Benefits of a Drubchen

Participating in a Drubchen with an altruistic motivation reduces afflictive mental states, restores broken spiritual commitments and allows positive qualities and circumstances to arise unhindered.

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Definition of Drubchen:

A drubchen is a traditional form of meditation retreat in Tibetan Buddhism that lasts for about ten days.  It involves a large number of lay and monastic practitioners and is led by at least one High Lama.  It is regarded as a very powerful practice as prayer and mantra are recited 24 hours a day.  It is said to act as a remedy to the negative forces at work in the world and to promote inner personal peace, peace within the community, and world peace.

Red Vajrasattva Drubchen:

Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche as a young boy studied with his father and learned his family’s tradition of religious rituals and liturgies, as well as traditional Tibetan medicine.  After being imprisoned in Tibet for ten years, along with his root guru, Tulku Orgyan Chemchok, he spent fourteen years serving Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche at Shechen Gonpa in Nepal.

Guru Rinpoche said that for someone who engages in a group Drubchen (Great Accomplishment), the benefits are the same as practicing alone in a three-year retreat.

The treasure revealer, Padgyal Lingpa, formally recognized Sang-ngag Rinpoche and Chagdud Rinpoche as lineage holders and custodians of his own hidden treasure revelations.  Red Vajrasattva is the heart-practice of these treasures of Padgyal Lingpa, specifically revealed for these difficult and distracting times.

These eight-days of Red Vajrasattva (2012) retreat will be a wonderful and effective way to bring benefit and happiness to oneself and others.  This event will begin September 15th at 9:00 am and end on September 23rd at 1:00 pm.  The empowerment will be given on the first day.  It includes all meals and event fees from the September 15 breakfast through dinner on September 23.

To attend this retreat or donate click here:  Vajrasattva Drubchen

Be well!
Neo

Feldenkrais Movement Therapy

At the core of enlightenment there is no distinction between Zen Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.  I have always noticed that within Zen you are solely given the wisdom of the scriptures to work with and they leave it at that.  Zen Buddhism will say something like this:

“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” ~ Zen proverb

Within Tibetan Buddhism you are not only given a set of wisdom-like principals but also a complete set of skillful methods to bring more mindfulness into our body, speech and mind. In the same way, Feldenkrais Movement therapy is a wonderful and skillful method to bring more awareness into every action our body makes.

From the Into Feldenkrais website:

“Limitations in movement are often due to the unconscious habits of muscular holding we develop through our lifetime.  Most of us have experienced physical or emotional trauma at some point and though our body may have absorbed the effects of this at the time, stresses and strain remain stored in the muscles and held as pattern in the brain.

This creates bad posture and movement which make more stress and strain.  It’s a vicious circle.  Feldenkrais sessions break this circle, helping people recognize habits of tension and discover alternatives to eliminate limitations and restrictions.  As a result we learn better body mechanics and discover ease through natural flexibility and new-found coordination.”

I remember working with my Feldenkrais therapist over ten years ago.  She taught me that just to get up from a seated position and walk across the room is not so easy…but with full awareness one could move with innumerable variations.  After a few months of working with her I came to feel my hips were unlocked – like a swing moving along a cradle.  It was amazing to experience that level of freedom of movement.

She told me that one of her lamas saw Moshé Feldenkrais walk across the room and the high lama looked at her and said “Rinpoche”.  Now, Rinpoche is an honorific title in Tibetan Buddhism that means precious one.  I was a little disturbed when I heard this because he never taught the dharma in a formal sense and his books lacked the clarity that I had been familiar with.

However, only years later do I understand how it is quite possible that Moshe impressed the lama through the profound awareness he brought into the way he moved his body.

The dharma teaches us that there are many thousands of emanations of Buddhas all over the world doing various works to relieve the suffering of sentient beings.  We just don’t know who they are because they look so ordinary – just like us.  Likewise, a bodhisattva with a good intention can bring profound benefit to others when one has an aspiration to help all sentient beings and a skillful method to accomplish healing.  When we look at the results of his or her work the truth becomes readily apparent.

“Through awareness we can learn to move with astonishing lightness and freedom.” – Moshé Feldenkrais

To show how beautiful this process can be… here is one simple method I found on YouTube that has its basis in movement therapy.  This particular gentleman of 4 Season Fitness has a one minute exercise to quickly remove pain or stress.  See if you can notice the channels or nerves opening up in various parts of your body such as your back or neck.