RYI STUDENT BLOG

Ani Sangye and Lopon  Chodrup In Spring 2012 we continued studying Introduction to the Middle Way and The Jewel Ornament of Liberation , with our lopons, who are excellent at relating these classic texts to our experience as modern Buddhists.  Chandrakirti says,  “Of Buddhahood’s abundant crop, compassion is the seed/ It is like moisture, bringing increase and is said/ To ripen in the state of lasting happiness/ Therefore to begin, I celebrate compassion!”  Which really touches on the essence of Madhyamika.  What is it that prevents us from being genuinely compassionate with others?  It's this subtle sense of being separate from situations, other people and other beings—basically it comes down to our sense of “self-ness,” that the center of space is right here called “me.”  When we’re suffering from negative emotions, Madhyamika really gets down to the heart of it.    We are all naturally compassionate, but there is some...

John Pickens who we all know as 'Zim', successfully defended on Friday his Master of Arts thesis.  Zim's dissertation title is:  I Remember Seeing Blue: Reflexive Awareness and Memory in Dignāga Pramāṇasamuccaya . Zim's dissertation supervisor was Karin Meyers ( PhD, University of Chicago), and the external examiner was John Dunne ( PhD, Harvard University ) . Zim joined RYI in 2009. He is also an active member supporting Phakchok Rinpoche's activities.  Congratulations, Zim, we will miss you a lot! 

Congratulations Sophie! Today Sophie Pickens  successfully defended her Master of Arts thesis at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute.  Her thesis is titled:  Divine Blue Water: The Contamination Purifying Smoke Offering by the Great Master Padmasambhava .   Sophie's dissertation supervisor was Dr. Karin Meyers ( PhD, University of Chicago), and the external examiner was Dr. Abraham Zablocki ( PhD, Cornell University). Sophie is a well-loved teacher and talented translator at RYI. We are very happy for her success! Sophie will return to the States  this week, and we will greatly miss her.  We wish you all the best, Sophie, and hope that you will be back with us soon...

Having realized thatness, the nature of the dharmadhatu, just as it is,  those of understanding are released from birth,sickness, aging, and death. Though free from the destitution of birth and so on, they demonstrate these, since by their insight they have given rise to compassion for beings.                                                                                          ~ Maitreya’s Uttaratantra It is out of unconditional love and compassion to sentient beings that holy beings appear to be born, fall ill, age, and die.  Although they are beyond all of these temporary circumstances, for the benefit of beings they display aging and death as a reminder of the momentariness and uncertainty of life.  On March 3 rd in Bhutan, on...

Looking back at year 2011 I simply have to admit that it has been a year of mistakes. Some bigger than others, and which have taken longer time to resolve, accept, and make friends with within myself. However, no matter how hard it can be at times to accept one’s failures, looking back at them now thinking: If I had a chance to undo these actions, would I do so? From the perspective of bringing harm to others I definitely feel regret and wish I hadn't done certain things, but from the side of bringing about certain understanding and internal and personal growth I can see how these mistakes have been tremendously helpful in that progress. Reflecting on why we do these things in the first place, it seems to me that the answer is pretty down to earth – because we all want to be happy. We all share this fundamental wish but it seems that we continuously engage in what leads to more suffering. However, in making mistakes and acknowledge these actions as mistakes (and by ...

Every year, starting on the 8 th day of the 12 th lunar month in the Tibetan calendar—which usually falls in late January or early February—a nine-day ‘drubchen’ is performed at Nagi Gompa according to the Ngakso (Ocean of Amrita) sadhana belonging to the Chökling Tersar collection. These are the new terma texts discovered by the tertön, or "treasure revealer", Terchen Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa, a great Nyingma master of the 19th century. Some blog-readers may wonder: “What is Nagi Gompa? What is a drubchen?” Nagi Gompa is a beautiful nunnery located high above Kathmandu, lying in the midst of the jungles of the Shivapuri National Park.   Nagi is an hour’s drive by taxi or about three hours by foot from Boudhanath. To reach the nunnery, one can climb the pleasant path of the natural reserve or, if you prefer, taxi up on the bumpy unpaved road. If one decides to take a taxi up to the nunnery, one must officially enter the park by way of the big front gate, sign in ...