Property:Letterofmotivation
From Tsadra Foundation Advanced Contemplative Scholarships
This is a property of type Text.
E
My desire to practice in retreat has been there since I became a nun in the early 90's and I want to take this desire to it's fruition. I want to retreat from the busyness of my day to day life and to realise my aspirations of becoming an individual that has stabilised their mind. I aspire to become a more compassionate individual, and to be a better person where I am able to help other people with more wisdom and clarity. I also aspire to engage in more study and practice so that I may be better prepared for my next life while I still have some time left. One of my main teachers, Drupon Rinpoche, only screens his teachings to the retreat centres on Holy Isle and Arran, and so this retreat is the only way for me to attend his teachings on a daily basis as his retreat centre in Sekhar in Nepal is full. I would like to be in an environment that fosters Dharma practice and to be surrounded by individuals that are following a similar path. I would like to learn how to become a proper nun, and develop the skills required to care for the shrine as well as develop more motivation for learning Tibetan. My health hasn't been great over the last four years and this has compromised my ability to work and save. Now that my health is better I want to make the most of it and engage in practice. Some financial assistance towards this from you would allow me to take some definitive steps towards realising my aspirations and hopes in this life and the next. +
Completing a three year retreat is something I have known I must fulfill in this lifetime. It frightens me a little, but I simply must do it. I know there have been practitioners who find other people to raise their children, or manage to somehow do intensive practices while balancing parenting and full time work, but that has not been my karma. I retired early in 2013 with the intention of devoting formerly working hours but as it turned out I still had more karmic debt to work out with another and that plan was dashed. My younger child is now 18 and off to college, and the opportunity presents itself. I must take it. The desire to devote my time to only practice burns within my heart. The house is on fire. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I will say that I truly believe I will die if I do not honor this need to practice intensively in this lifetime. Quoting Rilke, "I am too alone in this world, yet not alone enough to make every moment holy." The worldly realm does not interest me greatly. I have relinquished two-thirds of my possessions (though they do seem to want to reaccumulate); I have raised my children and trust them to carry on. I am in my 60s and in reasonable health, though the last five years have made the impermanence of the body starkly apparent. How much time is there? I aspire to cultivate bodhicitta that arises as naturally as breath. I aspire to offer my entire being to the Three Jewels in order that all beings benefit. I pray that my practice will dispel the negative karma accumulated through so many lifetimes of ignorance. I want to truly understand the sadhanas, to stabilize visualization, to develop siddhis, to ripen these dharmic seeds. I aspire to dispel the ignorance that has clouded my lifetimes. I wish to be of service to others through profound and skillful means. I wish to honor my Dharma brothers and sisters and my Vajra family, and my teachers with my devoted practice that I have been unable to do while being a householder, due to my own clumsy nature. I want to enter the symbiosis of the drubdra, being supported and learning while dedicating all merit for the benefit of all beings.
I hope your foundation is able to support me in this. Thank you all.
Dear Tsadra members,
I refer to you to express my aspiration and full determination in dedicating my entire life to meditate and integrate the precious Dharma teachings, every single day, instant by instant.
With my heart opened to love and compassion and guided with immense gratitude, I leave mundane distractions behind. They are all meaningless, since they only feed the ego, cause endless suffering and consume my time. Armed with perseverance, simplicity and diligence, I resolve to consecrate my time and vital energy to Awakening, for the benefit of all.
Regardless of your decision in relation to my request, please receive all the gratitude and respect that I can offer due to your sponsorship and protection of the Dharma activity.
Sincerely yours in Dharma,
Esther Gimeno Naranjo +
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In a general sense, having this body and conditions is very rare and I wish to do what is more meaningful and beneficial, for me and others.
It is also the best way of repaying the kindness of both my parents, who have given me life and sustenance; and the best offering for my teachers, who have given me the invaluable gift of Dharma and refuge.
Also, since I have no certainty about the time of my death, I decided that the best time to do it was whenever it was possible.
Regarding this retreat specifically, I want to do it because it carries the precious teachings,
transmissions and blessings of my lineage, which I want to learn and practice. Regardless of the results of the practice, at least I want to make a connection with it, hopefully to be able to practice the teachings in this and in future lives.
