Gentle Voice November 2012

With thanks to wildmind

Subject: Gentle Voice November 2012Date: 29/10/12 16:22

November 2012In This Issue

Lama Zopa = TransformingDepression

This month at Jamyang

Geshe Tashi's column

Jamyangers meet His Holiness

The Director's Column

Jamyang Friends

The Wheel of Life

Vajrasattva Practice Group

Life, love and liberation

Happy Birthday

Lama Zopa on FPMT vision channel

Dharma Bites - The PotthapadaSutra Part 2

Book Review

Poetry Corner

Compassion in Education

Welcome to the new UK FPMTcoordinator

Talk on the Emperor Ashoka

Bosnian Buddhist Group

About FPMT

Your Thoughts for Gentle Voice

Editor's welcome

Hello everyone,Well, a busy month coming up at Jamyang. I hopeyou will be able to make time to hear Jangtse ChojeRinpoche. There are two sessions open to all, docheck out the programme below.Other than that we have another mix of news andteachings in the newsletter. As the sun disappearsfor a few months for a well earned rest in theSouthern hemisphere, we thought you might befeeling a bit depressed, so have a read of LamaZopa's advice on countering depression. We are

Gentle Voice November 2012

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also pleased to include an extract from a poempublished by the Tibet Foundation and to advertisea talk they are organising. All this and much, muchmore (especially from Dave Benn) is includedbelow. Do enjoy the read.

Peace and Love,John

Transforming Depression by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The best solution to purify the karma of having depression is to do thepurification practice of Vajrasattva. As long as the karma isn't purified, you'llcontinue to suffer from depression again in future lives.Maybe you wake up in the morning feeling depressed for no particular reason. Ifyou can't solve this problem through meditation it might help to just go to sleep,or go somewhere to rest, or take a nice drive somewhere. Otherwise you'll getupset, disturbing the people around you as well. When you're angry, all sorts ofbad, uncontrolled thoughts can come into your mind.If you're depressed due to a certain situation then you can apply the meditationtechniques that relate to that particular set of conditions. But if you just feel sadfor no particular reason, it's best to practice bodhicitta.You can recite the verse from the Guru Puja, "Please bless me to realize that thedisease of the self cherishing thought is the door to unwanted suffering." Blamethe demon, the self-cherishing thought, for your problem of depression. Thenrecite the next verse, 'Bless me to realize that cherishing others, bodhicitta, theattitude that leads all mother living beings to happiness, is the door to everyexcellent quality."Another quote from Guru Puja is, "Even if all living beings become my enemy,may I cherish them more than my life." It's very good if you can recite theseverses daily, especially when you feel depressed. Then you'll be using yourdepression to practice the meaning of these two verses; that all problems andsuffering come from cherishing the 'I', therefore the I is the object to berenounced, to be given up. All your own and others' happiness, including all therealizations up to enlightenment- all perfections and happiness come fromcherishing others- bodhicitta.Because all these good things come from the attitude of cherishing others, theydepend on other living beings. Therefore living beings are to be cherishedforever. You need to repay the kindness of all these precious beings, to helpthem however you can. How best to do this? They've been millionairescountless times, they've even been universal kings but none of this power orwealth has freed them from the sufferings of samsara. The best way to repaytheir kindness is to practice Lamrim, to transform the mind from ignorance,attachment and self-cherishing into wholesome, pure thoughts. By actualizingthe path to enlightenment you can easily liberate other beings. Therefore thebest way to repay their kindness is to meditate on and develop bodhicitta in yourown mind.Taking


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Every living being is the source of all your past, present, future happiness.Generate compassion by thinking, "I'll take all their suffering and its causes(afflictive emotions and negative karmic imprints) including the fires of the hothells, the ice of the cold hells and the unpleasant, unhealthy, ugly, unpeacefuland polluted environments of human beings into my heart." This eliminates theself-cherishing attitude. Once the self-cherishing attitude has been destroyed doa short meditate on emptiness.GivingAfter the self-cherishing has been destroyed, generate love by giving your ownhappiness, your merit, all the good things you have, including your body, wealthand possessions. All their wishes are fulfilled as if they had a wish-grantingjewel. By giving them all these things you create unbelievable amounts of merit.You can recite mantra while they're receiving everything they want and need.Actually they don't know they really need. What they need is to meet thedharma. But if they don't understand the benefits of the dharma, they wantsomething other than dharma.Receiving all these good things causes them to actualize the spiritual path, topurify the two obscurations (to liberation and enlightenment). They achieve therupakaya (the form bodies of a buddha) and become enlightened. Think, "Howwonderful it is that I can do all this for others! I've died many times in past liveswhile working for my own happiness, but it didn't accomplish anything. I'm still insamsara. I've never died while working for others. Even if I have to die for thebenefit of others, for them to stop creating negative karma, to not be reborn inthe lower realms and for their minds to become the dharmakaya and rupakayaand enlightened, it would be immensely worthwhile.Mediate on the extensive kindness and precious of all beings. "Every livingbeing is the source of all my past, present, future hap. My own future buddha,dharma and sangha come from purifying my negative karma enabling me toattain all the realizations and to achieve enlightenment. All this happens on thebasis of other beings. Therefore every sentient being is the most precious thingin my life. Anything other than working for living beings is totally meaningless."This includes experiencing depression for them. There's nothing to work forother than sentient beings. Anything else is totally meaningless. Experiencedepression on their behalf by thinking this isn't my depression but thedepression of numberless beings, this is their depression, their suffering. To givethem every happiness; including freedom all the sufferings of cyclic existenceand the bliss of full enlightenment is fantastic!Feel the joy of it! This is their depression, so the most wonderful thing would beto experience it for them and allow all those suffering from depression to haveevery happiness. Then rejoice that you have this opportunity to experience thisproblem of depression on their behalf. "How fantastic it is that I'm experiencingthis depression on behalf of all beings!"Do this practice of tonglen (taking and giving) in the morning, afternoon andevening.Think again and again, 'How lucky I am that I can experience this depression forthem. I've made many prayers to take others' suffering onto myself, so nowthose prayers are being actualized. How fantastic this is! It makes my life sorich, so meaningful! How fortunate I am to experience this depression on behalfof all living beings."Think about the meaning of your life, a psychological method that makes a huge


