IN THIS ISSUE
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Biographical Series of His Eminence Kyabje Choegye Rinpoche by Lama Choedak Rinpoche >>
Also in this issue:
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Doing Knowing Seeing Feeling - Update on the Society's retreats >>
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Two Weeks in Tibet 2011 - Lama Choedak Rinpoche lead a very successful visit to Nalendra Monstery >>
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Birthday Celebration for His Holiness Sakya Trizin >>
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New Kangyur Edition - new publication of scriptures to be acquired >>
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18 Wondrous Analogies of the Triple Gem >>
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37 Factors of Enlightenment - transcript of Lama Choedak Rinpoche's teaching series continued >>
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Paths, tracks and trails - by Venerable Jamyang
Tsultrim >>
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Tibetan Language Intensive 2012 >>
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Update from Virupa Retreat Centre >>
Masthead photo bar: His Holiness Sakya Trizin with Lama Choedak Rinpoche, Zimwok Rinpoche and Khenpo Danchoe at Buchan Caves; Nalendra Monastery, Tibet; SIBA mani stone painting; Virupa Retreat Center; Rinpoche teaching at SIBA; Calm Abiding at SIBA.
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 Two Weeks in Tibet 2011
Lama Choedak Rinpoche and a small group, including three committee members, visited Tibet in September. Their trip was mainly to give encouragement to monasteries and nunneries which the Society has pledged support to since 2007 as part of the Nalendra Project.
The visit was a resounding success, and judging by the reports from the three committee members who joined the trip, a very important experience on their Dharma path...
A video of the trip is being put together including lots of footage of the progress that has been made at these monasteries and nunneries. Contact us if you are interested in a copy.
You can read more about the support programme and its activities.
There is a new convenient and secure online credit card donation system for Nalendra Project.
Check out DharmaTeachings Channel for playlists of video and audio including -
Rinpoche's
Teaching Schedule
For more information about these retreats and other activities go to the Events section on our website
Calm Abiding Retreat
VRC 29 Dec '11 - 1 January '12
Amitayus Empowerment
VRC 1 January '12
Tibetan Language Course
Canberra 7 - 22 January '12
White Tara Retreat
SIBA 25 - 30 January '12
Calm Abiding Retreat
SIBA 8 - 12 March '12
Ngondro Preliminaries Retreat
VRC 5 - 9 April '12
Nyung Ne Retreat
SIBA 18 - 21 May '12
Vajrayogini Retreat
VRC 8 - 11 June '12
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
New edition of Tibetan Buddhist Kagyur
Gorum Publication is planning to purchase a complete set of NEW KAGYUR EDITION. Kagyur is the complete Tibetan Buddhist canon consisting of 108 volumes. Produced in Beijing, it has been edited and published as a modern book form as opposed to the traditional Tibetan pecha. This will make our collection complete as we already purchased TENGYUR some seven years ago. It will be housed in Canberra.
Sponsoring the purchase of sacred texts is considered extremely meritorious and you can dedicated it for your health, longevity and happiness as well as that of others. Kindly consider helping this project.
This is a very special collection and very large. The total cost of the KAGYUR is estimated $7500 incluidng shipping. We are seeking sponsorship. $61.30 will purchase one of the 108 volumes or any contribution is greatly appreciated and valuable.
Use the quick and secure online credit card donation system.
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LANGUAGE INTENSIVE 2012
Learn to read and write Tibetan in just two weeks!
Canberra - 7 to 22 January 2012
If you have ever wished to be able to read prayers in Tibetan or translate scripture or learn some Tibetan lingo prior to travelling, this course will get you started. Classes with Lama Choedak Rinpoche are intimate and lively and are separated into groups according to experience.
Participants come away able to read and write Tibetan as well as construct simple sentences.; have an understanding of grammar and construction; and an exposure to translating classical literature - a teaching in itself.
