First of all, I would like to thank to all members for their hard work during the last 12 months or so. Although we have only a small number of members but because of our unity we are very successful in helping each other, which is most important.  For instance, when some of our members did the Vajrayogini retreat for three months earlier this year, many members helped them in many ways despite their family and individual responsibilities.  I am also very happy that I was able to help the retreatants.  It is a great achievement for them in terms of fulfilling their commitment to their Guru, Her Eminence Sakya Jetsunma Chime Luding.  I would like to congratulate them for their successful retreat and I am sure they gained a lot of benefit from the retreat.

I would also like to congratulate Ged Palmer for attending the Lamdre Teachings given by His Holiness Sakya Trizin in France earlier this year.  I am very pleased to see him very happy and satisfied.  This helps not only the individual, it really helps and influences other members.  I specially thank Andre for leading the guided meditations on Wednesday mornings.  Guided meditation can be very helpful for all in general, and beginners in particular. 

As we always plan for the future, now the Centre is looking for a new place for me to stay and we are expecting to get a house within a few weeks.  Then I can meet with you more easily and run small classes and practices, in addition to the ones held in our building on the Whyalla Core Site.  I would like to encourage all members to help in its running costs.  I am very happy to see that many members seem very excited about this and already start organizing to gather goods for this new house. 

We are all looking forward to His Holiness Sakya Trizin’s visit in late April next year.  It is a very rare chance for us to have His Holiness here and even rarer to receive such profound and precious Teachings, so I would like to encourage you to take the opportunity of participating in whatever part of the program you are able to.  I also encourage you to discuss with me, any part of the program that you are unsure about or would like further clarification.  I am sure we can work hard to make the visit very successful.  (See enclosed program.)

As many of you know, we are going to do a Non Residential Tara Retreat during the October long weekend.  This is one of most popular practices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.  Tara literally means “Liberator”.  That is, to liberate from all sorts of suffering and delusions.  Green Tara is the embodied form of a female Buddha and she is famous for setting an example of gaining enlightenment in female form.
 

Yours in Dharma
Loppon Tsering Samdup

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has kindly contributed to the Monk’s fund over the past months.  This is the main source of income that allows us to support Loppon Tsering and pay for all his living expenses.  Following the appointment of Loppon Ngawang Dhamchoe (Resident Teacher for Sakya Tharpa Ling, Sydney) to the esteemed position of Khenpo (Abbott) so that he is now officially known as Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe, it follows that Lama Tsering Samdup should be now referred to as Loppon Tsering Samdup.  This title acknowledges his years of profound study in Buddhist philosophy at the prestigious Sakya College where he obtained the Loppon Degree.  We sincerely thank him for all the guidance and inspiration he has provided us with in the past and we look forward to many more teachings from him in the future.

We are still in the process of obtaining a Permanent Residency Visa for Loppon Tsering. It seems we are now in the final stages, after providing endless documentation and numerous follow ups.  Loppon Tsering has requested that we obtain a separate house for him to live in and we are in the process of applying for a Housing Trust house for him.  This will give people greater accessibility to Loppon-la and provide an alternative venue for teachings and practices on a smaller scale.  A detailed program will be provided for all activities, when this is finalised, as well as the practices in our main building.

We are proud that three of our members and Sister Yeshi have completed a three month meditation retreat.  This is a fine example of people upholding their practice commitments. We also wish to thank all the willing people who provided support to the retreatants.  Without such behind-the-scenes helpers, such retreats would not be possible. To learn more about the retreat please read the inspiring article on the retreat by Sister Yeshi which is included in this newsletter – A Desert Dream.

Recently at the Tanderra Food and Wine Fair a huge amount of hard work by some dedicated individuals at our food stall was seriously challenged by extraordinary weather, with extreme gale force winds, which kept most patrons away.  In fact, more than a hundred trees and many fences were demolished in Whyalla with very powerful wind gusts.  Despite this, the event was a success!  Even though the profit margin was small, it showed a tremendous sense of unity and fortitude by those present to see the day through, despite their own personal discomfort, in order to do what they could for the Dharma.  It was great to see and undoubtedly the benefit is there at different levels.  Special thanks must go to Alicia and Patricia for their enormous efforts.