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difference because much of the problem comes from your exaggerated conceptof pain. It's possible to reduce or completely eliminate pain with the mind. "Thepurpose of my life isn't just to be healthy, wealthy, to have a good reputation, tobe popular and have lots of friends. Even if I had all these things, it isn't theactual purpose of my life. Even if I live for 1,000 years or am perfectly healthy foreons, if I don't have love and compassion in my heart my life it's meaninglessand useless because my life isn't benefiting others. Leading such a life would beempty. Therefore it doesn't matter what happens; if in my life there's health or nohealth; depression or no depression; cancer or no cancer, wealth or no wealth.The real purpose of my life is to make my death beneficial for others. Even if Ihave cancer, I'll make that experience beneficial for all beings by using it todevelop compassion and bodhicitta, to achieve realizations and enlightenment."In this way the cancer becomes the cause of happiness. Depression can also beused to achieve enlightenment to benefit all beings in this and future lives,especially all those who suffer from depression- just like using snake venom toproduce it's own anti-venom.You're using your depression to achieve enlightenment. In this way it becomesthe cause of happiness for all sentient beings experiencing depression. Think,"The main purpose of life is to benefit all living beings, to free them fromsuffering and bring them happiness in this and future lives. Even if I havecancer, aids, depression or whatever, the purpose of my life is to bringhappiness to all sentient beings by experiencing these problems on their behalf." In this way depression becomes a quick way to achieve enlightenment. Thesame with cancer. Use it to quickly achieve enlightenment. If it's experienced forthe benefit of others it becomes the quick path to enlightenment becauseexperiencing suffering for others is incredible, unbelievable purification. This isexcellent!There was one monk in Thailand who was walking around the country. He cameacross a big river. On the banks of the river was a woman with leprosy, with pusoozing out of her sores. She begged the monk to carry her across the river. Herefused, on the basis that his monk's vows prevented him from touching women.After some time one of the monk's disciples came along and when he saw thepoor woman, unbelievable compassion arose in his mind. Without hesitation hepicked her up and carried her across the river, even though her body wascovered with open wounds. When he reached the middle of the river the womantransformed into Vajra Yogini and took him - not just his consciousness, but alsohis body, to Vajra Yogini's pure land. This means that by now this monk hasattained full enlightenment, because anyone who goes to Vajra Yogini's pureland is enlightened there. Being in a pure land is a quick way to achieveenlightenment if it hasn't yet happened in your present life. In this case VajraYogini took the aspect of an ordinary, pitiful woman with leprosy in order tostimulate compassion in the disciple's mind. This compassion quickly purifiedthe heavy negative karma blocking him from seeing Vajra Yogini.In the case of the great Tibetan yogi, Milarepa, the karmic blocks preventing himto see Vajrayogini were purified by his pure service to his holy guru, Marpa.It's the same for you. If on the basis of feeling strong compassion youexperience depression on behalf of all beings, this meditation of taking andexperiencing the suffering for others is a quick path to enlightenment, just likethe example of the monk. It's a quick way to achieve enlightenment becauseexperiencing cancer, depression or any suffering for the benefit of living beings


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is unbelievably purifying.Suffering from depression can be a good thing because it allows you to easilysee the pain of other people. By using your own experience of depression youcan clearly feel the unbearable pain of many, many other people. There are somany people who are depressed and many others creating karma for futurebouts of depression. Experiencing depression on their behalf might be evenmore powerful than practising tantra because if tantra isn't done correctly, on thebasis of the three principal paths, it's not a quick path to enlightenment.When feeling depressed you can think, "I'm exhausting so much of my negativekarma to have depression that I've accumulated throughout countless pastlives." Rejoice! You should feel great joy about finishing the karma instead ofseeing the depression as something bad.As it's said in Guru Puja, living beings and their environments are filled withunbelievable problems and sufferings, coming one after another like rainfall,sufferings that are the results of negative karma. "Please grant me blessings tosee my depression as exhausting the results of my negative karmic imprints,and bless me to be able to always transform bad conditions into the path toenlightenment." You can recite mantra while doing this meditation.For example when you wash a dirty piece of cloth, the water becomes black withdirt. You don't see the black dirt as a negative thing since it means the cloth isgetting clean. In the same way, when you practice dharma negative karmas canripen causing you to get sick because you're purifying so much negative karmaby practising dharma. So you should rejoice when you get depressed!Depression happens in the first place due to being under the control of the ego,self-cherishing, attachment, anger, broken vows and pledges and havingdisturbed the minds of holy beings and your spiritual teachers in past lives. Thisdepression is caused by the ego, the self-cherishing attitude and theself-existent "I". So rather than accepting the depression, give it back to theself-cherishing attitude. Use the depression like a bomb to destroy the wrongconception of the I. Then meditate on the emptiness of the self-existent I.These are some ways to use depression to achieve enlightenment as quickly aspossible. By using it to develop compassion and bodhicitta you collect merit asvast as limitless space and purify unbelievable amounts of negative karma. It'sbeing used like a powerful bomb to destroy the wrong conception of theinherently existent I, the thing that caused the depression in the first place. It'sthe demon that has prevented your enlightenment, your liberation from samsara,all the realizations, and is the door to all your problems.You can also do some preliminary practices such as Vajrasattva to purify thenegative karma that causes depression.

Edited by T. Wongmo, Buddhist Nun


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THIS MONTH AND NEXT AT JAMYANG

CLASSES AND EVENTS IN NOVEMBER and December AT JAMYANG

TEACHINGS WITH JANGTSECHOJE RINPOCHE LOBSANGTENZIN

Fri 2, Sat 3, Sun 4, Wed 7, Thu 8,Fri 9 November Vajrayogini Completion StageTeachings(Restricted to those who alreadyhave the full initiation and who havecompleted the 100,00 mantraretreat or who commit to do thatretreat in the near future)

Tuesday 6 November 2.30pmGradual Path to EnlightenmentMeditation teachingsOpen to all

Friday 9 November 7pmWhite Tara Long Life InitiationOpen to all CLASSES and RETREATS withGESHE TASHI

Saturday 10 - 11 November10am - 5pm FBT Module: Four Noble TruthsRegistered Students Only Thursday evenings 1, 15, 22November 7:30Buddha Nature RETREATS and WEEKENDTEACHINGS and PRACTICE Weekend 3 - 4 November10am -5pm with Geshe GrahamWoodhouseDebate Workshop 5th - 9th November daily 10am -5pmGuhyasamaja Retreatrestricted to initiates only (checkwebsite for details)

WEEK DAY EVENINGS

Mondays weekly until 17 December7:30pmBuddhist Meditation: Shamata(Calm Abiding)

Tuesdays weekly to 18 Decemberexcept 6 and 13 November 6:15pmMedicine Buddha Puja

Thursdays weekly until 13December excluding 8th November6.15 - 7.15pmSilent Meditation

Thursday 1 November and 6December 7:30 with David FordMeditation for Beginners

Tuesday 13, 20, 27 November, 4December 7:30Verses from the Guide to theBodhisattva Way of Life

Wednesday 14, 21, 28 November, 5December 7:30The Bodhisattva Attitude

Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12,Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19December 7.30pm with MikeMurrayFour Ways to a Better World

Wednesday 19 December7.30pm with Venerable Amy MillerThe Importance of Pilgrimage

WEEK DAY DAYTIME

Tuesdays weekly from 2othNovember to 18 December4pm set up for puja at 4.30pmTara Puja

COMMUNITY Saturday 1 December10 am to 4pm with Sue Aldam and


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12th - 16th Novemberdaily 10am -5pmKalachakra Retreatrestricted to initiates only (checkwebsite for details) Weekend 17 -18 November10am -5pm with ChitraRamgoolam Full Embodied Living 24th November 10am - 4pm WithRoy SutherwoodShamata Practice Day Thursday 20 Dec 7pm to Sunday 23Dec 10am with Steff HillNyung NayIncludes one full day of silence andfood and drink fasting and two daysof taking the Eight Mahayana vows.Introductory talk 15 December 2pm

PRACTICE GROUPS Insight Meditation Practice Group10, 17 November, 1, 8 December10.30-12.30pm open to all Kalachakra Group meets 17November, 1 December 2 -5:30pmfor initiates only

Guhyasamaja Group meets 8 November, 9 December,10am for initiates only

Vajrayogini group meets 25November 9am and 9 December2:30pm for initiates only

Please book for all weekendclasses other than practice groupsby calling the office on02078208787 [email protected]

You can drop in to all eveningclasses unless we state otherwise.

