Bright clear blue skies, the earth covered in dew and the magnolia trees are just coming into blossom. It’s a beautiful spring morning and by 9am the solar panels are already heating up the hot water.
Many years ago, when I was manager of the Operations Team at Taraloka, I attended a small study retreat for women teachers. During those nine days we looked at the Four Foundation Yogas, or Mula Yogas, which form the basis of Tibetan spiritual practices. (Mula is a Sanskrit word meaning root and foundation, while Yoga simply means ‘that unites’. It is considered as the entrance to the Vajrayana, and is common in all Tibetan Buddhist school in general.)
I was taken led through the second Foundation Yoga – the Development of the Bodhicitta, which contains tonglen. Exploring this meditation practice I began to make a connection with my work as a manager, and I realised that every time I had an unpleasant or painful interaction with another person, and managed to respond from a non-reactive and mettaful place in myself, then I was actually performing tonglen in my daily life. It was a good moment!
Today at 11am, Yashobodhi will present her reflections on the practice of tonglen in our daily life and I’m really looking forward to just sitting back and listening to the Dharma being taught by a fellow Dharmacharini.
4pm: Double session of meditation led by Saddhanandi.
8pm: Puja led by Ratnavandana
Many years ago, when I was manager of the Operations Team at Taraloka, I attended a small study retreat for women teachers. During those nine days we looked at the Four Foundation Yogas, or Mula Yogas, which form the basis of Tibetan spiritual practices. (Mula is a Sanskrit word meaning root and foundation, while Yoga simply means ‘that unites’. It is considered as the entrance to the Vajrayana, and is common in all Tibetan Buddhist school in general.)
I was taken led through the second Foundation Yoga – the Development of the Bodhicitta, which contains tonglen. Exploring this meditation practice I began to make a connection with my work as a manager, and I realised that every time I had an unpleasant or painful interaction with another person, and managed to respond from a non-reactive and mettaful place in myself, then I was actually performing tonglen in my daily life. It was a good moment!
Today at 11am, Yashobodhi will present her reflections on the practice of tonglen in our daily life and I’m really looking forward to just sitting back and listening to the Dharma being taught by a fellow Dharmacharini.
4pm: Double session of meditation led by Saddhanandi.
8pm: Puja led by Ratnavandana
