Lecturer: Rigdzin Tingkhye
Friday, August 30th
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Cultural Hall
Suggested contribution: $20 Public, $15 Members
Prerequisite: None
The aim of mindfulness is to build harmonious relations with our inner and outer worlds. Mindfulness is to be in the present moment, to be at ease and at peace with oneself. When our mind is disturbed, so will our body, speech and activities be distorted. Practicing mindfulness means to step into a primordial space that is always already there. It does not require any additional struggle or enhancement, nor does anything need to be taken away. This practice is different from the everyday meanings and traits we might associate it with, such as skillful manipulation of the truth, over-attentiveness to detail, or an insatiable urge for knowledge. This is not the kind of mindfulness we are interested in.
Instead, we are seeking genuine peace within ourselves; a kind of effortless love and compassion that infuses our own being as well as radiates to all living beings. Like the sun which is always shining but whose rays are only visible to us when the clouds subside, we too have the ability to recognize the already present primordial nature of our minds. And just like the penetration of the sun’s heat, whose warmth naturally causes all forms of life to grow and thrive, the understanding of our own minds leads to true qualities of equanimity – selflessness, dignity, and fearlessness.
Rigdzin Tingkhye was born in Tibet and has many years of translation experience for senior Tibetan Buddhist lamas and geshes. His well-rooted experience in the east and west, fluency in both languages and their nuances, makes him an accomplished contemporary interpreter with humor. Living in the United States over the past twenty-five years, Rigdzin has sustained his passion for philosophy and everyday loving-kindness through his work as a language teacher, private chef, business owner, and interpreter for distinguished lamas, astrologers and political activists. He follows
in the path of his ancestors, yogis of Tashi Chopel monastery in Tingkhye, Tibet (founded in 1385).