from my master Ringu Tulku Rinpoche after he had visited and taught the dharma in various places in Thailand, including [at Kris's invitation] the Foundation's centre in Bangkok and their newly emerging retreat centre in the mountains above Hua Hin to the south.
I must say I am so impressed by Kris, and the incredible depth of her vision, that I really want to support her all I can. Therefore, i have accepted another invitation to lead a weekend of workshops and exploration of the main philosophical teachings of Mahayana Buddhism as they appear in the Heart Sutra. This event will take place in the Foundation House, Bangkok, over the weekend of March 24/25.

And so it is approaching that time of year again when you are encouraged to take part in BIG BUDDHA DAY wherever you are around the world, on May 5th [Full Moon Day].

If YOU are a Pioneer of Good Heart, then why not join us by organising a Big Buddha Day 1 Hour Meditation near you. It couldn't be easier...

There is no concept for Big Buddha Day. There is no complexity whatsoever. Just encourage others to join you somewhere open and inspiring and SIT THERE for an hour. 
There are no speeches or prayers. People simply approach the place mindfully at the arranged time and sit down.
The only guidelines are these:

Body Still

Speech Silent

Mind at Rest

If you are moved to organise this pure, simple gathering near you then do not hesitate to contact me directly... nuabruno@gmail.com

You will be joining an invisible network of people meditating on that day all over the world. This year, 2012 will see Big Buddha Day meditations quietly taking place on every continent, hopefully, and in many many weird and wonderful places such as private houses, public parks, beaches, office blocks, slums, deserts, snowy mountain peaks... why not be part of it too?

For more information, please check out the main website HERE and on FaceBook HERE 

All you need to do is keep it simple and inform as many people as possible that you will be sitting at such a place, at such a time, for an hour, and invite them to join you. You can do as much or as little promotion and publicity as you wish. The only thing we ask is that your event is based on the principles of BODY STILL, SPEECH SILENT, MIND AT REST, and that you share photos of your event with the world via our site and on your own.

Inspired? ... Then don't waste another minute!

For the ultimate benefit of beings, get going... 

New Beginnings...

Nature teaches us every Spring just how the world is... but we seem to forget somehow, and renewal and fresh starts always appear to come as a surprise.


The first day of Spring in Ireland is a memory for me personally as I am in Asia this year and I am not there to witness the transformation for myself.
I am told the Irish winter was unexpectedly milder this year and Spring flowers are now poking their heads above soil level earlier and stronger than expected, and in great numbers... another wonderful teaching from Mother Nature...


THINGS CHANGE is the teaching we are constantly receiving from the universe but we don't believe it. We build up our own personal expectations of what is probably going to happen and then we are disappointed/surprised when time after time we are wrong... 
Learning to live with Change and Uncertainty, and [on the up side] Limitless New Possibilities - this IS the meaning of life. It IS the great lesson we are here to learn and embrace to the full.


THINGS CHANGE... but how we respond is the key.


There is always the possibility of a New Beginning if we have the right frame of mind. We can respond to all of life's circumstances, good and bad, with spacious dignity, and in our own time. This is how the world is. Timely and Natural.

As well as the start of Spring, on February 1st i always think of my mother who passed away in 1987. I recall how i fell apart but also how she gave and continues to give me much more than her physical body being here could achieve. Death is transformed into Wisdom and Compassion.


Whenever i think of Mammy, i think of Daddy by comparison. Like most of his children, I feared and hated him for so many years. But when he developed Alzheimer's he changed beyond all recognition. The more i found myself able to be around him and even care for him, the more  and more lovable he became. It was a real eye opener, and an even bigger heart opener. The one person who could have ruined my life turned out to be one of the major forces that turned it around.


As i sit here on the 28th Floor, looking out over Bangkok's Chao Phraya River winding its way over the horizon, my mind turns to Irish Spring Bulbs. My mind turns to frosty mornings melting into soft Spring.


Learning to respond with 'spacious dignity' seems the only sane path to follow in life. When change comes - whether wanted or unwanted - we must accept and let go. Any other path leads to suffering and madness.


