About Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche

Latri Khenpo Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche is the abbot and lineage holder of the Latri Monastery in Kham/Derge, Eastern Tibet. His father was a lama of the Tewa monastery in Tibet and the third reincarnation of Tsultrim Phuntsok, a great Bonpo practitioner of Eastern Tibet. Early in his life, Rinpoche lived in Dorbatan, Nepal where he received his first instruction from his father and from Tsultrim Nyima Rinpoche, the abbot and founder of Dorbatan Monastery.

Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche entered Menri Monastery in Dolanji, India, the seat of Yungdrung Bon and education. There he was taught by His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Trizen receiving empowerment, transmissions and teaching instruction. He studied as well with Lopon Yongzin Tenzin Namdak, who held the position of chief teacher of all Bon education. In 1978 he joined the first graduatingclass of the Menri Bon Dialectic School in Dolanji where he completed his studies and received his Geshe degree in 1987.

Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche is the founder and director of the Bon  Children’s Home in Dolanji, where he is in charge of providing for the physical and educational needs of Bon orphans. He is the founder of the Yeru Bon Center in Los Angeles; the Shen Ten Ling Bon Centre in Vienna; the Shen Chen Ling in Minsk (Belarus); and the Bon Shen Ling in Moscow. Rinpoche travels regularly to these centers to give teachings.

His organization Aid to Bon Children raises funds to assist with the needs of the Bon Children’s Home. Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche is tireless in his compassion for others, his care for the needs both of Bonpo orphans and of Western lay spiritual seekers, and his devotion to spreading the teachings of Bon for the benefit of all sentient beings. Since 2009 Rinpoche also devotes his time and energy to give teachings in Thailand, and for the construction of the the Tara Great Stupa for Peace and Harmony (Yungdrung Kolek Choeten), Kundrol Ling, Thailand.

Latri Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche, in Opening the Door to Bon, has written a guide to Western students toprepare them to receive the teachings first transmitted by Buddha Tonpo Shenrab Miwoche 18,000 years ago.

Grounded in an educational tradition that spans thousands of years, this book provides practical and explicit instructions for the students. The book covers both the outer and inner fundamental practices of Bon. Topics include the attitude the student should have, how to cultivate that attitude, virtuous acts to strive for, and nonvirtuous acts to avoid. Latri Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche then teaches ngondro, or Nine Preliminary Practices, that a student should undertake in order to begin the practice and apply it to daily life. Writing in clear, simple language, Rinpoche brings to this task not only his formidable knowledge of Bon, and his compassionate desire to share Bon teachings with others, but also his unique experience of having taught ngondro and other teachings to American and European students since 1989.

Related links:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150340409495501
Dealing with Death without Delay, Rinpoche’s talk published in the Bangkok Post, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb9JJy-GFxM
Talk at Channel One, USA, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEsP8HaxUis&feature=related
Excerpt of talk and prayer at BIA (Suanmoke Bangkok), September 2011
http://www.thousand-stars.org
Rinpoche’s program of teachings in Bangkok and Hua-Hin, October 2011
http://www.chi22.org/scientific_program.html
Rinpoche’s program of talk in Bangkok, November 2011

Tara Practice and Tsog Offering

The Foundation invites devotees of Tara and friends to do a Tara practice and tsog offering for auspiciousness particularly at the turn of the year at the Foundation House, Ladprao 11, Chatuchak, Bangkok on 29 January 2012, 10.00-12 noon.

Program
10.00-11.00 hrs: Tara practice including tsog offering, Tara mantra
recitation and meditation
11.30-12.00 hrs: Dharma discussion; dedication of merits
Lunch and refreshments will be served.

Please contact us at Email : 1000tara@gmail.com

Fearlessness: A Dharma Talk with Bruno Nua

FEARLESSNESS
Going Beyond Fear In This Dark Age.
A Dharma Talk with Bruno Nua

29 January 2012, 13.00 - 15.30 pm.
The venue is the Foundation House, Ladprao Soi 11 Chatuchak, Bangkok


FEAR
Dwelling in the realm of ego breeds delusion. Not resting in our true nature gives rise to a vicious cycle of attachment and aversion, which manifests as afflictive emotions. These come in many forms such as addiction and anger, but they all boil down to the same disturbing forces: I want … I don’t want.

Also known as Hope and Fear, the chaotic emotions that spring from our ego-clinging are the very things that make us suffer. If we could only cut through any one of them, the whole deluded house of cards would crumble and fall. Then we would be liberated forever and enlightenment would flow like a river.

The Buddha taught that the mark of an enlightened being is fearlessness.

Someone who has gone beyond fear is free from all the obscurations and obstacles that
prevent us from manifesting as buddhas and ultimately benefitting others.

Fearlessness is that which literally gives birth to a buddha. It is the Mother of all the buddhas.‛

There is no fear.

The full name of this sutra is The Heart of Transcendent Knowledge. By definition, it teaches that the key to full enlightenment is fearlessness. The whole theme of this particular sutra [Skt. Prajnaparamita Sutra] is Going Beyond. The preamble describes the Buddha Nature as being ‘beyond words, beyond thought, beyond description. Prajnaparamita … unborn, unceasing, with nature like the sky’. The essence of the sutra is its mantra:

Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi suaha.

