Celebrate the New (Tibetan) Year with the Days of Miracles!
The Brave View in Today’s World
February 15, 2021 @ 4:00 pm (IST)
How can Buddhist meditation be of value to a world beset with issues like the pandemic, climate change, income disparity and war? Almost all of the grave social/ecological issues we face today stem from greed and from the media’s outpouring of information that makes us feel like we aren’t good enough as we are, that something is wrong with us and if we just buy one more thing, we’ll be better. Let’s look at how we can begin to be happy with ourselves, just as we are; be content with our families and even love the people around us. How do we do that? We will glance at a few simple concepts and meditations that open our hearts and minds to the present, to experiencing the beauty that is here with us all the time and letting go of anything that gets in the way of a settled, open heart.
Resonating Sacred Integrity in Turbulent Times: Building the Shield of Inner Peace
February 16, 2021 @ 4:00 pm (IST)
Integrity means wholeness, it means authentic being. When we have the courage to uncover and be our true self, we can stand up to the false narratives that are destroying our planet and our hopes for a compassionate culture. Let’s look at what we can do to find a strong inner being who can love with gratitude and who can be courageously honest about what we see in the world. How do we discover our truth that enables our capacity to act for the change know we need.
On Losar Day we also honor the anniversary of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe’s passing away. Following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice, we started the tradition of inviting older students who knew Lama to share their favorite stories about Lama Yeshe to keep his memory alive.
As an adolescent in Berkeley in the 1960’s, Paula began her search for a means to shift the dominant paradigm of our perceptions of reality in order to survive the coming environmental chaos and resulting social unrest. A decade later she met Lama Thubten Yeshe and told Lama that she wanted to become a mahasiddha.
I discovered a totally unique, mind-blowing, game-changing science of mind/spirit/ body that I thought could shift our perceptions to something bigger, to actually be able to go beyond small ego needs and feel the interconnectedness of all life.
Standing on the balcony of the Green Hotel In McLeod Ganj, the light of bodhicitta filled my heart and all of space with the transitory nature of all existence and I was never the same again.
I had studied the ecology of our planet, here was the ecology of mind. Here was the science that was missing from my education that can transform human greed and ignorance to end war and save life as we know it on Earth.
Following the advice of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Paula embarked on a 40-year journey of study and retreats, including two long retreats of 3 and 4 years.
I was compelled to investigate, so I embarked on a lifelong experiment to see if a western person could indeed realise what I was being taught and experiencing in the presence of great Buddhist teachers, such as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama..
In the last 13 years, Paula has traveled in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa giving talks, leading meditations and meeting wonderful heart friends.
She is happy to share her insights that make meditation full of joy, love, clarity and authenticity.
You can see Paula’s teaching schedule and many resources on her website: www.braveview.org