Gampopa Center

There will be no Dharma practice on Sunday January 31, because of the snow. We will resume Sunday practice on February 7 at 5PM in Epping Forest. Tuesday night Dharma practice resumes on February 2 at 7PM in Epping Forest. All are welcome. Lama called from Chengdu two weeks ago. He has arrived safely and is presently visiting and teaching students in the area. He’ll return to us sometime around the middle of February!

During last Summer’s teaching on Mind Training, Lama explained how to measure success in the practice of mind training. He explained that if your afflictive emotions are weakening, thn your mind training is going well. If they are not, that means you should put more effort into the practice. This is also true of all dharma practices. Suffering is the result of our previous actions committed under the influence of mental afflictions. and these are the result of ego clinging. That is why all the buddhas have taught how to end this clinging. The ego has never existed, it is believed because of our mind’s fixation. Many dharma practitioners look for signs from their practice, but the best sign is reduced mental afflictions.

He also explained how to deal with mental afflictions. The first way to deal with mental afflictions is to abandon them by applying the antidotes. The second is to transform them through compassion. The third is to recognize them as the nature of mind. Just look at them and they will be like a wave on the surface of the ocean. They will be seen as the union of awareness and emptiness. The stronger the emotion, the stronger will be your wisdom.

The mind training teachings condense their instructions into what is known as the five forces. Lama gave this explanation of the five forces last summer.

1. The first is the force of motivation. When you get up in the morning, reestablish your commitment to practice the two bodhicittas. At the end of the day, check to see if your actions have followed this motivation. Whatever you are motivated to do will happen.
2. The second is the force of familiarization. It is like learning to drive, at first it is difficult, but then it becomes easy. So we should familarize ourselves with the practice of virtue.
3. The third is the force of virtue. Always strive to accumulate virtue. By practicing virtue the two bodhicittas increase.
4. The fourth is the force of repudiation. When ego cherishing arises you should immediately abandon it. Since ego does not exist, cherishing it is only self deception.
5. The fifth is the force of dedication. Have the aspiration to complete enlightenment and dedicate all your merit to it.

Lama’s visit to Indonesia is now over and he should now be in Tibet. More photos from his teaching are on the web. Some pictures are candid shots during his teaching, others posed portraits after. You can also see him chowing down on lo mein and broccoli and enjoying some time off by a lake.

During January we will only be meeting on Sundays at 5 PM, except for Sunday, January 17th, when there will be no meditation. Lama Phurbu Tashi will be teaching in Indonesia for the next two weeks and after that he will be traveling to Tibet.