For more info go to the website more>>
News from Canberra
 Lama Choedak Rinpoche completed an extensive teaching on Shantideva's "Bodhisattva's Way of Life" as part of the Rongton Buddhist Training College Tuesday night philosophy classes. The entire topic took two years (eight terms) to complete.
Peter Morgan supervised and carried out major repairs to the famous steep driveway at Virupa Retreat Centre recently.
A full report is available on all that has been going on in Canberra recently by clicking here >>
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SPECIAL FEATURE
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Doing Knowing Seeing Feeling
...have you done a retreat lately?
 Buddha gave countless teachings of innumerable styles and methods that have the ability to speak to anyone’s heart. One of the distinctive aspects of Sakya Losal Choe Dzong and it’s sister centres which share Lama Choedak Rinpoche as their spiritual director is the large number and variety of retreats that are on offer. Retreat is unsurpassable in deriving benefit from those teachings, not just intellectually but doing, knowing, seeing and feeling.
In the last few months residential retreats have been well attended with the Society having conducted Medicine Buddha, Training the Trainer, Hevajra and a one month Ngondro Preliminaries retreat. Once again, our biggest retreat of the year was the 15th annual Ten-day Calm Abiding Meditation retreat at SIBA which forty-two people attended including nine people who took refuge.
Click here for stories and testimonials as well as more beautiful photos from the retreat.
Go to the EVENTS page on our website for a list of some of the retreats in 2012 including:
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New Years Calm Abiding 29 December to 1 January '12 - Virupa
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Family Week 2 to 6 January 2012 - SIBA
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White Tara 25 to 30 January 2012 - SIBA
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Yoga and Meditation 24 to 26 February 2012 - SIBA
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4-day Calm Abiding Meditation 8 to 12 March 2012 - SIBA
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Ngondro Preliminaries 5 to 9 April 2012 - Virupa
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Easter Health & Wellness 5 to 9 April 2012 - SIBA
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Tai Chi & Meditation 13 to 17 April '12 - SIBA
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Nyung Ne Fasting and Purification Ritual - 18 to 21 May '12 - SIBA
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Biographical Series of
His Eminence Kyabje Choegye Rinpoche (continued)
 "(Kyabje Rinpoche's mother) was a great yogini, a twenty-four-hour-a-day practitioner of meditation…She would remain sitting upright in meditation throughout the night, and never dozed off for more than five or ten minutes at a time.
The family appreciated this, as no one had to worry about getting up at night to stir the ashes of the fire and it was always ready for the preparation of tea early in the morning!"
Continuing the series of excerpts from a new biography of His Eminence Choegye Trichen Rinpoche written by Lama Choedak Rinpoche.
"The Kyabje Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, Ngawang Khyenrab Lekshe Gyatso, was born on the 4th of the 8th Tibetan lunar month of Iron Monkey year in September 1919 near Gyashar Kushang Monastery in Shigatse. His father was Sonam Senge Wangchuk (1873-1928) and his mother was known Namdrol Yeshe Sangmo (1895-1963).
Kyabje Rinpoche once said that whilst his father must have been a great practitioner, his mother was greater…Kyabje Chogye Rinpoche would speak of his mother with the deepest respect, admiration, love, and affection. Rinpoche felt that she must have been a bodhisattva. She would never speak ill of anyone, and whenever someone was criticized, she would rush to defend the person, insisting that they could never do or say whatever they were accused of...The day she passed away, she was lying with her head in Kyabje Chogye Rinpoche’s lap. She told Rinpoche she was so happy and at peace that day resting there in her son’s lap. Then she closed her eyes and passed away." more>> |
Clear Mind Magazine Online
We hope that you enjoy our new online format for Clear Mind magazine. We encourage you to follow the links and explore the editorial, contributions and stories from Lama Choedak Rinpoche, members and friends.
We endevour to keep you as well informed as possible about Sakya Losal Choe Dzong's special activities informing our dharma community on our activities, announcing retreats and teaching events and reporting on what has been taken place.