FACEBOOK teaches us so much too.
At least we can learn to examine what it all means... what IS a 'friend' anyway?
Childhood friends naturally drift apart. That's OK. Some drift back together again. That's great too.

A family drifts apart - maybe for no real reason other than laziness. That's always shocking and disappointing. But it is also natural in a way too.
25 years pass by in the blink of an eye. 
Then, even though you knew each other's home addresses and phone numbers at one time, something as vacuous and yet as miraculous as FaceBook pushes you in the same direction again after all that time.

Maybe someone who considers YOU their worst enemy starts appearing in the corner of your computer screen... Do you know this person? You have 27 mutual friends...
You have to wonder, How long will it be before we eventually contact each other? Are there some bridges that can not be mended?

The Buddha teaches that absolutely EVERYTHING is open to change. Impermanence and Change is the true nature of all phenomena. 

Therefore, i am drawn back to the Present Moment with all its vast array of possibility. The past is gone. The future has not yet happened. There IS only Here and Now.

I imagine all the change i would like to happen in my life and in the world...


The Buddha says:

We ARE what we think...

All that we are arises with our thoughts...

With our thoughts we make the world...

Between Iraq and a Hard Place...

After almost 9 years of occupation, today sees the full and final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
What an incredible age we are living through!

Tyrrants and despots rising and falling. The ordinary people of the world demanding freedom and democracy. The appearance of freedom and democracy in so-called modern, civilised nations finally being seen through for the impermanent, corrupt, money-grabbing sham that it truly is.

Indeed, we are living in the beginning of a dark Dark Age!

And what was the cost of the U.S. operation in Iraq?
On the face of it, it looks like it is being counted in years, lives and of course money...
9 years,
4,500 US troops dead,
10s of thousands of Iraqis dead,
and...
1TRILLION US Dollars!

Granted, Sadaam Hussein was killed, but was it worth even the life of ONE human being? For every single soldier or civilian dead, there is an extended family who will never get over the loss of their beautiful son or daughter.

As the troops unceremoniously disappear over the horizon into Kuwait - for all the world as if the policy is to try to avoid publicity - we must be mindful of looking for  the truth of what has actually taken place in Iraq and elsewhere.

Iraq is not in a good place right now. Politically you could hardly claim democracy has been achieved.
Strategically, you could not say peace has been restored.
Culturally, just look at what has been lost or destroyed! And psycho-spiritually, who actually knows how long it will take for even one person to recover?

Perhaps in the future we will have a very different view of history, and a very different approach to dealing with tyrrants.
The war crimes and human rights agencies will probably judge that the murders of Sadaam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, and Gadaffi for that matter, were all criminal acts.

But, we must rest assured that the global Dark Age we are now entering not only WILL come to end once it has gone through its cosmic cycle, but it CAN end at any given moment IF [and only if] humanity WAKES UP and chooses to create a Heaven on Earth instead of a Hell.

We have the vast, unexplored potential to do it, if we only looked within our hearts and minds.

What we truly are is something miraculous and incredible... We are LOVE and LIGHT, manifesting temporarily in physical form for the ultimate benefit of OTHERS.

Let us SHINE, therefore, in this Dark Age!

Let us take what we are given, and turn it into Peace, Compassion and Wisdom...


Happy Holidays to you All!

May 2012 not be the end of the world, as the Mayans have predicted, but the beginning of living fully in the Present Moment - a Beautiful Moment, always pregnant with endless possibilities for good!

An Update from Bangkok

Now that M has had his second eye done, with great success, we are back in Bangkok [BKK] to put down some temporary roots.



moved in to our new pad in bkk yesterday and had a blow out drop in party in it from 7pm til about 5am

the place is on Rama 4 Road, and is called Lumpini Park View
it is a nice big one bed condo [shared pool and gym etc] on the 28th floor with a long balcony and a fab view over the whole city and winding river below.
the other side of the building overlooks Lumpini Park [the lungs of the city]

the rent is 25,000 baht a month [about 600 euro]
but when you work it out that is LESS than staying in the Malaysia for a month
we are already interested in keeping it on all year round and sub-letting to anyone coming over who wants it

we will send/post pics once we get more settled

now the hunt for work begins in earnest
michael is going back on saturday and will work his notice out in school before coming back over at xmas
i will really miss him til he gets back and will have to resist the impulse to stay in and write all day without making any money

looks like the floods on the outskirts are slowly draining off
no water in the centre
the only prob is all the factories that supply almost EVERYTHING are under water [so are the routes that trucks would normally use to supply goods]
as a consequence, the shelves are bare in the shops and the most worrying thing for me has been trying to find drinking water to buy
hope things are more normal soon

please pass on our love to everyone who knows us

big hugs,

bruno

REJOICE! ... Sometimes Things Change for the Better - and QUICKLY!

After 28 years, finally married the gorgeous M [Oct 20, 2011]

 Signed the civil register at Naas with our two witnesses and a small group of family. So strange after all these years to be doing something so formal, but it was really wonderful... and surprisingly very emotional.

We invited our merry little band to lunch back in Dublin, where we spent the entire afternoon eating well, in good company, at the fine upstairs dining room in Fallon and Byrne.

Then we opened the top buttons of our shirts [and loosened our belts too] having retreated to The Long Hall Bar on George's Street for loads of pints of Guinness and a few cheeky Zambuccas!

Later that same evening... the photo of the day ! [thanks Maxine]

 The following night was Party Time with lots and lots of friends and family at PantiBar on Capel Street.
Thanks to Alf for playing THE greatest music, to our good friends for sharing the finest party food and a whole shipment of Mother-of-the-Bride HATS, and to all who came along to share our enormous joy at being together 28 years, being able to legally marry, and looking forward to a wonderful future!
With family we see regularly, and those not seen for years, with friends who longed for such an occasion to simply let their hair down and boogie the night away, and those who quietly just wanted to celebrate a great love story, we were both enveloped by your love and cherishing kindness. 

The next day [Saturday 22nd] we flew to Thailand for our honeymoon and to begin our new life together living half the year in South East Asia and half in Ireland.

But, most importnantly, we were going to Bangkok [BKK] so the beautiful M could finally have sight-saving eye surgery in both his  eyes.


We were just about to rent a nice condo there, and have the first eye done when the surgeon dropped a bombshell... such was the potential risk of infection, all the hospitals in BKK were about to close for two weeks til the flood waters had come and gone!
She could see how crest-fallen we both were and immediately contacted her colleague in Phuket's finest private hospital.


The next morning we abandoned all our previous plans [the Buddha said 'Things change' - and man, do they EVER!] and flew down to the island paradise, had M's eyes checked yet again by another expert, and re-scheduled surgery.

Thanks to the truly great miracle of modern surgery, and the steady hands of Dr Khemawan of Bangkok Hospital Phuket, a man rapidly approaching blindness - the love of my life - can now see!

The first eye was done yesterday. The bandages came off today. 
Crystal clear vision, long forgotten, now restored!

Rejoicing in a true miracle of science, and fully cognisant of the difficult nature of the half-hour surgery under minimal local anaesthetic, M actually can't wait to go through it all again on Monday for the second eye !

We both pray, from the bottom of our love-drenched hearts, that a deluge of healing flows across the face of the entire world and that all its now 7 Billion human inhabitants - and all beings everywhere - enjoy clear vision!

A Self-fulfilling Prophecy?

When i was a child, i thought as a child...
I thought everyone was good, and summer would last forever.

But now i am a man, i am learning gradually the true nature of things...
I realise that everything changes, and practically nothing is as it appears.

As i was growing up, my Dad regaled me with crazy stories of our famous ancestor Gypsy Lee.

Not to be confused with Gypsy Rose Lee [the American Stripper], Urania Lee [1852 - 1933] was known as the last Queen of the Romany gypsies in Europe. She was a fiesty old bird who surveyed the countryside from the farm in Kent in England where she lived for most of her adult life.