I hope that through doing this retreat, I will be able to purify my mind and accumulate merit, so that there is a bigger chance to give rise to authentic compassion and wisdom, and with that one day I may be able to help others in a much more vast and effective way.
On a practical more immediate level, I hope this retreat may give me more insight into my mind, and
through that, I may be able to understand and help others in a better way. I would also like to keep volunteering and helping in any way I can in Drikung Dharma centers wherever I stay, and I hope that practicing in this way may help to create better conditions for this too.
Also, I know that whatever I learn and experience in retreat will be a source of inspiration for other areas of my life. Being a music teacher interested in mindfulness, body awareness, art and movement, I know that there are many points of connection and interrelationship of these areas that can be of benefit for others in different contexts.
I believe that you should consider my application because your support would result in a beneficial interdependence for both parts and beyond. From my side, I come from a part of the world where Dharma is less developed and spread and where there is no financial support for initiatives like this. As you may notice, Dharma has been a fundamental part of my life and a main motivation, and has been that way for a significant period of time in my life. It is my intention and greatest wish to practice and serve the Dharma and benefit others to the best of my ability throughout my life. I believe that completing this retreat will help me to learn and discover new paths and ways for realizing this wish.
I also think that there is a lot of work to do in the Dharma for the communities with which I already have connection: the Spanish speaking population, South America, Chile, and the Drikung Kagyu lineage. I would be very happy if through this retreat and further study/practice I can make any significant contribution in this regard.
Considering the above, I am sure that your support would be of good investment regarding your mission and values, which I hope to help realize.
I would like to advance my studies so I may help preserve the linage and the ritual practices that are apart of the linage in order to help other dharma students and guest that may come to our meditation center in the future. +
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I don't know exactly how to put my aspiration in words. I would like to have the opportunity to understand and go deep into the KagyŸ practices and through that be able to see more clearly and be better equipped to help others. I surely can say that I want to help alleviate the suffering of the world. I don't think there is a better way for me to help now than committing to these practices. Except for the financial part, my life has come to a point where I can go into retreat, my two sons are young adults and doing well in their lives and I live on my own.
I have had the aspiration of doing this retreat since the first time I heard Pema Chšdršn talking about it in 1999. I feel very connected to Thrangu Rinpoche and last September I went to Thrangu Monastery in Vancouver to receive the abhishekas for this retreat thinking that most likely I will do these practices on my own in the future, I felt very sad when I heard that the group starting next September might be the last one doing this retreat at Sopa Chšling where Thrangu Rinpoche is the abbot. He encouraged me to do the retreat with this group and gave me his blessing, so I am doing everything I can to go into retreat this year.
I don't know of anybody from Mexico who has done Three-year retreat. I think it would be of great benefit for all of us to start this tradition here. +
Ever since I began on the Buddhist path, I have been inspired to do this retreat some day. In the last few years, as I deepened my practice with Vajrayogini, this aspiration has increased, and more recently so after doing Vajrayogini Amending Fire Puja this past winter. Then I learned that I qualified for it and that there was a possibility of getting a scholarship. I made my decision after carefully considering all the implications on my regular life and after talking with several alumni of the retreat.
I am the kind of person who naturally prefers to engage deeply in whatever activity I set my mind to. I benefit more when I concentrate on fewer things but commit fully to them. Consequently, I've always favored doing longer practice sessions. In the course of the last few years though, I have found it more and more difficult to combine daily life with sadhaka practice and I feel I would benefit from the discipline and protected environment of a retreat. I am hoping to stabilize my mind further in the secluded and disciplined environment of Sopa Choling. Furthermore, as a Shambhalian I am interested in working with others and developing my skills in interacting with others while dealing with my own shortcomings, which is one of the great benefits the group situation provides.
An other motivation is to deepen my connection with the Kagyu tradition, as our precious gurus are aging and have fewer replacements. In my eyes, it makes this opportunity even more precious. I feel like I would be doing my contribution to keep the lineage alive by learning the rituals and eventually being able to pass them on to a next generation of younger practitioners. Since the average age in the Shambhala Sangha is now 60 and I am 43, I would be doing it at a younger age than most people and so it is likely that in the future the skill I would acquire during the retreat would be needed. I am also aware that this precious opportunity may not always be available in its traditional Kagyu format in our Sangha, as Thrangu Rinpoche is aging too, and since there is now an extra cycle of practises available to Shambhalians (Scorpion Seal) that may reduce for some time the number of participants interested in our three year retreat. I would also like to mention that in an interview with HH Sakya Trindzin where he performed the Mo, I was given the advice to go into long retreat to clear personal obstacles.
