Last Minute Summer Celebration Details

Dear Sangha,

Our Summer Celebration (July 30-August 7) is quickly approaching! We are writing to share details about food options, opportunities for Kunye massage, and the parking situation. There's still plenty of time to participate. Click here to register.

If you have questions, please let us know. We hope to see you soon for practice and fun!

Anastasia Ezequelle

Retreat Coordinator

Tsegyalgar East Summer Celebration

LUNCH will be available from Sunday July 31st through Saturday August 6th for an additional fee.  Below is a brief menu. The menu below has been slightly revised. PLEASE VISIT Here for the updated menu.

Summer Thai Rolls

Please click here for more details and to reservation. We can not guarantee there will be extra food available if you do not reserve now.

http://tsegyalgar.org/localcenters/tsegyalgareast/registrationforms/lunchorders/

Day 1, Sunday, July 31
Falafel with pita, shredded greens and tomato including yogurt Taztziki, and a Tahini dressing, Fruit salad

Day 2, Monday, August 1
2 large Summer Thai rolls with baked tofu, rice noodle salad, mint, carrot sticks and avocado, marinated broccoli/cauliflower salad, peanut or alternate sauce, dessert chocolate brownie

Day 3, Tuesday, August 2
Calzone with vegan sausage and grilled vegetables with cheese, salad with Italian dressing and fruit

Day 4, Wednesday, August 3

Tibetan Momos (30% being donated to ASIA); Wheel view farm 

Beef Momo with Asian coleslaw, Veggie Momo with Asian coleslaw

Tibetan Momo

Day 5, Thursday, August 4
Indian wrap, carrot salad, and cookie

Day 6, Friday, August 5
BBQ tempeh sandwich on hoagie roll, pasta salad with pesto, watermelon

Day 7, Saturday, August 6
Cheese Empanada or wrap with rice and beans, Mexican Avocado salad with lime dressing, side of sour cream, fruit tart for dessert

[4 oz. sides of meat will be served daily for an additional charge to be paid on site]. 

Menu may be subject to change according to weather or availability of ingredients. 

KUNYE MASSAGES will be available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday by Yeshe Tsomo, she is a graduate of the Shang Shung Institute and is a current Practitioner of Tibetan Medicne and Specialist in KuNye Massage Therapy (LMT7439). Massages are available at Khandroling or the Schoolhouse in Conway. 
You can book directly with her by phone at 413-336-4962 or email at yetsomo21@gmail.com .

PARKING is available next to the Mandala only if you have a 4 wheel drive.  There is additional parking in the usual parking lot, the Future Gompa site has also been cleared for additional parking.  There will be signs clearly marked throughout the land to assist you.

We do remind you that the roads are narrow and there is minimum pull off sites.  Please keep driving up and down the land to a minimum.

News from Shang Shung Institute, July 2016

Please make a donation or renew your membership today

July 8, 2016

Dear Shang Shung Institute of America Friends and Supporters,

2016 MEMBERSHIP REMINDER

Thank you so much for your support, energy and time over the many years. Your efforts for the Shang Shung Institute of America are crucial to accomplishing the mission of deepening the knowledge of and preserving Tibetan culture here in the U.S. Please make a donation or renew your membership today.

As you know, we are currently celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Shang Shung School of Tibetan Medicine in Conway, Massachusetts, and we have updates about many other recent and upcoming activities below.

Join or Renew Your Membership Online: http://shangshung.org/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=82 or call us at 413-369-4928 or email us at secretary@shangshung.org

OPEN HOUSE

About 60 participants and volunteers joined organizer Lauri Denyer at Shang Shung’s July 2^nd Open House. The even took place at the yellow schoolhouse in Conway, Massachusetts. Participants came together to learn about mindfulness and meditation, Yantra Yoga, the Dance of the Vajra that Benefits Beings, and Khaita* Joyful Dance, and to enjoy a lunch of traditional Tibetan food prepared by Yeshe Tsomo. Dozens of community members made the event possible, and participants came from as far away as New Jersey and Buffalo, NY.

SUMMER 2016 EVENTS

Here are the upcoming events that we are looking forward to in the Summer of 2016:

•          Dance of the Vajra that Benefits Beings with Bodhi Krause – July 16-17
•          Introduction to Yantra Yoga with Naomi Zeitz – July 23-24
•          Khaita* Joyful Dances: Practice of Presence in Joy & Movement - August 9-13
•         Tibetan Language with Tenzin Norbu – August 25-30

We hope you will join us for these events, and spread the word about them. More information can be found here: http://www.shangshung.org/home/events/calendar/and interested individuals can always contact Shang Shung at (413) 369-4928 orsecretary@shangshung.org for more information.

NEW INTERN

This summer Shang Shung is fortunate to haveIntern Grace Engelman with us! Grace is a freshman at Brown University, and served as the student liaison to her high school’s Board of Directors. She is working with us on the process to seek accreditation for the School of Tibetan Medicine, and to publicize our many cultural events, as described below.

NEWS ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF TIBETAN MEDICINE

A new class just started the Four-Year Tibetan Medicine program. With this new class, we have a full house - a class of students in each year of the Four-Year program. In addition, preparations are underway for the start of the Three-Year Advanced Tibetan Medicine Program.

