RYI STUDENT BLOG

One of the best decisions I ever made was joining Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI).  It is indeed a great institute where one can have experience of both academic and  traditional teachings from the sophisticated masters. Precious teachings from  Lopens and Khenpos help surprisingly to overcome the stresses of our daily lives. When I first came to this institute, I felt very welcomed. Warm greetings from  RYI’s Staff made me feel myself very special! In fact, such warm greetings really  motivates student to study sincerely. From the very first orientation, I started  experiencing the great quality of education and the excitements that inspired me to  make commitment to study further from BA. Moreover, Students are given the  great opportunities to do pilgrimages, retreats and practice rituals which have  equally importance as with the theoretical and philosophical knowledge. One even  becomes blessed already under the guidance and p...

With the recently ended fall semester in the back and the new semester in front, I feel a fresh wind of motivation blowing through my entire body and mind. It seems that this opportunity of study, leads me and my fellow students along a journey of unpredictable and spontaneously unfolding landscapes. Outwardly, in my meetings with fellow student we seem to maintain the ritual of reassuring, we are following a university program, through inquiries about the ‘landmarks’ of our path: “what course are you in?”, “Did you read X?”, etc. In the meanwhile, inwardly, paradigm of values, beliefs and visions shift like the stars do every night, almost unseen, above our heads. Or like the lava of a volcano might pour out of the earth, creating new landscapes and new layers of potential. I felt throughout my time studying at RYI, how the flow of information showered over me and steadily transformed my mind and body.    How much I treasure this opportunity to let myself be...

Lopön Urgyen Tenpel studied for 10 years in the Sangye Yeshe Shedra at Ka Nying Shedrup Ling and is now one of the philosophy teachers at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute. This year he is teaching the Uttaratantra Shastra (Eng. Sublime Continuum) according to the commentary of Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye. The following is a short interview with him: Lopön Urgyen Tenpel  Tell me something about yourself? According to the Tibetan Calender I'm 30 years old, yet according to the western calender I'm not quite sure. I was born in Mugum, in north-west Nepal, which was part of Tibet before. Yet nowadays it's counted as part of Nepal. I have two brothers, one older and one younger as well as two younger sisters. My younger brother became a monk two years ago, also here at Ka Nying Shedrup Ling. When I was 13 years old my parents encouraged me to become a monk and I happily agreed. They then brought me here, where I was ordained at the end of 1995. My parents are students of...

My favorite class at the  Rangjung Yeshe Institute was the philosophy class, which was very interesting. I experienced as I was in nirvana at that moment while listening to the Lopon. I compared every teaching with my own life, certain facts just matched with my own life. I was very lucky that I got an opportunity to study in the Rangjung Yeshe Institute. In the philosophy class I learned basic things of Mahayana Buddhism, such as the proper method of giving rise to Bodhicitta, practicing the six paramitas and so forth. Teaching of this kind will help me in my entire life to practice Buddhism. Lopon also mentioned in the philosophy class the right way to listen, meditate and reflect on those teachings. In the last chapter 'dedication' we learnt that in the Mahayana tradition, at first we must give rise to Bodhicitta, then follows the action and dedicate the virtue of this action for the benefit of all sentient beings. Whenever a practice contains these three...

Looking back at my almost five years at the Shedra, my overall impression is that it has been quite enjoyable: there is a warm atmosphere, deep emergence in Tibetan culture and language, interesting people from all over the world and so forth. This time I want to write about our Tibetan monastic teachers, simply referred to as Lopons. When I was studying in the Translator Training program, I had different Lopons instructors every month, so there was not really enough time to see their unique and special qualities. It took a few years of taking classes with one after another for me to come to how I feel now: an overwhelming sense of gratitude, appreciation and respect.  Lopon Shedrub Gyatso, Lopon Tsundru Sangpo, Lopon Karma Gyurmey, Lopon Lodro Rabsel, Lopon Urgyen Thenpel and Lopon Zopa Sangpo (left to right)     All of the Lopons have their own particular way of presenting the Dharma. Lodro Rabsel and Tsondru Sangpo have a more traditional styl...

Another year is gone. Do I really learn the Dharma? Am I more compassionate, kinder, more open hearted? While in daily classes of one of our texts “Entering the Middle Way” by the great master Chandrakirti, our teacher Lopon Tokpa Tulku, constantly reminded us every beginning of class about our motivation, an aspiration of directing our mind to not just learn concepts but contemplate about them, live them and share them in the world, often recollecting Kyabje Chokyi Nyima’s enlightened aspirations that we train in the direction of being not just learned but Dharma practitioners as well. Definitely we all are searching for something. I guess deeply we all are looking for happiness, no matter what we do, in every breath, in each heart beating. Are we looking for happiness in the right places? After a year of deconstructing reality through the profound Middle Way view do we still believe that the fragile causes and conditions of samsara will bring us true happiness, wil...

Lopon Tokpa Tulku and Translator during Philosophy class at RYI Once upon a time I was listening to an extraordinary human being, an embodiment of wisdom, the master Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche who gave a lecture to Khenpos, Lopons and venerable monks of his monastic university Dzongsar Shedra, in India. Rinpoche started his talk by sharing that the purpose of undergoing such a training in the Buddhist view was not just to transform oneself  (as that would be to much selfish) but to help others, to share the Dharma and skills we have learned and trained ourselves in, with the world we live in. He said to the monks that even though they are supposed to have renounced the world they couldn’t escape from the “reality” surrounding them. A monastery does not survive without a certain kind of economy; financial means do not come without good relationships and positive exchanges with society (in other words he said the positive and true purpose of politics). Also, not taking ca...