Hi Sangha-la,
No one came for practice last week but me.
Rinpoche and I had tea, watched part of a taped Tibetan language broadcast (Voice of America) of the Dalai Lama's Congressional Medal of Honor award ceremony, did White Tara together, finished the video and ate pizza. Whew. Pretty great to spend some time with Rinpoche individually.
But I sure don't want to hog him all to myself...
White Tara is Rinpoche's choice for our weekly group practices and is a powerful but gentle practice for scrubbing away obscurations and leading one to an increased apprehension of Emptiness. (see more detailed description below) Practicing as a sangha multiplies the benefit for ourselves and all sentient beings. Fantastic.
Please come for our regularly scheduled White Tara practice with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche:
Today, Wednesday December 5th, any time after about 6:30 for informal discussion and tea, then practice around 7:30:
Chicago Ratna Shri Sangha
5337 West Cullom Street
Chicago IL 60641
Cheers,
Bill Pope
"The end results of doing such Tārā practices are many. For one thing it reduces the forces of delusion in the forms of negative karma, sickness, afflictions of kleshas, and other obstacles and obscurations. The mantra helps generate Bodhicitta within the heart of the practitioner and purifies the psychic channels within the body allowing a more natural expression of generosity and compassion to flow from the heart center.
Through experiencing Tārā's perfected form one acknowledges one's own perfected form, that is one's intrinsic Buddha nature, which is usually covered over by obscurations and clinging to dualistic phenomena as being inherently real and permanent.
The practice then weans one away from a coarse understanding of Reality, allowing one to get in touch with inner qualities similar to those of a bodhisattva, and prepares one's inner self to embrace finer spiritual energies, which can lead to more subtle and profound realizations of the Emptiness of phenomena and self."
