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.
Miraculous skies in the Big Sky
Thunderstorms Angry, dark, clouds, they fill the sky, The roar of their voices so low and loud, The rain they drop, so heavy at times, Tears are flowing, from the heavens so high, Why do I love them, I do not know, So dark, so dreary, yet mystifying at least, I watch in amazement 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 […]
Sangwa Yeshe and Tsok – how glorious!
This day at the Garden of 1000 Buddhas was filled with more togetherness than any I can remember. We sang, danced, told jokes, and spent time with each other. Tsok is more than a simple celebration, Yeshé Tsogyal said that to practice tsok just once closes the door to lower rebirths. It is also said that disease, […]
Essences of an evening at the Garden of 1000 Buddhas
Calmness marked Friday evening with Prajnaparamita practice.
Circumambulations around Yum Chenmo in Montana
This evening we performed a couple of circumambulations together with Rinpoche. Immensely profound in absolute silence. Tayata om gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā
Culmination of Vajrakilaya and Suppression of Negatives
This past Saturday, we culminated our Vajrakilaya practice and the Suppression of Negatives. The evening’s events were marked with many auspicious signs like a a rising storm that abated during our practice, the appearance of rainbow over Rinpoche, and a cloud shaped like the Vajra Dagger over the newly consecrated Suppression Stupa.
The Garden of 1000 Buddhas in 360 degrees
Last evening to constructed these two 360 degree, interactive panoramas of the Garden of 1000 Buddhas in Arlee, Montana. View from inside the Dharma Wheel View from inside the Dharma Wheel
A Different Kind of Independence on the Fourth
The Fourth of July, Independence Day. At the Garden of 1000 Buddhas, we are seeking true independence for all sentient beings. The liberation of all through a place designed to promote and, indeed, create peace in the hearts and minds of all that visit, see, or merely hear about the Garden of 1000 Buddhas. Everyone […]
The Dharma abounds
Today, Vida and I worked in the Garden of 100 Buddhas inthe afternoon. What a fortunate we have reaped to be in the presence of such great teachers as Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche, Khenpo Namchak, Khenpo Sonam, and Khenpo Orygen. The Garden of 1000 Buddhas is a place were the most compassionate people gather to perform […]
The Scaly Lifer – Western Fence Lizard
“There it is!”, I exclaimed as the brakes pounded down against the floorboard. A large lizard basking itself near the top of a lichen-encrusted boulder. Large by lizard standards (~8 inches) and thickly bodied, it was much more so than I had expected. Overjoyed to finally find this reptilian, the Western Fence Lizard, a sense […]
Blue no longer, the Dusky Grouse
I still have to stop myself from calling them Blue Grouse. The former Blue Grouse was split some time ago into the Sooty Grouse of the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and Pacific Coast, and the Dusky Grouse of the Rocky Mountains. The Dusky Grouse inhabits the dry forests and foothills, and during the spring, male Dusky Grouse […]