Padmasambhava

I surprised myself that I missed writing this blog over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been having a break and also Keirstan was on retreat. I went to Nairn for 12 days to stay in a house generously loaned to me by a mitra in the Highland sangha. It was good to have time away from meetings, especially online ones. I was surprised by how busy and touristy Nairn is. I should have known - it was August and still school holidays. The beautiful main beach was absolutely heaving so not quite the soul nourishing emptiness of Scottish beaches which I longed for. I was very grateful though for the chance to do very little - reading, walking by the sea and trying out the cafes of Nairn and beyond was enough.

While I was there I was reflecting a lot on the figure of Padmasambhava. He has been very present for me over the last few years and he has really come alive since I took on being chair of the GBC. I feel Padmasambhava is very at home in Scotland in the wilds and in the city of Glasgow. I believe the energy of Padmasambhava is very much what is needed in the world today and, as we transition into our new centre, I very much want to invoke that energy. Padmasambhava represents the energy of transformation. He is not afraid to confront and transform the world’s demons. I want our new centre to be a beacon of light in a darkening and troubled world and I am sure that if we call on the energy of Padmasambhava we can be that. 

On a personal level, as well as meditating on the figure of Padmasambhava, there are a number of events I’m involved in. Firstly, and very soon, is the summer sangha retreat at Adhisthana from the 24th to the 31st August. This covers the centenary of Bhante’s birth and is dedicated to Padmasambhava and to Bhante’s relationship with the figure of Padmasambhava. The retreat will be led by Subhuti, Suryagupta and me and we will be using extracts from Bhante’s amazing 1979 talk given on Padmasambhava day at the LBC.  Both Subhuti and I were their for the talk and it was a seminal moment for me in my relationship with Bhante and with the Order and community he had founded. I am really excited about this retreat and I am delighted that a good number of the Scottish Sangha are attending.

Later in the year I’m on an order retreat at Adhisthana led by Viveka, Dhammarati and me. That is based on Bhante’s seminar on Padmasambhava’s Advice to the 3 Fortunate Women. 

Closer to home I’m really looking forward to being part of the team offering an urban retreat dedicated to Padmasambhava and leading up to our Padmasambhava festival on the 28th September. One thing that is very important is to make opportunities for us to all come together as a sangha. 

At a recent Dharma and Meditation Teaching Kula (DMTK) meeting we reflected that we have the impression that a lot of people are participating in our activities: classes; courses; study groups and festivals. However, other than festivals we don’t often gather together. One opportunity in the past was the urban / rainy season retreats. So, I recently wrote to the people on teams for classes, study groups etc. This is from the letter I sent:

In that spirit we are asking you, as class teams and study group leaders, to join us with your group or class for a week of festivities dedicated to Padmasambhava leading up to the celebration of Padmasambhava day festival on the 28th September. The idea would be that each class that week would be open to everyone and would be dedicated to an aspect of Padmasambhava. We would ask study groups to join us - or let us all join you on the day you would normally meet.

So, the date is the week beginning Monday 22nd September and a full programme will be available early September. At the DMTK meeting we got excited about experiencing our Sangha all practicing together at this time when we are preparing (physically, emotionally and spiritually) for a new property and a new phase in our history. 

I find it inspiring to have the sense of our sangha coming together to practice so I will end with a quote from the Pali Canon:

from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta:

The growth of the sangha is to be expected, not their decline, so long as they assemble frequently and in large numbers; meet and disperse peacefully and attend to the affairs of the Sangha in concord.