Lecturer: The Vidyadhara Acharya Mahayogi Sridhar Rana Rinpoche
Saturday, May 27th
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Shrine Room
Suggested contribution: $30 Public, $20 Members per talk
Prerequisite: None
Emptiness is the main view of the Paramitayana. It is considered the only antidote to ignorance, which is the innate clinging to the concept of a self as real existence. In the Vajrayana system, Emptiness is paired with Luminosity as the final view, and the Hevajra practice is intimately related to the unity of luminosity and emptiness. Without a proper understanding of what is meant by emptiness in the Mahayana system, it is considered to be dangerous. Nagarjuna says misunderstanding emptiness is like catching a snake at the wrong end! There are many authentic ways to understand the meaning of emptiness in the Mahayana; the Sevenfold Reasoning method devised by Chandrakirti is the easiest to understand.
The Vidyadhara Acharya Mahayogi Sridhar Rana Rinpoche was born in Kathmandu in 1949 to an aristocratic family. Seeking spiritual answers, he first practiced Hindu Tantra and Vedanta. Unsatisfied, he continued and found the Buddhadharma. He practiced initially in the Zen tradition until he met his first Vajrayana teacher, the Venerable Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and started Vajrayana practice. He recently completed a 21 year retreat at his residence in Kathmandu, which he practiced under the guidance of HE Chobgay Trichen Rinpoche, HH the 41st Sakya Trizin Rinpoche, and HE the Fourth Karma Thinley Rinpoche. He was conferred the title of ‘Acharya’ by HE Karma Thinley Rinpoche in 1994 followed by the titles of ‘Rinpoche’ and ‘Mahayogi’ by HE Chobgay Trichen Rinpoche, and the title of ‘Vidyadhara’ by HE Karma Thinley Rinpoche in 2013. He is committed to a lifetime retreat in the Tse Tsam style which allows for the retreat to be held with short breaks and thus he is currently on a travel and teaching tour. The Vidyadhara writes prolifically, primarily in English, on various aspects of Buddhism.