Winter 2018, Volume 31, #4
Letter from Your NW Dharma Association From the depths of the Northwest winter, we’re looking forward to the renewal of spring. The Northwest Dharma Association relies entirely on the generosity of volunteers and members. We recently sent out our winter appeal. If you haven’t renewed your membership, now would be an excellent time. And if you have renewed recently, please…
In November there was rejoicing in the Tibetan Nuns Project’s Seattle office, with the news from India that 10 more Tibetan Buddhist nuns had made history by attaining their geshema degrees. The 10 nuns received their degrees at a Nov. 5 ceremony at Kopan Nunnery in Nepal. Headquartered in India, with the North America office in Seattle, the Tibetan Nuns…
More people serving time in Washington state prisons are practicing the dharma, and doing so more deeply, as a growing number of volunteers offer a widening array of options. The increasing activities include more people taking refuge, more people doing retreat, and more people studying from the growing Buddhist library collections, and with the guidance of visiting Buddhist teachers. These…
I believe that there is something specifically in Buddhist practice for Black Americans. How can there not be? It’s about suffering and the end of suffering. Our particular brand of suffering comes from being born into these black bodies, in a country that was forged, from its birth, in anti-blackness. How have other Black American women found their way to…
Despite the title the new book, “The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with Mindfulness and Gratitude,” is a dharma book more than a food book. It is based on a series of talks I gave at Sravasti Abbey, a Buddhist monastery in the northeast corner of Washington state, where I serve as abbess. The book describes different ways that…
Two Northwest women are playing a key role in the global empowerment of Buddhist women, by leading the organization that is supporting one of the world’s best-known female Tibetan Buddhist monastics, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo. Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives, Inc., is a U.S. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization registered in New York, comprised of a volunteer board of directors. Two of these directors…
Join George Draffan, Damien Abel and Joe Evans for four days of study and meditation on Shantideva’s classic text The Way of the Bodhisattva. We’ll also be teaching and practicing taiji-qigong, a gentle movement and breathing exercise accessible to people in all conditions. One of the great teachers of the way of the bodhisattva, Dza Patrul Rinpoche, spent his life…
True freedom of mind is something we can discover through the practice of meditation. In Tibetan Buddhism, the most direct and powerful way to experience this inner freedom is by exploring the nature of awareness, a journey that puts us in touch with the source of equanimity, wisdom, and compassion that we can access anytime and anywhere. In this afternoon…
For many Tibetans, the bardos mark the stages from death to rebirth, but they can also be understood as an inner journey of the mind, marking the “in-between” periods in our own process of becoming more fully who we truly are. When we feel threatened by change, we try to hold things in place, refusing to let old patterns die. Opening ourselves…
Join us for this full day meditation retreat which brings together practitioners of the hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana practice paths! Practitioners of all levels are warmly invited to attend, and we have NEW Half or full day options! Please register below. Full day meditation retreats, called ‘Nyinthuns’ in the Shambhala tradition, are a rich opportunity to deepen your practice within…
Nitartha Summer Institute 2019 “Deepen Your Meditation, Enrich Your view” with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen July 5 – August 3, 2019 Deepen Your Meditation, Enrich Your view: A new Unified Program In 2019, study and meditation will be joined at the Summer Institute! All students will receive Mahamudra meditation instruction and a significant portion of each…
This empowerment will be given by His Holiness, the 42nd Sakya Khabgon Trizin, Rinpoche. Chakrasamvara represents supreme bliss; i.e. the realization of our true nature. This highest yoga tantra empowerment is open to all. It can be taken as the doorway to this practice or as a general blessing. There is a preliminary the first day (5:30 – 7:30 PM) and…
“Mindfulness” means nothing without embodiment. What are we mindful of? The Buddha’s ‘first foundation’ for mindfulness was our body. The discipline of Mudra Space Awareness challenges us to see that even highly trained meditators aren’t always able to relate in a direct way with bodily experience. Instead of being mindful of our actual body, we tend towards what Chögyam Trungpa…
In this day-long program, participants are introduced to the world of tea. They will learn the traditional Chinese way to prepare and appreciate tea, and hear some of its colorful histories and myths, while also getting a glimpse of the daily life of a Daoist. There will be opportunities to explore specific aspects of Daoist lifestyle through qi gong (body…
Get away. Turn off your phone. Step back into yourself. Our multi-day residential retreats teach you awareness and concentration practices that lead to beneficial outcomes validated by science. Through guided mindfulness meditation, small group discussions, and movement, you will learn how to calm your mind, direct and sustain attention, explore emotions and thoughts, cultivate compassion, and communicate more authentically with…
In this two and half day retreat, led by Damien Abel and Joe Evans, we will study the Six Paramitas as they are laid out in the Way of the Bodhisattva. The six paramitas are the essence of the Mahayana vehicle. The six paramitas are: Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Discipline, Meditative Concentration & Wisdom The retreat is: Friday Sept. 6 from…
AiShinKai Fudō Myōō-Ji is both a Buddhist shrine and a martial arts organization devoted to “a life worth living.” Since 1990 we have engaged in Japanese martial and cultural arts order to discover what it means to be fully human: what is the full potential of our body, of our mind, and of our spirit? We study Rinzai, Shingon, and...
Chagdud Gonpa Amrita is the Seattle branch of Chagdud Gonpa Foundation. Since 1983, it has provided a place for beginning students and long-time practitioners to gather for teachings and practice in the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Open Way's mission is to nurture all who wish to practice Mindfulness. We are part of a world-wide network of communities inspired by the teachings and practices of Thich Nhat Hanh, a widely-known Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author and activist. Join us for weekly mindfulness practice at our center in Missoula, Montana and for retreats and special events throughout the year.
BMSNBC Known informally as the Open Door Sangha, we hope to 'open the door' to Buddhist practice by providing a suitable space for regular formal mediation, and by bringing people in touch with a rich history as well as qualified teachers. Our organization is composed of two individual meditation groups (Vipassana and Zen) each embodying its own particular forms and...
DaeJa Napier teaches Vipassana meditation with an emphasis on the cultivation of the four Brahma Viharas: loving kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity. She has been practicing and studying in various Buddhist traditions since 1974. Her root teacher is the late Zen Master Seung Sahn. Her practice continues to be enriched through intensive practice under the guidance of Asian and...
The purpose of Heart of Wisdom is to provide a refuge of stillness and peace in a busy urban environment, to practice and share Buddhist teachings, and to cultivate the qualities of unflagging optimism, self-discipline, compassion, and wisdom. Daily zazen and free instruction in how meditate geared to beginners is offered. People of all ages and experience levels are encouraged...
Portland, Oregon branch of Sorig Khang International (www.sorig.net): to support the study and practice of Traditional Tibetan Medicine and the Yuthok Nyingthig spiritual tradition under the guidance of our teacher, Dr Nida Chenagtsang