But Gypsy Lee was more than all that, even.
Renowned for her alleged ability to foretell the future, she made her way into the houses of London's rich and famous as an entertaining after-dinner guest. She even became the favourite of the British royal family who, it is documented, hosted her for many an evening of beguiling superstitious nonsense.

Urania was perhaps most well-known for two amazing prophecies. And they both lead me to wonder, this strangely wintery autumn day, to what extent can prophecies be self-fulilling?

For example, i know i could never win the national lottery simply by intending to. But could i get a job... go live in a foreign country... or even find lasting happiness, simply by announcing and setting my mind to it?

Gypsy Lee's incredible duo of fortune-telling bulls eyes are as follows:

1. Some 50 years before the event itself, Urania told everyone the precise date and time of her own death. Of course, this transpired to the minute. She died in her own bed of old age and a touch of a cold. She was mourned at her funeral by 15,000 people from all walks of life.

2. While he was still a very young man - just out for a night of fine dining and high society partying - the then Prince of Wales [the future King of England, Edward the 8th., 1894 - 1972] was told in front of a full room of incredulous witnesses that he would fall in love with the wrong woman and that their relationship would cause him to abdicate the crown for her. Of course this is exactly what happened after his scandalous relationship with American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, came to light.
But - the prophecy continued - it would be a mistake as the relationship would not be as it appeared, and would unfortunately not last that long.

 

Of course the relationship between Edward and Mrs Simpson came to be feted as one of the world's greatest love stories. Their romance was regarded as an epic tale, a veritable triumph, of love conquering all.

But, as the latest and truly most wonderful Channel 4 documentary on the subject reveals, Queen Urania Lee was right all along! She hadn't, afterall, gotten the end of the prophecy wrong. Far from it!
Good old Gypsy Lee either had a true premonition of what was to come. Or else her prophecy functioned such that it actually influenced and brought about the event itself.
In a so-called golden age, which was considered to have pre-dated the vile 'modern' era of paparazzi and spin-doctors, it turns out the world's public and even the media themselves had been misled entirely in order to save face.
The sad facts of the matter now appear something like this-

Edward and Mrs Simpson lived together in Paris for all those years after his abdication pretending to be great lovers.
Their relationship was a one-sided sham. He loved her alright but she didn't love him.
Wallis Simpson was always in love with the man she had divorced for the Prince of Wales and they had all known it.
But a certain facade had to be maintained and projected in order to protect whatever vestige of integrity Edward still clung to... people were not to be allowed know that he had, in fact, given up everything for nothing... until now, that is.

If you would like to enjoy this incredibly insightful but sad documentary, and have access to it in your region, please click the link HERE

But, in conclusion, to return to the topic of self-fulfilling prophecies...

My mind wanders back to myself as a hormonal teenager, supposedly studying in the local library for my state exams.
I was admiring from afar another young man - a bit older than me - and thinking he must surely be straight, i lamented the fact that someone like me [completely out gay, and hardly a great beauty] could never be with someone like this Greek god.
But, i did prophecy - at least in my own mind - that he would be exactly the kind of man i would settle down with.
Later that same year, as if by some miracle, we actually met each other face to face and slowly fell in love.

The first time i spoke to the Gorgeous M somehow i just knew we would end up together for life.

And next month, after 28 years of us being together ... after all the ups and downs ... all the living and laughing together ... and even some wonderful relationships and passing encounters with other people along the way too ... almost three decades and two landmark law changes later, myself and the incredibly patient and wise Gorgeous M will be married!

No too much fuss or carry on.
A quiet moment in the Registrar's office.
A pint with friends.
One of our little part of the world's unsung yet perhaps greatest love stories of all time.
Just a real case of true love conquering all.
A testament to the enduring power of vision and intention ... to self-fulfilling prophecy.  

In a world gone mad...

