Photographs of Phakchok Rinpoche

Sangha lunch

Sangha lunch
Originally uploaded by Peter Olin

Here's a pic from the Sangha lunch I wrote about in a previous post

Gensyn

Hej Erik og Tara

Dejligt at se at Gomde skinner igen.

Flot som I har malet gulvet i Lakhaen!

Hvor er det fantastisk at I har taget den tunge Gomde handske op, som ind imellem må være lavet af jern og være hvidglødende af varme...

Hvor skønt at fornemme de spirituelle Vibes igen, jeg fik helt klart et sug af genkendelse og savn fra mit Indien...

God vind, det kører den rigtige vej nu!

Transport til Gomde og hjem igen

Kære venner,

Når I har brug for en kærelejlighed til Gomde eller hjem igen, eller hvis I kan tilbyde at hjælpe en af deltagerne det samme,

så vær søde at skrive det på

http://gomde.dk/index.asp?mode=F%E6lles%20transport&language=danish&forside=cgi-bin/transportation/index.asp

Nogle gange er bus forbindelserne lidt svære at finde ud af, eller de passer ikke så godt.

Knus fra værterne på Gomde,

Tara og Erik

Govinda Olin's apple chutney

Before Phakchok Rinpoche's visit on the 28th, we just had to try out this recipe - and it is fantastic.

Govinda Olin's apple chutney

1 litre of peeled apples in pieces.
2 tbsp oil or ghee
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
8 cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp anis seeds
4-6 fresh chilies, split in half, legthwise
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 dl raisins
3 dl fruit sugar (I'm sure ordinary sugar will do fine)
2 tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil and fry cloves, cinnamon, anis seeds, and chilies for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the apples. Stir.
3. Let it cook on low heat, covered with a lid, for 5 minutes.
4. (If necessary to prevent burning, add a few tbsp of water.)
5. Remove the chilies
6. Add ginger, turmeric, raisins, sugar.
7. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes on low heat, covered with a lid.
8. Remove the cinnamon.
9. Add the lemon juice.
10. Let it cool. Store in refridgerator (or freezer).

For Gomde, multiply all measures with 1000000. :-)

Thanks to Peter

DALAI LAMA & KARMAPA ADVOCATE VEGETARIANISM

DALAI LAMA & KARMAPA ADVOCATE VEGETARIANISM

Om Mani Padma Hum ・ Mantra of Compassion

Dalai Lama's World Peace Ceremony Goes Vegetarian

AMARAVATI - At Kalachakra for World Peace 2006, presided over by the Dalai Lama, all the food served to the 200,000 people attending the ceremony was vegetarian. His Holiness said "If the human community is based on principles of peace, it will lessen the sufferings caused to millions and billions of animals. Otherwise, out of humanity’s limitless and unjustified greed and desires, they build beef farms, pig farms, and fish farms which never existed before and are not needed."

Dalai Lama Supports Tibetan Vegetarian Movement

INDIA - Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA) has converted over 14,000 Tibetans to vegetarianism.The new vegetarians sign a pledge never to eat meat again. Dalai Lama gave funds to TVA to print 35,000 copies of vegetarian books for free distribution. The group campaigns for vegetarianism inTibetan settlements throughout India, Ladakh, Nepal and Sikkim. They are opening vegetarian restaurants in Tibetan communities.

Dalai Lama Wants Tibetan Monasteries to Go Vegetarian

SAN FRANCISCO - Dalai Lama has asked monks and nuns to become vegetarian. Many monastics wish

to become vegetarian. In response, Arjia Rinpoche and Geshe Ngawang Dakpa are raising funds to buy

tofu machines. Their Tofu Project aims to buy tofu making machines for every Tibetan monastery in India and Nepal.

Karmapa Asks Followers to Go Vegetarian

BODHGAYA - At the Kagyu Monlam prayer ceremony 2006, His Holiness Karmapa said that he is a

vegetarian. He asked all his followers to become vegetarian, or at least eat less meat. Many people

there took vows not to eat meat. His centers and monasteries have stopped buying, cooking or serving

meat.

Vegetarian Teachings Published

USA - 'Compassionate Action', the Buddhist vegetarian teachings of renowned Nyingma yogi, Chatral

Rinpoche has just been published in English. In Asia, he is considered to be one of the most highly

realized Dzogchen lamas.

