Links to When the Iron Bird Flies previews

Anam Thubten is one of the excellent Tibetan teachers in America featured in this soon to be released movie. The 3 trailers are wonderful. Best links to them are:

#1 http://vimeo.com/12240094
#2 http://vimeo.com/26610713
#3 http://vimeo.com/14273926

Featured in the movie:

Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Matthieu Ricard
Alan Wallace
Sharon Salzberg
Richard Gere
Anam Thubten
Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche
Chökyi Nyima
Phakchok Rinpoche
Mingyur Rinpoche
Reggie Ray
Tsultrim Allione
Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel
Jetsunma Khandro Rinpoche

When the Iron Bird Flies

“When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.”

~ 8th century - Guru Padmasambhava

In 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama escapes the Chinese invasion of Tibet and with his departure and the exodus of many of the major teachers of all the sects of Tibetan Buddhism— Buddhadharma, as it was practiced in virtual seclusion for centuries in the Land of Snow, was suddenly thrust out into the world.

"The coming of Buddhism to the West may well prove to be the most important event of the Twentieth Century."

~ Arnold Toynbee, Historian

Fifty years later, there are Tibetan Buddhist meditation centers in every major city in the western world, two three-year retreat centers in France alone, and the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, has 92,000 followers on Twitter.
When the Iron Bird Flies traces the astounding path of one of the world’s great spiritual traditions from the caves of Tibet to the mainstream of western culture and asks: In these increasingly chaotic modern times, can these age old teachings help us find genuine happiness and create a saner, more compassionate 21st century world?

"Only if outward and inner freedom are constantly and consciously pursued is there a possibility of spiritual development and perfection and thus of improving man’s outward and inner life."

~ Albert Einstein, Out of My Later Years

Anam Thubten Rinpoche

Rinpoche ~ Anam Thubten

let me tell you about a man i met
living in our time
who has the highest gift to share
one that is sublime

to hear him is to love him
golden pure light shines for us
and opens up dark corners
of hatred, greed and lust

the secret key to all those doors
lies not in mysteries grand
it simply lies in open eyes
and heart of no demand

Mantra of Prajnaparamita

Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!

Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond.  What awakening!

Offering

Offering

John Heron

waves in the mind by shunryu suzuki

http://www.ijourney.org/index.php?tid=367

"Actually water always has waves. Waves are the practice of the water. To speak of waves apart from water or water apart from waves is a delusion. Water and waves are one. Big mind and small mind are one. When you understand your mind in this way, you have some security in your feeling. As your mind does not expect anything from outside, it is always filled. A mind with waves in it is not a disturbed mind, but actually an amplified one. Whatever you experience is an expression of big mind."

Link to previews of "When the Iron Bird Flies" Buddhism comes to the West

“When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.”

~ 8th century - Guru Padmasambhava

This movie will make waves ~ gentle, yet strong on the land of the setting sun   ~ nmw

http://www.chariotvideos.com/documentary/index.shtml

In Buddhism, the blue lotus is the symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, of intelligence and wisdom and of knowledge. It is always represented as a partially opened bud, and (unlike the red lotus) its centre is never seen. It is the lotus of Manjusri, and also one of the attributes of Prajnaparamita, the embodiment of the 'perfection of wisdom'.  (Nymphaea caerulea)

beginners no mind

My hope is that in this blog "no mind wave" I will eventually find my way to some kind of synthesis of the above-listed (in the title section) aspects of mind (and ultimately 'no mind') that I'm now circumnavigating and that this exploration may be of some benefit to others.  Probably the best chance of this will be through my links. 

As an aspiring fully-enlightened being and (more accurately) a fairly recently emerged cave-dweller now getting accustomed to the light, I am well into my hunter-gatherer phase and beginning to feel the need for some tying together perhaps as a storyteller, or at least journal-er.  Definately as a reflector.  I will also occasionally attempt to tap into my creative aspects poetically and welcome all inspired words from any readers!  Mostly, I think I'll share that which moves me to share.

