The Sakyong’s Address at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is available on DVD
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche made a historic visit to Northern California recently, giving an evening address to a standing room only crowd of 1200 people at the majestic Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Bishop Marc Andrus warmly welcomed the Sakyong and gave an introduction to his work. Both the Bishop and His Majesty reflected on the Sakyong’s father, Chogyam Trungpa, and the deep challenges he faced in bringing the message of Shambhala to the West after Tibet’s takeover by China. “This is bravery,” the Sakyong observed. “It was his decision that life was worth living.”
For over an hour-and-a-half, the Sakyong spoke eloquently about “that sense of bravery and self-reflection that everybody shares” and the nature of our collective work towards creating a global mood where basic goodness is acknowledged as inherent in human nature.
“That moment when we get up in the morning, that split-second decision about how we feel about ourselves, is really inexpressible. That moment of self- reflection and how we value our own existence has a dynamic and powerful consequence on how we treat ourselves – and especially now, in terms of society, how we treat others.” Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
A DVD of this memorable talk is now available from Shambhala Media by clicking here. Included is an outline of the talk, which can be used for personal study or in the context of group discussions.
Describing the importance of meditation, the Sakyong wryly noted, “My new book, Running with the Mind of Meditation, is not to be confused with meditation while the mind is running!” In encouraging us to practice in the face of obstacles, he observed “even the great meditators weren’t necessarily in the mood. But they continued.”
He closed by saying that “Society is no more than all the thoughts and feelings we have right now, expressed in a myriad of ways.” Describing basic goodness, he summarized, “The notion that we don’t have to transcend earth, but we can bring that goodness here, is what we’re talking about tonight.”
Photographs by Andrea Roth
The Sakyong went on to Craneway Pavilion where 400 people who came from all over the mandala to hear him teach the Rigden Weekend, in which he was assisted by Acharya Eve Rosenthal and Acharya Emily Bower. It was a wonderful opportunity for many newer students to meet and practice with Rinpoche at an early point in their path. Many of them commented afterwards that up until then the idea of “Sakyong” had been just that – an idea. Now that they had met him they understood at a heart level what Shambhala is trying to do in the world.
While in Northern California, the Sakyong visited Sharchen Dzong in San Francisco for the first time, blessing the space and leading a gathering of regional representatives from the three pillars.
The whole of the Sakyong’s teachings seemed to create a momentous shift that could be felt throughout the mandala; the event was literally felt in the San Francisco area, where it was punctuated the morning after his teachings by a 4.0 earthquake!
The combined efforts of over 130 sangha members contributed to the success of the Sakyong’s visit.The coordinators’ group developed this aspiration which infused the visit: “With warmth, openness and cheerful discipline, we manifest Shambhala together.”
Yes, we did.
As the spiritual leader of Shambhala, the Sakyong, or “Earth Protector,” directs a community of meditation practitioners committed to realizing the inherent goodness in humanity. His work benefits an array of causes and institutions worldwide, and the global network of Shambhala meditation and retreat centers is dedicated to promoting the vision of an enlightened world.
You’ll find a more detailed biography of the Sakyong by clicking here, and on his website here. Videos of the Sakyong teaching can be found here. Watch the trailer for the upcoming film about Sakyong Mipham Rinpocheentitled “An Uncommon King” by clicking on this video link:
Acharya Pema Chodron is a well-known teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. Her root teacher was the Sakyong’s father, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The Sakyong and Pema recently taught a program together calledBeing Brave,Transforming Our World. A DVD of that presentation is available by clicking here.
Photo by Alan Goldstein
