Last night, about 25 people from all parts of the Boston Shambhala community gathered to listen to stories, look at pictures and learn more about the great teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Acharya Emily Bower and Hazel Bercholz shared not only their love of this great teacher with us, but managed to bring his presence into the room. It was almost as if through the smoke of the incense, we could see his large stature, his golden honey skin, and most of all his shining eyes and universe-sized heart-mind.

If you are interested in Celebrating the Return of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche this summer in the form of the reincarnation or tulku, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, please click here. We warmly invite you to join Mangala Shri Bhuti and Dzigar Kongtrul as we commemorate the life of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and welcome Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche on his first visit to the United States.

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was a man of advanced spiritual knowledge. [While I was a young man in Tibet,] he undertook to give me special instruction. I felt drawn to him as if he had been my father; and thus I often addressed him without any shyness or doubt. He was very tall and dignified and never seemed in a hurry. What he did was perfection of its kind, even the way he walked into the hall showed this quality; all he said was expressed to perfection. In fact, he surpassed anyone I had ever met. His writings were equally remarkable, and added to this he was a poet and had a gift for telling delightful stories. Dilgo Khyentse gave me private teaching. When he left after several months, this was so great a sorrow and shock to me that for a few days I could neither study nor eat.

Condensed and Edited from “My Childhood at Dutsi Tel,” in Born in Tibet, in The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Volume One, page 52.

To watch a short video of Pema Chodron talking about Dilgo Khyentse as well as the trailer for the forthcoming movie Brilliant Moon, please visit the Chronicles Project. Thank you Acharya Bower and Mrs. Bercholz for creating a bridge for us to this incredible teacher.

To go beyond samsara and nirvana, we will need the two wings of emptiness and compassion. From now on, let us use these two wings to fly fearlessly into the sky of the life to come.

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Seven members of the Boston Sangha, under the teaching, care and guidance of Acharya Emily Bower, took their Bodhisattva vows on Sunday, May 30th.
here we are!
back row: Edward Reitman, Thomas Noviello, with Acharya Emily Bower
middle row: Kyle Courtney, Sarah Kimball and Martina Bouey
Front row: Louise Miller (that’s me) and Scott Robbins

Congratulations to my fellow Bodhisattvas! It was an honor to study, practice, and take vows with you.

From Acharya Emily Bower:

To the Boston Shambhala Community:

“A group of community members met on Sunday, March 8, to discuss the questions arising from the presence of homeless people staying around our building. Mostly, we felt saddened and deeply moved by the situation. We found that facing homelessness so intimately brings up feelings of groundlessness and hopelessness because we know the problem is pervasive and it’s not going away. We felt that the presence of homeless people around our building presents an opportunity to enter into the situation and relate with it directly.”

Please visit the Director’s Blog to read the full report including

-WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON
-WHAT SHOULD WE DO
-WHAT CAN WE DO TO RELATE TO THE LARGER ISSUE?
-WEEKLY PRACTICE SESSION
-WAYS TO VOLUNTEER (Includes document from Mary C.)
-WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP?
-DO YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED?