Gurdjieff Movements Kickstarter Campaign

[Early Dzogchen Community members performing the Gurdjieff Movements}

Margit Martinu, an authorized Gurdjieff Movements teacher as well as Vajra Dance instructor has initiated a Kickstarter campaign to help fund participants travel to the 30th Anniversary Celebration where they will perform on the evening of Sunday, July 13, 2014 at the Mohawk School :

A Presentation of Sacred Dance and Music Featuring Dzogchen Community Dances -Harmony in Space - Vajra Dance and Modern Tibetan Dance; also featuring Gurdjieff Movements and and de Hartmann Solo Piano with Elan Sicroff in the Mohawk Regional High School Auditorium at 7:00 PM

See our previous post about the performance and Gurdjieff Movements here on the Tsegyalgar Community Blog as well as visit the Kickstarter webpage  prepared by Margit where there is a great video of the Movements and other historical information.  Let’s make this Happen!

The Universal Mandala on Khandroling

[Moving photo of the Longsal Tree on Khandroling]

The other day I rode up to the top of the hill on Khandroling with Marit Cranmer to visit the work being done by Jim Smith wih help from Nary Mitchell on the Universal Mandala. 

The weather was perfect with a brilliant sky, gentle breeze, and warming sun. Everywhere grasses were in the first green of the season. All up and down the road from the pond to Rinpoche’s cabin, white narcissus planted last year by Marit, were out in full force having for the most part survived the heavy machinery of the tree cutting in the late fall of 2013.  Many views of the valley below and the land are now open. Amazingly, one can see the roof of the Mandarava cabin from the front steps of the Mandala Hall--presumably vice versa. In preparation for our Inauguration this summer, the immediate area surrounding the Mandala Hall itself was cleared of all tree stumps and planted with grass and wild flowers. A hint of the future park-like environment can easily be ascertained, at least at the top of the mountain. Thanks to our many donors, we are now awaiting the giant “chipper’ to transform all the piles of debris from last fall’s tree cutting into ground cover. High above it all, the gold Longsal floats against the vast open sky as clouds pass to and fro--a magnificent contrast to the density of the Mandala Hall like an ethereal arm reaching from solid earth below to the spacious dimensions above.

When we arrived, Jim Smith was working on the Universal Mandala trying to reconcile the current design already indelibly painted on the concrete floor of the Universal Mandala to the new specifications just released after further clarifications in Rinpoche’s text.  [A reminder here that this is the ONLY Universal Mandala on earth]. Jim, like most of us, is a veteran of change and well trained in meeting a good challenge without fail.  A man of few words, Jim nodded that the task at hand was workable. 

In the photo above Jim is holding a scaled version of the previous Universal Mandala template rendered in a quarter size sample with a ring of unbroken flames above the six black thigle. This is the area that needs to be adapted to changes recently clarified in Rinpoche’s original text. The newly redesigned version, as you can see below has 12 Black thigle with a surround of flames in clusters. [The version below is the web version].

More work is needed to help Jim Smith and Nary Mitchell manifest what needs to be done on the Universal Mandala to make it ready ---especially now that the warm weather has arrived and the usual spring mud season past. We need you......come for a few hours, week-end, a week, or a whole month. Your presence will be much appreciated! 

Uma Shannon Ballet Performance May 23 & 24 at Bowker Auditorium UMass

[photo by Oly Shannon]

Uma Shannon will be performing along with her fellow advanced dancers in East Street Ballet's Spring Showcase 2014 at the Bowker Auditorium at UMass on Friday and Saturday, May 23 & 24 at 7:30pm.

This is part of Uma's senior work, along with the performances she did with The Movery this past week. Uma graduates high school this summer and plans to take a gap year dedicated to dance and her various passions: textile arts, pottery and music. She also plans to take a few college courses.

The performances will include a mixed repertory program featuring excerpts from Swan Lake, arranged by Carlos Molina, and original works by Uma's teachers Carlos Molina, George Birkadze, Claire Maurey, and Tekla Kostek.

Tickets are for sale at the box office on both performance nights. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for seniors & students, $10 for children (12 and under.).