Robin BathDying Well

Monday evenings Chi Kung and Tai ChiTaught by William Walker.For more information and tobook call William (follow the linkabove)

Tuesday eveningsYoga Taught by Judy Watchman For more information and to bookcall Judy (follow the link above)

COMING UP SOON

Community DayPostponed from 16 December tothe spring

SPECIAL EVENTS

Sat, 3 November 7pm - 9pmFilm Screening: A Hidden Yogi -Khensur Rinpoche Lama LhundrupRigsel

Tuesday 6 November 8am - 5pmDescent from Tushita Day

12 November 7pm Life, Love and LiberationAn evening with Jonathan Landaw 7 -9 December Andy Weber Art weekendIllustrated talk Friday evening, artworkshop over the weekend

Saturday 8 December 7 - 8.30pmLama Tsongkhapa CelebrationLama Choepa


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Geshe Tashi's column

Hello everyone,You probably were not aware that His Holinessthe Dalai Lama was in London last week. Hewas the principal speaker at a conference on"ethics for a more prosperous world" and I wasvery fortunate to be there. It was a very smallgathering, principally of the big leaders of multi-national corporations and banks, an interestingassembly of people! There were a fewjournalists there as well so maybe somethingwill appear in the press about it. The messagethat His Holiness gave applies to all of uswhatever professional or personal level wehappen to be. He said that we all need anethical framework for our lives. It does not needto be drawn from religious sources though it canbe inspired by religion. It should be an ethicsthat speaks to the common humanity that we allshare. In this sense it is a secular ethics and it should be practiced by everyone.This ethics is the expression of the values we all admire - respecting each other,practicing kindness, looking after the weak, not harming each other. He alsospoke about the fact that this aspect of human development is not addressedadequately in our education systems. We are very good at training people toobtain qualifications to gain the skills required for specific jobs but this focus onqualifications and material development tends to side-line the development of astrong ethics for the individual. It is only when there is this strong ethical basisthat a society and all of its members can be truly happy and fulfilled. It was areal privilege to be there and I hope that you can all take something from mypoor rendition of what was said.Now I am really looking forward to the visit of Jangtse Choje Rinpoche LobsangTenzin. He is a very special person, one of the last great masters of the oldgeneration who grew up in Tibet before the period of exile. His knowledge andexperience is very rare now and I would encourage you all to come to histeachings. It is becoming very difficult for these great masters to travel to theWest so do make use of this opportunity. There are two sessions that are opento all, so if you do not have the pre-requisites required for the Vajrayoginiteachings then come along to these.After these teachings I will soon be going to South India to attend the teachingsof His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is a great opportunity to receive thetransmissions and teachings of many lamrim texts. So apologies that I will notbe here in December. This also means that the Dolma Education Fund dinnerthat was scheduled for December will now have to take place early next year. Iwould like to thank all of you who contribute towards this fund. I really appreciateit and it is giving an opportunity for a good education to many Tibetan children inIndia.

Jamyang Staff meet His Holiness in London


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Jane, Ericka and Millie with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the lobby of a Hotelin London on Wednesday morning. This is the visit to London that Geshe-Laspeaks about in his column. Geshe-la was there with Hios Holiness who was inthe UK for a very brief private visit to speak to an invited audience at a LegatumInstitute symposium on "Ethics for a More Prosperous World". Jane, Ericka and Millie got up early and arrived there around 6.45am in the hopeof catching a glimpse of HHDL and at 7.30am they were invited in to meet himinformally with a Tibetan family and one or two others, around 15 people in all.Wow!

Director's ColumnWith the beautiful colours of the fast fallingautumn leaves in soft sunlight reminding usof the annual change of the seasons andthe stark natural simplicity of it directlyteaching us the wisdom of the joyousacceptance of transience and apparentimperfection, we now warmly look forwardto the imminent arrival of Jangste ChojeRinpoche Lobsang Tenzin here on Tuesdayand his programme of Sutra and Tantrateachings from 2 to 9 November - view andexplore the full programme here:Visit ofJangtse Choje Rinpoche Lobsang TenzinHe arrives from visits to Nalandamonastery and the Kalachakra Centre in Paris. Many thanks indeed for all yourpatience, prayers, wishes and generosity that have made it possible. It has been


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a very long process, largely owing to the increasing difficulty of getting visas forvisiting Buddhist teachers to Europe. We are very fortunate to have the JangtseChoje here. Visa problems have recently resulted in the very sad loss of HisHoliness, the 102nd Ganden Tripa, Khensur Rizong Rinpoche's Novemberprogramme of teachings and initiations at Instituto Lama Tsongkhapa in Tuscanyat very short notice.Mike and Geshe-la recently attended a meeting at the Buddhapadipa temple inWimbledon to discuss increasing problems with visas for visiting Buddhistteachers across all traditions.We have had more than our fair share of visa problems as you know, including alost opportunity to host Jhado Rinpoche here. The situation begins to make onewonder whether it is it worth considering sensible, co-ordinated representationon the issue by Buddhist organisations at national and European governmentlevels. The problems for us appear by and large to be the unintendedconsequences of intended actions. I am sure visiting Buddhist teachers were notamong the prime targets in the recent tightening of the regulations!But, whatever the obstacles, we still continue to invite our teachers to come andare sending further invitations to please visit us to Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche,Dagri Rinpoche, Jhado Rinpoche and Rangjung Naljorma Khadrola out with oneof our students, Michelle Klepper, to the important Lam Rim transmissions of HisHoliness the Dalai Lama in Ganden and Mundgod this December.Despite all the difficulties with visas at the moment, there is also somepotentially positive news on this front by way of a little bit of a silver lining to thedarker clouds as well. We have secured a visa for Jangste Choje Rinpoche thatcould slightly ease the possibility of further visits by him to Jamyang. It is far tooearly at this stage to know whether this might actually be possible. Theteachings and initiations Rinpoche brings to us mean so much to Jamyang'scloser students of Sutra and Tantra as well as providing many, many others withthe opportunity to make a connection with the Dharma through him that weshould all strive hard to keep our own counsel on this for the moment and focuson doing our best to create the merit to remove any obstacles to this possibility.Following the visit of the Jangste Choje, as passing autumn turns to darkerwinter, work will be beginning on the re-wiring of the reception and north wingareas of the building that should, among other things, improve the quality of ourlighting. It is not possible to do this work without some disruption but we will doour best to keep it to a minimum and the investment for the future is nowessential. We also have outline planning permissions for work we both want andneed to do on the front of the building, including restoration of the brickwork,installation of cycle racks and a better looking notice board. Now we are aboutto submit final detailed plans to the Council, hopefully begin the work as soon aswe can and look forward to another step in the preservation of the fabric andimprovement of the facilities of the Centre.

Roy

Friends? Who needs them? Answer. Jamyang does

In this era of social networking, the meaning of "Friend" has expanded waybeyond the people you socialise with, or your mates going back to college or


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The editor with his friends circa 1955

school days, or the people you workalongside. In this digital age,however, without ever havingclapped eyes on them, you can signup to be someone's friend onFacebook or follow them on Twitter -and you can even be a Facebookfriend of Jamyang or followJamyang's tweets.

About two hundred people arecurrently Friends of Jamyang - arather modest total compared to thethousands of "friends" a celebritymay have on Facebook,. ButJamyang's Friends are incredibly important to the ongoing life of the Centre andwithout them we'd be poorer in every sense of the word. Friends make a veryconcrete and tangible difference to Jamyang. Through their regular financialsupport, in exchange for very few tangible "benefits" such as Mandala, theycontribute 15percent of Jamyang's annual income.

Many Friends of Jamyang are only able to visit the Centre now and again, buttheir support continues from afar. Others regularly visit and want other peopleto benefit from what Jamyang offers. As they commented when we surveyedthem last year: it's a very practical way to enable Jamyang to continue offeringTibetan Buddhism through teachings, retreats, the carers' programme and otheractivities.

But we're looking for more Friends! If you come to classes regularly (and even ifyou don't) have a look at the Friends' information on the Jamyang websitewww.jamyang.co.uk/about/friends-scheme or ask for a leaflet. We reallyappreciate donations for attending classes but we need to top these up to payfor things like our heating bills (and winter is coming along soon) and to maintainour beautiful historic building (which like all things "elderly" needs moremaintenance the older it gets).