Menpa Phuntsog Wangmo has been much in demand this year. Amid her rigorous schedule of live teaching and recording lessons for the Shang Shung School of Tibetan Medicine, Menpa Wangmo recently gave these public talks:

·         Public talk at the Conway Historical Society in Conway, Massachusetts on March 22, 2016, as seen in an online video from our partners at Frontier Community Access Television;

·         Public talk at the Chesterfield Council on Aging in Chesterfield, Massachusetts on April 10, 2016;

·         Keynote address and panel presentations at the annual Integrative Medicine Conference in Barcelona, Spain on April 15-17, 2016, on Cardiovascular Diseases: A Dialogue between Conventional, Homeopathic, Tibetan, Chinese and AyurvedicMedicines;

·         A well-attended week-long seminar on Hospice from the Traditional Tibetan Medicine perspective in April 2016, as seen in The Mirror;

·         A well-attended Master Class entitled Tibetan Medicine: Theory and Practice, on May 10, 2016, at the Cultural and Scientific Center of the Universidad Peruana CayetanoHeredia in Lima, Peru

Your support is crucial to these successes. Please make a donation or renew your membership today!

SPRING 2016 EVENTS

Steven Landsberg - Shang Shung Institute of America hosted Steven Landsberg May 14^,, 2016 for a public talk in Northampton, Massachusetts, called Beyond Hope & Fear: The Application of Presence, co-sponsored by SSI and the International Dzogchen Community in America.

Yeshe Tsomo – Continuing our efforts to provide opportunities for people in the area to experience traditional Tibetan culture, Yeshe Tsomo gave a wonderful two-day seminar on Tibetan cuisine at the United Congregational Church in Conway, Massachusetts in May, 2016. This session featured a rare, traditional baked momo or dumpling.

Khaita – A contingent of Khaita* dancers fromKundrolling and Tsegyalgar participated in the 10^th International Dance Parade in New York City on May 21, 2016. As reported in The Mirror, “…there were dancers from 147 organizations representing 81 distinct dance styles from the US and other countries, totaling over 6,000 participants.” This was a wonderful opportunity to bring Khaita to a larger audience in the U.S., and the spark that was lit continued online, as the video posted on the Shang Shung Institute’s facebook page now has 12,000 views!

SUMMER 2016 EVENTS

Here are the upcoming events that we are looking forward to in the Summer of 2016:

·         Dance of the Vajra that Benefits Beings with Bodhi Krause – July 16-17

·         Introduction to Yantra Yoga with Naomi Zeitz – July 23-24

·         Khaita* Joyful Dances: Practice of Presence in Joy & Movement - August 9-13

·         Tibetan Language with Tenzin Norbu – August 25-30

We hope you will join us for these events, and spread the word about them. More information can be found here: http://www.shangshung.org/home/events/calendar/and interested individuals can always contact Shang Shung at (413) 369-4928 orsecretary@shangshung.org for more information.

Please make a donation or renew your membership today!

Your support is crucial to continuing the dissemination of Tibetan cultural traditions in the United States. Through your membership, we are able to provide invaluable programming like Traditional Tibetan Medicine, Khaita, Vajra Dance, Yantra Yoga, Tibetan language and arts.

Join or Renew Your Membership Online: http://shangshung.org/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=82 or call us at 413-369-4928 or email us at secretary@shangshung.org

With many tashi delegs,

The Shang Shung Institute of America

*Khaita is promoted by the Shang Shung Foundation – International Institute for Tibetan Culture, in collaboration with Shang Shung Institute of America

Join us for our 5th Annual Khandroling Paper Cooperative Workshop July 27, 28, 29, 2016

This year's workshop will be dedicated to Transformation taught by Sheryl Jaffe and facilitated by members of our Paper Cooperative on our beautiful Lower Khandroling Farm property in Buckland, MA.  Whether one is a total beginner or a seasoned artist in search of a particular project, this annual workshop outdoors under our tents is the place to immerse yourself in the magical process of papermaking.

TITLE: The Frog and the Lotus
WHEN: July 27, 28, 29, 2016
TIMES: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM
LOCATION: 160 East Buckland Road
COST: Recommended donation $90-$125 or according to your circumstances

Transformation will be the theme for our 5th annual Papermaking workshop. As we transform fibrous leaves and inner bark into beautiful sheets of translucent papers with decorative inclusions for artwork, letters, cards and lanterns we will explore the possibilities inherent in the medium. Just as the lowly frog waits for the kiss or the Lotus blooms out of mud, the fibers will be diverted from compost heap to the cooking pot and our paper making vats to be transformed into handsome unique sheets that capture the moment. We work together collaborating to cook, rinse, beat, couch and press wet freshly made sheets. We will have multiple sizes of molds on hand and a Japanese su-geta to try. 

[Sheryl and Brenda preparing to beat knotweed cooked fibers 

for a special project for local artist Paul West who attended the 2014 workshop]

The "Critter" (above) will be on hand to grind up our cooked fibers or rags and to supply newly made pulp for our larger scroll moulds.