You can also help Uma further her dance studies by donating to her Indiegogo fundraiser to help supplement her scholarship to the Hartt Summer Ballet Intensive . For further information, visit her Facebook and Indiegogo pages at :

 https://www.facebook.com/HelpUmaDance

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-uma-dance-2014

Uma is the daughter of John and Miranda Shannon and grand-daughter of Nancy Simmons and the late Barrie Simmons, among the earliest students of Choegyal Namkhai Norbu.

A Message from the SSI-USA Bookstore About Ordering Four Methods of Development T-Shirts

If you will be attending one of the upcoming Dzogchen retreats in the Northeastern USA with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and would like to order Four Methods of Development * T-shirts, please let us know as we will be pre-preparing these for you to pick up at the retreats. This year, to make the process easier, we have created an online request form, which you can find here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cXSsbeVpqKY1Up1Z5i0mBZPIPnleilZPLT-y6I_5VHQ/viewform?usp=send_form

Please place your order by Monday, June 22nd in order for us to be able to prepare your T-shirt(s) in time.  The retreats in question are:

Kundrolling: New York City, USA July 4-6, 2014

Tsegyalgar East: Conway, MA, USA July 16-20, 201

If you have any questions, you can contact us at shop-us@shangshung.org.

Best wishes,
Anna & Martin
SSI-USA Bookstore

*The Four Methods of Development

by Choegyal Namkhai Norbu 

The way to identify the birth year elements of an individual and the elements of the current year. Buddha has clearly explained the turning of the wheel of existence by means of the twelve links of interdependence: ignorance, volition, consciousness, name and form, sense bases, contact, sensation, desire, attachment, becoming, birth, old age, and death. Accordingly, in the astrology of the elements taught by Arya Manjushri, all the aspects of the year, month, day, and time, are determined on the basis of the twelve-year cycle of mouse, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, bird, dog, and pig. This twelve-year cycle is also combined with the five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, with alternate female and male years. On the basis of these astrological periods, one can ascertain both the elemental condition of the present year and the elemental condition of the birth year. When, on the basis of the mother-son-enemy-friend relationship, conflict exists between the elements of life, body, capacity, and fortune of the year of birth, and the corresponding elements of the current year, it is important to eliminate the negative factors by means of the fourfold method which increase one's life, body, capacity, and fortune.

Susan Schroder Booksigning at Boswell Books in Shelburne Falls May 22 at 6:30 PM

Susan Schroder of Conway, MA will discuss her new work, You Come Too: A Tribute to a Beloved Horse at Boswell’s Books on May 22 at 6:30 PM. There will be a book signing.

WHERE: 
10 Bridge Street
Shelburne Falls, MA
413-625-9362









You Come Too: A Tribute to a Beloved Horse
Susan Claire Schroder

Anger, fear, and uncertainty power the first day this horse and woman meet. The horse, six-months old, the woman, barely out of her teens, are to bond for life. But how is this going to happen? You Come Too is a compelling invitation to all animal lovers who appreciate the depth of feeling and meaning pets bring into our lives 

The author of this true story, Susan Schroder, artfully describes behaviors her equine heroine exhibits, giving the reader an intimate view of their relationship. This unique story focuses on the horse and her adaptation to the human world including her strong need to belong, to learn, to love, to heal, to play, and to get what she wants. It is heartwarming and inspirational. Beware. It may even change the reader’s idea about how this majestic species interplays with life. 

New York Times bestselling author (The Good Good Pig) and naturalist Sy Montgomery writes, “You Come Too is riveting, beautifully crafted, full of love and insight, and has a powerful narrative arc. Everyone who has ever loved an animal will relate to this book – and even those who have known horses for years will learn something new from it.”
Best Selling author (The Dog Who Loved Too Much), world renown animal behaviorist, and founding member of Veterinarians for Equine Welfare Nicholas Dodman, DVM writes; “You Come Too is a beautifully written saga of a 28-year relationship between the author and her horse in which both came to deeply understand and trust the other. The connection between them was almost spiritual. The end of the story is very moving and testifies to the powerful and eternal bond of love that a person can have with an animal.”

from the publisher’s page

$17.95
Buy it Now

Andrea Lawrence on Prince Edward Island

We miss you Andrea!!