And for existing Friends, a couple of gentle reminders. If you move house, don'tforget to let us have your new address, otherwise your copy of Mandala andother post, comes winging back here so we lose touch with you. And if youneed to cancel your standing order, please let us know, because we'd like towrite and thank you for being a supporter.

If there's anything you'd like to contact us about regarding the Friends scheme,the email address is [email protected] Or leave a phone message on0207 820 8787. And (if you can afford the stamp, these days), please write tous.

Our new Thangka - The Wheel of Life - An interview with EstelleRose


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If you have been into Jamyang over the lastfew weeks you must have been impressedby the new Thangka that is hanging up inthe hall. It is the work of a long timeJamyang student, Estelle Rose. You mayremember Estelle from her time here whenshe ran the Repaying the Kindness Project.Our reporter Q asked Estelle a fewquestions about the Thangka.

Q. Estelle, we are all so pleased to havesuch a magnificent new Thangka hangingin the entrance hall to Jamyang. Many,many thanks to you for such a generousgift. Can you tell us why you chose thissubject?

Estelle. Well I've been a studying Tibetanart for a few years now with Andy Weber.During one of his weekend teaching sessions at Jamyang about four years agohe suggested that I should tackle a bigger painting. He suggested the Wheel ofLife and this very much appealed to me. We checked with Geshe Tashi that hewould be happy with this as it would be a gift for him and Jamyang. Geshe Tashisaid that he had been a bit worried that the subject of this painting would be toofrightening for the general public. You see part of the purpose of this painting isa strong warning to the practitioner to get on with their practice. However it is atraditional painting that you will find in every Buddhist temple in the TibetanBuddhist world, usually painted straight onto the wall somewhere near theentrance. I'm very happy it has been hung near the door at Jamyang but I thinkGeshe Tashi will not leave it up all the time.

Q. How did your understanding of the subject matter mature over the time youwere working on it?

Estelle. I had studied the Wheel of Life with Geshe Tashi as part of theFoundation of Buddhist Thought course, but it's quite hard to remember all thedetails. It's actually an incredibly detailed exposition of the teaching of theBuddha. Working with it for so many months, years even, has meant that I havebecome very familiar with the subject matter. In that sense it was much morethan a painting for me.

Q. How long did it take you to complete the work?

Estelle. I've worked on it for four years. Twice a year I attended Andy Weber'sart classes at Jamyang. Each time Andy would give me instructions on what todo next and I worked on that until the next class. So I suppose I worked on itabout six months in every year for the last four years. You see it's a complexprocess and you have to follow the steps very carefully as each one builds upon the previous step. First you draw out the picture following a strict geometricalarrangement. Then you do the flat painting, then the shading, then you add


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more depth, then you do more outlining. Eventually you are working with a verysmall brush. In this case I was working with a four zero.

Q. It's such a big painting, where did you work on it?

Estelle. I've actually travelled around with it quite a lot. In the early days it wason a stretcher and when I attended Andy's classes I used to hire a van to bring itin. Eventually we took it off the stretcher and I just unrolled the part I wasworking on. It's been travelling with me all over. It spent quite a lot of time inPlymouth and in London and in Shropshire. Once it was out of the stretcher itcould be rolled up and transported in a tube. That was much easier!

Q. What sort of paint did you use?Estelle. It's painted with a special sort of acrylic which I mixed myself withco-polymers. So it's a sort of emulsion and I've tried to make it very hardwearing as the building it will be hanging in is quite old and so it could get a bitdamp and cold. Unfortunately the company that was making the ingredients forthe paint is no longer making them - lack of demand. So I would now usesomething like gouache but used and mixed in the way that I have learnt.

Q. What was the process of painting like, was it very intense?

Estelle. It was more like a meditation. I would really become very familiar withthe particular subject I was working on and that would be the subject for mymeditation. In that senseit was intense but not in a stressful way. I also had astrong motivation to paint the Thangka for Jamyang and for Geshe Tashi as abig thanks for all the teachings over the years. Of course Andy Weber is a greatteacher because he never loses sight of the deeper meaning of the subject. Ifyou ever go to the Friday night talks he gives before his weekend classes youwill know he is totally familiar with the iconography and the deeper meaning ofthe subjects he teaches.

Q. What advice would you give someone who wants to take up Tibetanpainting?

Estelle. Do come to Andy Weber's weekend classes. I have seen him with lotsof beginners and he is an excellent teacher. You start by learning to map out thepainting you are going to do in a very carefully worked out geometrical pattern.This is very important and in itself this carries a lot of meaning. Then you learnto draw the figures over this pattern and finally you start to paint. The classesare really great and very friendly. One of the best things is the support you getfrom all the other students, that is very useful.

Q. How strictly do you have to follow the predetermined patterns?

Estelle. You do have to follow the geometric ratios, and depict the correctsymbols. In this way it is very traditional but then the details is where you havemore freedom. The Tibetans would be very familiar with figures such as thedrunken man on the outer circle, you need to include him but you get a lot ofchoice in how you do that.


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Q. I notice Jamyang and its students are depicted in the Thangka as well.

Estelle. Yes, the students are sort of generalised versions. They are not basedon anyone in particular, so if you think you recognise anybody then that is yourprojection! Then the rainbow rising from the Jamyang building was Andy's idea.

Q. It's really a fantastic painting and so full of meaning. What are you working onnext?

Estelle. I was on the 2008 pilgrimage with Geshe Tashi to Bodh Gaya and a dogkept coming up to me there. So I'm doing my own series of paintings inspired byBodh Gaya and the dog. Of course I'm still doing Thangka painting as well. Youknow I've only been able to paint full time since 2009 and it's great!

Q. Estelle, thank you so much for sharing your love of Tibetan art with us.

ed. If you are inspired and want to try your hand at Tibetan art then the next art workshop atJamyang with Andy Weber is over the weekend of 8th and 9th December. More details hereOr if you just want to hear the great master talk on the iconography of Offerings and OfferingGoddresses then come on Friday 7th December in the evening.

Proposed Vajrasattva Tantra Practice Group at Jamyang We are occasionally asked whether we will enabletantra practice groups in addition to the three thatalready meet at the Centre.

Practically there is only one slot available and thatis in the am of the Saturday in the Small Templewhere the Kalachakra Practice Group meet in thepm. The times could be be from 10am - 1pm. The tantra practice groups look after themselves,in other words after the initial support of helpingbring together and set up the group, Jamyangsteps back and provides just the space for practice(the small temple). The members of the groupundertake to run the group and to set up and clearup, not fill up the shrine cupboards with their stuff,not store food in the shrine cupboards, and agreedates etc with the SPC here.

So we have been asked whether we will enable a Vajrasattva (Solitary maledeity form) practice group. If you are interested and willing to take on theresponsibility of running the group, with the help of your fellow practitioners,please contact Mike Murray on [email protected] and we will see what wecan do. If you are someone who might drop in occasionally if others took on thework of organising the group or just passing through London, rather thansomeone who would commit to making it happen regularly long term here, thenplease make that clear in your email. The group could run either once everymonth, or once every two months. Anything less will be a bit random given


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programming pressures on our Calendar.Many thanks.

Life, Love and Liberation An evening with Jonathan LandawMonday 12th November 7 - 8.30pm

Come along for a very informal evening withauthor (Buddhism for Dummies, PrinceSiddhartha, Images of Enlightenment ) anddharma practitioner Jonathan Landaw, a seniorstudent of the lamas and within the FPMT. Tonight he will share his thoughts on the highs andlows of trying to turn our lives to dharma.

He is an utterly charming man, a great story teller,and knows his Buddhism extremely well.

