Welcome

Welcome

Welcome to the pages of BodhicharyaCaribbean. We hope you find them of interest. If you are new to these ideas and practices we hope you follow them up and, as the Buddha said, "See for yourself" if they work and lead to good results:

- to freedom from suffering for yourself and others
- to the 'noble happiness'
- to finding meaning - 'understanding birth and death completely'
- and to fulfillment through a life well lived.

Our great good fortune, especially considering that we are an island people in theCaribbean, is to have as our spiritual guide a tulku, a precious one or Rinpoche, Ringu Tulku, a highly regarded Tibetan born lama, an exceptional teacher.


Rinpoche had to flee Tibet as a young boy and after a long, difficult and dangerous journey ended up in Sikkim with those of his family who had survived. They still live there today. Although they were well off in Tibet (Rinpoche is from Rigul in Kham district of Eastern Tibet) they arrived in Sikkim with nothing. Since then the family has worked hard and done well.


Rinpoche was able to study Buddhism under several great masters including the 16th Karmapa and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. As well as that he was able to pursue academic studies and received a PhD in Tibetan studies from VaranassiUniversity.


He is a fluent English speaker and has been teaching in the West for over 20 years. He has a workaday understanding of Westerners and his teachings are marked by their clarity and good humour.


As well as having a monastery in Rigul with many Tibetan monks Rinpoche has established a meditation centre in Sikkim and has monastic and lay disciples inEurope and teaching centres there.


We present on this page some of Rinpoche's teachings.
Click on 'News' to get the latest news about the island groups.
On other pages you will find out about the Bodhicharya Caribbean groups , about Bodhicharya International and Rigul Trust - Rinpoche's UK based charity.


If like to contact us please do – use the gmail address monk.rinchen at - you know how to do it!

Video - The Purpose of Bodhicharya

Ringu Tulku Video - The Fourth Noble Truth

Ringu Tulku Video - Emptiness

Link to Ringu Tulku Rinpoche's YouTube Page

http://www.youtube.com/user/RinguTulku

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche speaks about Meditation

According to the instructions, first we keep our meditation postures right,

that is mainly to sit straight, and look directly in front of us.

We remind ourselves of the Four Reminders.

The first: life is precious.

There are lots of things in our life that we need to appreciate,

and we think about those.

We have lots of special powers,

so we can do something good for others and for ourselves as well.

We should not waste this life, especially by being unhappy

and just letting it go, trying to survive.

We have to find a way for lasting happiness for ourselves and others.

If that is not possible, at least we should find a way for ourselves

to be joyful in this life.

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche speaks about Compassion

Excerpt from a talk given by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche at Karma Dzong, Boulder, USA April 23, 1999

This time I am to talk about compassion. I usually prefer to share the most basic things that I have heard from my gurus and teachers. I don’t like to teach the high and profound things, because I don’t know them myself! And I find from my own experience, that however many high and profound teachings we receive, after we have received them, we have to go back to the beginning to practice - from the beginning. We can't really skip those basic things. And sometimes I feel that when we go in search of spiritual paths, different kinds of practices, understanding, sometimes we go for very profound things. We want more and more teachings; we want more and more high and more and more deep things.

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche speaks about Wisdom

Teaching given by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, Edinburgh 2001

Transcribed by Gunnar Polte, edited by Corinne Segers

Now I don’t know what to say... I was supposed to say something about the use of wisdom. Can you explain to me what that means? [Rinpoche and audience laugh]

As you know, we talk a lot about wisdom in Buddhism. We always mention “wisdom and compassion”. Compassion is understandable, I think, where as wisdom seems a little more, obscure, doesn’t it? We also talk about wisdom at many different stages. Wisdom can refer to knowledge. Knowledge is what we learn, the information and understanding we get about things. This is, knowing or understanding things. Knowledge brings an insight on how to do things properly and how to act or react in a suitable way. This is also sometimes called wisdom. But sometimes we use the word wisdom to point to a more transcendent form of knowledge. When we talk about wisdom and knowledge as two separate things, then wisdom is an understanding, but understanding through experience. It isn’t just intellectual understanding, just information, but rather what we could call a direct experience of the truth, a direct experience of “the way it is”. That is Wisdom. And that is very important in the Buddhist way of thinking.

More news from Rinchen

See news page

See news page

Message from Rinchen - February 15

Dear Sangha Members

We are having good sangha meetings every week and you are very welcome to come along and join in. Last Sunday was on the 'Paramitas' or 'Perfections'.

As I'm only here till the end of next month we will have the sangha evenings when I'm holding a weekend retreat on the Thursday before at 6pm.

So upcoming we have.....

Sunday 20th February 5pm Dharma evening and then Thursday 24th February 6pm Dharma evening

Please note: We will not be open for evening meditation this Thursday 17th February,

and I will be away weekend 26th/27th February leading a retreat in Tobago so we will be closed Friday evening 25th February reopening Tuesday evening 1st March.

At the risk of driving Durga Devi bonkers, we are now considering new dates for the weekend retreat, i.e. Friday evening 18th March to Sunday evening 20th March Weekend Retreat in DD's retreat house in the northern range (high up overlooking Maracas Bay).

