Mangala Shri Bhuti - The Link Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse Jampal Norbu and students

Speaker: Scott Kleihege. Scott delves into the topic of conceptual mind in this LINK given from Fort Collins, Colorado.

Speaker: Catherine Houston. Catherine shares her experience of the parinirvana of her root teacher, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, and her experiences in retreat following his passing.

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. This is a previously-recorded talk given by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche from Northshire Book Store in Manchester, Vermont on August 31, 2018. The talk was from Rinpoche's 2018 Book Tour, 'Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on "Tsewa", the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World'.

Speaker: Kate Dobbertin. Kate speaks about her journey to bring her heart to a state of well being by breaking down the false realities within herself. Kate describes how being nearer to her mother during a time of illness and her siblings brought to light various attachments and storylines to reflect upon and investigate more deeply. Being part of a lineage built on self-reflection, coupled with Kate's hunger to shift her consciousness to a larger reality, she delved into what obscures her heart- a solidified sense of self. Kate describes how samsara, karma and attachment cut deep into the idea of self, and describes samsara as what we experience when we have preferences. It is represented by a constant wish that things were different from the way they are, driven by our own individual karma. She believes that every practice in this lineage offers healing, and healing is creating a state of well being, or a heart unburdened by layers of self-deception.

Speaker: Natasha Carter. Natasha discusses how the practice of staying open allows her to see more clearly her patterns of mind, particularly when the mind is disturbed and agitated. Caring for elderly parents can be challenging, but Natasha uses this as an opportunity to lean into her discomfort to cultivate self-awareness. Reading Rinpoche's book, "Peaceful Heart" with her mother has provided a framework for reflecting on her repetitive patterns of anger, irritation and remorse that sometimes arise while relating to her parents. In particular, she examines how the eight worldly concerns (pleasure and pain, loss and gain, praise and blame, fame and disgrace) show up to hook her, causing pain to herself and others. Rather than criticizing, she remains curious about her own disturbance of mind. The willingness to face these destructive mindsets takes humility, courage and resolve. It also requires an agile mind: the capacity to think clearly in the face of reactivity.

Speaker: Daisuke Inaba. Dai-san analyzes the ways in which he's dealt with unexpected life events, including things about himself he hasn't wanted to face. Dai-san described some recent, unexpected events that caused damage to the entrance gate at Tashi Gachil. Staying present with the events and calmly investigating the source, Dai-san was able to respond with equanimity, instead of panic and blame. In looking back over his 25 years as a student of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, he remembered being very hard on himself, but now sees clearly the source of his pain as self-clinging. Practices such as Lojong allow Dai-san to view one’s own suffering as a way to decrease the suffering of others. This has helped him disrupt habitual self-clinging and focus more on alleviating the suffering of others, with meditation and prayer.