Another Kind Buddhist Becomes a Vegetarian

WHERE YOU ARE NOW - Allow the teachings on kindness and compassion to affect you deeply.

Reflect on the suffering of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses. Move from kind thoughts to

kind actions. Resolve to eat less animal products, or none at all.

Learn More About Buddhism and Vegetarianism

RawVeg.info - Go to > Buddhist Vegetarian

Semchen.org - Tibetan Volunteers for Animals

BayAreaVeg.org - Bay Area Vegetarians

words from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche about the Lotus Essence Tantra

Here are some words from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche about the Lotus Essence Tantra:

My guru uncle Samten Gyatso had many lay students and they all knew the Lotus Essence Tantra by heart. There wasn’t a single one of his students who didn’t know how to chant this tantra. Whenever they had a free moment or even while walking about they would recite it from memory. Many of his old students said that it was very good to chant because whoever hears it will be liberated. That is the kind of pure appreciation that they had.

There is a long version of Liberation Through Hearing called the Single Child of All Buddhas Tantra, which is a much longer text but still there were many of Samten Gyatso’s students who knew that by heart as well.

Samten Gyatso once said that, “I have two things through which I can benefit other beings, one is the Single Child of All Buddhas Tantra and the other is the Lotus Essence Tantra. And there is absolutely no doubt about that!” Normally he would never mention anything of the kind, he was what is called a ‘hidden yogi.’ He would never talk about himself as being anything special, not even a single word. He was never heard saying, “I have realized …” or “I am special. I have special qualities.” Not once. He would move around just as if he was a completely ordinary person. But he did say, “There truly are two things that I have which can benefit others. One is the Single Child of All Buddhas Tantra and the other is the Lotus Essence Tantra.”

From Blazing Splendor, the biography of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

Preparing for Phakchok Rinpoche's visit 29-30 Sept.

While we are preparing for the Buddhist teacher Phakchok Rinpoche to arrive, here are some details on the lectures we have invited him to give. more details

Among all or the recorded words of the Buddha, the Heart Sutra is the most famous and popular, not only because it is short and profound, but it gives us a very intimate feeling of being right beside the Buddha.
This is where we find the liberating sentence "form is emptiness, emptiness is form".
The main topic in the heart Sutra is that of emptiness, in Sanskrit shunyata.
A better rendering of this word could be devoidness, a topic which we will bring up with Rinpoche himself.
Exactly what are all things empty of? Does it mean that physical matter does not exist? Or are all things empty of something else?
We will have plenty of chances to raise the questions on the nature of our reality and our life experiences.

The other text Rinpoche will teach on is extremely profound, known as the Lotus Essence Tantra.
It was spoken by Padmasambhava and concealed as the Dharma treasure, specially meant for our times.
It was the first text which Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche had printed after escaping Tibet. Like the Heart Sutra, it is very short.
This Tantra is phrased like a practice, containing Mahayoga as well as the Dzogchen perspective.
Some of the commentaries upon this text explain how the three aspects of Dzogchen are clearly mentioned, as reminders to the practitioner.
This Tantra can be used either as a daily practice or to be recited on special days.
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's teacher told him that this short tantra is like his heart and brings liberation through hearing.
The tantra can also be used as "liberation by wearing" on ones body and in ones heart.

In Danish:
Mens vi forbereder den buddhistiske lærer Phakchok Rinpoches besøg, her er nogle oplysninger om de foredrag, vi har opfordret ham til at give.

Blandt alle Buddhas nedskrevne ord, er Hjerte Sutraen den mest berømte og populære, ikke kun fordi den er kort og dyb, men fordi den giver os en meget intim følelse af at sidde lige ved siden af Buddha.
Det er her, vi finder der befriende sætning "form er tomhed, tomhed er form".
Det vigtigste emne i Hjerte Sutraen er tomhed, shunyata på sanskrit.
En bedre gengivelse af dette ord kunne være ''forudenhed'', et emne, som vi vil bringe op med Rinpoche selv.
Præcis hvad er alle ting tomt for? Betyder det, at fysisk materie ikke eksisterer? Eller at alle ting er tomme for noget andet?
Vi vil have masser af chancer til at rejse spørgsmål om karakteren af vores virkelighed og vores livserfaringer.