Practicing Together Schedule - June 3 Green Tara

Visit the Practicing Together website for the full schedule. Help create a global chain of practice to benefit AISA onlus and the Tibetan people.

Second Annual Tibetan Medicine Conference at the Rubin Museum - Ancient Medicine for Modern Life: Tibetan Solutions for Stress Management, Chronic Illness, and Mental Health

The Second International Conference on Tibetan Medicine

Presented by the American Tibetan Medical Association (ATMA), the International Shang Shung Institute, and Shang Shung School of Tibetan Medicine at the Rubin Museum of Art.

Saturday, July 26 & Sunday, July 27, 2014

Registration for the weekend: $200 | Register Online Now



Visit the Rubin for a full schedule of events including the keynote address by Choegyal Namkhai Norbu on Sunday, July 27 at 8:30 AM

Please join the ATMA Indiegogo campaign to help with the funding of this by visiting here. 

A Day of Yoga at the Asparagus Festival in Hadley, MA on June 1, 2014

A Day of Yoga!

Sponsored by WGBY

At the Asparagus Festival in Hadley MA

June 1, 2014

The Dzogchen Community and the Khandroling Paper Cooperative will be participating in the Asparagus Festival in Hadley on Sunday June 1 at the Hadley Commons starting at around 10am. The Community will be presenting Yantra Yoga, Vajra Dance and Modern Tibetan Dances. We are not sure of the exact time yet. The Khandroling Paper Cooperative will be selling their Asparagus paper and other products. 

At 10 am there will be a Yoga Fundraiser

Come join us for Morning Spearit Gentle Yoga and Let your Yoga Dance with Peggy Cappy and Megha Nancy Buttenheim. Together they’ll be teaching a Master Class at the Pilates Studio near the common. Come for the yoga and stay for the Festival!

Other events include craft beer and restaurant tastings, Festival market, music all day, children’s entertainment including Curious George and the Spearit Gala, an outdoor farm to table feast.

Buy tickets at event or pre register on line at:

www.wgby.org/asparagus

Harvey Kaiser to Perform with Evelyn Harris and June Millington, Saturday, July 12, 2014

NY Performer, Harvey Kaiser and his Band KC Four & More Blues and Jazz Band will join local performers Evelyn Harris and June Millington for an outstanding evening of entertainment on Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Mohawk School Auditorium

Biography of Harvey Kaiser

Began to play the saxophone in 1956; Played blues & r&r in high school (1960-64) liked O.Coleman. Heard Ben Webster in 1964 & decided to play the tenor saxophone. Taught reading @ IS88 NYC & studied w/ Joe Henderson; Met Dexter Gordon in Copenhagen in 1970 & thanked him; Met Sonny Stitt in NYC in 1975, thanked him, and played for him until he passed ( see Downbeat: Caught in The Act Feb '75 ) Met Bobby Johnson Jr. in 1978 and worked with him until his passing June '01. Co-founded the Kansas City Sound in 1995 with Bill Crow and included all my friends: Ed Diehl, Gene Randolph, Marvin B. Smith, Taro Okamoto,Ray Mosca, Joel Bishop O'Brien , Billy Alfred, Mike Kull, Marty Napoleon, Roswell Rudd, Eddie Bert,Fred Jacobs, Fred Smith, Bobby Johnson Jr,Ron Finck, Hugh Brodie,Walter Booker, Allen Murphy,Matt Finck,Larry Packer,Kitt Potter,Glenda Davenport,Rita Kaiser,Josh Schneider,Gary Sloane,Rob Blumenthal,Tootsie Bean,Larry Moses,Dennis Makrell,Ira Coleman,Thurman Barker, Bubba Brooks,Cameron Brown. ( That's a lot of friends who like to swing !) Some have passed on ; the music keeps living on. It's visited by greatness. Current sub-set is called “The KC Four & More”.

Poem by Louise Landes Levi

        VAJRADHARA

             sheds his raiment, you

           look into the mirror  but no 

                     one

                              is

                                    there,

          & the leaves are greener ..

