Winter’s last gasp
This past weekend, my pal Jorge and I took a winter’s walk along the Bitterroot River at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. The light snow continued to fall and accumulate. The powder was already knee deep and the air had frigid edges to it, but there were cracks in winter’s facade. Red-winged Blackbirds sang […]
Sand mandala creation at the Montana State Capitol
This past Friday, we were traveling through Helena, and as luck would have it, the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation (TCEF) was sponsoring the creation of a sand mandala in the rotunda of the Montana Capitol Building. TCEF dedicates itself to the preservation of the Tibetan culture through education and assistance, raising awareness of the culture, and […]
The Culmination of all our blessings and practice
The July Consecration Retreat has come to an end, and, boy, it we send it off with a bang. We sang, danced, told stories, and enjoyed each other’s company until the wee hours.
Final Sunday morning – Tibetan Procession and speech from Tashi Namgyal
It is bittersweet when something amazing comes to an end. I woke up this morning feeling a bit of melancholy, but upon arriving at the Garden of 1000 Buddhas, these feeling quickly evaporated. The first person I saw was my old friend Karma Tensum for the Tibetan Children’s Foundation. Following a wonderful Tibetan Procession and Dakini […]
Dancing Dakinis and Tsok – Saturday night equals party night
Dakinis, the female embodiment of enlightenment, danced for us this evening. They danced so gracefully, and I found my attention focused on their hands. Each hands holding a damaru or bell flowed. Following their dance, we engaged tsok that lasted into the wee hours.
Flames of the Fire Puja
After lunch on Saturday we, engaged in a Fire Puja, in which we placed the names/images of those who have passed away with intention of aiding the in the purification of any negative karma.
Final consecration and kora of the Garden
Late in the morning, Rinpoche led us in the final elements of the consecration of the Garden of 1000 Buddhas. The circumambulation procession filled the air with bells, conches, banners, and mantra as it paced the entirety of the Garden.
The making of a very large drum for the Garden
Some 5 years ago, sangha member Tim began a big project, to make a large drum for Rinpoche and Ewam. He asked Rinpoche how big, and Rinpoche held his hands apart so far. Tim quickly grabbed his tape measure and the result was a drum with a diameter of 40 inches. Tim made the body […]
Brilliant Moon over the Bitterroot
The brilliant moon travels upstream under the bats and over the leaping trout yellow sunset becomes blue twilight eight deer cross at the shallows i used to think that the moon followed the car now i know that it follows the Bitterroot is Dilgo in the moonbeams?
Final morning of consecration of the Garden of 1000 Buddhas
The day broke with blissfully embracing sun. This was the final day of consecration. My heart swelled during the day as the momentum built and finally concluded.
Steven Small Salmon & Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche drum, sing, and share
Steven Small Salmon tells the story of his involvement with and relationship to the Garden of 1000 Buddhas and Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche, then he offers two Salish songs. These two men display the common friendship that exists within us all. “It’s important that you laugh, and cry too.” ~ Steven Small Salmon Steven teaches at […]
Auspicious Rainbow over Montana
July has been a month of rainbows. Rainbows appeared during several practices of the 30-day Ewam Stupa Consecration Retreat. This rainbow foreshadowed a swift moving thunderstorm.
Bitterroot (dharma) River and Montana (vajra) Sky
It is the time of day when everything becomes soft. The formerly blazing sun transforms into a warm blanket of light. Delicate mayflies swarm over the round rocks and ripples of the river. The sun continues its descent has the moon, a sliver of a crescent, dutifully follows. Kingbirds and Cedar Waxwings slice through the […]
Evening spent with 1000 Buddhas
Last night was incredibly powerful with the 1000 Buddhas empowerment conferred to us from Rinpoche. We rested in mindfulness under the protection of the Dharmchakra and flanking deer that adorn the Tibetan tent – hundreds of mantra were recited. We were under the Tibetan tent because the previous tent was destroyed by a gust of wind; […]
Just this, nothing more than this
Arriving at the Garden of 1000 Buddhas in the morning, the first dissolved expectation was the new location of the practice tent. It now resides within the Dharmacakra of the Garden. You can look upon the central statue of Yum Chenmo from the practice tent. More folks have appeared at the Garden, which is a blessing. Placed at the […]