In Ireland, we were shamefully yet quietly over-the-moon to hear of global warming as our weather here is generally miserable and we were all looking forward to a few more sunny days. 
But - alas - it hasn't worked out that way. 
So here we are... almost mid August, and we're looking out the big window at the cold wind and the rain [again]. 
On television, meanwhile, Sky News has looped video footage of the massive riots in Britain and all the fires and looting that goes with it. [I'm sure many Irish people are secretly regretting the sorry fact that we didn't do the same when our corrupt government and the evil bankers destroyed our lives and ruined all our futures].


But HEY ... musn't grumble, right?

A 'Carry On' movie has just started on the other channel. It is called Carry on REGARDLESS!

I've just had some toasted Irish Pride sliced pan with Flora Buttery melting all over it as a healthy option. Oh, and a mug of delicious Barry's tea...
 
In a world gone mad, today i offer you some pictures from our courtyard garden. 

Thanks to the gorgeous M for growing these beautiful 'summer' roses. I just managed to photograph them on my phone before they blow away! 


Thanks M... Love you!

Amongst White Clouds...

Because of all the crimes against humanity, and crimes against Buddhism perpetrated by China in Tibet, it is FAR too easy and over-simplistic to view China as 'the enemy'.

It is true that A particular Chinese regime has done all these unspeakable things [and we must speak of them]. But today i want to consider something else...

And it is this: Truth can NEVER be entirely extinguished!

Even though we walk through this valley of tears, and the age in which we live is a Dark Age indeed, there is always Truth glimmering away [however faint]. Maybe it glimmers in a remote place, but it shines.

And this is the main point... I had always believed that the Chinese had succeeded in totally wiping out their own national form of Chinese Buddhism. But not so.
CHAN Buddhism had come directly from India and flourished within China itself. It had also given birth to the more famous Zen which took root in Japan, Korea and Viet Nam.

So, as you can imagine, I was beyond thrilled some years ago when a new Buddhist DocuFilm was released by a very young American man named Edward Burger. 

The docu movie was called AMONGST WHITE CLOUDS. And that is precisely where this determined boy had to go in the most remote places to find the remnants of Chan in the caves in the lofty peaks of China's Zhongnan Mountains.
But what he found was not just a remnant. It is an authentic practice lineage that is very much alive amongst a small quasi community of hermits and retreatants dotted around the area. 
Serious Chan meditation practitioners are devoting their whole lives to this path, and are reaching nothing less than Buddhahood ... full awakening to the vast present moment.

And so, a young man called Burger equipped with a video camera and basic provisions - and, at first, very rudimentary Chinese language skills - set off to China. Following urban dharma myths, keen hunches and gut instinct - and not even really knowing where the mountain range was - Edward somehow managed to rediscover and document this incredible group of practitioners. Not only is it a miracle that they exist at all, but that they had kept the authentic Chan tradition alive throughout China's turbulent past.

I will certainly be proposing Amongst White Clouds for inclusion in the first BUDDHIST FILM FESTIVAL, DUBLIN in 2012.

Someone has kindly shared the whole movie on YouTube. HERE 
Of course it may not be there for long, so enjoy it all while you can [... more Buddhist wisdom??]
I just loved, loved, loved this film!

 

I Am

just wanted to share this important documentary with you...

www.iamthedoc.com

HH Dalai takes part and replies to the central question: What is wrong with the world and what can we do about it? by saying 'First we need critical thinking, followed by action'

What happens to old news?

Last night - just before falling asleep in bed - i was squinting to read the rolling Sky News 'breaking news' captions at the bottom of my tv screen.

I was disturbed to see 'Tsunami Alert in Japan as 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits off coast', but the actual news reader wasn't referring to it at all. I lay there for almost 30 minutes to see if it would eventually feature, but No. Endless old interviews with jaded politicians about the state of the world and the wars, but nothing about the Tsunami alert or the earthquake.

I have to admit - although I was thinking of the many potential victims and sending them Loving Compassion - I fell fast asleep none the wiser.

When i awoke this morning, feeling like a 'bad buddhist' and a worse human being for falling asleep, my immediate reaction was to check Sky News again to see what had happened during the night in Japan... 