               CHAKRASAMBHAVA

       extinguishes the darkness of, dawn

           in a mudra you have learned

                in

                    the

                         dance, O

              

                          DHARMADAYA

                 of extinction, the melody is

                    distinct, yet you sing, 

                         that

                                the

                                       green,

                        that

                                the

                                     gold.

new moon 29.

   dharmadaya:: ( sanskrit) 6 pointed star 

[Photo by Jacqueline Gens of Louise at Merigar circa 2008 SMS Level III]

Aerial View of Mandala Hall with clear cut

Aerial view of the Mandala Hall reprinted from Paula Barry’s Facebook

A Message from the Khandroling Farm Coop Team

It’s that time of year with planting season happening through out the Pioneer Valley. 

The coop team would like to inform and invite all community members

to participate in the Khandroling community garden. 

The garden area has been harrowed and furrowed and is ready for planting.  The soil has been amended with lime to neutralize the Ph and with sand to loosen up the clay. 

[Joe spreading sand and lime]

The greenhouse is full of veggie starts and the field is beckoning for some company.  so if you’re interested in growing some organic food for freezing or canning now is the time to come and get dirty.

[Ready to plant!!!]

Paula, Jesse & Nari are coordinating the community garden and already started all the seeds. They can be reached by email (http://khandrolingcoop.com/?page_id=34) or call 413-625-6522.

We usually work on Sundays, starting at noon. Week days people come according to their availability.


Looking forward to your participation,
Khandroling Cooperative Team

[photos by Yuchen Namkhai]

Fundraising Coordinator/Facilitator/Director Wanted for Tsegyalgar East

The Yellow Gakyil currently has some ideas for Fundraising for the Community: Lottery, Silent Auction, Brief Auction at the Retreat Nite-Get-Together, ..... Direct Donations for: Ganapujas, Beautification of Khandroling, Community House Gompa...... but we have no Coordinator/Facilitator/Director. 

We have offers of a number of items of high identity value down to small items that could be set up and sold fbo the Community during the retreat, kind of a DCA Store or EBAY  idea.

We need  dedicated soul(s) to organize it, set it up and run it, before and after the retreat and stick with it as a task. If people want to help here is a nice, big one that will serve the community well.

If you are interested or want to participate, contact the Tsegyalgar East gakyil at gakyil@tsegyalgar.org

Wanted Karma Yoga for the Mandala Hall: A Message from Paula Barry

Hello Everyone,

We would like to inform you that Jim has begun work on finishing the Mandala and the Hall in preparation for our upcoming events in July. He will be there every day from 9-4pm. He will also be there most Saturdays.

All help is welcome. There is tons to do at all levels of skill. 

Please come and prepare to Join the Dance!

See you there!

Paula

Tseyang’s 8th Birthday

Everyone is invited --young and old. Please join us in the yellow schoolhouse at 12:30 PM for Tseyang’s eighth birthday.

An Important Message from the Tsegyalgar East Gakyil About the New Policy on Retreat Fees and Sponsorships

[Offering image by Glen Eddy]***

Dear Friends,

This July, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu will be offering a Dzogchen Teaching retreat in Buckland, Massachusetts, "The Four Dharmas of Longchenpa."  In preparation for this very joyful occasion, the Tsegyalgar East Gakyil has adopted Rinpoche's recent Teaching on Generosity--please find the Teaching attached to this email.  

There will be no fees asked to participate in this retreat.  Instead, we invite members of our Community to sponsor this precious Teaching retreat through donations, individually or in groups.  As we know, the value of Rinpoche's Teachings is immeasurable!  

To become a sponsor, please follow this link to make a donation.  Sponsors are also able to arrange for larger donations through our Yellow Gakyil  by emailing yellowgakyil@tsegyalgar.org.  Another way to contribute is by offering Karma Yoga (on-site help with organizational tasks). Interested persons can contact our Karma Yoga coordinator, Rita Kaiser, at rwkaiser@verizon.net.

Please disregard the fee information in the recent mailing that went out from our offices.  However, we ask that all people who plan to attend, please register here so we can prepare accordingly.

We thank you all for your help to make this special event possible!!!

Tsegyalgar East Gakyil

If you haven’t read Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s excellent Teachings on the Virtues of Generosity and Donors, please visit The Mirror here. 

