Ngondro Weekend on “Guru Yoga” with Lama Tenzin at the RIC, 2014
Blazing sunshine from the East, on the morning of Lama Tenzin’s arrival from India, proved to be a most auspicious sign. Truly, the path to Enlightenment seemed clearly in view! We awaited his instructions with attentiveness and joy…
The instructions Lama Tenzin gave helped us to better understand the “Guru Yoga” section of accumulation of the Ngondro. In essence, it is through the practice of Guru Yoga that one is directly shown the nature of mind by one’s teacher. We practiced together as a group on this section of the Ngondro (even if we were not quite there yet in our own practice). It was truly amazing to feel how the space itself felt infused with the blessings of being in retreat, in such a short time! We had succeeded in invoking the presence of our teachers, and the benefits of faith, trust and devotion, as well as the power of samaya, and group practice, were felt by all. Somehow sharing our space with another visiting group during the weekend became a lovely exchange, and all felt the warmth of our practices – a wonderful display of peace and harmony. And more importantly, we were most happy to have Lama Tenzin with us at the RIC, and we look forward to seeing him again soon!
During the weekend itself, an unusual parallel program with the SLR was running at the same time. Called “The World is Sound,” we were joined during mealtimes with a very happy group of musicians, whose open hearts, healthful outlook (there were a number of vegans, and most started their day with group yoga and mediation sessions), and embrace of life through being present to sound was quite beautiful. Some of them joined us in our “Old Gompa” at the end, to understand our practice as well.