Finally, on a more practical level, I am aware that as I myself get older, the physical challenge of doing such a retreat will become much harder. At this point in my life, being single, in good health and having no family commitments, on top of having a job that allows me to take long leaves makes it all timely, with the exception of the financial aspect of it, which I couldn't solve without getting some help from a foundation such as Tsadra.
From my initial exposure to buddhanature by my gurus and sangha i have been genuinely inspired by the everpresent and near opportunity to realize the nature of mind. This astounding potential, so close, is the key to benefitting others and living a truly meaningful existence. Our lineage from the Buddha (through the Kagyu forefathers to the enlightened masters of the present) have realized and stabilized realization of mind through the exact same study and practices i am committed to at three year retreat. These practices are identical to the methods used by many siddhas in our lineage's history and are as effective now as then, if practiced with a mind of true renunciation, dilligence, devotion and non-distractedness.
i feel so appreciative for the great fortune that has been handed to me repeatedly. i have had the opportunity to study and receive empowerments from HHDalai Lama, HHGyalwang Karmapa, Thrangu Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and to have offered service to them. In addition i have had the great good fortune of making personal connections with HE Kongtrul Rinpoche, HE Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Tulku Damcho Rinpoche and Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. This extraordinary good fortune emphasizes the rare and precious opportunity with which i have been blessed, and clarifies for me that i must exert the utmost effort to attain this great gift i have been offered. Being aware that many others have not had such fortune spurs my motivation to achieve something worth sharing with all others.
While there are many methods and approaches to work towards such attainment, the principles and discipline of long retreat has resonated with me from my first hearing of its possibility. Such intense and prolonged examination and exploration, the brilliance of Mahamudra, guru yoga and yiddam practices culminating in the yogas of Naropa is a path i feel closely connected to. From intimate instructions with Thrangu Rinpoche and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche up to the recent Milarepa Empowerment and feast with HH G Karmapa in Bodh Gaya i have felt intense connection with these methods and the living mind of enlightenment in the Kagyu. My work and practice life is quite full yet i have maintained a daily practice (about one hour) despite travel, sleep deprivation and overnight call. This has demonstrated to myself that i truly value the teachings i have been given and can honour them by practicing consistently and keeping my eye on a relative and ultimate view of working with my mind to benefit myself and others.
This rare and precious gift of the dharma is in transition to the west and i feel a strong motivation to master what i can and honour the lineage's trust by practicing in an intense and genuine way. Through such retreat (and study) i am confident the dharma may be completely transmitted to the west , for great benefit to our planet and its beings. i can think of no greater way to maintain and strengthen my samaya committments with the great masters who have offered such tremendous gifts (to me personally and to our sangha family) than to actualize their vision and instructions. For these reasons i am excited and honoured at the opportunity to be supported in 3-yr retreat.
Thank you for your generosity and vision in supporting the sangha in such a valuable way.
Sincerely, John Barnhill
aka johnny norbuu
aka dr john
MD, Fellow of Royal College Surgeons(Canada)
See attached letter of motivation. +
I have been invited to join and fully participate in a cycle of three year retreat
practice at Sopa Choling, in Nova Scotia, which the retreatants would enter in
March of 2014, and I request the support of the Tsadra Foundation to help me
accomplish this.
The unusual opportunity to join this retreat has arisen because of the low number
of entrants to the recent cycle of 3-year retreats at the abbey. Because of this gap
in the number of retreatants, a condensed version of the first year of the cycle will
be held at the abbey early in 2014, and that group will be able to join up with the
returning retreatants from the preceding year’s cycle when they enter the second
year of the retreat in the fall of 2014. I am invited to join with this merged retreat
group, by entering the retreat this coming March and continuing in retreat for the
first 4 month segment of a of three year cycle of three year retreat practice;
followed by Retreat Segment Two from Sept 2014 though until July 2015. [These
initial segments of retreat would be followed later by two other segments that
would make up 36 months in total and would together encompass all the required
practices for the full 3-year retreat].