Den anden tekst Rinpoche vil undervise i er meget dyb og kendt som Lotus Essence Tantra.
Det var Padmasambhava som udlagde den og senere skjulte den som en ''Dharma skat'', specielt beregnet til vor tid.
Det var den første tekst, som Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche havde trykt efter at være flygtet fra Tibet. Ligesom Hjerte Sutraen, er den meget kort.
Denne Tantra er formuleret som en praksis, der indeholder Mahayoga samt Dzogchen perspektivet.
Nogle kommentarer i denne tekst forklarer hvordan Dzogchens tre aspekter er klart nævnt, som påmindelser til den praktiserende.
Denne Tantra kan bruges enten som en daglig praksis eller til at recitere på særlige dage.
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoches lærer fortalte ham, at denne korte tantra er ligesom hans eget hjerte og bringer befrielse ved at høres.
Tantraen kan også bruges som "befrielse ved at bære" på kroppen og i hjertet.

Flere detaljer http://www.rangjung.com/GomdeDK/programs/Phakchok in final 22.htm

Buddhist prayer services for anyone who needs help

Buddhist prayer services for anyone who needs help. Buddhist prayers on this website http://monlam.org/mainprayers.html are offered frequently. These prayers can done for you or your family very soon. Most of the prayers are performed by the monks of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling. Tara Praises and Chöd are done by the nuns of Nagi Gompa.

Monlam means "wish-path" - the Buddhist path of helping others through kind prayers. Monlam.org is a service of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling, a Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal; and Nagi Gompa, a Buddhist nunnery on Shivapuri Mountain near Kathmandu.

Through this site you can request Buddhist prayers for yourself and others. Your donations help support the monks and nuns who perform the prayers. Some of the monastics are Tibetan refugees. All money raised goes to the monastery and nunnery, except for the small costs of having a website and using Paypal. Prayers and pujas are supervised by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Chokling Rinpoche, accomplished teachers of meditation and ritual.

People in Buddhist cultures have relied on the prayers of monks and nuns for centuries. Full-time spiritual practitioners develop deep wisdom and great kindness, which make their prayers especially effective. Sacred rituals, originated by highly realized masters, enhance the blessing power of the prayers.

Pujas are beautiful and powerful. Body, speech, and mind are all involved. Prayers and pujas can involve reciting sutras, chanting mantras, performing mudras, visualizing Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and offering water, flowers, incense, lights, food, music, etc. All these methods generate merit. Merit is necessary for health, long life, happiness, and spiritual realization.

Anyone who needs help can request prayers. You don't have to be a Buddhist. You can ask for prayers for healing, long life, prosperity, support for the dying and the dead, etc.

We ask that you donate to support the monks and nuns. Buddhist prayers, teachings and rituals are traditionally given without a price tag. Monks and nuns pray for people without asking for anything in return. Buddhist lay-people donate as generously as they are able. Many people are unfamiliar with this culture of mutual giving, so donation amounts are listed for each service. Giving creates merit. Merit is essential for happiness, good health, long life, worldly success, spiritual realization and good rebirth.

http://monlam.org/mainprayers.html

Fruit season coming up. Frugt sæsonen er begyndt

The season has begun and Gomde is overflowing with scrumptious plums, mouthwatering pears and lip smacking apples, and apples and apples and apples and apples and apples and apples and apples and apples and apples and more apples.
The fruit trees have not been sprayed with poison for 30 long years and are simply wonderful.

Currently, we use a pick-them-yourself tradition, with a donation from you of 6 kr. pr kilo. You are warmly welcome.

På dansk:
Frugt-sæsonen er begyndt og Gomde er fyldt med lækre blommer, pærer som for tænderne til at løbe i vand og de mest indbydende æbler og flere æbler og æbler og æbler og æbler og æbler og æbler og æbler og æbler og æbler og flere æbler.
Vores frugttræer er ikke blevet sprøjtet med gift i 30 lange år og er simpelthen vidunderlige.

I øjeblikket bruger vi en pick-dem-selv tradition, med en donation fra dig på 6 kr. pr. pr kilo. Du er hjerteligt velkomne.

one of the 1st visits to Gomdé