Tergar

GREETINGS, <<First Name>>!

Welcome to our April newsletter. In this issue we feature reflections by Madison community members who traveled to the "home" of Mingyur Rinpoche for teachings and leadership events. We also bring you up to date on a number of upcoming events and activities, including the upcoming June retreats with Mingyur Rinpoche.

IN THIS ISSUE

	Drop-In Intro to Meditation Classes

	Reflections On a Visit to Nepal

	Mini-Workshops and Mini-Retreats

	Cindy Hintz on Giving

	Calming the Mind: Joy of Living 1

	June Retreats with Mingyur Rinpoche

	Dharma Talks with Cortland Dahl

	Events Update

	Other Resources

DROP-IN INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION CLASSES

4th APRIL - 7:00 to 8:30PM

2nd MAY - 7:00 to 8:30PM

Please join us for a short introduction to meditation, where we will learn some simple practices that will awaken us to the joy of the present moment. In these classes, we will learn how meditation can transform all aspects of our experience into sources of joy. In particular, we will practice resting the mind in a state of relaxed, alert attention (a practice known as “resting in open awareness”) and also how we can use sounds as supports for meditative awareness.

Classes include video teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche and guided meditations and discussions led by the Tergar Madison Teaching Team.

MORE INFORMATION

REFLECTIONS ON A VISIT TO NEPAL, THE HOME OF MINGYUR RINPOCHE

For a period of ten days in March, Tergar community members from all over the world traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal for teachings and Tergar Leadership events with Mingyur Rinpoche. Over 15 people from Madison were in attendance, and a few of them shared their reflections on their experiences.

[Photos by Sandra Fernandez]

To receive teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche in Osel Ling monastery was both very meaningful and humbling. With open hearts, Rinpoche's monastic community welcomed and hosted us in Tergar Osel Ling — their “home” that was severely damaged during the 2015 earthquake. It was wonderful to share this experience with many Madison community members and the international Tergar community, who came from all over the world. This deepened my gratitude for Mingyur Rinpoche, his teachings and my sense of being part of a vibrant local and international community.

- Barbara Fuerst-Sgro

[View from Tergar Osel Ling]

“Tergar" means a place where people come together to enable transformation, and you could truly feel this potential while visiting our teacher, Mingyur Rinpoche, at Osel Ling Monastery in the Kathmandu Valley. Rinpoche was wonderfully animated during the teachings he shared with over 700 people from around the world, and he and the monastics welcomed us all into their home so warmly and so graciously — a deep bow of gratitude to all of them.

The Leadership Gathering was a wonderful opportunity to learn about Tergar groups from around the world (from a small group in Edinburgh who meditate and then eat cake, to a highly organized group in China). A highlight was our pilgrimage to a very special cave in the Kathmandu Valley where a famous meditator (Padmasambhava, believed to have brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century) is said to have meditated. We had to wait our turn to enter as the Princess and the Queen Mom of Bhutan arrived for a short visit.

- Sandra Fernandez

The two highlights of the trip for me were seeing the reach of Rinpoche’s teachings and experiencing the power of place during visits to stupas and in Padmasambhava cave, which we visited with Rinpoche.

At several places I visited I got a sense for how a place can inspire people to practice. In early morning at Boudhanath, hundreds of people can be found circumambulating the stupa. And at the Padmasambhava cave, there was a powerful, palpable feeling of the potential to manifest profound wisdom connected with the cave.

At the community meeting there were people from all over the world – Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Brazil, Mexico, Europe, Canada, the USA, and a large and dynamic group of young people from Russia. I am so happy to have been a part of that journey.

- Don Katz

[Don Katz and Scott Anderson at Swayambhunath Stupa]

JOY OF LIVING MINI-WORKSHOPS AND MINI-RETREATS

LIVING WITH JOY - Saturday, April 7th - 9:30am to 12:30PM

MINDFUL AWARNESS - Saturday, May 2nd - 9:30am to 12:30PM

Joy of Living mini-retreats and mini-workshops offer more extensive instruction to those who have participated in Joy of Living meditation workshops and residential retreats. Each session includes video teachings by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (featuring material that is not shown in Joy of Living meditation workshops), as well as guided meditations, group discussion, and walking meditation.

No registration is required

LIVING WITH JOY is a Joy of Living 2 mini-workshop open to those who have attended Opening the Heart: Joy of Living 2, online or in-person.

MINDFUL AWARNESS is a Joy of Living 1 mini-retreat which is open to all, newcomers and experienced practitioners alike.

LOCATION

Tergar Madison Meditation Center 301 S. Blount St.

www.tergar.org

MORE INFORMATION

JOY OF COMMUNITY MEMBER CINDY HINTZ ON GIVING

Cindy gives to our Tergar Madison community in countless ways — from volunteering at retreats to being a practice coordinator for Open Meditation, to serving on the Operations and Events Committee to support our many programs. Cindy is also a member of Tergar Madison's monthly giving program as a way to express her gratitude for the teachings and our community.

The teachings of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche have been transformative to me, and the support of the Madison Tergar community has been so caring, that I feel like becoming a monthly donor is the least I can do to help support our community. I am so grateful to be part of this generous community. Thank you to all.

CALMING THE MIND: JOY OF LIVING 1

DAY : FRIDAY Evening to SUNDAY Afternoon

DATE : April 13 to 15

In this meditation workshop with Abby Lindemann, we will learn how cultivating awareness can help create a peaceful mind and joyful heart. The practice of meditation enables us to transform all experiences, even difficult emotions and painful thoughts, into sources of joy. Over the course of the seminar, we will explore the landscape of our experience with mindful awareness, learning how to use the body, sensory experiences, thoughts, emotions, and even awareness itself as supports for meditation.

This workshop includes video teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche, presentations on meditation practice, and guided meditations and discussion. This workshop is suitable for people of all faiths, as well as both beginning and experienced meditators.

DATES AND LOCATION

Friday, April 13 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Saturday and Sunday - April 14 & 15, 9:00am - 5:00pm

Tergar Madison Meditation Center 301 S. Blount St.

RETREATS WITH MINGYUR RINPOCHE IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Registration is now open for two June retreats with Mingyur Rinpoche to be held at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom in Action:Essential Teachings on the Joy of Living

JUNE 2-6, 2018

Rinpoche will share practical advice on using the challenges of life as opportunities to nourish awareness, compassion, and wisdom and find true happiness, using the framework of the six paramitas (generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, meditation, and wisdom). Together we will explore how these qualities of heart and mind can support us in our practice in our everyday lives. Open to all meditators.

Exploring the Nature of Mind:Heart Advice on the Path of Awakening

JUNE 6-13, 2018

In Tibetan Buddhism, the most direct and powerful way to experience this inner freedom is by exploring the nature of awareness. This Path of Liberation retreat presents a rare opportunity to receive in-depth teachings from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on the nature of mind, drawn from the path of Mahamudra, the most profound meditative teachings of the Kagyü School of Tibetan Buddhism. This retreat has prerequisites for attendance.

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OUR LATEST NEWS

Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom in Action:Essential Teachings on the Joy of Living

JUNE 2-6, 2018

Rinpoche will share practical advice on using the challenges of life as opportunities to nourish awareness, compassion, and wisdom and find true happiness, using the framework of the six paramitas.

Exploring the Nature of Mind:Heart Advice on the Path of Awakening

JUNE 6-13, 2018

DHARMA TALKS WITH CORTLAND DAHL

THURSDAY EVENINGS - 7:00 to 8:30PM

Join us on Thursdays at Tergar Madison for an ongoing series of dharma talks by Tergar Instructor Dr. Cortland Dahl. In these sessions, Cortland will offer guided meditations, practical instructions on the application of meditation practice in daily life, and insights from both classical Buddhist teachings and modern scientific research on the practice of meditation.