I have long held the wish to complete the 3-year retreat program sometime in my
lifetime, especially after receiving the Vajrayogini Abhisheka from Chogyam Trungpa
Rinpoche in 1985, and Chakrasamvara Abhsheka from Tenga Rinpche in 1992. I
was first invited to enter the 3-year retreat program at Sopa Choling in the early
two thousands, but, due to lack of money, I could not attend.
More recently, on the basis of the MA in Buddhist Studies that I earned at Naropa
University in 1986, I taught philosophy as a full time job for over six years as an
affiliate faculty member at the Metropolitan State University (formerly College) of
Denver. I was released from that position in May of last year, as part of a general
downsizing of affiliate faculty, and the increased hiring of tenure faculty, associated
with the college’s promotion to university status.
In January of this year, I returned to school, this time as a student of upperdivisional
studies in Western Philosophy, at the University of Colorado in Denver, at
the request of the Chair of the Philosophy Department, and head of their graduate
program, at University of Hawaii at Manoa. This will qualify me to begin graduate
studies in Comparative Philosophy with them in the fall of 2015. My research at PhD
level will focus on two areas. (1) In Epistemology and Metaphysics: I will be looking
into a possible comparison between the idea of a self in Indian and Buddhist
philosophical systems and the idea of substance in Western philosophy. (1) In the
social and ethical sphere: I will be investigating the possibilities of a Buddhist
philosophy of economics. My overall wish is to blend together my Dharma practice
and training with my academic aspirations, and to make that effort useful to
society.
My immediate aspiration is to undertake my PhD graduate training in tandem with
the 3-year retreat program by alternating the two. I believe that it would be of the
utmost benefit to first complete the sixteen months of retreat in the unusually
auspicious gap available to me from spring 2014 until the commencement of my
PhD graduate studies in the fall of 2015. As I am about to enter into a long period
of extensive intellectual labor, and in order to maintain a good balance between
practice and study, it would, I believe, be very helpful to first undertake this solid
period of deep meditation practice, and gather strength of mind for the work ahead.
Then, the periods of retreat and of academic study could be alternated, thus:
Fall 2013 – complete one year of Upper-divisional Philosophy by December.
Spring 2014 – enter Retreat Segment One (summer 2014 – exit retreat).
Fall 2014 – enter Retreat Segment Two. (summer 2015 – exit retreat).
Fall 2015 – first year of the MA in Comparative Philosophy at UH Manoa.
Fall 2016 – enter Retreat Segment Three.
Fall 2017 – second year of MA in Comparative Philosophy.
Fall 2018 – enter PhD program in Comparative Philosophy and complete it.
Having completed the PhD, enter Retreat Segment Four. [Nancy Hussagh, the
Retreat Master at Sopa Choling has invited me to return to Sopa Choling to join
another retreat cycle for their full first year of retreat, thus completing all the
prescribed practices for that stage of the cycle, and 36 months of retreat practice].
I have paid Sopa Choling a deposit of $500 towards the 3-year retreat, and I plan
to cover my own expenses (estimated: $3,000/ year) for any travel, abhishekas,
teacher’s gifts, and practice liturgies, etc., through personal earnings and the sale
of personal possessions. Beyond that, I will not have the necessary funds to pay the
monthly cost of the retreat*. I am applying to Tsadra Foundation, therefore, for a
full scholarship for the 36 months of the complete retreat. The Retreat Master has
informed me that, if I am awarded that scholarship, it would cover up to $1,000 a
month of the $1,200 a month charged by Sopa Choling. I am also applying to
Khyentse Foundation to consider co-funding the retreat for the remaining $200 a
month, for at least the first twelve of the initial eighteen months of retreat, with the
possibility of considering a similar request for continuing retreat. (I plan to cover
the $200/month for at least Retreat Segment Three from savings earned during the
interim).
I would prefer not to postpone the 3-year retreat any further. One only gets older
with every passing day, and while one waits, such opportunities simply fade away. I
would like to act while the opportunity is here and now, rather than hoping to
commence the retreat somehow after the PhD program is completed. Your
foundation’s assistance in this endeavor would be most welcome.
I truly and sincerely wish to accomplish the two fold benefit for myself and others. For myself I would like to find some true lasting happiness. For others I wish for them the same. Understanding the natural mind and dwelling there this purpose is accomplished. The pain of grasping at solidity dissolves in the radiance of natural mind. I would like to stabilize and further the glimpses I have experienced because I understand this is where liberation comes from. Even though my mind is still unstable I have confidence in the practices that they lead to this result. I would like to continue to train in dwelling in equanimity.
