Arizona Friends of Volume 6 Issue 2 Arizona Friends of Tibet Spring 2009

Our Mission Statement Arizona Friends of Tibet is a non-profit organization KALACHAKRA for people who believe Tibetans are entitled to the EVENT IS basic human rights out- OVERWHELMING lined in the charter of the SUCCESS United Nations. We sup- port the non-violent efforts Losang Samten of the Dalai to regain dignity and religious free- (right) pours the sand dom for the Tibetan peo- used in constructing ple, and to preserve the the Kalachakra man- unique and endangered dala into a pond dur- culture of Tibet and its ancient Buddhist tradi- ing the dissolution tions. ceremony, March 15th It is the purpose of Arizona at the University of Friends of Tibet to educate Arizona. Hundreds of as many people as possi- onlookers were on ble about this unique cul- ture and civilization. In hand for the culmina- order to do this, within tion of the month- Arizona we promote cul- long event sponsored tural and educational ac- by U of A Bookstores tivities involving Tibet and and Arizona Friends its people. With our funds, we support of Tibet. projects which will allevi- ate the suffering of Tibet- A Wheel of Life man- ans within their own coun- dala event with try, which has been occu- Losang Samten is pied by China since 1949. planned for March We also support projects within Tibetan refugee com- 2010. (see page 2) munities in India.

We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety, a hundred years at the very most. During that period we must try to do ARIZONA FRIENDS OF TIBET NEWSLETTER something good, something IS GOING “GREEN” useful with our lives. Try to be at Beginning with the Fall issue, AFoT members and friends will have the peace option of receiving the newsletter electronically or by “snail with mail.” Electronic delivery via email or by reading it on our website yourself and help (www.arizonafriendsoftibet.org) will not only help save trees, but will allow us to others save on the expense of printing and postage which we can then use to fund share local programs, such as the Kalachakra mandala event, and for our that grants to Tibetan projects. With your help, AFoT will be able to leave a peace. If smaller footprint on our environment. If you would like to take advan- you con- tage of the faster electronic delivery, print out the newsletter from the tribute to website yourself, or continue to receive a printed copy in the mail, other people's happiness, please email [email protected] and let us know your preference you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life." ~ for receiving future issues. Thank you for helping us “go green.” The of Tibet

2 Arizona Friends of Tibet

The President’s Corner 6. Gargon Schools in Tibet–school improvements includ- ing a kitchen (repeat project). www.tibetaid.org By Peggy Hitchcock 7. Social Services Society Nepal–clothing, feed- Dear Friends and Fellow AFoT Members: ing, and housing orphans; basic reading and writing instruction; collecting blood donations from the many Before the summer doldrums are upon us, I want monks who live and practice in Bodha. Bodha is a to thank you all for your renewed membership and small Tibetan community just outside Katmandu. Their support during this past season. As you know, we organization is too small and poor to have a website as were able to sponsor the creation of a Kalachakra of yet. Mandala over a four-week period at the University of 8. Snow Lion Foundation–home for the elderly at Arizona Bookstore. This event was a huge success and Jawalakhel, providing health facilities for elderly Tibet- I am happy to say that Losang Samten has agreed to ans in a positive atmosphere. Google Snow Lion Foun- create another for us, this time The dation www.thesnowlion.com Wheel of Life, next March in the same location. 9. Terma Foundation–Tibetan children’s nutrition ser- We are looking forward to an exciting fall and vices and programs throughout Tibet. Google Terma winter season. We have two events planned so far. Foundation. www.terma.org Our annual Yard Sale is Saturday, October 24th, 10. Shem Woman's Group–providing school text books for Tibetan children in a remote area of Tibet. so please start putting aside your goodies! www.shemgroup.org One of our Board members, Leonard Scheff, will 11. Ajang Monastery Boarding School and be giving a timely one-day seminar entitled “The Clinic-(repeat project) Google Amitabha Foundation. th Cow in the Parking Lot” on Sunday, November 8 www.amitabhafoundation.org at the Pavilion. He will teach methods of transform- 12. Pundarika Foundation–retreat center for homeless ing anger through patience, something we can all Tibetan nuns, refugees from Tibet (repeat project) use, particularly in these stressful times. The inspi- Google Pundarika Foundation. www.terma.org ration came from His Holiness's teachings on the 13. Nyerongsha Institute–Dr. Dickey Palden Nyerongsha's chapter on patience from Shantideva's manuscript, project sponsoring Tibetan medical students at the “The Way of Life,” which he gave here Institute; funds for books, teachers, supplies; health in Tucson in 1993. Leonard has perfected this semi- care for seniors and disabled. Google Nyerongsha In- nar over many years, presenting it to various groups, stitute. www.clavan.net including attorneys and judges. 14. Khenpo Sherab Ozer Rinpoche's Nun's Project– I am very pleased to report that AFoT is donat- approximately 400 nuns of the Drikung tradi- ing $10,000 to 16 different, very worthy programs tion are learning the 13 major philosophical texts. Un- that will aid our Tibetan friends. The grants are for fortunately, nuns traditionally have less support than monasteries in Tibet. They are still dealing with cul- $625 each but this amount of money, small as it is, tural discrimination. www.drikungtucson.org goes very far in India, Nepal, and Tibet. Please 15. Tibetan Village Project–Nyanang needs a mill to grind check the websites or Google the names for more tsampa (roasted barley flour – the traditional staple in detailed information. They are as follows, with a Tibet) (repeat organization, new project) Google Tibetan brief description of each one: Village Foundation 1. Shree Mangal Dvip School–for winter coats, 16. The Sogan Foundation–providing clean safe water play clothes, and shoes. (repeat project) supply to a small senior community in Golok, Tibet. www.himalayanchildren.org (repeat project). Google Sogan Foundation. 2. Sechen Tsering Art School Project–training young art- www.clavan.net ists in a pure and authentic lineage of Buddhist Please remember we count on your support, both painting. (repeat project). www.karuna- financial and physical, for our continued success. sechen.org Looking forward to next season and wishing you 3. Konchok Foundation for Surmang Shedra–electrical, all a wonderful, relaxing summer, wherever you plumbing, solar heating and finishing for the only may be. school for lay people and monastics in this entire area of Tibet. (repeat project) All best wishes, 4. Sagara health Center–mother and child health project (repeat project), www.surmang.org Peggy Hitchcock 5. Chethak Ruchen School in Tibet–school for nomadic President, Arizona Friends of Tibet families and orphans (repeat project). www.tibetaid.org