For this reason, the Buddha taught that the mark of an enlightened being is fearlessness. Someone who has gone beyond fear is free from all the obscurations and obstacles that
prevent us from manifesting as buddhas and ultimately benefitting others.

We are deeply afraid of so many things: fear of the unknown, fear of losing our minds. We are all but completely paralysed, not living to our full potential. This fear comes from our utter distrust of letting go and opening up – it is also a primal fear of the openness and the emptiness of our Buddha Nature.

It is the perfect utterance of one who has already gone completely beyond all fear: Gone, gone, gone all the way over, completely gone over to the other shore. Fully awake, Yes.

The openness and contentment it describes is a total fearlessness that is egoless. Because of this earth-shattering breakthrough, one is freed up to focus on the ultimate welfare of others. Consequently, the Mahayana lineages call the Prajnaparamita the Mother of all the buddhas. Fearlessness is that which literally gives birth to a buddha. Tibetan Buddhism even goes so far as to depict the fearless mother of all the buddhas in female form as Tara.

In this way, we come to an understanding of the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. The core message is not about elaborate philosophical treatises. Nor is it even about depicting the Buddha Nature in one form or another. All this serves a much simpler purpose. They lead us to a basic truth: Through meditation practice, we can awaken and connect with our true nature. By developing an unshakable conviction in our primordial purity, our aim is to go beyond all philosophies, all images, all concepts. Then we become completely free to lead others out of their suffering.

About the Author
Bruno is a Meditation Instructor, Dharma Educator, and a dabbler in the Creative Arts. He was born in 1965 in Dublin, Ireland where he later trained as a Philosophical Theologian at Trinity College. While still working as an educator in that area, Bruno encountered the heart of the Buddha’s teachings when he first met Sogyal Rinpoche in the early 1990s, which also quickly led to meeting Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Since then, while continuing to be a student of Buddhism, Bruno has taught meditation and presented the Buddha’s teachings in many Dharma centres, including Rigpa Dublin where he was Managing Director for some years. He has also engaged with presenting these teachings in prisons and hospices, education and training establishments, and in Non-Governmental Organisations dedicated to Caring in the Community.

He is the Founding Director of many pioneering projects such as Buddhist Network Ireland, Dublin International Buddhist Film Festival, Open Space and Lotus Temple, and has represented Irish Buddhists on the Inter-Religious Council of Ireland.

Nowadays, as well as teaching Meditation and various courses in Applied Mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism, Bruno is also very much committed to guest-lecturing a variety of programmes on Buddhism in Colleges and Universities.

There are no registration fees for the event; Donations are appreciated.

Please contact us at 1000tara@gmail.com.

A Pilgrim's Journey

The foundation invites the general public to attend  a conference/seminar on “Journey of Life and Mind” at Room 105 Mahachulalongkorn Building, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.

There will be two public talks by Latri Khenpo Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche on “Samsara…Journey of Life and Mind” and “Life’s Last Journey”. There will also be an introduction of Rinpoche’s book “Opening the Door to Bon” in the occasion of  its being translated into Thai.

Program of Rinpoche’s Talks in English (with Thai translations)

Saturday 11 February 2012

9.10-10.15 hrs: Samsara…Journey of Life and Mind

10.15-10.30 hrs: Refreshments

10.30-11.30 hrs: Opening the Door to Bon. An introduction to Tibetan ancient wisdom

Sunday 12 February 2012

13.00-14.30 hrs: Life’s Last Journey

14.30-15.00 hrs: Refreshments

15.00-16.00 hrs: Discussion

For registration, please email us at 1000tara@gmail.com. There are no registration fees. Donation to support the activities are welcome.

ขอเชิญร่วมปฏิบัติบูชาพระโพธิสัตว์ตารา

เพื่อความเป็นสิริมงคลในชีวิตและเพื่อฉลองปีใหม่ มูลนิธิพันดาราขอเชิญกัลยาณมิตรร่วมปฏิบัติบูชาพระอารยาตารามหาโพธิสัตว์ ("เกียลยุม เตรอมา" พระแม่ตารา ผู้นำพาไปสู่ความหลุดพ้น) และร่วมเสวนาธรรมเกี่ยวกับพุทธศาสนาทิเบต ในวันที่ 15 มกราคม 2555 เวลา 9.30-12.00 น. ณ บ้านมูลนิธิพันดารา ลาดพร้าว ซอย 11

กำหนดการ

9.30 น. สวดยึดพระรัตนตรัยพร้อมกับกราบอัษฎางคประดิษฐ์ 

10.00 น. สวดเจริญโพธิจิต พรหมวิหาร 4 สวดบทปฏิบัติบูชาพระแม่ตาราพร้อมถวายเครื่องบูชา (tsog) สวดมนตราหัวใจ ทำสมาธิ

11.00 น. เสวนาธรรมพร้อมกับรับประทานชาทิเบตและอาหารว่างร่วมกัน 

12.00 น. อุทิศบุญกุศล

ผู้สนใจสามารถขอให้ทางคณะของมูลนิธิสวดมนตร์อุทิศบุญกุศลในการจัดกิจกรรมให้แก่ผู้ใดผู้หนึ่งโดยเฉพาะหรือให้แก่การงานใดที่ต้องการความช่วยเหลือ

ร่วมทำบุญสนับสนุนกิจกรรมตามจิตศรัทธา

ลงทะเบียนที่ 1000tara@gmail.com โทร 0833008119; 0878299387