Although there have been some obstacles along the way, there has now been some progress regarding our building.  We are sure that the regular Green Tara Pujas recently held on Saturday mornings have been helping!  We have provisional approval for our plumbing and Council has indicated that they will install street lighting for our area on the Whyalla Core Site and security lighting specifically for our building.  The building funds that are available will be dedicated to putting into place the services and security arrangements.  It is vitally important that the services and security for our building are finalised, in order to obtain property and liability insurance again.
 
 

Although we are a relatively small group, the individual commitment to daily practice by members is very heartening.  The gradual change in people as they build their relationship with their Buddha Nature within is wonderful, as increased tolerance, understanding, compassion and insight is manifested in their lives.  At times it may seem difficult to sustain the Centre’s activities because of the size of the population of Whyalla but we have always acknowledged that it is a matter of quality rather than mere quantity.  If our Centre helps just one or two new people to begin a process of inner discovery then it will all have been worth it. 

Our Teachers have often said that they will visit places wherever there is genuine interest, even if it is just for a few people.  This is borne out by the fact that His Holiness Sakya Trizin will be returning next year to Whyalla to give profound teachings and empowerments.  This is a huge blessing and a great honour for Whyalla.  It has been said that just meeting His Holiness Sakya Trizin for a short time, has changed people’s lives for the better, and he will be with us in Whyalla for five days! 

All of these activities will require fund raising so as to keep the costs reasonable for everybody and already there have been several offers to help sponsor His Holiness Sakya Trizin’s tour.  Please let the officers know if you would like to assist in any way with this tour.  There will be a range of activities that will require attention, and any assistance will be greatly appreciated.  We will be working closely with the Adelaide Buddhist non sectarian group to ensure that we have a combined and integrated approach for His Holiness’ visit to Adelaide and Whyalla that will be mutually beneficial.  It is also likely that the Abbott of our Centre, His Eminence Dungyud Tulku Rinpoche from Bir Monastery in India will be visiting us early in the New Year.  Further details will be provided. 
 

Best wishes,

Rae Watson

Adelaide Program

His Holiness Sakya Trizin and entourage will be visiting Adelaide from 23rd to 25th April 2003.  The program for Adelaide is still being finalised.  The timing of the events will allow people to travel between Adelaide and Whyalla and still attend all events. 

Whyalla Program

Saturday 26th April 2003

Afternoon - Public Talk by HH Sakya Trizin: Health, Healing and Tibetan Medicine.
Suitable for anybody interested in the healing processes for themselves and also for those in the allied health professions who are interested in an alternative approach to help them with their work.

Evening – Empowerment by HH Sakya Trizin: Medicine Buddha.
Can be taken as an empowerment or as a blessing.

Sunday 27th April 2003

Morning and afternoon – Empowerment by HH Sakya Trizin: Hevajra Cause – part one.

Monday 28th April 2003

Morning and afternoon – Empowerment by HH Sakya Trizin: Hevajra Cause – part two.

Evening – Public Talk by HE Ratna Vajra Rinpoche: The Four Noble Truths.
This is the first teaching given by the Buddha and it forms the basis of all Buddhist philosophy.

Tuesday 29th April 2003

Morning and afternoon – Empowerment by HH Sakya Trizin: Vajrayogini.
The pre-requisite for the Vajrayogini empowerment is the two day Hevajra Cause empowerment.  There will be a compulsory practice commitment for Vajrayogini, and as a minimum the mantra recitation.

Evening – Empowerment by HE Ratna Vajra Rinpoche: Manjushri.
Can be taken as an empowerment or as a blessing.

Wednesday 30th April 2003

Morning and afternoon – Explanation by HH Sakya Trizin: Vajrayogini Sadhana.

Please Note:  The Hevajra and Vajrayogini empowerments and teachings require advance registration with Loppon Tsering Samdup (0422 984 691) or with Bruce Muhlhan (H 08 8645 4620 , W 08 8640 4180).
 