Best wishes from all at Sakya Losal Choe Dzong.
Remember you can forward this newsletter to a friend. It is also possible for others to opt in to our Clear Mind Newsletter mailing list by going onto our website HOME page or clicking on this link.
Happy 67th Birthday!
His Holiness the Sakya Trizin
 The birthday celebration of the Society's spiritual patron, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, was held on 28 September 2011. As the supreme head of the glorious Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and owner of all the meditation practices that we maintain it is especially important to honour His Holiness as we become very receptive to the blessings of the Triple Gem in doing so.
Three Sakya monks, Loppon Tsering Samdrup la, Lama Tsekyab la and Loppon Ngawang Khedrup travelled from Sydney to take part in the special day.
The day was taken up with a Vajrasattva Drubchoe conducted in Tibetan and English at Virupa Retreat Centre. This is a traditional type of purification, samaya renewal and guru yoga done on auspicious days including honouring the birthdays of great gurus like His Holiness.
The translation of the elaborate drunchoe text into english was done by Lama Choedak Rinpoche to commemorate the 2007 visit of His Holiness' son, Gyana Vajra Rinpoche to Australia when he presided over the conclusion of the inaugural One-month Ngondro retreat held at SIBA that year. It was very special to do the practice again on this day and having the visiting Tibetan lamas added significantly to the occasion and was very much appreciated.
An evening celebration and supper was held at the ANU School of Music in one of their renovated recital halls. Forty people attended including Sonam Dagpo la and Ngodrup la from the Tibet Information Office as well as Lama Choephel and other members of the TIbetan comunity in Canberra. Beautiful speeches recalling the remarkable life work and bodhisattvic deeds of His Holiness were given by both Sonam Dagpo la and Lama Choedak Rinpoche.
All present combined to recite the 16 Arhat Puja in the traditional of honouring and making offering to the bodhsattvas and arhats, requesting the Wheel of Dharma to be turned and beseeching the bodhisattvas to live long and remain for the benefit of all sentient beings. During the chanting of His Holiness' long-life prayer all present went forward to offer a white silk khata scalf to the shrine which had a specially ordered large framed portrait print of His Holiness Sakya Trizin. Blessing pills brought back by the Tibet pilgrims were handed out to all.
To top off a very successful evening a scrumptious supper was had by all afterwards. Special thanks for Lidija and Kath for organising the event.
"Glorious great root teacher precious one
Sits upon a lotus on my head
Having graced us through your kindness great
Bless my body voice and mind, I pray"
"His Holiness the Sakya Trizin
Please live long"
Eighteen Wondrous Analogies of the Three Jewels
 1. The Buddha is like the full moon; the Dharma is like the shedding of the moon’s effulgence; and the Sangha is like the world inspired with happiness by the effulgence of the full moon.
2. The Buddha is like the rising sun; the Dharma is like the web of his rays; and Sangha is like the world free of darkness.
3. Buddha is like the man who burns a poisonous forest; the Dharma, which burns the forest, and the Sangha is like the cleared land for planting.
more>>
37 Factor of Enlightenment
Below we continue summarising Lama Choedak Rinpoche’s 2005 teachings on the 37 Factors of Enlightenment. They are divided into seven groups, the last of which is the Noble Eightfold Path.
"The Noble Eightfold Path comprises: right view; right intention or attitude; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness; and right concentration or meditation. The path of enlightenment is called the noble path or arya marga in Sanskrit. The point of departure is suffering and the destination is the extinction of suffering, that is the complete cessation or total elimination of suffering. This is not just changing one place for another but a complete change of experience." more >>
Paths, tracks and trails
...some terms on the spiritual search
 By Jamyang Tsultim
The term marga in Sanskrit translates as ‘path'. It comes from the word mrga, meaning a wild forest animal (usually a deer). So originally marga meant something more like the ‘track' or ‘trail' of an animal that a hunter would follow..
more >>
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