20260307173933-Zachary-Burgess-Submission: Difference between revisions
From Tsadra Foundation Advanced Contemplative Scholarships
20260307173933-Zachary-Burgess-Submission
| Line 82: | Line 82: | ||
|letterofmotivation=I have seen for myself that even a small amount of exposure to the dharma with limited understanding can bring great benefit and meaning to life and this gives me confidence that through the Mahayana path one can genuinely be of benefit to others as well. I believe that the opportunity to take part in this retreat would be a great help in going in this direction. | |letterofmotivation=I have seen for myself that even a small amount of exposure to the dharma with limited understanding can bring great benefit and meaning to life and this gives me confidence that through the Mahayana path one can genuinely be of benefit to others as well. I believe that the opportunity to take part in this retreat would be a great help in going in this direction. | ||
While even one month in retreat first sounded daunting, doing these summer retreats and practicing at home have gradually instilled in me an aspiration to take part in the traditional three-year retreat. With all the free time and positive circumstances gathered, it's just easier to turn your mind to the dharma than in normal | While even one month in retreat first sounded daunting, doing these summer retreats and practicing at home have gradually instilled in me an aspiration to take part in the traditional three-year retreat. With all the free time and positive circumstances gathered, it's just easier to turn your mind to the dharma than in normal da-to-day life, full as it is with distraction. I am deeply grateful to my teachers for the opportunity that these Palyul retreats have provided; they have truly been life changing and I cannot imagine where I'd be now without them. At the same time, I've been increasingly frustrated by the routine of regular life, with a leftover sense of yearning for the more immersive spiritual training that a three-year retreat offers. | ||
In my limited experience, I've sometimes felt as if I was becoming a little more aware of the negative habits of mind that are the driving force behind one's projections and suffering and that this pattern will simply go on endlessly if left unchecked. Sometimes dharma practice seems to bring all these negativities out of hiding, and after a sense of once again being confronted with my own delusion during a week-long retreat | In my limited experience, I've sometimes felt as if I was becoming a little more aware of the negative habits of mind that are the driving force behind one's projections and suffering and that this pattern will simply go on endlessly if left unchecked. Sometimes dharma practice seems to bring all these negativities out of hiding, and after a sense of once again being confronted with my own samsaric delusion during a week-long Green Tara retreat in rural Ontario this past September, I felt that now was the time to research the possibility of a three-year retreat more earnestly. Wanting to continue in the Nyingma tradition and having heard that Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche was conducting a retreat in France, I got in touch with the coordinator there. Listening to some of Rinpoche's teachings online, I felt deeply inspired by his clear explanations and evident compassion and greatly longed to learn from this master. Also, some time back I had been amazed by his father Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's memoir, Blazing Splendor, which talks a lot about the Chokling Tersar lineage and this increased my interest to do this specific retreat. Bearing in mind the four thoughts, refuge/bodhicitta and the great force of habitual tendency, I believe practicing dharma in long-term retreat to be the ideal way to work with the state of samsaric delusion in which I find myself. This retreat in particular would be an amazing opportunity to go deeper into the tradition I feel most connected to, having at this point developed at least some small faith and connection to Guru Rinpoche through the blessings of my Palyul masters. | ||
I spent a week | Over the New Year's holiday, I spent a week at Gomde Pyrenees while Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche was visiting to open up the then just finishing first three-year retreat. Aside from the spiritual impact of meeting Rinpoche and receiving his blessing to take part, it was really helpful to speak with some participants from the first group and this definitely made me feel more confident going forward that it is a really worthwhile opportunity, in spite of whatever difficulties one might encounter. Drupbon Lama Tenzin gave a talk on the three-year retreat and said (roughly) that if by the end we're not realized, there's no need to feel bad; we will know how to practice dharma and be on the path and that's enough. I've kept this in my heart since. | ||
Especially as a beginner, the difficulties of trying to balance dharma practice with everyday life's endless demands, complications and confusion are many, and given the drastic state of the world right now, it seems really important to do what you can to try to work with your own ridiculous thoughts and develop at least some basic sanity and compassion. For post retreat life, my aspiration is that whatever change I've gone through during these few years will help me to more effectively bring compassionate energy and benefit to the world, if only in whichever very small ways I may be capable of, and that I will be somewhat better prepared for death, whenever it may come. I hope to return to playing and writing music (which has been my passion in life), to find some work and most of all, to try my best to | Especially as a beginner, the difficulties of trying to balance dharma practice with everyday life's endless demands, complications and confusion are many, and given the drastic state of the world right now, it seems really important to do what you can to try to work with your own ridiculous thoughts and develop at least some basic sanity and compassion. For post-retreat life, my aspiration is that whatever change I've gone through during these few years will help me to more effectively bring compassionate energy and benefit to the world, if only in whichever very small ways I may be capable of, and that I will be somewhat better prepared for death, whenever it may come. I hope to return to playing and writing music (which has been my passion in life), to find some work and most of all, to try my best to honor the dharma by practicing what I've been taught. | ||
In conclusion, I may not be the most experienced or well studied of aspiring practitioners, but still, I think I'd make good use of this precious opportunity and I'd be deeply grateful for the support of Tsadra in helping me to do so.Thank you for your time. (Sorry I know this is a little long!) | In conclusion, I may not be the most experienced or well studied of aspiring practitioners, but still, I think I'd make good use of this precious opportunity and I'd be deeply grateful for the support of Tsadra in helping me to do so.Thank you for your time. (Sorry, I know this is a little long!) | ||
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 15:20, 2 April 2026
Your application is saved. Please login using the credentials sent to you by email to view this page.