These sessions are open to all and are offered on a drop-in basis; no registration is required.

Cortland Dahl's Thursday Dharma Talks have been posted on SoundCloud in a playlist dedicated to these presentations. Visit the Thursday Night Dharma Talk page on SoundCloud to listen to them.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN 2018

Upcoming events with Tergar Madison include several unique opportunities. Please visit the Tergar Madison website for complete details, including location and timing. Contact the registrar with questions related to Madison events.

IN MADISON:

PUBLIC DHARMA TALKS WITH CORTLAND DAHL

- Thursdays, through May Weekly drop-in series featuring instructions on meditation in daily life and insights from classical Buddhist teachings and scientific research on meditation.

JOY OF LIVING 2 MINI-WORKSHOP : LIVING WITH JOY

- April 7 Morning workshop with members of the Tergar Madison Teaching Team.

CALMING THE MIND : JOY OF LIVING 1

- April 13—15 Weekend workshop on cultivating awareness, led by Abby Lindemann.

JOY OF LIVING 1 MINI-RETREAT : MINDFUL AWARENESS

- May 2 Morning workshop with members of the Tergar Madison Teaching Team.

MIDWEST REGION (Abridged):

HEALTHY MINDS: THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION OF WELL-BEING

April 13,

Evanston, IL
Evening talk with Cortland Dahl.

MEDITATION AND THE SCIENCE OF HUMAN FLOURISHING

April 14,

Evanston, IL
Daylong workshop with Cortland Dahl.

CALMING THE MIND: JOY OF LIVING 1

April 14 - 15,

Decorah, IA
Weekend workshop with Kasumi Kato

THE PATH OF WISDOM AND COMPASSION

April 15,

Evanston, IL
Daylong workshop with Cortland Dahl.

THE BODHISATTVA

April 19,

Minneapolis
Evening talk with Edwin Kelly

SONGS OF MILAREPA

May 19 - 20,

Minneapolis
Weekend retreat with Khenpo Kunga.

MEDITATION AND THE SCIENCE OF HUMAN FLOURISHING

June 1,

St. Paul, MN
Evening talk with Mingyur Rinpoche and Dr. Richard Davidson

AWARENESS, COMPASSION AND WISDOM IN ACTION

June 2 - 6,

St. Paul, MN
Retreat with Mingyur Rinpoche.

EXPLORING THE NATURE OF MIND

June 6 - 13,

St. Paul, MN
Retreat with Mingyur Rinpoche.

ONLINE COURSES

AWAKENING WISDOM: JOY OF LIVING 3

- begins April 4 Six-week online course with Antonia Sumbundu.

CALMING THE MIND: JOY OF LIVING 1

- begins June 20 Six-week online course with Tim Olmsted.

OTHER RESOURCES

Mingyur Rinpoche's monthly teachings for February and March are linked here and are available on the Tergar Learning Community website.

February: Three Ways of Relating to Emotions: Abandoning

March: Three Ways of Relating to Emotions: Transforming

Cortland Dahl's Thursday Dharma Talks have been posted on SoundCloud in a playlist dedicated to these presentations. Visit the Thursday Night Dharma Talk page on SoundCloud to listen to them.

For other online learning and community resources, please visit Tergar Learning Community.

OUR COMMUNITY IS FUNDED THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF ITS DONORS

Please consider making a monthly donation or a one-time contribution to Tergar Madison. You can donate on-line at our secure site using a credit card, debit card, or electronic funds transfer.

DONATE NOW

(OR)

SEND US CHECK

send a check addressed to Tergar Madison, to the following address:

Tergar Madison, PO Box 70754 Madison, WI 53707-0754.

If you have donation-related questions, please contact us at joyofcommunity@tergar.org

Tergar Madison Meditation Community

301 S. Blount Street

Madison, WI 53703

(608) 616-5429