Again and again I have come back to the bodhisattva motivation. Cultivating the mind of love and compassion has been the most heart opening aspect of my practice. It has helped me work with so much pain in my mind, and therefore given me the skills to be a ground to understand others pain as well. It has brought me out of myself, out of the dark hallway that is only concerned for self. Everyone must come along. In some ways everyone is coming along even if they don't know because it all the same affliction, it is all the same ignorance. I would like to continue to open my heart and mind for others.
The skillful means of the vajrayana are supreme. I have seen that from the space that is the dharmakaya the enegies manifest. When my perception of them is purified they radiate as the rupakaya. This is the source of the benefit for others. This is the source of the four activities. The clearer my mind becomes the more natural radiant compassion that is able to manifest.
I have had the fortune to receive many teachings from great masters. They say that the greatest offering to your teacher is perfection of his teachings. The teachers have been so kind to me so repaying their kindness and offering a proper offering is ever on my mind.
Garchen Rinpoche has asked me to begin teaching. This is a huge responsibility that I only am going to be able to fulfill if my mind is steady and I have something genuine to offer the Sangha. Retreat is a place where I am able to touch and stabilize genuine Dharma
Within retreat I have been able to further my settling into the truth of the illusion. I have found a balance for myself within retreat situations where I can work with my mind, my habits, and the process of purification that needs to go on for enlightenment to manifest. For this reason I would like to continue and do another year of retreat.
It's very important nowadays to develop the motivation to attend such retreat. For me this motivation is based on my wish to benefit all beings. I've done a lot of work for our Drikung Kagyu Center in Russia and also for the Drikung Kagyu Centers in Germany and Arizona and now I feel that this opportunity to attend this upcoming 3-year retreat is very important to really engage all the dharma practice and understanding of the all the teachings that I have gained over the years . Rinchen Dorje Rinpoche who is the Drupon in this Retreat Center is a very kind and knowledgeable Lama. Also Garchen Buddhist Institute in Arizona is the residence of my Guru Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche. He has said to me many times how is important to dedicate my time for 3-year retreat so now I want to fulfill my Guru's wish. The core of my Guru's teachings is love and compassion so to develop them is my duty as I'm his student. I must follow Rinpoche's instruction and practice in isolated retreat. I feel that it is my last opportunity to attend such retreat because I'm almost 45 years old. I still have my health to engage well the practices of the Six Yogas of Naropa, if I do not take the opportunity now I do not know that I will have such an opportunity in the future.
I'm very much appreciated to Tsadra Foundation for your kind support!
Thank you very much.
With great respect, Aleksandr Dogaev. +
I am in the process of integrating my learning from my, recently finished, three year retreat, with a much more broad view of Tibetan Buddhism as a whole. I believe that we, female practitioners, need to devote our time an efforts to stay in retreat with the different lineages we feel affinity with, in order to become seasoned yoginies for the benefit of the liberation of all living beings, and more specifically, our western people. As we have the insight of our cultural inheritance, be it north or south of the Americas, as well as European Cultures as a whole.
One of the objectives I have is to immerse myself fully into the Drikung Kagyu and Nyingma Yogic traditions, which I believe have the integrity to bring women closer to their full potential as lay practitioners in our western societies. Upon entering this 21st century, the role of women has taken a turn for a stronger representation in all mayor walks of life. In my case, spirituality is the path I have chosen to develop further and bring to full fruition. I firmly intent to go deeper into the studies and meditation practices these two lineages have to offer. With Bodhicitta, the Altruistic Mind of Limitless Love and Compassion for all beings in mind to bring it to full fruition.
To be a able to achieve this, I decided to devote my efforts to the pursue of happiness, to dedicate my life to the Dharma and more specifically, to spend some of my life in retreat to train my mind in order to benefit all beings through love and compassion, and without limiting the free expression of others.
My inspirations comes from deep within my heart. the moment I heard of a three year retreat, I wanted to be immersed in one. Now that I finished my first three year retreat with the Karma Kagyu lineage, I feel the need to go further and deeper into the life of a yogini in retreat.