***you can find this image and other Glen Eddy cards on the Shang Shung webstore

Ayana and Choegyal Namkhai Norbu

Over the years numerous kids have called Tsegyalgar East their home -- sons and daughters of gekos, practitioners and secretaries in the yellow schoolhouse. Ayana’s (above right) parents acted jointly as secretary and geko from 2000-2003. Ayana entertained us all for years during retreats with her bold violin performances and robust singing.

Today she’s a talented teen still singing. She has sung solo for over 200 people, studied with Sweet Honey and the Rock's Evelyn Harris and has attended the IMA (Institute for the Musical Arts) summer programs that empower the voices of girls in rock music.

Here she is on one of her you tube video’s singing Roar by Katy Perry. Click here to read the lyrics.
                                                               
Join us for our amazing performances with guest artists including Evelyn Harris,
June  Millington, Harvey Kaiser on Friday, July 11, 2014 at the Mohowk Regional School.                                                                                                        

[photo by Damien Schwartz]

Check out the New Online Mirror, International Newspaper of the Dzogchen Community

The new online Mirror is loaded with lots of international news from around the world as well as many important Community announcements. The main features are transcripts from Choegyal Namkhai Norbu’s most recent retreats and the only official schedule of his world-wide Teaching 

Here are a few recent highlights:

*A Talk by Choegyal Namkhai Norbu at the Teacher’s Meeting in Dzamling Gar

**A Message from the International Gakyil on Teaching retreats and Sponsorships

***A Review by Jesse Abbott of Chogyam Trungpa’s, 3 Vols. Pofound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma.

**** An Interview with Italian born artist, Michela Martello from Brooklyn, NY

[Painting by Michela Martello]

New content is added frequently.                         

More Pictures on Khandroling by Yuchen Namkhai

Although we are well into Spring this time of year, poet T.S. Eliot’s famous line comes to mind -- “April is the cruelest month”  so much promise yet so much disappointment weather wise. Well, at least the birds are happy each morning singing their little heads off with the sunrise while at sunset the peepers, that symphony of frogs, heralds in the new season. 

Here at Khnadroling, it appears that rain or shine, a few hearty ones are out in the field undertaking the enormous project of beautification-- generally--Joe and Nary, Yuchen (taking photos) and David; Sean and Ruben probably on week-ends; most likely others too.

Thank You, Thank You workers and also all you donors out there who make it happen. It’s the perfect collaboration of liquid gold in the form of energy partnering with the solid gold of the green stuff. Together we can do great things. Happy Spring to all!

****

Below Joe and Nary installing the Khandroling map and entrance sign designed by the late Kathy McGrane. 

Nary below standing next to the sign

Another sign describing the forestry project 

Logs for milling wood

David Hayes and Nary (below) looks like they are milling logs into boards that will be used in building the new Gompa/Khandroling Living Center

Photos by Yuchen Namkhai

Latest Update on the Khandroling Beautification Fundraising - By David Hayes

                                                                                                                     UPDATE: Sunday, May 4, 2014

Dear Vajra Family,

Thank you again for your help and collaboration related to the wood chipping project on Khandroling!   We have good news: due to your generosity, we've decided to move ahead with three days of wood chipping in May!  We are so grateful for your help, we couldn't have done it without you.


Here is an update on our fundraising pursuits: our three day chipping budget comes to $10,800 ($3600 / day).  As of Sunday, May 4th, we have received $5458 in donations and pledges, and $4207 in grant monies.  This totals $9665, which puts us $1135 behind our goal.

Despite not reaching our goal, we've decided to commit to the full three days due to need and timeliness before this Summer's events.  We are still welcoming donations in order to help us meet the total expense of this project.  If any money is collected in excess of our goal, please know that it will be put to good use!  Any remaining funds will go towards preparation of Khandroling for this Summer's activities.

If you would like to participate in our collaboration request, please send the donation of your choice securely through our website via Paypal or email Harold our secretary at secretary@tsegyalgar.org to pledge your support in the timeline and method of your choosing.

Best wishes, and thanks again for your participation!

David Hayes
Tsegyalgar East Geko

July 16-20, 2014 Retreat Meal Sign-Up

Hearty Eats, the caterer for the July 16-20 Retreat with Choegyal Namkhai Norbu requests that people sign -in and register for their meal ticket. 

For menu please visit Hearty Eats