Coming from a Buddhist perspective on training the mind through meditative practice with the ultimate aim to completely surrender the ego and experience liberation in every moment, I also share the Dalai Lama's interest in the science of mind. Studies in neuroscience which measure physiological signs of transitions of states of consciousness are something I am just beginning to explore. I would highly recommend anyone interested in this area to watch the Mind & Life Institute's Conference with the Dalai Lama and various scientists and scholars, including Richard Davidson of Wisconsin University.  [See his paper:  http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/pdfs/davidsonBuddhaIEEE.pdf  regarding his study of meditation amongst Tibetan monks.]

Mind & Life Conference 2010: Contemplative Science: The Scientific Study of the Effect of the Contemplative Practice on Human Biology and Behaviour, co-sponsored by the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus http://www.mindandlife.org/dialogues/past-conferences/ml22/

I feel that meditation should have a prominant place in the west and that its practice could become a catalyst to redirect the world from our current path of destruction.  Michael Baime of Penn State's Program for Mindfulness has developed programs using meditation as a stress reduction tool with cancer patients and with projects to bring mindfulness to the public school system.  He advocates 'teaching the teachers' as a way to integrate this into the school system, which seems to be a good approach as the teachers (with the support of the administration) could teach the method each year to their students.  I hope readers will pass on this information to schools in their area and help to initiate and implement training programs.  To see a video of him discussing the program see:  http://themindfulrevolution.com/education/tmr-interview-dr-michael-baime/. 

As far as the particle wave physics aspect  (ahem)  I have absolutely no background in physics or any special logical/mathematic abilities, so whatever knowledge I glean in this sphere will be utterly simplistic and any insights very gut-level.  I welcome feedback from those whose physics center in the brain is more finely tuned and charged!  There's a lot of chatter about the correlations between Buddhist thought and certain theories in physics which evoke great potentials & excitement!  Multiverses / mulitdimensions- nothing new to certain areas of buddhist thought ... form is matter and then it is a wave and, it is both? ... also, not so new.

I know that I like what I've heard from physicist Lisa Randall, who studies particle physics and cosmology while teaching theoretical physics at Harvard (see her talk on particle physics with Charlie Rose on PBS-which is on his website and on youtube).  I really like the fact that she has also written several popular science books and the libretto of an opera!  I also appreciate David Bohm's (world-famous physicist) openess to and exploration of the link between physics and eastern philosophy (having seen his talk with Krishnamurti). see "The Future of Humanity" on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knu4ujA1rfU. 

Here's a synopsis of their book "The Ending of Time":

• "This very important work offers penetrating dialogues between the great spiritual leader and the renowned physicist that shed light on the fundamental nature of existence. Krishnamurti and David Bohm probe such questions as 'why has humanity made thought so important in every aspect of life? How does one cleanse the mind of the 'accumulation of time' and break the 'pattern of ego-centered activity'? The Ending of Time concludes by referring to the wrong turn humanity has taken, but does not see this as something from which there is no escape. There is an insistence that mankind can change fundamentally; but this requires going from one's narrow and particular interests toward the general, and ultimately moving still deeper into that purity of compassion, love and intelligence that originates beyond thought, time, or even emptiness."

Other than the science, I want to explore meditation et al. from my own personal experience and in creative ways, so I am aiming to balance this blog with art, poetry, music and words of wisdom quotes from those who are truly wise.  I will also shamelessly promote certain teachers of meditation techniques as well as a biased leaning towards promolgating Vajrayana - Dzogchen views, as that is where I currently stand in 'my practice'.  Open to learning about others with similar and different views.  More on this later (and if you actually read all this - I like you a lot and please keep checking back.  Your comments will be very welcome).

~ nmw

mind has no mind

mind has no mind
mind is luminous
             ~ Buddha