His Holiness Sakya Trizin

His Holiness Sakya Trizin is the worldwide head of the Sakya Order, which is one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.  He is often described as a living embodiment of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom.  His Holiness is one of the most outstanding religious masters of Tibet, and is a direct descendent of the Khon Tibetan family, in which he is the forty-first leader in an unbroken lineage that stretches back to 1073 AD.

He was born in Tibet in 1945 and was enthroned at the age of seven, and then spent most of his eighth year in secluded retreat.  From an early age His Holiness received intensive training in the ceremonial and philosophical traditions of the Sakyapas, including the entire teaching of the Lam Dre, which is a complete explanation of the Buddhist path to enlightenment.  The Lam Dre system came to Tibet from India and has been passed down through an unbroken lineage to the present lineage holder, His Holiness Sakya Trizin.

In 1959, at the age of fourteen, His Holiness Sakya Trizin, accompanied by a few of his monks, fled to India to escape the Chinese invasion of Tibet, where he set about re-establishing the Sakya tradition in Northern India.  Since that time he has taught extensively in India, Nepal, Europe, America, Russia, South East Asia and Australia.  His Holiness has an excellent command of the English language and a profound experience of human nature.  His teachings are therefore particularly accessible to those Westerners who are interested in studying Tibetan Buddhism.

His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche

His Holiness Sakya Trizin will be accompanied by his eldest son, His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche.  His Eminence was born in 1974 in India and since his childhood, he has received intensive training in the philosophy and spiritual practices of Buddhism and particularly in the Sakya tradition.  He is a graduate of Sakya College and has given important teachings and empowerments in India and has also visited and taught in the Western world.  On numerous occasions, he has helped his father give the Lam Dre teachings.

Deity - This term is mainly used to refer to the personification of aspects of the enlightened mind or Buddha Nature within the practitioner with whom the practitioner identifies in meditation.  Examples are Tara, Manjushri, Medicine Buddha, Hevajra and Vajrayogini.

Empowerment - It refers to a ceremony involving several different initiations in which a qualified Lama (Guru) places a student in touch with a particular deity and empowers him/her to recite the deity’s mantra and meditate on the non-duality between his/her own mind and the deity’s mind.

Guru - A spiritual guide; literally, one who is “heavy” in spiritual attainment and therefore qualified to teach and empower others.

Hevajra – Is one of the most profound of all Buddhist deity practices and is the foundation stone for the teaching of the Lam Dre (The Path with the Result).  Hevajra lies at the very heart of Sakya practice, and has been practised by many great Tibetan masters to attain enlightenment within one lifetime, including Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, Marpa, Milarepa, Sakya Pandita and Tshongkhapa.

Medicine Buddha – The personification of healing energy.

Sadhana – The text used in the meditational practice associated with a particular deity.

Tara - The female embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas.  She appears in many aspects but primarily green and white.  Tibetans customarily undertake meditative practices to evoke the energy of Tara to help ensure success in various activities.

Vajrayogini – A very special female deity associated with transforming inner energy.  The practice of Vajrayogini is considered to be one of the swiftest ways to attain enlightenment in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and is very popular in the West with women practitioners.

I have been asked to write an article about our three-month retreat.  Of course Tibetans would never write about a retreat they did.  However as my teacher and my vajra brothers and sisters suggested it would be of use to hear about it - here goes…

From March - June 2002, three women (Lynda Winkless, Brenda Crawford, Alicia Toh) and myself engaged in a three month meditation retreat situated on a beautiful sheep station called ‘Tregalana”, half an hour from Whyalla. We stayed in shearer’s quarters (tin shacks lined with Masonite).  The facilities were basic but comfy.  So here begins the story of the shacks in the bush.

Retreat offers Tibetan Buddhists time to focus exclusively on cultivating their inner wisdom and clarity without the distractions of normal life.  However, once you’re sitting in your hut you soon realise that outer distractions are nothing compared to our inner distractions, which are almost continuous in an untrained mind! 

