Quiet as the Dawn

Humming the tune to the Chenrezig practice,

I water my plants,

Making the rounds.

Always starting in the same place,

Following the same path.

Like a mantra

Like the Ngondro practices

Step by step

I follow the Path toward deepening wisdom.

Repeating, embracing, releasing

Repeating, embracing, releasing

Stillness comes

Quiet as the dawn

Soft as the morning dew

April 13, 2022 – Kanta

Heart of Practice Retreat 2022

No Big Deal

It’s called practice for a REASON

Zoom link isn’t working, 

Sign out, sign in,

Try again,

Confusion, wishing for it to dawn as wisdom, 

right now I’ll settle for some clarity.

Morning coffee looks and tastes so fine in the cup,

Not so nice on the carpet, four full ounces on white carpet,

It could be art…  but it’s not…

Is vacuuming up spilled coffee the same as doing prostrations?

Nope, that’s why it’s called personal practice.

Zoom, again, wrong link?

Wait, I am the host

Sign out, sign in,

Try again,

Is this practice?

It is, precious practice

It’s day three, all the links are working,

But wait, this is too easy

Where is Atisha’s tea boy when you need him

All sounds are Dharmakaya, all thoughts are Dharmakaya,

Work with that, relax, recall

All is well, Zoom is going fine in our small group,

But wait, there’s more..

Seems there is another meeting in this room, 

Booted out!

Find another link, sign in, try again.

A few moments of a calm mind,

Is that bliss? If it is, it’s highly overrated,

I’m sure I’ll know when it actually happens.

Anyway, Jampa already gave me instructions,

“It’s no big deal”

Right now, it is like this…

Right now, it is like this…

Right now, it is like this…

It is like this..

Levon Goganian – 2022 Heart of the Practice Retreat

Practice Works

Through rain, snow, sleet, and hail
Following the zoom links in my email
Experiencing the waterfall, the stream, and the peaceful sea
The balance of effortless effort…just be
Who’s watching these thoughts with all their quirks?
Moments of stillness…ahhh, practice works!

– Addie

Heart of the Practice Retreat 2022

These Foolish Things

Recollection from a Buddhist Fool:  

If I am wishing   

all the time   

may my actions be beneficial  

then there is no need to beat myself over the head to change  

and no need to stop beating myself over the head to change.  

Happiness.  

– Deidre 2022

Heart of the Practice Retreat

Surrender

Jumping, Stomping, Dancing, Beating.

Little ego is crushed beneath the feet

of the great wrathful dakini.

Little ego weeps, wriggles, beats its fists

against the moon disc,

Trying to crawl from underfoot.

But oh, little ego, once caught in the warm embrace

of compassion and wisdom,

there is no escape, no chance, only surrender.

What relief. What joy. What peace

to lay the burden down at last.

– Thea

Heart of the Practice Retreat 2022

The Zoomies! Heart of Practice Retreat 2022

Dear friends,

Our Heart of Practice Retreat 2022 was a success…again! We met again online this year due to the current conditions. We are making wishes that we’ll all be together again at Seven Circles in Badger next year! I’ll be posting songs of realization (poems) from some of the attendees, so stay tuned!

Lots of love & wishes,

Jampa

A Joyous Occasion

2 planes of existence

a melting vertical line

from the crown of the head,

forehead,

center above eyes

nose…

lips…

chin…

throat…

all the way down and through

a merging of the dynamic 

and the empty

~a joyous occasion~

night sky, showered with stars

buddhas and bodhisattvas rejoicing 

in the fireworks

simplicity uncovered

in the blue center of a flame

requesting

offering

accepting

and bowing in deep gratitude

E Ma Ho!

How Wonderful!

Chenrezig imprinted 

Here Now

Unconditional love,

Infinite light. _/\_

---

Jennifer, Heart of Practice Retreat 2021

Together and Alone

Together and alone – in a cabin amongst the trees

Slowed down from my habitual rush

Nothing to do but this – but this is so much

Quietly enjoying lunch while thinking too much about this poem  

Who do I need to impress?

Each day a collection of small experiences – 

Cool air and warm sun

Pine trees basking in light

The wind and the birds

The neighbor’s muted radio

Can’t they enjoy nature too?

Ah, judging

A humming fridge

A ticking clock

Drifting in and out between awareness and my own distracted thoughts

Chenrezig song stuck in my head

Simple yet profound teachings inspiring and energizing me to do more – to dig in

Feeling content and wishing life could always be like this

Perhaps it can, if I let it.

---

– Leslie, Heart of Practice Retreat 2021

Dear Bodhisattvas…

We held our 6th annual “Heart of Practice” retreat last month and it was another wonderful event! The dedication of all the participants to be the guardians of their own practice was inspiring! We concluded this year’s retreat with songs of realization (poetry) from everyone! I’ll be posting these beautiful offerings in the coming days. But for now, here are some lovely offerings from our teacher and spiritual friend, Khaydroup!

Dear Bodhisattvas

My sisters and brothers,

meeting again all our fathers and mothers,

daily arriving in our zoom little squares,

from across many miles, yet alone in our chairs.

So many challenges to show up and share,

so even though hard, we continue to dare.

And why do we do it, we know very well,

we feel the connection, it makes us feel swell.

And so my dear friends, what I’ve come here to say,

From the depths of my heart, I thank you each and every day.

---

Experience

Simple, ordinary, fresh,

forgetting, grasping, feeling it, letting go

seeing, resting, relaxing

happening all by itself.

---

Much More

Thoughts, words, language,

all useful to explain.

So easy to be good at this relentless game.

There is so much more to explore,

look behind and beyond,

that which confines

so as not to ignore

or mistake

the description for what is described.

Let the spacious moment arise and subside

again and again infinite openness has ever been here.

---

More to come soon!

Jampa

Wandering…But Not Lost

Wandering…But Not Lost

Watched a beautiful documentary this weekend telling the story of Mingyur Rinpoche’s “Wandering Retreat”. I had read his memoir “In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying” and this is a wonderful companion. The film is beautifully shot with Rinpoche telling his own story. Highly recommend watching.

Under cover of darkness and with no word of his plans, much-beloved Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche walked away from his life on the international stage to live that of a wandering yogi. Unheard of among eminent teachers today, such a practice is rife with hardships. For Mingyur Rinpoche, these challenges—begging, finding food and shelter, illness, and all the attendant risks of wandering incognito from place to place with the barest of possessions—present fertile ground for deepening insight into the true nature of the mind.

Wandering . . . But Not Lost is an intimate account of Mingyur Rinpoche’s four-and-a-half-year retreat (June 2011 – November 2015) interspersed with Rinpoche’s own guidance in applying Buddhist wisdom to our daily modern lives that will touch—and inspire—audiences everywhere.