Ananda, the Lord Buddha's long-time personal attendant asked the Buddha:
"Lord, is it true what has been said, that spiritual friends are fully half of the holy life?"
The Master replied, "No, Ananda, good spiritual friends are the whole of the holy life. Find refuge in the sangha community."
"Lord, is it true what has been said, that spiritual friends are fully half of the holy life?"
The Master replied, "No, Ananda, good spiritual friends are the whole of the holy life. Find refuge in the sangha community."
In this fast paced and far flung world, where it isn't easy to meet teachers or teachings, having found Chonyi Ling is an incredible blessing. I have been fortunate in the past to meet excellent teachers who, through their wisdom and effort, have helped to plant the seeds of experience in my mind.
Practicing with the Chonyi Ling sangha is like watering those seeds and giving them sunlight. My own orientation in practice has always been to know the nature of this experience (of life, of knowing, of this strange world we find ourselves in), rather than filling my busy mind with more philosophy.
In short, to be more Buddha than Buddhist. In stumbling from dharma center to dharma center, I have often felt this desire to be frustrated, as if what I really wanted to know was somehow peripheral, to be spoken of only in whispers, or not at all. Chonyi Ling is unique in that the emphasis is first and foremost on the key points of practice which bring forth direct experience. - Nicholas O
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I have been sitting with this group for several months now, and the growth in my practice is profound. In this group, we are doing the one thing. I am reminded of this Rumi poem ~
Those who don't feel this love pulling them like a river,
those who don't drink dawn like a cup of springwater,
or take in sunset like supper, those who don't want to change,
let them sleep,
This love is beyond the study of theology, that old trickery and hypocrisy,
If you want to improve your mind that way, sleep on.
I've given up on my brain,
I've torn the cloth to shreds and thrown it away.
If you're not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words around you - and sleep.
Like Milarepa frequently was, we are naked (figuratively - please actually wear clothes if you come to sit). We are not sleeping, we are not propagating some subtler form of spiritual materialism.
I have practiced with other groups where I couldn't tell if I was sitting on a cushion or kneeling on a pew, with the joy sucked out of daily practice by focusing on our struggles in practice. In this group, each day we give rise to great joy at our amazing good fortune for this opportunity, supplicating our teachers who devoted their lives to creating the teachings that guide us. We dedicate all benefit and merit of our efforts to serve all beings on their journey to enlightenment. Check it out ~ Good stuff. Kimberly
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Inviting and open-minded people, serious and dedicated. Light-hearted and powerful instructions. Beautiful, fully equipped, meditation room in Tibetan traditional style. You don't have to be a 'vetted' insider or seasoned Buddhist practitioner to come and experience for yourself if this is a group you'd like to attend sometimes or often. - Susanne H.
Practicing with the Chonyi Ling sangha is like watering those seeds and giving them sunlight. My own orientation in practice has always been to know the nature of this experience (of life, of knowing, of this strange world we find ourselves in), rather than filling my busy mind with more philosophy.
In short, to be more Buddha than Buddhist. In stumbling from dharma center to dharma center, I have often felt this desire to be frustrated, as if what I really wanted to know was somehow peripheral, to be spoken of only in whispers, or not at all. Chonyi Ling is unique in that the emphasis is first and foremost on the key points of practice which bring forth direct experience. - Nicholas O
___________________________________
I have been sitting with this group for several months now, and the growth in my practice is profound. In this group, we are doing the one thing. I am reminded of this Rumi poem ~
Those who don't feel this love pulling them like a river,
those who don't drink dawn like a cup of springwater,
or take in sunset like supper, those who don't want to change,
let them sleep,
This love is beyond the study of theology, that old trickery and hypocrisy,
If you want to improve your mind that way, sleep on.
I've given up on my brain,
I've torn the cloth to shreds and thrown it away.
If you're not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words around you - and sleep.
Like Milarepa frequently was, we are naked (figuratively - please actually wear clothes if you come to sit). We are not sleeping, we are not propagating some subtler form of spiritual materialism.
I have practiced with other groups where I couldn't tell if I was sitting on a cushion or kneeling on a pew, with the joy sucked out of daily practice by focusing on our struggles in practice. In this group, each day we give rise to great joy at our amazing good fortune for this opportunity, supplicating our teachers who devoted their lives to creating the teachings that guide us. We dedicate all benefit and merit of our efforts to serve all beings on their journey to enlightenment. Check it out ~ Good stuff. Kimberly
___________________________________________
Inviting and open-minded people, serious and dedicated. Light-hearted and powerful instructions. Beautiful, fully equipped, meditation room in Tibetan traditional style. You don't have to be a 'vetted' insider or seasoned Buddhist practitioner to come and experience for yourself if this is a group you'd like to attend sometimes or often. - Susanne H.