In the Spring of 2024 Khandro Kunga Bhuma Rinpoche visited London at the request of the Jamyang community, on the last stop of her European teaching tour.
Khandro-la kindly granted an audience with the Jamyang team, where Geshe Namdak translated, and we informally shared with Rinpoche, a birds-eye view of the multitude of activities that Jamyang is engaged in.
From the long term education programs and our work to preserve the Nalanda tradition, to the inspiring activities of Science & Wisdom Live and our biggest ever community project and fundraiser ‘The Sanctuary Project’.
Khandro-la paid close attention to our sharing with her and offered the following advice to the Jamyang community:
Regarding the different programmes we are running, we should always remember that we’re very fortunate at this time for having met His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Also, according to is Holiness’ wishes to be able to establish all these aspects about the Nalanda tradition that we, of course, think of as being very precious.
The Nalanda tradition is very precious for Buddhist education, but also has many aspects that we can use in a secular way to broaden to the whole world, to help the whole world to become a better place thanks to the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So that’s one of the important visions we should have.
And likewise, when we went to the land of the Aryas, to India, then also thanks to the kindness of His Holiness to preserve the incredible tradition of Nalanda in India as well. That is also thanks to the kindness of His Holiness’ vast vision to preserve this particular aspect of the teachings.
And likewise, due to the kindness of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe of course, to bring this tradition to the west and to their kindness and vast vision that the teaching spread in many parts of the world. So that’s also something to look upon, to the vast activities they’ve offered and also the difficulties they went through to make it all happen.
Likewise, Geshe Namdak came here and went to Sera for many years, that’s not easy right. To study for a long time, that’s not easy.
We are living in a more difficult time in this 21st century, and Buddhism is also spreading to a certain extent, so that’s an opportunity we should take.
Likewise, we have this incredibly rich tradition. We have the aspects of mind science, and we have the aspect of philosophy, and we have the aspect of practice. So, it’s incredible to have this tradition alive and to preserve the tradition in a nonsectarian way, not to be sectarian in any form. And, there’s just a very rich and very profound aspects to benefit on many levels.
And to take it all into the practice. That’s of course very, very important.
So, it’s not that I can do the prayers for you and everything is solved. You have to work with people and of course there’s hardships involved. When you are born, you know that within 100 years you will die. So, if you have that life, then you should take the essence of that life, or make that life beneficial. Of course, the best way to do that is to benefit others.
You will always meet difficulties, right? Without difficulties it’s difficult to accomplish things.
Although the root of all these difficulties is not outside, although we might think it’s outside but the root is holding onto the grasping at the self.
So yeah, I’ve not much more to say than thank you all. And I will also do prayers from my side, to bring benefit to the whole world.
Then, if you think about those aspects, to work for the benefit of all beings, and think that all your activities of body speech and mind, you offer to all beings.
So, then we try to work in the best way we can, and difficulties will happen. It’s important to understand that the difficulties will happen. The best practice we can do is of course the practice of the Dharma. And then if you want to have a particular text, the best practice is the three principal aspects of the path and the Bodhicaryavatara. If you practice that, it’s the real way to remove obstacles. These are the main things to be practiced to remove obstacles.
So yeah, you can do different kind of practices like Protector Practices but if you really practice the Dharma well, then sponsors will come and the right people will appear and the protectors will help. That’s our way to move forward. And if you only do these kind of Protector Practices, but there’s no real practice from your own side, then the protectors themselves also will think, ‘what is this person doing?’”
