About the Project
An online discussion group for Chime Rinpoche's students
Particulary appropriate for those who can't get to a retreat centre , or students who live abroad and/or have to travel a long way.
Discussions are ideally for a group of up to eight students, & are on Zoom for about two hours
ALL STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO JOIN
Please make contact. I will reply.
Some of the topics we have discussed have required an introductory statement of intent, and some have been just titles to work around. For example:
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The notion of Loss and Gain as it relates to our meditation practice. Let’s begin here and share our experience and whether we can relate to this. Let’s see where the conversation leads us
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We Have Everything We Need
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Refuge. What exactly does taking refuge mean in our experience
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The Lama's Blessing
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Open Space
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An Open Mind. As students of Rinpoche we have been given some of the highest teachings it is possible. We have also continually received instructions from him on how to be good, happy people, in our ordinary daily lives and relationships (conduct). Sitting in the middle of these are the Meditation instructions we have received. How do we blend these three in our practice of sitting and in life?
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Ego – how do we use it? What are our thoughts around these words?
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Essence and Ritual. How do you practise? How much do you engage in deity practice, learning pujas, playing instruments and similar, and why? How do you get on with your own path when others around you are doing their thing, that is sometimes so different to what we are doing? How do we equate ritual with silent meditation?
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Turning the Mind. Turning the mind from what to what?
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Mahamudra and Dzogchen with Rinpoche. Let’s explore our experiences.
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Letting Go. Practically speaking, how are we doing with letting go in meditation and in daily life?
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e Teacher and I. In Vajrayana there is a very personal relationship between a student and teachers. Where are we in this process and who is Chime Rinpoche for us. Chime Rinpoche acknowledges the relationships he had with a handful of teachers.
Sangha Dharma Experience
The Online Discussion Group
Quite soon after I was ordained and given instructions by Kyabje Chime Rinpoche I realised that it would be very difficult to visit students who were not able to get to a retreat centre, and Marpa House in particular.
The solution wasn't difficult to think of since the internet is so much a part of our lives nowadays. So I founded Sangha Dharma Experience (abbreviated now to SDE) as an online Zoom group.
After several meetings, some of which were both informative and touching, a senior student came forward to help and she now manages the group perfectly. I advise when asked and also continue to participate.
People in the group are encouraged to speak intuitively; nothing is recorded.
 open flower |
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 Chenresi |
 lily |
 butterfly |
 Buddha head |
 Grace_thumbnail_lo_black_edited |
 hold the light |
 Bee and Flower_edited |
 Conch |
 Marpa |
 seeds |
 sky |
 white lotus |
SDE sets out to discuss experiences of the dharma. Students of Chime Rinpoche are the only ones in the group. We try to avoid teaching each other or laying something down, and we give each other space to talk freely without interruption. The convenor is there to start the discussion off and wind up the session. In the several years that we have been discussing our experiences, there has only once been a need to intervene and mediate - which is a testimony to all the people who have contributed. There are about 20 students who join at one time or another and the ideal group is
6 - 8 people on any one day.
SDE meets on an ad hoc basis about once every two months usually on a Saturday just before lunch UK time. We are flexible though with timing though, because students may wish to join from a different time zone.