Gone Beyond: The Prajnaparamita Sutras

Dear friends,

 

We’re starting a book study this Sunday April 29, Full Moon. We will be studying, “Gone Beyond: The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear Realization, And its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyü Traditon Volume One.” by Karl Brunnhölzl.

Lawrence has also created a reading group in Goodreads that we can join:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/574534-pasadena-bodhi-seeds

Lawrence and I decided to take on this text with no timeline. The intention is for one to take time to study, contemplate, and put into practice. We hope you can join us and share your comments on the text.

om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

All good wishes!

jampa

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Tilopa’s Six words of Advice

Pasadena Bodhi Seeds

Don’t reflect, don’t imagine, and don’t evaluate.

Don’t meditate, don’t think, rest in naturalness.

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No more fluff-advice: Mindworks launches 10-day meditation challenge to combat the effects of toxic work stress

November 27, 2017 – By Hannah Lindstadt

 

Though it’s utterly cliché at this point, startups are stressful environments to work, and it’s important that the growing startup workforce keeps this in mind and protects their health.

Innovating requires going out on a limb, and limbs have a tendency to break when forced to carry too much weight. And by this point the stress-burden that many startup employees shoulder on a daily basis is well known, and has inspired many snappy articles in which founders and experts share their top suggestions for how to reduce stress, that although well intentioned, are often too vague to be of use to anyone.

Bart Mendel- Co-founder at Mindworks

If reducing stress was as easy as being told to “take a moment for yourself” or “avoid negative patterns of thought”, we would all be a lot happier and healthier, but reading inspirational quotes without an actual tangible path towards changing your habits is as guaranteed to produce results as tossing your stress ball into a wishing well.

“There’s only one way to create a good habit and that’s by doing something over and over again,” says Mindworks co-founder Bart Mendel. Which is why instead of posting inspirational quotes on Instagram, Mendel and his small team of close friends, trained by preeminent Buddhist meditation masters, decided to share their passion for spreading meditation techniques by creating the nonprofit Mindworks together.

From his experience as a meditation instructor for over 35 years, Mendel and his team have been working to create quality and readily available mindfulness and awareness-focused guided meditations, available on their free mindful meditations app launched in January. The app’s content includes daily inspirations, guided meditations, and “Mind Talks”- which are short videos featuring Mindworks international team of meditation instructors.

Today they announced the launching of their new 10-day meditation challenge, which will be available starting December 1st. Those who sign up to participate in the challenge will receive daily emails with guided instructions for 15-20 minute meditation sessions.  On the final day of the challenge, all participants will be invited to a live online Q & A chat with an instructor at Mindworks, to get feedback and ask any questions that may have surfaced during the 10 days.

The 10-day challenges will be available for a nominal fee as an additional resource to the free content available on the app, and is appropriate for all levels. The app is available for download from the Mindowrks website, Google Play and the App Store.

 

Source: https://startupbeat.com/2017/11/no-more-fluff-advice-mindworks-launches-10-day-meditation-challenge-to-combat-the-effects-of-toxic-work-stress/

Tsony visits Pasadena Bodhi Path

DT Tsony

Dear friends,

Here are links to the 2 talks we had with Lama Tsony. For better results, download the files first before listening.

Thanks! – cesar

A Project for an Awakened Life.
The Condensed Practice of Mind Training with the Five Forces – October 25

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B5T2BOYSSJTVTkJQRjJmMXF4c3M

Anuttara Puja
The Sevenfold Prayer as an Ideal Lifestyle – October 4

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5T2BOYSSJTVLWlmTmZzNXp3Z2M/view?usp=drivesdk

Is Mindfulness Meditation BS?

It’s hard to put your finger on the point when the Western stereotype of Buddhist meditation flipped. It was sometime between the 1950s, when Zen Buddhism seeped into the beat generation, and the early 21st century, when mindfulness meditation seeped into Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

Read more:

Is Mindfulness Meditation BS?

Source: WIRED

Remembering Lama Purtsela

Lama Purtsela

Lama Purtsela was a faithful disciple and companion to Gendün Rinpoche; he followed him to France in 1975. He was an authentic practitioner, and throughout his forty years at Dhagpo, he was a living example of the profound richness of Buddhism. On July 9, 2016 Lama Purtse left us, entering into tukdam (post-mortem méditative absorption) for eight days.

On July 18, the departure of Lama Purtsela who was a source of inspiration for many, was commemorated.

https://fr-fr.facebook.com/LamaPourtsela/

Song from Seven Circles

Seven Circles Retreat

Up early each day – meditation, chanting, Feldenkrais, and napping

Om Mani Padme Hung

Overcoming many obstacles, we gather here in Seven Circles for retreat

The gong is a tattle tale – it told on you

Oh, Ngondro, you cracked me wide open

The strong arms of the chant lift me, my sangha, brothers and sisters hold me

Buddha Nature prevails

Love, kindness, discipline, perseverance, awareness, and insight

Chanting and rolling dharma bundles

An oriole shoots by…enlightenment

Noble silence, noble speech

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ho

Sweat rolls down my back as I dive into the linoleum

Gasping for breath, walking among the giant trees with my friends

Making offerings at Big Baldy

Mt. Meru insight prayers

By the circle of tall trees

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, ribbit, ribbit

We grew like hairs on Big Baldy

Reversing time – finding the present moment – going backwards

High Ngondro, starring Cary Grant me your blessings

Trying hard not to break noble silence – epic fail

Who are the three families and do they have anything to do with the five families?

Fail, fail again, fail better

Hope you fail better soon!

Surrendering concepts in devotion, to the teacher who teaches devotion, to the teacher I take refuge

Beloved sons and daughters of the Kagyu lineage – nevertheless you might feel like a stepchild

Gurgle, gurgle, ribbit, ribbit

Rooster, cow, chicken

Om Svasti Shamar Rinpoche – we follow you

You are all masters, just open your eyes – I can’t – it’s too bright!

Would it help to put on sunglasses?

What are we supposed to be doing?

Just stay awake

A road to Badger, feeling anxious

Seeking Buddha – oh, he’s already here

Let the mantras roll

Now my life has become fruitful

I heard about the five colors of emanating light, I need four more flashlights

Breakfast, lunch, dinner – grateful for the earth, grateful for the hands

Nevertheless she cooks

My heart does a gentle dance with time – mine asks to cut in

From the country road, Maria brings wildflowers to the altar

Take me home country road……

–

Bodhi Path Poem – June 2017  Seven Circles Retreat Center – Composed by the refugees