From Drupon Rinchen DorjeeÃs teachings on retreat instructions, based on MilarepaÃs songs, this past spring at The Tibetan Center, I felt very inspired to do a retreat under his guidance, and that of Garchen Rinpoche. I was also very moved by his generosity of Dharma, through his very profound and detailed explanation and teachings. IÃve never received such generous and profound teachings during my previous retreats..
My attraction to Garchen Institute comes from listening to Drupon Rinchen DorjeeÃs teachings, by the fact that the retreat is mostly solitary, and most of all, because of Garchen RinpocheÃs boundless love and compassion. Having had the fortune of meeting Rinpoche and having the opportunity to experience directly the genuine love he gives to all around him, I can only feel compelled to do retreat under RinpocheÃs guidance.
My interview with Garchen Rinpoche was brief and very profound. Rinpoche accepted me to enter his Three Year Retreat from October 31, 2018 to January 2022. In my interview Rinpoche told me that I should start to prepare for retreat right now, by beginning to establish the practices he gave me. First of all he said that I no longer need to do any Sadhana practices, secondly, he wants me to practice Tummo daily, the Six Yogas of Naropa, and Trulkur practice once a week.
I am right now at Garchen Institute in Arizona, in the process of receiving teachings on these specific practices form the Drikung Kagyu Lineage, as suggested by Garchen Rinpoche. I just received teachings on Tummo by one of RinpocheÃs Khenpos, Khenpo Tenzin. He was extremely generous and very thorough in his explanation of the technique, the principal behind it, some variations, the effectiveness of the practice, as well as the influence on the winds, channels, and the mind. He also explained the nature of the practice and the ultimate accomplishment being the Union of Bliss and Emptiness.
I believe I can make The Tsadra Foundation proud and happy to trust me and to give me the support to continue on my path to become a seasoned Yogini. My commitment to Dharma and Yogic traditions is very strong and one I will not leave even at the cost of my life and reputation. I believe to be true what has been promised by all Vajrayana teachings, the possibility of attainment of enlightenment in a life time, without hope and without fear. with The Altruistic Mind of Bodhicitta as the heat of my practice.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and go through all the applications you receive. Since coming into contact with the Precious Dharma and having the fortune to meet with Lama Garchen Rinpoche it has become apparent how much value stems from the path of practice. Both mundane and spiritual goodness come from applying the instructions of ones teacher and I can see in my own life the impact this has made, both for myself and those around me. Though I have had the fortunate to engage in a three year retreat, now also with the blessings of Garchen Rinpoche I am ready to take the Gurus instructions as far as I can. There is of course opportunity to retreat in India for a very low cost, but the chance to be near the Guru, the chance to ease the sadness of my parents who would be very troubled if I were to go abroad again, and the chance to receive direct instruction from the Guru are all very rare. That being said, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche is an aging Lama, and he has made very clear aspirations that his senior students pass on his Dharma. Of course I am not a Lama or a great student but it is my wish that I can work with his instructions as much as possible in this life and in turn be of some benefit when others have questions. As of this year, at the request of Gar Jampa Ling in Haifa, Israel and with the blessing of Garchen Rinpoche I will be facilitating two weekend teachings there early September. In essence I hope to be always available to anyone at anytime and in anyway I can when it comes to sharing whatever small experience I can , and the only way that is possible is by working on my own mind. Now that the conditions seem ripe and the space and support may be available I truly look forward to and rejoice in this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to all at Tsadra for the consideration of support for my retreat. If there are any other questions, details, or anything whatsoever that can help in facilitating this process please do let me know. All the best in Dharma, Bryan Davis ( Konchog Jamden Chogyal ).
On April 9, 2013, I completed the three-year retreat at the Garchen Buddhist Institute in Chino Valley, Arizona with Drupon Rinchen Dorje as my retreat master. Prior to ending this retreat, I consulted with Garchen Rinpoche and Drupon Richen Dorje concerning participating in a second three-year retreat focusing on the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra. They both have given their blessings for me to do this. The next three-year retreat is scheduled to begin in September 2014, Drupon Rinchen Dorje has given me permission to begin early and requires that I end retreat with the next group. This means I will be in retreat approximately eight months longer than the traditional retreat.
