Dharma Teachings at Sonada 1973

From the Introduction :

As human beings we all have body, speech, and mind and the wish for happiness. But as the Buddha taught, all things are impermanent, and as such they are permeated by disappointment and the sorrow of degeneration. There is a way to transcend this sorrow and it is the path of Buddhist Dharma.

It is the mind that controls the body and speech; thus, when the mind is disciplined, the body and speech will be also. Kalu Rinpoche's Dharma teachings show us how to guide our minds toward stability and happiness, through the various stages of the development of bodhicitta (thought of enlightenment) which is inherent within us all.

Kalu Rinpoche, a true descendant of the meditation family of yogi Jetsun Milarepa, spent many years living in isolated caves in Tibet, perfecting the inexpressible compassion and wisdom of Milarepa and Chenrezig. Then with great compassion for us all, and at the request of Perna Wanchug Gyalpo-the 11th Tai Situpa Rinpoche-he left the peace of his mountain caves and started teaching at Palpung Monastery in Tibet. Kalu Rinpoche taught there for many years, but eventually, foreseeing the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese, he went to Bhutan at the invitation of their king and queen. He established monasteries there and gave teach- ings so that those who wished might practice Dharma. Rinpoche then moved to the Darjeeling district of northern India, where he started the Samdrup Darjay Ling monastery in Sonada, where many people have now benefited from his teachings.

At Sonada, from April to July of 1973, a group of Westerners gathered to learn about Tibetan Buddhism. Each afternoon, Kalu Rinpoche would give teachings to all who came up to his house. He did this on the instructions of His Holiness the Karmapa, who wanted to send him soon to the West to prepare the way for Dharma and to introduce Westerners to Buddhism.

Many of us were doing Ngondro, or the Four Foundation Practices. We were also doing the meditation on White Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara) and reciting together his prayer, OM MANI PADME HUNG. These practices and all the teachings were preceded by taking refuge in the Three Jewels, and then by praying to awaken the bodhicitta in us all. In this way Kalu Rinpoche taught us about training our minds through traditional Buddhist meditation.