This possible change is because I only have 4 for the previous weekend, which we were planning on, and a couple of people have told me they already have committments for that weekend and would otherwise have liked to have come*.

Articles invited for Many Roads magazine

Melissa looked at the 'Many Roads' section of the Bodhicharya website which is their online magazine and kindly offered to help with that and the editing of it (she's a professional in that field).

She's already received an email of thanks from Margaret Ford who is the current editor (she also edited the 'Lazy Lama' series). Margaret indicated she'd really appreciate the help.

Margaret has also asked if members of our sangha could write short articles about their coming into contact with the dharma and meditation, how this Bodhicharya group was set up, and why they found themselves attracted to Buddhism.

If you would like to offer an article please get a draft out within the next couple of weeks.

Shoes wanted for Trini boys who have none

We have found out that some of the boys at St. Michael's School for Boys (which is in Diego Martin and is a boarding school for boys who have fallen foul of the law) do not have even a single pair of shoes to wear. Most have but there are 60 something boys in the school and Neeta has offered to coordinate any gifts of new or second hand shoes you might like to offer. Her email is neeta.maharaj@gmail.com

Thanks for doing that Neeta!

For sale

At present we have books in Rinpoche's 'Lazy Lama' series as well as benches and zafus

The house phone is now back working 625 3438. You can still reach me on my cell 710 8413.

With best wishes to all

Message from Rinchen - February 10

Dear Sangha Members

Retreat Weekend

I must have heard it wrong at the sangha meeting on Sunday - I thought people were asking for the weekend before carnival but it was the weekend after. Aha!

Durga Devi is holding this weekend for us but please book up soon so I can confirm to her it's on. For those who already booked please let me know you can make this new date.

Friday evening 11th March to Sunday evening 13th March - Weekend Retreat in Durga Devi's retreat house in the northern range (high up overlooking Maracas Bay).

This will be a great opportunity to do some concentrated meditation in quiet surroundings. We will as well do samu (work practice), play meditation and have dharma talks, discussions, reading periods and quiet times.

It's said to be essential if we want to deepen our practice to do a daily practice and at least one retreat a year.

Arrangements:

There is room for 10 people in all. Men and women sleep in seperate areas. Fold out beds are provided but you will need your own sheets.

We will need to take all our food and drinks for the weekend. There is a small fridge. Please bring a change of clothing and if you would prefer to work outside during those periods please bring outdoor gear. Also bring your sitting equipment and toiletries (if you have no sitting equipment plase let me know and I'll find some for you.

Book up as early as you can by phone or email. The house rental will be about $2400TT and you are also asked to make a donation (for monk and sangha).

If you have a dharma topic you would like discussed during the weekend please let me know.

After a bit of a runaround today it looks like I'll be doing some teaching here in a special school for boys (young offenders of 10 to 21 years) as well as in the T&T prisons. I'm pleased about that.

The house phone is now back working 625 3438. You can still reach me on my cell 710 8413.

With best wishes to all

Message from Rinchen - February 08

Dear Sangha Members

I thought you might like this from a Tibetan lama, Lama Soga, who lives in a monastery near Kathmandu - I sent our recent group picture to him:

Hi dear Rinchen la, i am realy glad to see you and your students, i like very much. there are looks very simple nd nice, i am very well, thanks for ur mail nd nie picher, all the best from your old monk, take care Rinche la, say Hi to ur M.......

....well his English isn't 100% but we used to have some nice talks. He has a big heart.

So upcoming.....

Saturday 12 February 10am - Introductory talk at 26 Coblentz Avenue. Come along and bring a friend (and a chair or two if you can).

Sunday 13 February 5pm - Dharma evening - we will be studying the "Paramitas" or the "Perfections" - the qualities we need to develop to travel well on the path.

Please note: I will be away weekend 26th/27th February leading a retreat in Tobago.

Friday evening 4th March to Sunday evening 6th March - Weekend Retreat in Durga Devi's retreat house in the northern range (high up overlooking Maracas Bay).

This will be a great opportunity to do some concentrated meditation in quiet surroundings. We will as well do samu (work practice), play meditation and have dharma talks, discussions, reading periods and quiet times.

It's said to be essential if we want to deepen our practice to do a daily practice and at least one retreat a year.

Arrangements:
There is room for 10 people in all. Men and women sleep in seperate areas. Fold out beds are provided but you will need your own sheets.

We will need to take all our food and drinks for the weekend. There is a small fridge. Please bring a change of clothing and if you would prefer to work outside during those periods please bring outdoor gear. Also bring your sitting equiment and toiletries (if you have no sitting equipment plase let me know and I'll find some for you.

Book up as early as you can by phone or email. The house rental will be about $2,400TT and you are also asked to make a donation (for monk and sangha).

If you have a dharma topic you would like discussed during the weekend please let me know.

For sale
At present we have books in Rinpoche's 'Lazy Lama' series as well as benches and zafus.

The house phone is now back working 625 3438. You can still reach me on my cell 710 8413.

With best wishes to all