I began meditation and spiritual practice twenty-five years ago. Soon after this, life threatening karma ripened. Despite the difficulties that ensued, I coninued to deepen my spiritual practice and committed myselft to devoting my life completely to spiritual practice once my children were adults. I am deeply grateful for having the opportunity to do this during the past three year retreat. During this retreat, there were hardships along the way and no doubt there will be others. They served as fuel to melt self-grasping and open my heart to a vaster view. I am grateful for all that they teach me. In the deepening of surrender to love, kindeness, and compassion, I see no other purpose in my life than to devote the remaider of my life to secluded spiritual practice for the benefit of all beings. For this, I need financial support. +
Ever since entering the Buddhist path, I have aspired to do three year retreat. Though I wanted to jump right in, I was instructed to lay a foundation first. Understanding the need for purification and accumulating merit, I have spent the past years studying, practicing meditation, doing shorter retreats and performing service within my dharma communities. Even while working, I was committed to attending teachings or doing retreats as often as possible.
Through these experiences, I have come to an even greater understanding of the benefit of three year retreat. By embracing extended solitude and practice, we have the opportunity to integrate what we have learned into our mindstreams. We have the opportunity to positively shift the way we see the world and how we act in it. Through guru devotion and the lineage of teachings, we have the tools to bring compassion and wisdom into our minds and become of greater and greater benefit.
Inspiration to do three year retreat has also come from lamas, teachers and friends à many who have done long retreat and shared their experiences with me. The final pieces began falling into place when I took His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche as my root lama in 2007. Just a few months later, I started working full time in the dharma, knowing full well that this move would limit my financial resources. After eighteen months of working for Buddhist organizations, I came to a defining moment of understanding that the time for three year retreat was ÃnowÃ. And, completely auspicious to me was the fact that Garchen RinpocheÃs center was hosting an upcoming retreat and Rinpoche gave his full support to my participation. It was as though the external conditions had finally come together to meet with my long time aspiration.
When I think of retreat, I think of how I can use whatever I experience to help others à this is my main thought. I feel ready to undertake the rigors of a long meditation retreat in the hopes of coming to understandings of how I can be of greatest benefit to others at the deepest and most meaningful levels. I aspire to develop the highest goals of practice yet know this is done one day at a time - one meditation session at a time. I see retreat as the most precious of opportunities to repay the kindness of my teachers and am strongly motivated to engage in this retreat to fulfill my Guru's wishes and to further my spiritual growth for the benefit of others.
I am thoroughly convinced that it is only due to my Lamasà kindnesses that I will have any success and realizations along the path. At the same time, I feel my devotion, motivation and discipline are strong enough to withstand the challenges and embrace the practices of three year retreat.
I am fully committed to doing this retreat though my personal finances are limited. A scholarship from Tsadra Foundation would be extremely helpful and gratefully appreciated.
Since a young age I have been fascinated by people who devote their lives to spiritual practice. I read voraciously, searching for answers. I also spent a lot of time alone in nature, questioning and thinking. So of course when I learned of the hermit-yogi tradition I was very intrigued. Literature is filled with amazing stories about the results and experiences of retreat, and it made me want to try this for myself. I searched for a tradition that emphasized retreat and practice, and soon after becoming a student of Garchen Rinpoche I began to do some retreats. Having a restless nature, I had many difficulties, but I also had some small experiences that motivated me to continue. And I began to notice changes in myself in mundane life. I became more patient and less reactive to circumstances. I became less interested in non-dharmic activities and practiced more.
I have considered doing the three-year retreat at the Garchen Institute 3 out of the 4 times they have started, and each time until now I have talked myself out of it. The last time I chose a love relationship instead, and well, let's just say I really experienced that, while the pleasures of samsara are ever so tantalizing, it is really just a momentary reprieve from suffering.
Ultimately I consider it one of my responsibilities to meditate. Any moment one practices lessens the afflictive emotional tempest that is samsara. The more stable my mind is the less I am caught up in that tempest, and the more help I can be to others. My teachers are wonderful examples to me of the benefits of retreat. I also want to be an example to others of what is possible.
I have done much of the three-year curriculum outside of retreat, but I would like to experience the benefits of these practices in the manner they were intended. I do have some doubts about being isolated from my family and friends for such a long period of time, but I am willing to undergo this hardship knowing that this is for the benefit of everyone. Moving to a foreign country where I didn't initially speak the language and knew only one person perhaps was a training in isolation but of a different sort.
