In the News
November 16 - November 30, 2006
New Resources to Spark Your Brain
Everyday brings new resources to the Internet and thanks to several enterprising students, we have a varied list to spark your enthusiasm and encourage your progress to the next level of your practice:
What’s a Podcast? Don’t look now, but Robert Thurman is offering them free at his (relatively) new
web site
. Take a look...you can even e-mail Bob with your questions.
Short and to the Point is how this message was described. Yep, that’s what it is...check it out for yourself and let the wombat tell the story.
"I wish this film every success" - The Dalai Lama
View a three minute trailer for
VAJRA SKY OVER TIBET, a cinematic pilgrimage to central Tibet, bearing witness to the indomitable faith of its endangered Buddhist community and the imminent threat to its very survival.
View this
online video
of Charlie Rose's interview with His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama on November 16, 2005.
Free Online Book
Ego, Attachment & Liberation
Overcoming Your Mental Bureaucracy
A Five-Day Meditation Course
Lama Thubten Yeshe
In 1975, Lama Yeshe undertook his most extensive international teaching tour, being on the road for nearly nine months. During this time he gave many and varied teachings, a few of which have already been published in Becoming Your Own Therapist, Make Your Mind an Ocean and The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind.
This book contains the teachings and meditations Lama gave at a five-day retreat he led near Melbourne, Australia...
What's Your Story?
Why not share it?
I know you have a story related to your Buddhist study or practice that your Sangha brothers and sisters would love to hear. It may be exactly what they need to help them over a hump or inspire them to take another step on their path. We would love to hear from you. Please share by sending your story to JoAnn Bush.
The Importance of Making a Pledge to Support Our Precious Teacher
All of the students who know Geshe Jinpa not only want to support him, but do with their generous gifts of money, time, food, books, and other necessities. However, what most students don't realize is that making a monthly pledge---no matter how small---is the gift that is most important in keeping our precious here.
Geshe Jinpa is here is the US on a special religious visa. As a monk, he must demonstrate that he has on-going support from his students. While beign able to show a record of the monthly contributions helps in this process, the federal authorities are most convinced of support when they see the Pledge Forms.
The Pledge Forms demonstrate that the support for Geshe Jinpa comes from a deep seated commitment and will be ongoing.
With this in mind, IBC is encouraging everyone who possibly can, to print and sign a Pledge Form for whatever amount you can contribute on a monthly basis...no matter how small it is, you can be assured that it will help to ensure that we can keep our teacher here in the United States.
A Student’s “Rather Unorthodox” Experience Offering a Kata
The following story appeared on the FPMT (Federation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) board.
"Offering a white scarf--called a kata--is an ancient Tibetan tradition. The color symbolizes purity of intention and aspiration. It is an ancient custom to bring an offering when visiting a temple, shrine, guru, or teacher. An ancient Tibetan adage says that giving and receiving go hand in hand, like breathing in and breathing out--it is an a universal karmic principle that the more you give, the more you receive, which should not necessarily be understood in material terms only.
"When Lama Khamtrul Rinpoche was visiting here in Massachusetts, you suggested I accept the invitation to go for a blessing. I've never actually been in that situation before, and I didn't really know anything about the offering-scarf thing. I thought they would be available either for purchase on site or they give you one. Needless to say, I was wrong.
"The hosts asked for people to line up to receive the blessing. And when everyone whipped out their traditional Tibetan-style white offering scarves, I said to myself, "Oh noooo!"
"I decided I needed something long and white, so I ran to the bathroom. When I handed him the neatly folded white toilet paper, well, he just started laughing. He gave me the classic affectionate clasping of the cheeks, patting and pinching until my face was quite red. So I now have this great piece of toilet paper (one-ply) that I'm a bit attached to. I now realize that a scarf wasn't really necessary in order to receive a blessing, but I kind of like this one. So, my dear lama: May you never look at toilet paper in the same light again."
Notes on Geshe-la’s Lam Rim Teachings For October 15th, 22nd, and 29th, 2006
If you missed the teaching, read a student’s notes here.