Happy Birthday JamyangIt's hard to believe some times when you lookaround Jamyang's current home in the imposingOld Courthouse, that our first coming together asan infant FPMT group in London was on an all together moremodest scale.November the 15th marks our 34th anniversary ofthat first meeting held in an Artist's studio in StJohns Wood. The easels were pushed to one side and a small gathering satbefore two Lamas who inaugurated the event and set us on this remarkablejourney, started by a simple request to Lama Yeshe to give his blessings to aLondon Centre.Lama would have loved to see how things turned out. His vision was always forus to have a big place where people could just drop in and find a place of peaceand enjoyment in the city. As it was he only got to visit us in the second of ourvenues which was even smaller than the first...the tiny living room in ShaneTate's flat in Kentish Town that we somehow crammed into for regular teachings.For the bigger talks we rented venues where ever we could.The third home for a while was another small space, a front room of a privatehouse in Swiss Cottage that we rented when our first resident teacher GesheWangchen came to be with us in 1982. There was another interim spell back at Shan's flat before we raised themortgage for the move to our very own Jamyang semi detached property inFinsbury Park. The first thing we did was knock two small rooms into one on theground floor and the space seemed huge (barely the size of the cafe here! ) Lama Yeshe would have been pleased that we got our first real Centre, butsadly passed away before he could visit. However Lama Osel came as aninfant, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and many other high Lamas and inspiringteachers visited till in time it became clear that we needed a bigger place!So there's another auspicious date to remember. On the 28th November it willbe 17 years since we moved in to the dilapidated and sadly neglected Old


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Courthouse and began the slow but immensely rewarding task of transformingthe much grander space into the harmonious and impressive current JamyangBuddhist Centre.

Listen to Lama Zopa on FPMT TVOK it's youtube really.If you would like to hear Lama Zopa Rinpocheteachings on Lam-rim on the 17th October thenyou can do so on the FPMT youtube channel.click here

Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on a special day coming upWe received this advice from the FPMT office:

Dear Friends,Another Buddha Day, the date of Lord Buddha'sacceptance to descend from God Realm of Thirty-three, is coming up on October 29th. I thoughtyou might like a reminder of Lama ZopaRinpoche's recommended practices for thisspecial day. You can find Rinpoche's advice onthis topic collected on Rinpoche's Advice page,under Buddha Multiplying Days.If you decide to recite the Sutra of Golden Light onthis special day, you might like to report yourrecitations using the facility on the FPMT website -which you can find that on the Sutra of Golden Light reporting page.Thanks so much, -Tom

Tom Truty Director, FPMT Education Services

Dharma Bites: A further extract from the Potthapada SutraLast month we included an extract fromthis sutra. Now by popular demand weinclude another extract. This is the secondhalf of the sutra, prior to this there hasbeen a wonderful discourse explaining allthe levels of meditative attainment and adiscussion in which the Buddha refuses toanswer a series of questions. Last monthwe published the start of that first section.We are moving directly to the second


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Buddha statue in Sukhothai, Thailandsection so you will need to fill in the gapyourselves. The sutra continues:----------------------The Potthapada Sutta Part 2

Then two or three days later, Citta the elephant trainer's son and Potthapada thewanderer went to the Blessed One. On their arrival, Citta bowed down to theBlessed One and sat to one side, while Potthapada the wanderer greeted theBlessed One courteously. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies,he sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One: "Theother day, not long after the Blessed One had left, the wanderers, with sneeringwords, jeered at me from all sides: 'So, whatever Gotama the contemplativesays, Sir Potthapada rejoices in his every word: "So it is, Blessed One. So it is,O One Well-gone." But we don't understand Gotama the contemplative ashaving taught any categorical teaching as to whether the cosmos is infinite orthe cosmos is finite or... whether after death a Tathagata neither exists nor doesnot exist.'

"When this was said, I replied to the wanderers, 'I, too, don't understand Gotamathe contemplative as having taught any categorical teaching as to whether thecosmos is infinite or the cosmos is finite or... whether after death a Tathagataneither exists nor does not exist. But Gotama the contemplative describes agenuine, authentic, and accurate practice, grounded in the Dhamma andconsonant with the Dhamma. And when a genuine, authentic, and accuratepractice, grounded in the Dhamma and consonant with the Dhamma is beingexplained, why shouldn't a knowledgeable person such as myself rejoice in thewell-spokenness of Gotama the contemplative's well-spoken words?'"

[The Buddha:] "Potthapada, all those wanderers are blind and have no eyes.You alone among them have eyes. I have taught and declared some teachingsto be categorical, and some teachings to be non-categorical. And what are theteachings that I have taught and declared to be non-categorical? [The statementthat] 'The cosmos is eternal' I have taught and declared to be an non-categoricalteaching. [The statement that] 'The cosmos is not eternal'... 'The cosmos isfinite'... 'The cosmos is infinite'... 'The soul & the body are the same'... 'The soulis one thing and the body another'... 'After death a Tathagata exists'... 'Afterdeath a Tathagata does not exist'... 'After death a Tathagata both exists & doesnot exist'... 'After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist' I havetaught and declared to be an non-categorical teaching. And why have I taughtand declared these teachings to be non-categorical? Because they are notconducive to the goal, are not conducive to the Dhamma, are not basic to theholy life. They don't lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm,to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. That's why I have taughtand declared them to be non-categorical.

"And what have I taught and declared to be categorical teachings? [Thestatement that] 'This is stress [suffering]' I have taught and declared to be acategorical teaching. [The statement that] 'This is the origination of stress[suffering]'... 'This is the cessation of stress [suffering]'... 'This is the path ofpractice leading to the cessation of stress [suffering]' I have taught and declared


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to be a categorical teaching. And why have I taught and declared theseteachings to be categorical? Because they are conducive to the goal, conduciveto the Dhamma, and basic to the holy life. They lead to disenchantment, todispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, toUnbinding. That's why I have taught and declared them to be categorical.

"There are some brahmans & contemplatives with a doctrine & view like this:'After death, the self is exclusively happy and free from disease.' I approachedthem and asked them, 'Is it true that you have a doctrine & view like this: "Afterdeath, the self is exclusively happy and free from disease"?' When asked this,they replied, 'Yes.' So I asked them, 'But do you dwell having known or seen anexclusively happy world?' When asked this, they said, 'No.' So I asked them,'But have you ever been aware of a self exclusively happy for a day or a night,or for half a day or half a night?' When asked this, they said, 'No.' So I askedthem, 'But do you know that "This is the path, this is the practice for therealization of an exclusively happy world"?' When asked this, they said, 'No.' SoI asked them, 'But have you heard the voices of devas reborn in an exclusivelyhappy world, saying, "Practice well, my dears. Practice straightforwardly, mydears, for the realization of an exclusively happy world, because it was throughsuch a practice that we ourselves have been reborn in an exclusively happyworld"?' When asked this, they said, 'No.'

"So what do you think, Potthapada - when this is the case, don't the words ofthose brahmans & contemplatives turn out to be unconvincing?"

"Yes, lord. When this is the case, the words of those brahmans & contemplativesturn out to be unconvincing."

"Potthapada, it's as if a man were to say, 'I'm in love with the most beautifulwoman in this country,' and other people were to say to him, 'Well, my goodman, this most beautiful woman in this country with whom you are in love: doyou know if she's of the warrior caste, the priestly caste, the merchant caste, orthe laborer caste?' and, when asked this, he would say, 'No.' Then they wouldsay to him, 'Well then, do you know her name or clan name? Whether she's tall,short, or of medium height? Whether she's dark, fair, or ruddy-skinned? Do youknow what village or town or city she's from?' When asked this, he would say,'No.' Then they would say to him, 'So you've never known or seen the womanyou're in love with?' When asked this, he would say, 'Yes.'