I think I am a strong student of the dharma and would be an excellent investment of your foundation's precious funds. I appreciate your consideration.
As we all know, the best way to spend a precious human life is by practicing Dharma. When I die, the only thing that will matter is the state of my mind, which is influenced by my Dharma practice. I have a deep desire to do intense, engaging practice for the benefit of myself and all beings and 3-year retreat is a great way to accomplish this. Solitary retreat is a powerful way to tame the mind and to completely engage in dharma in a profound way. I feel a very strong and good connection with the Garchen Institute, Drupon Rinchen Dorje, and the staff members working there and am confident in their encouragement and support. +
I have been preparing to enter 3 year retreat for the past 3 years, but it was not until I sat with Garchen Rinpoche at the beginning of July that I knew without doubt that I would be going in. I sat with him and asked him without attachment or fixation what would be of most benefit for me to do and it was then that he finally gave me his blessing to enter 3 year retreat.
Ever since I was little I have had the desire to be able to help beings and to know the deathless nature. When I was a little child I was always afraid of dying and I also perceived the profound suffering around me. I looked to all of the different ways of relieving suffering and none of them seemed fully powerful or fully realized until I met Palden Gyatso. I have great faith and devotion towards him because he is someone who has experienced great outer suffering in this life à being in prison for 33 years and experiencing severe torture throughout much of that time - and still, his love far surpassed anyone I had met prior to that time. Palden GyatsoÃs love is vast and unchanging regardless of outer circumstance.
When I was a child and I saw people exchange presents, I felt sad because it all felt so meaningless and empty à the ways that we all relate together or give to each other just seemed so purposeless and I always aspired to cultivate and be able to offer to others that which is truly meaningful.
When I first came to the Garchen Institute and met Garchen Rinpoche, I again encountered an amazing being who is unshakeable, limitless, impartial love. And so as I engaged in retreat practice, I was able to cultivate some small aspect of the unshakeable qualities that I value in Garchen Rinpoche and Palden Gyatso.
My aspiration is to become one with love; to be in uninterrupted indivisible union with love and to radiate that and share that with others even in the darkest moments when beings feel frightened, alone, and confused. I want to be able to go to them and help them through the power of love. Because I really know what it is to be lost in suffering in the prison of anger and fear, I want to be able to reach out to beings who are trapped in suffering of any kind whether mind or body.
To become one with love and to offer that to others is why I wish to enter 3 year retreat. From my previous experiences on retreat, I know that practice is difficult. And from the instructions of my lamas, I know how to generate vast motivation and to practice without expectation of result. I have prayed, meditated and looked deeply into my mind, allowing this aspiration to surface unhindered and now I am ready to enter with a mind turned towards love and a rapidly dissolving sense of trepidation.
I really enjoy living in retreat. It seems to be one of the most helpful things for improving my kindness, clarity, and wish to help others. I also love working with people, and have spent many years counseling others, both as a student counselor and as a lama. Both are activities that I find very rewarding, and in this group retreat I hope to do both. Heidi Koppl and I have already been discussing ways I can be a resource to other retreatants, both as someone who has done three-year retreat before and as someone who has spent over two decades helping people get through tough times and difficult situations in their lives. Afterall, we know issues will come up. They always do when living in community. So having the opportunity to train in retreat while also working to help the retreat group live in community more successfully is a dream come true for me.
I feel so commited to this endeavor that, at Gomde’s urging, I’ve flown out to France early to lend my building skills to the workers who are finishing the renovations to the retreat area. It feels wonderful to be plastering the walls of rooms that will be filled with prayer and meditation! I have high aspirations for this whole group, and feel so honored to be a part of it. What an adventure!
So in short, I ask that Tsadra consider my application, because I aspire to do whatever I can to make this three-year retreat feel like a success to all participants. Of course everyone understands success differently. For some, simply completing the retreat will feel like a huge success! Others may be looking for certain insights, or confidence in the methods of training. I know my first three-year retreat often feels like the best thing I ever did with my life. And then, when I lead a short retreat at Gomde California or in Mexico, and afterwards people tell me how much they cherished that experience, I find that helping people learn to do retreat, and just helping them work through the process of being in retreat comes in at a very close second. I can’t think of a better use of my life than to bring these two things together.
I thank you for your kind consideration.
