Check out “Sambhogakaya,” from the new Dzogchen-inspired album by Sir Richard Bishop and W. David Oliphant

Check out “Sambhogakaya,” from the new Dzogchen-inspired album by Sir Richard Bishop and W. David Oliphant

Check out “Sambhogakaya,” from the new Dzogchen-inspired album by Sir Richard Bishop and W. David Oliphant

Posted: 13 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT

Two respected figures from the independent-music world have released an album inspired by Dzogchen — "The Great Perfection" — the main teaching of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. (You can watch the video for one of its tracks, "Sambhogakaya,"below.) As music site TinyMixTapes.com reports:

"Sir Richard Bishop (of Sun City Girls and a ton of solo work) and W. David Oliphant (of Life Garden, Maybe Mental, and a ton of solo work) … [have released] their first collaborative album, Beyond All Defects, through their own ChodpaMedia label. The set was recorded last December in Phoenix, with Bishop playing acoustic guitar and Oliphant producing sounds through computer software and a MIDI controller. Bishop's guitar on the record was frequently detuned, bowed, and beaten, as 'treated' by Oliphant.

"The songs on Beyond Defects were inspired by the concepts of Tibetan Buddhism, in particular the Dzogchen body of teachings. Additionally, many of the musical ideas presented on the record derived from dreams the duo had the night before recording. If this all sounds a little too high-minded for you, keep in mind that the impetus behind the collaboration was Bishop's desire for 'big-ass Tibetan horn sounds.'"

You can order the album — and check out its tracklist and impressive packaging — here.  And watch/listen to "Sambhogakaya" here:

Want to learn more about Dzogchen? Check out these select articles from the Shambhala Sun archives (links open in new windows):

  • Beyond Meditation: Grounded in our formal practice of meditation, we can relax into the vast, open awareness that is our ultimate nature. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche tells the story of his own introduction to the Great Perfection.
  • Rest in the Sky of Natural Mind: The tantric path of Buddhism is complex and arduous, says Mingyur Rinpoche, but its surprising culmination is the practice of spaciousness, ease, and simplicity known as Dzogchen, the Great Perfection.
  • Discovering the True Nature of Mind: Geshe Tenzin Wangyal teaches us a five-stage Dzogchen meditation that begins with contemplating our worst enemy and culminates in the discovery that mind is empty, clear and blissful.
  • Mahamudra and Dzogchen: Thought-Free Wakefulness: The ability to dissolve thoughts is essential to attaining liberation, says renowned Dzogchen teacher Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Devotion and Pure Perception are two principles that lie at the root of Vajrayana practice that lead beyond confusion to thought-free wakefulness.
  • Quintessence of Compassion: From her book Sacred Voices, Sandra Scales offers a selection of portraits and teachings by some of the great Nyingma masters of our time, whose presence "is nothing other than the quintessence of compassion."

…And look for "The Great Perfection of Creativity," a Dzogchen-informed teaching about unleashing creative energy, in our November 2012 magazine, coming soon.

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Pro-Tibet and Taiwan mural in Oregon upsets Chinese officials

Posted: 13 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Downtown Corvallis, Oregon

In the college town of Corvallis, Oregon, a mural above a storefront, commissioned by Taiwanese-American businessman David Lin, has angered China. The mural depicts Chinese authorities beating demonstrators, illustrates the self-immolation of a Tibetan monk, and  includes calls for Tibetan and Taiwanese independence.

A letter from China's consulate in San Francisco, sent to Corvallis Mayor Julie Manning last month, states that "to avoid our precious friendship from being tainted by so-called 'Tibet Independence' and 'Taiwan Independence,' we sincerely hope you can understand our concerns and adopt effective measures to stop the activities advocating 'Tibet Independence' and 'Taiwan Independence' in Corvallis."

The town has relayed China's concern to Lin, who has no intention of taking the mural down. As for any "effective measures" China might have hoped for, Manning has said, "We reiterated that the building is privately owned and that this is private expression protected by the US Constitution." You can see a photo of a detail from the mural here.

(Photo by Sally via Flickr, using a CC-BY license.)

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Obama Karma by Russell Razzaque.

Posted: 12 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT

Greetings, friends and soon-to-be friends!! It has not been my intention to have been away for so long, but some trying times engulfed my wife and I this summer, which kept me away. Things are improving now and much better, so I am officially back!!

I was recently sent an interesting book titled, "Obama Karma: Lessons on Living Inspired by the 44th President" by Russell Razzaque. I don't normally talk politics on here (I have a separate blog for that) but this book intrigues me.

I voted for President Obama in 2008, but what I admire about him most isn't his politics necessarily, though many I do support. I admire him greatly for being calm under pressure, ability to listen and for his poise. Those are qualities that I can connect to from my Buddhist practice. Irregardless of his political beliefs, he is a wonderful example on how to calming deal with challenges in life, which is something I lack at times.

Mr. Obama is Christian, but he has qualities of a Buddhist who has experience with mindfulness. He seems to approach issues with an open-mind, willing to listen to other viewpoints before sharing his personal opinions. This speaks of a natural ability to practice "right speech" which hinges upon being able to listen, and truly listen, which means not just waiting for your turn to speak again. It means being mindful enough to truly absorb the intention behind each word, rather than just the words themselves. If we are listening but get caught up in our own thoughts at the same time then we miss vital pieces of information that could be gleaned from body language and intentions behind words. Being able to perceive these other signals can only come when we are truly present and aware of our partner in discussion.

This are some of but a few thoughts and lessons I learned from reading the book, "Obama Karma." The book also includes practical exercises on how we can ingrain similar traits into our personal lives. It's a book that straddles the political and spiritual without drowning in the overly political. It's a nice, short, read but deep with insights. I'd really recommend it. I'd give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5. A good gift idea for your political friends, Obama supporters or just people looking for lessons on how to be more mindful in political discussions.

Bowing,
-James

~I bow to the Buddha within all~
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China to institute a 15-year compulsory education program in Tibet

Posted: 12 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT

Group of Tibetan girls

According to a recent article in the Tibetan Review, China plans to institute a 15-year free, compulsory education program for Tibetan children, from kindergarten on through senior high school. This program will teach Tibetan as a language subject, while the rest will be entirely in Chinese. Tibetans have often chosen not to send their children to Chinese schools, fearing that China might "brainwash them to become like communist Chinese in their thinking."

The program is expected to increase Chinese education for Tibetan school children in a "major way."

Be sure to read the entire article over at the Tibetan Review, a monthly magazine on Tibet.

(Photo by Joseph Ferris III via Flickr using a CC-BY license.)

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Seeing Fresh: Contemplative Photo of the Week

Posted: 12 Sep 2012 11:00 AM PDT

Contemplative photography is a method for working with the contemplative state of mind, seeing the world in fresh ways, and expressing this experience photographically. Each week we choose an image that's been submitted to seeingfresh.com that really exemplifies this practice.

This week's photo is a luscious water shot by Ma Claudia Quijano. On one hand, it is just a photograph of some water. On the other, it is an image filled with sky, pattern, and movement. It's a great example of what can be revealed by fresh seeing.


For more about contemplative photography, and lots of other great photos, visit seeingfresh.com. And don't miss this video or this article on contemplative photography. You can see all our Seeing Fresh posts on Shambhala SunSpace here.

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