"So what do you think, Potthapada - when this is the case, don't the words ofthat man turn out to be unconvincing?"

"Yes, lord..."

"In the same way, there are some brahmans & contemplatives with a doctrine &view like this: 'After death, the self is exclusively happy and free from disease.'...Don't the words of those brahmans & contemplatives turn out to beunconvincing?"

"Yes, lord..."


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"Potthapada, it's as if a man at a crossroads were to build a staircase forascending to a palace, and other people were to say to him, 'Well, my goodman, this palace for which you are building a staircase: do you know whether it'seast, west, north, or south of here? Whether it's high, low, or in between?' and,when asked this, he would say, 'No.' Then they would say to him, 'So you don'tknow or see the palace for which you are building a staircase?' When askedthis, he would say, 'Yes.'

"So what do you think, Potthapada - when this is the case, don't the words ofthat man turn out to be unconvincing?"

"Yes, lord..."

"In the same way, there are some brahmans & contemplatives with a doctrine &view like this: 'After death, the self is exclusively happy and free from disease.'...Don't the words of those brahmans & contemplatives turn out to beunconvincing?"

"Yes, lord. When this is the case, the words of those brahmans & contemplativesturn out to be unconvincing."

"Potthapada, there are these three acquisitions of a self: the gross acquisition ofa self, the mind-made acquisition of a self, and the formless acquisition of a self.[9] And what is the gross acquisition of a self? Possessed of form, made up ofthe four great existents, feeding on physical food: this is the gross acquisition ofa self. And what is the mind-made acquisition of a self? Possessed of form,mind-made, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties: this is themind-made acquisition of a self. And what is the formless acquisition of a self?Formless and made of perception: this is the formless acquisition of a self.

"I teach the Dhamma for the abandoning of the gross acquisition of a self, suchthat, when you practice it, defiling mental qualities will be abandoned, brightmental qualities will grow, and you will enter & remain in the culmination &abundance of discernment, having known & realized it for yourself in the here &now. If the thought should occur to you that, when defiling mental qualities areabandoned and bright mental qualities have grown, and one enters & remains inthe culmination & abundance of discernment, having known & realized it foroneself in the here & now, one's abiding is stressful/painful, you should not see itin that way. When defiling mental qualities are abandoned and bright mentalqualities have grown, and one enters & remains in the culmination & abundanceof discernment, having known & realized it for oneself in the here & now, there isjoy, rapture, serenity, mindfulness, alertness, and a pleasant/happy abiding.

"I also teach the Dhamma for the abandoning of the mind-made acquisition of aself... for the abandoning of the formless acquisition of a self, such that, whenyou practice it, defiling mental qualities will be abandoned, bright mentalqualities will grow, and you will enter & remain in the culmination & abundanceof discernment, having known & realized it for yourself in the here & now...When defiling mental qualities are abandoned and bright mental qualities have


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grown, and one enters & remains in the culmination & abundance ofdiscernment, having known & realized it for oneself in the here & now, there isjoy, rapture, serenity, mindfulness, alertness, and a pleasant/happy abiding.

"In the past, I have been asked, 'What, friend, is the gross acquisition of a selffor whose abandoning you teach the Dhamma such that, when you practice it,defiling mental qualities will be abandoned, bright mental qualities will grow, andyou will enter & remain in the culmination & abundance of discernment, havingknown & realized it for yourself in the here & now?' When asked this, I wouldanswer, 'This, friend, is that gross acquisition of a self for whose abandoning Iteach the Dhamma...'

"In the past, I have been asked, 'What, friend, is the mind-made acquisition of aself... the formless acquisition of a self for whose abandoning you teach theDhamma...?' When asked this, I would answer, 'This, friend, is that grossacquisition of a self for whose abandoning I teach the Dhamma...'

"What do you think, Potthapada. When this is the case, don't those words turnout to be convincing?"

"Yes, lord. When this is the case, those words turn out to be convincing."

"Potthapada, it's as if a man at a crossroads were to build a staircase forascending to a palace, and other people were to say to him, 'Well, my goodman, this palace for which you are building a staircase: do you know whether it'seast, west, north, or south of here? Whether it's high, low, or in between?' Hewould say, 'This, friends, is the palace to which I am building a staircase. Thestaircase is right under the palace.'

"So what do you think, Potthapada - when this is the case, don't the words ofthat man turn out to be convincing?"

"Yes, lord..."

"In the same way, in the past I have been asked, 'What, friend, is the grossacquisition of a self... the mind-made acquisition of a self... the formlessacquisition of a self for whose abandoning you teach the Dhamma...?' Whenasked this, I would answer, 'This, friend, is that gross acquisition of a self forwhose abandoning I teach the Dhamma...'

"What do you think, Potthapada. When this is the case, don't those words turnout to be convincing?"

"Yes, lord. When this is the case, those words turn out to be convincing."

When this was said, Citta the elephant trainer's son said to the Blessed One:"When there is a gross acquisition of a self, is it the case then that one'smind-made acquisition of a self and formless acquisition of a self are null & void,and only one's gross acquisition of a self is true? And when there is amind-made acquisition of a self, is it the case then that one's gross acquisition of


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a self and formless acquisition of a self are null & void, and only one'smind-made acquisition of a self is true? And when there is a formless acquisitionof a self, is it the case then that one's gross acquisition of a self and mind-madeacquisition of a self are null & void, and only one's formless acquisition of a selfis true?"

"Citta, when there is a gross acquisition of a self, it's not classified either as amind-made acquisition of a self or as a formless acquisition of a self. It'sclassified just as a gross acquisition of a self. When there is a mind-madeacquisition of a self, it's not classified either as a gross acquisition of a self or asa formless acquisition of a self. It's classified just as a mind-made acquisition ofa self. When there is a formless acquisition of a self, it's not classified either as agross acquisition of a self or as a mind-made acquisition of a self. It is classifiedjust as a formless acquisition of a self.

"Suppose they were to ask you: 'Did you exist in the past? Did you not not exist?Will you exist in the future? Will you not not exist? Do you exist now? Do you notnot exist?' Thus asked, how would you answer?"

"... Thus asked, lord, I would answer: 'I existed in the past. I did not not exist. Iwill exist in the future. I will not not exist. I exist now. I do not not exist.'... That'show I would answer."

"Suppose, Citta, they were to ask you: 'Whatever your past acquisition of a self:Is that alone your true acquisition of self, while the future & present ones are null& void? Whatever your future acquisition of a self: Is that alone your trueacquisition of a self, while the past & present ones are null & void? Whateveryour present acquisition of a self: Is that alone your true acquisition of a self,while the past & future ones are null & void?' Thus asked, how would youanswer?"

"...Thus asked, lord, I would answer: 'Whatever my past acquisition of a self: onthat occasion, that alone was my true acquisition of a self, while future & presentones were null & void. Whatever my future acquisition of a self: on thatoccasion, that alone will be my true acquisition of a self, while the past & presentones will be null & void. Whatever my present acquisition of a self: on thatoccasion, that alone is my true acquisition of a self, while the past & future onesare null & void.

"In the same way, Citta, when there is a gross acquisition of a self... it'sclassified just as a gross acquisition of a self. When there is a mind-madeacquisition of a self... When there is a formless acquisition of a self, it's notclassified either as a gross acquisition of a self or as a mind-made acquisition ofa self. It's classified just as a formless acquisition of a self.

"Just as when milk comes from a cow, curds from milk, butter from curds, gheefrom butter, and the skimmings of ghee from ghee. When there is milk, it's notclassified as curds, butter, ghee, or skimmings of ghee. It's classified just asmilk. When there are curds... When there is butter... When there is ghee... Whenthere are the skimmings of ghee, they're not classified as milk, curds, butter, or


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ghee. They're classified just as the skimmings of ghee.