Sheryl using a traditional floating Nepalese mould to make large scrolls.

Bring an open mind, lunch, a waterproof apron, and some flat cardboard to take home your sheets. If you like bring inclusions to add to your pulp such as fibers, threads, flower petals, pine needles, etc. Come for one day or all three!

To Register CONTACT: sherylannjaffe@gmail.com and/or jacqueline.gens@gmail.com (413-522-1125)

Visit our previous KHANDROLING workshops below:

FIBER TO FIBER: HOLDING TOGETHER  2014 

ALCHEMY WITH FIBERS 2013

For further information about the cooperative and our summer/fall schedule of workshops and open studios, visit our blog at http://www.khandrolingpapers.blogspot.com

Visiting Lower Khandroling Farm

The other day at our picnic on upper Khandroling we were gifted with vats of raspberries from Lower Khandroling's farm coop now ripening. So on July 4th, our American Independence Day, I embarked at the height of midday to pick some. Little did I know that I would be stuck in the honking cacophony of blaring fire truck horns and whirling police sirens in a parade to celebrate this holiday. I imagine that the kids were enthralled or utterly terrified on the sidelines of the parade on the shoulders of parents and in strollers.  For my own part, I enjoyed integrating with the harsh sounds of alarm.  

Approaching the turnoff to East Buckland Road, the scent of new moan hay was in the air as my windows were rolled down due to the fact my vintage 1995 Civic Honda has no air-conditioning. 

The first thing I noticed when arriving at that peaceful East Buckland Road farm residency of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu was a very flourishing Hugelkulture bed planted by Nary Mitchell established near the raspberry rows.

This bed built on a mound of debris exuded fertility in a riot of vegetable plants that we hope to replicate on upper Khandroling with the left-overs from the clear cut forestry debris from a couple of years ago. 

So come out to the farm to pick berries or work with Nary who is out there most days. You can let him know a day in advance through our Geko Jeremy at geko@tsegyalgar.org

Progress on the Repairs for Rinpoche's Cabin on Khandroling - A Message from Tsegyalgar East's Gakyil

It is summertime and there is much activity on Khandroling, Land of the Dakinis! Our hard-working Geko, Jeremy, other volunteers, and Karma Yoga helpers, have been working to make repairs to the cabins on the land.

Currently, a new roof is being installed on Rinpoche’s cabin, thanks to the efforts by Jeremy, Nary, Jim Smith, and many others.

We need your help! We would like to finish the repairs as soon as possible. 

Our fund-raising goal is $25,000. We have thus far collected about $5000. 

We want to thank all of you who have helped thus far. There is still plenty of possibility for joining in the efforts and participating. 

Can we add your name to the list?

Please participate with your donation so we can reach this important goal. Fully functional cabins allows more practitioners to do retreats, practice, and visit our precious Khandroling land

To help us by fulfill Rinpoche’s vision for Khandroling, please offer your donation here:http://tsegyalgar.org/support/retreatcabins/

Karma Yoga is another valuable way to participate. If you’d like to assist with Karma Yoga,please write Jeremy at: geko@tsegyalgar.org 

"Each individual's contributions are like the many drops that make an ocean, because if you want to do something you must have collaboration from the whole group and then everything becomes very easy." - Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

With gratitude,
Tsegyalgar East Gakyil

_____________

All donations are tax deductible. The Dzogchen Community in America, Inc. is a legal non-profit 501c3 organization. Donors may refer to Publication 78, which provides a partial list of organizations recognized by the IRS as eligible to receive tax-deductible donations.

Recap of Shang Shung Institute July 2 Open House & July 3 Picnic on Khandroling

On Saturday, July 2, 2016, Shang Shung Institute hosted an all day open house of practice for the public including Meditation, Yantra Yoga, Vajra Dance, and Khaita Dance.  Senior teachers and students in the community introduced and lead the practice sessions. These were Lynn Newdome (meditation) , Naomi Zeitz (Yantra Yoga), Bodhi Krause (Vajra Dance) and Bret Bourman (Shang Shung Staff on Khaita Dance).

Lynn Newdome giving instruction for Zhinay practice and 

its context within Buddhist meditation methods, photo by Naomi Zeitz

Participants in Naomi's Yantra Yoga session

Bodhi Krause explaining aspects of the Vajra Dance around the dance mandala, 

photo by Naomi Zeitz

Bret leading Khaita Dancing
Photo by John Shannon

Organized by Lauri Marder, the event proved a marvelous success with over 30 people attending from the various hill towns and as far away as Buffalo, NY and New Jersey. A Tibetan luncheon was made by Yeshe Tsomo and served by community members to the guests.

On Sunday, July 3 a community picnic was held on Upper Khandroling --see the slide show here:

Olga Peganove and Sean Quinn Married

Olga Peganova and Sean Quinn were married on June 20, 2016, in New York City, on the night of the strawberry moon and summer solstice.

As many locals know, Sean was a long time resident here in Massachusetts who offered his services as forester and land consultant for Khandroling. Sean is an avid Vajra dance practitioner whose many fine photos of Khandroling can be seen on his Facebook page. 

Congratulations to Sean and Olga!