January-February: Israel
During the winter months of January and February, Rinpoche gave extensive teachings in various places around Israel.
The visit began with a taste of Buddhist philosophy with a teaching on the Four Schools in a Kibbutz in the far north of the country, followed by a day of teaching on the four causes needed to attain rebirth in the pure land of Buddha Amitabha. Three additional teaching events in northern Israel revolved around the topic of death and dying: nearly 100 people attended a public talk about reincarnation at a medical center in Haifa, where Rinpoche also had meeting and talk with a group of caretakers of terminally ill patients. In an evening talk at a private home, Rinpoche gave an introduction to the practice of Phowa.
In Tel Aviv, Rinpoche gave an in-depth introduction to the Vajrasattva practice, and later a weekend teaching devoted to the subject of Ngondro, or fivefold preliminary practices, as the essence of Patrul Rinpoche’s “Words of My Perfect Teacher”. The teachings in Tel Aviv drew large crowds: around 80 people came to hear how to open the heart through meditation; in another private home, 50 squeezed together to hear about infinite love and compassion. Then, on Losar, around 50 fortunate disciples gathered to receive the transmission of the Kuntu Zangpo Monlam together with a breathtaking overview of the Buddhist path.
The visit included two retreats as well. The first was a weekend retreat, in which Rinpoche gave an introduction to the Tibetan Buddhist path, focusing on the workings of karma, the natural law of cause and effect, and guiding those present with simple yet effective meditation instructions. The second was a retreat for committed Buddhist practitioners, in which Rinpoche conferred the 100-deity mandala empowerment and gave sublime teachings on the Guru Yoga practice as part of the Longchen Nyingthik Ngondro.
April-May: Bodhicitta Dharma Centre, Dharamsala, India
April 22nd – May 31st, 2013: Spring term teachings (afternoon classes, open to all)
April 22nd – May 12th, 2013: Rinpoche gave 3 weeks of teachings on Maitreya’s Uttaratantra: The Sublime Continuum (Tib: Gyu Lama). A precious text which focuses mainly on Buddha nature. These morning classes at the Bodhicitta Dharma Centre were offered to a group of committed Dharma practitioners. After the teachings, Rinpoche led the group on a pilgrimage to the holy site of Tso Pema (pictures below)
June - July: UK Tour
Rinpoche’s first visit to the UK has touched many hearts, as hundreds of people throughout the country attended the teachings. So great was the interest and impact, that a second visit was immediately requested and is greatly anticipated. One of the highlights of the trip was Rinpoche’s visit to Tarset. In a public talk at a village hall in the middle of a national part, 120 people came from all over the north of England to attend the public talk, which started with a speech of welcome and singing of local songs by the hosts, and ended with many questions by the uplifted attendees. Also in Tarset, Rinpoche visited a school, and was tremendously well received. Rinpoche gave question and answer sessions in one classroom for 4-5 year olds and another of 6-7 year olds; the children sang songs for Rinpoche, enjoyed additional activities such as prayer flag making, and received a khata blessing. At Totnes, a number of people took refuge for the first time. Here is the full list of events:
June 7th & 8th: “The Four Noble Truths” / “An Introduction to Buddhism” at the Kailash House in London
June 9th: “Why and How to Meditate” at St Aidan’s Church, East Acton
June 12th: “An Introduction to Dream Yoga” at Shekinashram, Glastonbury, Somerset
June 14th: “Exploring Meaning in Everyday Life” at Camino Center, Glastonbury
June 15th: “Relationship Between Mind, Body and Energy” at Camino Center; session included meditation and question time.
June 18th: teaching in Brighton
June 21st: “A Buddhist View of the Environment”, Quaker Meeting House, Malvern
June 22nd: “An Introduction to Buddhist Meditation”, The Grove, Malvern
June 24th-26th: retreat on “Compassion: the Heart of the Enlightened Mind” at Tarset Village Hall, Lanehead (Northumberland)
June 27th: public talk at the Tarset Village Hall: “Finding Meaning in Everyday Life”
June 29th: “Relationship between Mind, Body and Energy”, Arch Hall, Hoathly Hill, West Sussex
July 1st to 4th: “The Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism” at Totnes, Devon
August: Bodhicitta Dharma Centre, Dharamsala, India
August 1st -23rd, 2013: Teachings on the full length version of the Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro – The Preliminary Practices of Longchenpa’s ‘’Heart Essence of the Great Perfection: Dzog-pa Chen-po’’ by Jigme Lingpa
These afternoon teachings, together with the transmission, were given at the Bodhicitta Centre along with the commentary “The Words of My Perfect Teacher” by Patrul Rinpoche.
September: South Africa
Chamtrul Rinpoche arrived in South Africa in Johannesburg and went straight to the Magaliesberg Mountains in the north to hold a Chenrezig and Tara Nyungne retreat. Four new participants took refuge and it was a special time filled with blessings. Then Rinpoche taught in other places around Johannesburg, including a school where many children, parents and teachers came to listen to his teaching on compassion. He also taught on the three principal paths and other topics at the Lam Rim Centre.
From Johannesburg, Rinpoche came to Cape Town where he was eagerly awaited by old and new students and friends. He taught various topics such as developing loving kindness, the 4 thoughts that bring peace and reincarnation at five different venues, and concluded with a powerful Guru Yoga weekend for those doing Ngondro Practice. Special outings in Cape Town included liberating crayfish and a bus tour around the Cape winelands which included whale watching – for which four whales showed up! From Cape Town, Rinpoche went for a short visit to Durban where weekend teachings centered on Tonglen and the 12 links.
June 7th & 8th: “The Four Noble Truths” / “An Introduction to Buddhism” at the Kailash House in London
June 9th: “Why and How to Meditate” at St Aidan’s Church, East Acton
June 12th: “An Introduction to Dream Yoga” at Shekinashram, Glastonbury, Somerset
June 14th: “Exploring Meaning in Everyday Life” at Camino Center, Glastonbury
June 15th: “Relationship Between Mind, Body and Energy” at Camino Center; session included meditation and question time.
June 18th: teaching in Brighton
June 21st: “A Buddhist View of the Environment”, Quaker Meeting House, Malvern
June 22nd: “An Introduction to Buddhist Meditation”, The Grove, Malvern
June 24th-26th: retreat on “Compassion: the Heart of the Enlightened Mind” at Tarset Village Hall, Lanehead (Northumberland)
June 27th: public talk at the Tarset Village Hall: “Finding Meaning in Everyday Life”
June 29th: “Relationship between Mind, Body and Energy”, Arch Hall, Hoathly Hill, West Sussex
July 1st to 4th: “The Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism” at Totnes, Devon
October-November 2013: Dharamsala, India
Along with the open afternoon classes of the fall term, which were given Monday to Friday every week from October 7th to November 29th, Rinpoche gave 5 weeks of morning teachings for dedicated practitioners, to complete the second half of the teaching on “Resting in the Nature of Mind” by Longchen Rabjam.