Greetings from Gampo Abbey

Cheerful Spring from Gampo Abbey! The crocuses are bravely poking their heads out of the ground, and most of the snow has disappeared for another year. We have been blessed by especially rich and fruitful Winter and early Spring seasons here at the Abbey.

Our annual Yarne retreat was held from January 13 through March 6 (more below). The retreat was capped with a joyous Shambhala Day celebration, when local sangha members joined the Abbey community for an uplifting lhasang, a festive lunch buffet, and a screening of the Shambhala Year in Review. We joined the rest of the Shambhala mandala for the address by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and the international roll call.

Gampo Acharya Ani Pema Chödrön taught the final Way of Shambhala class, Wisdom in Everyday Life (more below). In the midst of this, the residents and local sangha members celebrated the 24th anniversay of the parinirvana of Chögyam Trungp Rinpoche with wonderful expressions of appreciation and recollections of the Vidyadhara.

If that wasn't enough for the season, this month we gathered for a joyous Monastic Celebration, where we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Ani Pema's bhikshuni ordination and the presence and commitment of all the life monastics at the Abbey.

And that is all on top of our regular schedule of practice and study!

Also, we are pleased to announce a new translation from our Chökyi Gyatso Translation Committee (more below).  

And last, but not least:

• Please consider joining us for one or two weeks during our In-House retreat period this summer to really experience life at the Abbey. For more information, see our blog posting.
• Interested in living at the Abbey for a year or more? There are still residential openings for 2011. Check out our blog posting.

 We hope you enjoy reading about the goings on at the Abbey. If you have any comments, please let us know.

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Yarne 2011

Yarne is the traditional monastic "rains retreat" held annually at Gampo Abbey. The 2011 retreat was held from January 13 to March 6. The Abbey residents were joined by 12 guests from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Gampo Acharya Ani Pema Chödrön led the retreat and taught on the Four Limitless Ones (love, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity). She taught from her own book Places That Scare You as well as from Awakening Through Love by John Makransky and Wake Up To Your Life by Ken McLeod.

The retreat was full of inspiring teachings and guided meditations. We were truly steeped in the Four Limtless Ones. We explored how the four qualities manifest in our own experience, and we trained in their cultivation. We learned that by acknowledging our basic goodness, we can nurture and expand our connection to these four qualities in order to create a more uplifted, caring, and loving society. During the retreat, several people commented on how the atmosphere in the Abbey was particularly infused with love and compassion during Yarne. May such blessings continue!

Ani Pema's teachings from this (and other) retreats are available from Great Path Tapes and Books. The 2011 Yarne teachings are item 153 in the Great Path catalog.

• Eight talks plus guided meditations and discussions
• Audio: audio CDs, MP3 CDs, or MP3 downloads
• Video: all or individual sessions

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Wisdom in Everyday Life

In March and April, Ani Pema Chödrön taught Abbey residents, local sangha, and guests the final Way of Shambhala class, Wisdom in Everyday Life.

In this five-class program that mixes teaching, discussion, contemplation, dharma art, and work in small groups, we studied the unwavering warrior whose confidence is unconditional and playful. We were introduced to Vajrayana teachings, which reveal the sacredness and magic of the phenomenal world.

For more information about the Way of Shambhala curriculum, visit the Shambhala.org website.

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New Translation Available

In the latest offering from our Chökyi Gyatso Translation Group, Ani Migme Chödrön has just completed the translation from the French of The Life and Songs of Drugpa Kunlegs.

Drugpa Kunlegs was an extraordinary individual, a great master of Mahamudra and a famous poet. You will be particularly interested to know that Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was said to be an incarnation of Drugpa Kunlegs, who was also known as the Madman of Bhutan!

If you are interested in receiving this translation, please contact Ani Migme at animigme@gampoabbey.org.

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