"In the same way, when there is a gross acquisition of a self... it's classified justas a gross acquisition of a self. When there is a mind-made acquisition of aself... When there is a formless acquisition of a self, it's not classified either as agross acquisition of a self or as a mind-made acquisition of a self. It's classifiedjust as a formless acquisition of a self.

"Citta, these are the world's designations, the world's expressions, the world'sways of speaking, the world's descriptions, with which the Tathagata expresseshimself but without grasping to them." [10]

When this was said, Potthapada the wanderer said to the Blessed One:"Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place uprightwhat was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one whowas lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could seeforms, in the same way has Master Gotama - through many lines of reasoning -made the Dhamma clear. I go to Master Gotama for refuge, to the Dhamma, andto the Sangha of monks. May Master Gotama remember me as a lay followerwho has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."

But Citta the elephant trainer's son said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent,Master Gotama! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what wasoverturned... in the same way has Master Gotama - through many lines ofreasoning - made the Dhamma clear. I go to Master Gotama for refuge, to theDhamma, and to the Sangha of monks. Let me obtain the Going Forth in theBlessed One's presence! Let me obtain Acceptance!"

So Citta the elephant trainer's son obtained the Going Forth in the BlessedOne's presence; he obtained Acceptance. And not long after his Acceptance -dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute - he in no long timereached & remained in the supreme goal of the holy life, for which clansmenrightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for himselfin the here & now. He knew: "Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done.There is nothing further for the sake of this world." And thus Ven. Elephant-trainer's Son [11] became another one of the arahants.

---------------------------The full text of the sutra is available here: Potthapada Sutta: translated from thePali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

** If you would like to contribute to this series please write to John care of Erika [email protected]

Book , CD, Book Review

In 2002 after the Dalai Lama had become sick at the Bodhgaya Kalachakrainitiation the event had to be postponed until 2003. Later that year Richard Popethe old librarian in Jamyang along with Roy Sutherwood and Steve Sinclair wenton an extra curriculum event outside the confines of the walls of the Old Court


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Dave Benn in his prime

House, the official postal location of JamyangBuddhist Centre. It was centred around theeffects of an ageing population and how it will eaffect global civilisation. We attended an event chaired by Baroness SallyGreengross on areas of concern for the olderpeople who become confused with the unendingsuffering of the aged. Incidentally a few monthsago I shouted encouragement when the FBTcourse books now found themselves in largeprint thus helping the partially sighted. The community that I have found myself in is oneof concerns centred around aches and pains andthe isolation and uncertainty in a so-called caring society. Failing vision along withloss of mobility comes with every tired breathtaken which isolates the individual and pointstowards a hermit's containment, but there is noneed not to use any form of technology as aids to further an understanding asthe senses diminish. This is how conversation flows around me here in EagleLodge.Geshe-la once spoke to me about a great poem or folk tale by Lama Gun-tangKon-choc Dron-me, an important contemporary of the Eighth Dalai Lama. It'sabout a young hoodie who laughs at an old guy because he's shaking from agerelated muscle response problems. Here amongst my peer group of the oldermembers of the human species ask how can we relate our feelings when thereare off days engulfed in a cocoon of lethargic somnambulist sense responsewhen all you can do is say mantras and hope that your motivation has enoughaltruistic intention as you feel so rough that you think that you may croak it like acrow? Well I'm trying to use any pain felt as a form of Tong Len practice and transfer itfor any pain felt by those stuck in a war zone. War and those who live in Tamas (ignorance) or as it says in the bible "Lord Forgive Themfor they Know Not What They Do". Lama Gun-tang Kon-choc Dron-me, who Geshe-la mentioned as influential inhis thought is published by Arcana as {Death and Dying; The Tibetan Tradition}.And is about a conversation of a Tibetan elder speaking to a younger guy wholaughs at his attitude; and explains that feebleness and the sensation of pain isa normal condition of life; remember Sakyamuni ended with food poisoningwhich resulting in his Parnirvana. Lama Zopa starts his day by thinking thatdeath is certain and any day now I shall be released. But Rinpoche prays let mebe ready for the next bardo (after death state) we may encounter.Poet John Milton went blind from excessive reading by dim candle light, somany of you older members of the community who float on the waves ofuncertainty, if you are fed up of the last action replay of Celebrity Come Dancing, switch off your TV and turn to the sounds man. It's a bit like going back tosteam radio listening to Uncle Mac on Children's hour as a child.Not just radio but make a positive choice of what to hear. There is a greatversion of Shantideva on CD; it's done by the Padmakara translation group anddistributed by Shambhala Audio by Random House.


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When I recall the words of the old wartime song,"My eyes are dim; I cannot see;I have not brought my specs with me;"Then I just switch on the sounds and submerge into a poetic bath clearing mybrain with one the supreme image banks from the poetic words of Shantideva.In actuality you don't need much else if you could listen to at least one CD fromthis four CD set to alter your course away from the depressive black dog ofsamsara. For those who have an excess of higher technology the search is oneclick away then you can find inspiration from Shantideva as a sound track. Itwas all that Patrul Rinpoche needed for his introduction to Tibetan Buddhistthought (written in the 19th century). Patrul Rinpoche generally carriedShantideva's text with him; when he at times lived rough and "on the roadagain" Patrul Rinpoche's introduction to Tibetan Buddhist thought {Words of myPerfect Teacher} written in the 19th century: Patrul Rinpoche was knownamongst Tibetans for his earthy style, his clarity and light humour, qualitieswhich have transferred well into this excellent translation. With this example ofPatrul Rinpoche teachings as well as Shantideva's words which are generallyquoted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his teachings what can go wrong?So I make the request to Shantideva, "Please don't fly away again; Shantideva Ididn't understand what you said about Emptiness and need to hear the end ofthe teachings again to improve the mental clarity."Another excellent CD done by Naxos and coming from a totally different angle: Irecently acquired a version of the old Japanese Buddhist writings of Basho's inaudio CD "Narrow Road to the interior" and the great hermit writings from Hojoki"Kamo no Chomei" 1155 - 1216 and is of the life of suffering of a Zen Monk in aperiod similar to the screen play of a film by Akira Kurosawa. Here we hear thewritings of a monk living in solitude away from the action as the swordsmen isalways made to downsize his accommodation until it is open to the elementsand eventually only having a small shack of "Ten feet square". It's wonderfulstuff about renunciation but beware Hojoki does end in almost a tragedy withhim ending this writing with an acceptance of his fate and wondering about theeffect of living amongst those living in samsara and the sorrow involved. This is a bit like a translation by Thomas Cleary of {Sleepless Nights Verses forthe Wakeful} poems done by a lone Mongolian Buddhist poet as the Chineseand the Mongolians fought it out but also caused much suffering and death andphysical loss of human kindness and its benefits.Almost Shakespearian the recording of living in a shack ten feet square endstragically echoing the words by Hojoki when he closed with "Not in silence ofacceptance and Wisdom, but in an anguished despairing speechlessness." Oras another Japanese contemporary Fujiwara-no-Teiki {1162-1241} said "My earsare filled with news of uprisings and killings: but I care nothing for such matters."There is only one problem with any eternal equipment that aids in your ageingprocess; besides settling down with a good book and listening on a CD player orreading via a high tech notebook device and that is what happens if due to ameltdown there is no electricity for on line communication or light. It's better thatyou learn some words of wisdom from the Buddha Dharma and, while mutteringmantras, you drift towards emptiness letting in the Clear Light Mind.

Dave Benn


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ed. So how many reviews did you count in this article? Dave Benn, what a star.Jack Kerouac eat your heart out!

