DUVALL’S NEW TIBETAN BUDDHIST STUDY GROUP IS ALL ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

by Kirsten Abel, Woodinville Weekly, January 2, 2018

“It’s really about mental health. Tibetan Buddhism is the study of the mind,” said Mark Winwood, the founder of the Chenrezig Project. “It’s not this new age thing. It’s this ancient, ancient wisdom.”

The Chenrezig Project is a Tibetan Buddhist study group now based in Duvall. Its website (chenrezigproject.org) states that its purpose is “infusing Western life with Tibetan Buddhist compassion.”

Members of the group explore the mind, what’s beneficial, what’s wholesome, what’s harmful, Winwood said. Then, they learn to let the harmful states of mind pass. They focus on applying Buddhist practices in daily life—at work, at home, and in relationships.

“We begin to really see that so much of our anxiety and our stress, our inferiority and our superiority, all arises in the mind based on misunderstandings,” Winwood said. “These Tibetan Buddhist teachings are about understanding the misunderstandings.”

The Chenrezig Project recently moved from Monroe to Duvall, but the group originates in Florida. Winwood has been a college professor, a study group leader, and he is a current volunteer at the Monroe Correctional Complex. His book, Am Stopping My Finger Now, came out in 2015.

Read more at the Woodinville Weekly…