NOTHING! It was just as if the mini-headline had never happened! No mention whatsoever!
Over coffee i went online to see if the BBC website had anything... nothing! Nothing anywhere at all.

So now i am left with the impression that the news alert about the earthquake/tsunami was a broadcast mistake or just so unimportant that it didn't warrant a further mention... 

Even if there had been no wave or no damage as a result of the quake shouldn't there be somewhere for us to get information about what actually DID happen? 
Shouldn't there be some kind of 'OLD NEWS' channel where we could follow up on all those stories that seem to disappear off the face of the earth?

We seem to have generated an INSATIABLE appetite for up-to-the-minute Breaking News stories, but not much interest in what happened next or the deeper meaning behind anything.


Another night i fell asleep the same way while worrying about a similar breaking news caption that seemed to be saying how masses of ordinary Chinese people were rising up in the south of the country... I had visions of people power overthrowing despots and corrupt local government officials such as we have been witnessing all across the Arab countries. 'Finally', i thought to myself. 'Here we go!'

But, O No... NOTHING! No TV news story. No follow up. No nothing!

Then i got to thinking about all the news stories that DID make it to our TV screens and newspapers for a time but which eventually got dropped without trace after their moment in the sun... Big stories that seem to have had little or no follow up... 
Couldn't our imagined and much longed-for 'OLD NEWS' channel keep us informed of all that too?

I wondered about our beloved Aung San Suu Kyi.

Where is she now? 
What does she do all day? 
What is going on in Burma? 
Why hasn't there been an over-throw there?

... I can't believe she was simply elected leader of Burma all those years ago, imprisoned by a military junta under house-arrest for decades, then released finally before a gathering of the world's press, then... NOTHING!

In the spirit of following up... Please enjoy these interesting and inspiring reports on Aung San Suu Kyi and the current state of inertia in Burma:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13884748


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13851172


http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=aung

Khandro Tsering Chödron passes away

For several years now Khandro lived with Sogyal Rinpoche and his family in Lerab Ling Tibetan Buddhist Temple, in Southern France.

From the age of 16, she was the spiritual wife of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö all of her adult life. And she has been revered by all who knew her as the very embodiment of the most incredible, awakened qualities that a practitioner can display.

Kandro-la passed away on Sunday May 30.

Please enjoy this video tribute to her which was made by the Rigpa community at Lerab Ling

http://vimeo.com/25125033

In Memory of Khandro Tsering Chödrön from khandrotseringchodron.org on Vimeo.

First BIG BUDDHA DAY Launched in Dublin!

What a beautifully auspicious, first-ever Big Buddha Day Dublin!

The invitation was to gather and sit together in meditation for one hour by the Bandstand in Dublin's St Stephen's Green.
 

At 630pm there was just a handful of meditators. Although we didn't know eachother from Adam, we had individually found our way to this place and time so we smiled greetings to one another as we entered meditation quite effortlessly.

Soon - in ones and twos - other figures walked mindfully across the park towards us and gradually we were joined by more and more people. 

There was something very special, very simple, and very authentic in the air. Having come to a damp Dublin park, prepared either to bake or to drown in Ireland's infamous May of Many Weathers, the heavy clouds parted right on cue and the warm sun shone through the gaps.

For sixty minutes of pure and simple joy that seemed to drift by more like sixty seconds, we sat together, the late evening sun's rays casting long shadows across the grass - the trees, benches, bandstand, sitters.

It had been a strange day in Dublin. Queen Elizabeth was setting foot on Irish soil for the very first time. Security, at a cost of 30 million euro plus, was at fever pitch. Already 3 bombs had been discovered.

Death threats abounded and there were riots brewing on O'Connell Street.

We had been informed during the day that Stephen's Green would probably be shut and - judging by the pictures on live 

TV - it appeared the city centre was a ghost town with roads closed and ordinary Dubliners being corralled and herded away from most key areas of town.
 