Poetry CornerMemories of LhasaBy Shelkar Lingpa

Translation T D GonkatsangOriental Institute, University of Oxford

Reproduced from the Tibet FoundationNewsletter Summer 2012

This poem of nostalgia for Lhasa wascomposed by Shelkar Lingpa in1911-12 in Darjeeling, whilst in theservice of HH the Thirteenth DalaiLama during the short period of forcedexile in India. Although that period ofexile was relatively brief, the feelings of loss and separation are nodifferent to those the current generation of exiled Tibetans must feel.------------------------Memories of Lhasa

Although all phenomena are manifest due to casual factors,Each and every instance is devoid of inherent existence,O precious Lama, teacher of the infallible law of karma,Pray bless me, your humble disciple, with compassion.

Like a dazed nomad without much learning and knowledge,In essence, with excruciating longing for my beloved Lhasa,The following muse gushes forth from my heart,Pray my good friends, share with me these memories!

I miss Lhasa whereFlocks of cranes frolic in their teeming multitudeSpraying heavenwards shimmering arrays of crystal,Where the great Kyichu river gently burbles past,Majestically meandering its way down from the right.

I miss Lhasa whereThe undulating valleys and wide open plainsAre bedecked with a garland of green meadows and trees,Where the bright sun and the moon orbit unhindered,Where the land is luxuriant, shimmering in glorious hues.

I miss Lhasa whereA period of dark foggy gloom that never seems to clear,Such as that enveloping us here in depressive stupor, is unknown.I miss the pristine Lhasa of cool summers and warm winters


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Where merry people rejoice resplendent in their festive best.

I miss Lhasa whereFertile plains spread out like a lotus in full blossom,Where craggy mountains bear the eight auspicious symbols,Where the azure sky spreads out as round as a wheel,Where the land abounds in auspicious signs and symbols.

I miss Lhasa whereMarket places throng with happy, boisterous crowdsAnd charming damsels glide nimbly with perfect poise,Where all the paragons of beauty come togetherWith beaming faces adorned with winsome smiles.

I miss Lhasa whereOccasionally, riches comparable to that of the God of WealthAbound - infinite in range and choice of goods imaginable,Revelling in the variegated merchandise in the stores,And circumambulating the Barkor circuit time and again.

I miss Lhasa whereUnlike the frenzied haste of the good folk here,People enjoy unhurried leisure with infinite patience,Where people eat quietly and engage in honest labour,Always fair and upright in all dealings and agreements.

I miss Lhasa whereIn the spring season flowers blossom in riotous abundance,People in droves frequent the parks for picnics and pleasure,Where sounds from violins, harmonicas, flutes and hornsCompete to fill the air with a cacophony of myriad tunes.

ed. This is just an extract from the poem that runs to manymore verses. Why not visit the website of the TibetFoundation to find out more about all the great work theydo? They are currently fundraising for a programme to trainTibetan doctors and health workers. You can donate to thatappeal here Help us train 30 young girls from Yushu inTibetan MedicineSee also the article about the talk on the Emperor Ashokathat they are organising further down this newsletter.


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'Compassion in Education' workshopCalling all teachers and parents to participate in the

up coming 'Compassion in Education' workshop - November 17-18th atJamyang

For the first time this autumn, Lama Yeshe studentand founder of Tara Redwood School, PamCayton will be sharing the CreatingCompassionate Cultures (CCC)methodology andtools at Jamyang. This programme, developedand tested for over 20 years, provides astep-by-step guide to empower adults and childrento make a positive difference in the world. Itemphasizes mindfulness, interconnection, change,perception, empathy and compassion.

In a recent article for a parenting magazine Pamwrote:"We live in a busy world of sensory bombardment and over stimulation. It seemsincreasingly important to allow time for healthy activities that nourish the bodyand mind. As parents or teachers it is very easy to fill children's lives with amultitude of activities, rushing from one activity to another with very little time.The stress that this brings can creep in, souring potentially positive experiences.It can also create disconnect due to not having the time to really focus on eachother in a meaningful way. Interpersonal neurobiologist, Daniel Siegel's researchsupports the importance of attunement and connecting with another person.This forms the function of secure attachment whereby the child feels a sense ofdeep connection and security with another person.Perhaps this need for connection and inner peace is why there is a growingtrend of interest in the art of reflection and mindfulness. People are craving timeto 'just be'. There is a growing body of research on the benefits of simple breathawareness and mindfulness practices in facilitating healing, stress reduction,focus and enhanced learning. Mindfulness and self-reflection allow us the spaceto become familiar with our inner world, calm disturbing emotions and tap intothe reservoir of peace that lies within our own mind. This potential is withineveryone and is available to us at all times! What a wonderful enrichmentopportunity that is."

If this resonates with you please do come along, this fun and interactiveworkshop will give you a range of ready-to-use strategies and practical tools forboth yourself and the children in your life. For more information pleasevisit: www.compassionineducation.org

Pam will also be speaking at the 'Empathy and Compassion insociety' conference taking place in London on the 24thof November, you canread more about it here:http://compassioninsociety.org/


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New UK FPMT Co-ordinatorKay Cooper has taken on the role of national coordinator for theFPMT in the UK. This is great news and evidence that we areslowly growing throughout the country.Kay has a long relationship with the FPMT and with Jamyang.Before she and her partner Gordon moved to Bath, they weretwo substantial pillars of the Jamyang establishment.So many thanks to Kay for agreeing to take on this role.

The Emperor Ashoka - a talk at SOAS by Charles AllenThis is an inaugural Tibet Foundation lecture at 7pm on 1. November 2012.

Author and historian Charles Allen will be giving anillustrated lecture on the Buddhist emperor Ashoka,the transformation of Buddhism under him into a worldreligion, the process by which Ashoka was'discovered' by nineteenth century Orientalists and therole of Tibet in this discovery.

What they say: " This promises to be a fascinatinginsight into a pivotal yet frequently overlooked figure."

Charles Allen is the author of a number of bestsellingbooks on South Asian history. He has written widely,publishing over 20 books on Tibet, India and SouthAsia including Plain Tales from the Raj, The Searchfor Shangri-La and Duel in the Snows. The lecture will take place at SOAS'sKhalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London,WC1H 0XG, and is presented in association with the Circle of Tibetan andHimalayan Studies at SOAS. There is more information on their websiteat www.tibet-foundation.org/event/20121101-the-tibet-foundation

Request from Bosnian Buddhist GroupWe received the following request from a Buddhist Groupin Bosnia. We know nothing about them but if if you wishto contact them we are are sure they would be verygrateful. Please contact them directly either at theaddress below or via their email: SvenBasic [email protected]

"We are Buddhist by free will searching for enlighteningand because we like to live a spiritual life.most of us arevegeterian and nobody drinks. Do you have any malas we could use?Rudraksha malas are best for chanting but any other mala of 108 beads aregood. We are not a cultish buddhist group at all but rather open minded anduniversal.Yes of course we need books and CDs as well.

Our address is:


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sven basicavde smajlovica 2a72 000 zenicabosnia and herzegovinaeurope

sven (leader of Dharma centre in Bosnia)

om mani padme hum

FPMTJamyang is affiliated with FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation ofthe Mahayana Tradition) and is one of more than 150 centers andprojects worldwide.

FPMT is based on the Gelugpa tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa of Tibet as taughtby our founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe and spiritual director, Lama ZopaRinpoche. If you would like to receive FPMT's monthly newsletters pleasesubscribe here.

Your ThoughtsWhat do you want to see in Gentle Voice? We would love to hear your ideasand comments about Gentle Voice, please contact Johnat: [email protected]

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Gentle Voice November 2012