Ultimately retreat is not running away from the world, it’s a chance to look into the heart of it.  All the suffering, stress, wretchedness and exaltation in the world comes from our own mind.  The outer conditions of the world may exacerbate our suffering, but the fundamental causes of suffering exists in our own mind.  When I was in retreat I encountered and examined my own suffering and the suffering of the world, henceforth retreat is no escape! 

Usually retreat consists of three or four meditative sessions per day.  Each session can last two - three and-a-half hours.  Of course there are different kinds of retreats.  Two main kinds are study retreats (where you contemplate and consolidate various topics such as compassion, impermanence and death, karma or general teachings you’ve received).  The second kind of retreat is deity yoga (practice) retreats.  We did a deity yoga retreat.

In Tibetan Buddhism deities are enlightened manifestations of a particular aspect of our own pure potential taking on a form so we can recognise it more easily.  There are deities/manifestations that represent compassion, wisdom or great bliss.  There are deities that appear to be wrathful, passionate or peaceful. 

By meditating on a particular deity we come to embody their enlightened qualities.  By meditating on the body of the deity we will eventually attain the body of an enlightened being.  By reciting the mantra of that deity we will purify our speech and attain the qualities of enlightened speech and by meditating on the mind of the deity we will come to recognise our own pure nature. 

Every retreat I have done has been different.  Some have been very difficult, but also profoundly rewarding.  I came out with a sense of renewed peace, wisdom and inspiration.  Other retreats have been more ‘even keel’ but also peaceful and rewarding in their own way.  In retreat I had to grapple with myself - my thoughts and emotions.  But after the first two weeks my mind settled and I could just enjoy the practice.

As I write this I’m watching the last desert sunset I’ll see before I reach Sydney.  The setting sun is unfurling her twilight cloak of hyacinth sky flecked with orange-pink clouds.  The earth is red and the mountains are purple.  A kangaroo jumps by. During retreat I really came to appreciate the natural beauty around me.  At meal breaks I would do walking meditation, sometimes circling the little stupa (monument representing the Buddha’s enlightened mind) we made out of a pile of rocks.  I took time to notice things I normally don’t appreciate - how blue the sky is, how red the earth, how crisp the winter mornings.  Most of the retreat I felt profoundly happy and peaceful (the fact I wasn’t talking much probably helped!). 

Retreat gave me time to rejuvenate and discover inspiration again after a demanding and challenging 1 ½ years as a Buddhist nun.  I also had time to take stock of my life - past, present and future.  I made a fearless inventory of myself and where I wanted to go. 

The companionship of my three vajra sisters - Lynda, Brenda and Alicia made the retreat that little bit easier and more enjoyable.  Sometimes I communicated with them in writing and our interactions were lively and filled with hearty laughter.  We shared the joy of spiritual cultivation.

We were also very fortunate to have the guidance of Lama Tsering Samdup, who was so helpful in teaching us about the practice, offering advice and support and translating the fire puja needed to complete the practice.

When I first came out of retreat everything seemed like a dream, but as time has passed the world around me has become more real and it is the retreat that has become like a desert dream.  But what a wonderful dream!  Now I feel so much more spacious, peaceful and equanimous.  I also feel happy to be engaging in life, and with where my life is going.  Time away to contemplate is sublime, but life is also a great classroom to learn spiritual lessons and I’m ready to enroll with a fresh outlook.

I can now see the importance of merit (positive karma/actions) to sustain our spiritual practice.  Without the power of the merit our practice is not powerful and we won’t gain any necessary results.  Daily life is the field of cultivating merits, as well as many other necessary qualities, such as compassion, patience and tolerance.

With fewer thoughts and perhaps less desire, I feel more happy and ready to face life with an open heart.  This retreat has definitely been a highlight of my life. 

I would like to offer my sincere thanks and affection to my three vajra sisters Lynda, Brenda and Alicia and also Lama Tsering Samdup, whose care and generosity made my retreat possible.  I would also like to thank Venerable Jampa (now Andre) and all the Whyalla Sangha (spiritual community) whose friendship and support gave me such joy.  All of you and Whyalla itself definitely have a very big place in my heart.  I look forward to visiting the windy “city” again some time soon.
 

All my prayers and thanks 

Sister Yeshi Chodron