I just couldn't believe my eyes when i managed to get into town - almost late myself - only to find roads had opened and the Green hadn't closed afterall.

Within minutes we were gathering and sitting: Body Still, Speech Silent, Mind at Rest.
And, as our numbers increased, it was fascinating to observe the reaction [both within myself and among the people passing through the park].

I became conscious that meditating in a public place, being observed by others, is actually a bit like 'coming out of the closet'... something very private becoming very public.

There was a kind of pride at work among us; a carefree dignity.

People seemed to stare in disbelief, but still we sat. School girls dared each other to go between us and yell but we were not bothered by them at all. Japanese tourists took photos. Nearby Spanish picnic-ers took turns joining us, arms outstretched, rejoicing in the sun's warmth. Park rangers - and then a police car - came by just to check we weren't some kind of protest. Ordinary passers by appeared to be somehow elevated merely by seeing us all simply sitting there.
Birds called out to each other. Churchbells rang. And the wind rustled every leaf for miles as the sun finally dropped down behind a tall tree in the far west.


It was 730pm and the meditators were starting to stir and move off home. One or two people who knew eachother already chatted briefly. Others smiled and wished eachother a Happy Big Buddha Day, saying See you next year before walking mindfully away.


Thank you to all those who supported us and especially to those who gathered to sit.


Very much looking forward to sitting together again next year, by the bandstand, in The Green... 630pm - 730.


Next year's BIG BUDDHA DAY will be Saturday May 5th 2012.


register for email updates with your email address on the righthand side of this page...


check out www.lotus-temple.org and www.openspacecommunity.blogspot.com  for similar opportunities to gather and simply sit.

Sogyal Rinpoche teaches the Essence of Buddhism at AWAKE AMSTERDAM - a multimedia, techno gig for 21st century searchers

Announcing Big Buddha Day [Dublin: TUESDAY MAY 17 2011, 630pm - 730pm Bandstand, St Stephen's Green.

Dear Friends,

This is me launching my latest Dharma-Project: BIG BUDDHA DAY

www.bigbuddhadaydublin.blogspot.com

PLEASE HELP ME promote the idea in principle and this event in particular and join in my aspiration prayer that Big Buddha Day grows and spreads worldwide for the benefit of all beings!

Announcing Big Buddha Day Dublin: TUESDAY MAY 17 2011, 630pm - 730pm

Dear Friends,

You are cordially invited to join us and celebrate the first ever Big Buddha Day!

Often referred to as Wesak or Vesak, Big Buddha Day falls on the first Full Moon day in May and is the most important occasion in the Buddhist calendar internationally. 
On this special day we celebrate the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha.


This year the May full moon rises on Tuesday May 17th. 

Therefore, we are delighted to launch the first Big Buddha Day event here in Dublin, Ireland, and sincerely hope the idea grows and spreads.

Whether there are 10 people [or 10,000!] we will meet and sit together at the BANDSTAND in Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. 




We will sit in meditation on the grass there, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers and trees, for one hour from 630pm to 730pm.

There will be no speeches or ritual of any kind on this occasion.
BIG BUDDHA DAY is a non-denominational event and will be totally inclusive. Therefore it is not happening in a place associated with any one particular tradition.


We will sit in meditation: Body Still, Speech Silent, Mind at Rest.

We are encouraged to develop the Buddha Mind which is naturally open, content and awake.

Our greatest aspiration will be to awaken within us infinite Peace, Compassion and Wisdom and to share that with all beings.

So please spread the word far and wide. But, most importantly, come and join us yourself!


Be prepared for all weathers and remember to bring a meditation cushion to sit on.

If you feel inspired - and are able to - you may wish to make your final approach to the grassy area beside the Bandstand by practising Mindful Walking Meditation to the spot where you would like to sit.

Thanks in advance for all your help and support.

Love and Light,
your little brother, Bruno


PS Here is a jpg of our simple poster if you want help promote Big Buddha Day Dublin
And don't forget, if you organise your own BBD event wherever you are, let me know and i can list on our main webpage too