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“THE COW IN THE PARKING LOT”: UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS SEMINAR ON TRANSFORMING ANGER NYUNGNE RETREAT S. Leonard Scheff, AFoT board member and prac- Garchen Rinpoche, Gape Lama, Abao Lama, BuN- ticing attorney, will give a one-day seminar entitled ima Lama th nd “The Cow in the Parking Lot” on Sunday, November June 20 -22 , 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. th th Preregistration deadline: 5:00 p.m., June 13 8 at the Pavilion. The workshop, based on his book by the same The Nyungne practice of the eleven-faced, thousand- name, provides the opportunity to experiment with armed form of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the Bud- four working hypotheses: dha of compassion, is for purifying negative karma 1. Anger is a destructive emotion. and accumulating merit and wisdom in a short but 2. The first person damaged by your anger is you. intensive retreat setting. This intensive practice re- 3. Actions taken as a result of anger are likely to be quires maintaining the eight Mahayana precepts on irrational and therefore harmful or not effective. the first day and on the second day adding vows of 4. You can, if you choose, reduce the amount of an- fasting and silence for twenty-four hours. Meditation ger in your life. sessions include prayers, offerings, prostrations, and The goal of transforming anger is to harness the energy extensive mantra recitation, cultivating all three vehi- of anger and change it into more positive and compassion- cles of Buddhism. Practicing Nyungne with great devo- ate emotions, a different process than commonly taught in tion increases peace in oneself and the world, brings anger management. Instead, Scheff helps attendees to dis- happiness and good fortune, and leads to in cover their ability to replace the distress of anger with the Buddha Amitabha’s Pureland of Dewachen. comfort of patience, tolerance, and compassion. It is said in the text called the Collection of the Leonard has presented the seminar to various groups, Intentions of All Tantras that if practitioners of the including attorneys, judges, executives, and students. Mahayana do a Nyungne even once, they will purify His book can be ordered through his website, all the wrongdoing accumulated throughout forty www.TransformingAnger.com, where additional informa- thousand eons and achieve rebirth as either a hu- tion on the seminar is available. man or deva. If done eight times consecutively, the state of a stream enterer is attained and rebirth in Dewachen is guaranteed. If performed twenty-five DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENING times, the state equal to a once-returner is attained and all wrongdoing of the previous eighty thousand Arizona Friends of Tibet will screen a DVD of the excep- eons is purified. Performed fifty times the state tional documentary film of Nanching Nuns who live in a equivalent to a non-returner is achieved and all remote area of Tibet. The film, produced and directed by wrongdoing for the prior eight hundred million eons Victress Hitchcock (no relation to Peggy Hitchcock) received is purified. If the Nyungne is performed 108 con- a grant of $500 from Arizona Friends of Tibet last year to secutive times, arhatship is attained and all the finish the translations to complete the project. Please watch wrongdoing and obscurations of the past one billion for updates on the date and time of the screening. eons is purified and birth in Dewachen in the direct presence of Buddha Amitabha is assured. Please join us for this deeply beneficial practice! For this retreat, participation in all three days is required. HELP WANTED REGISTERING FOR EVENTS We urgently need a volunteer to assist our Please note that pre-registration is required for all Merchandise Director, Kate Garner, with Garchen Institute events. To pre-register, your nonre- planning our annual yard sale and assisting fundable deposit of one day’s tuition ($30) and 50% of with buying and cataloging merchandise. the cost of meals you wish to purchase ($4 for break- fast, $7 for lunch, $7 for dinner) is due no later than This position will require 15–20 hours of 5:00 p.m. one week prior to the start of the event. To your time from mid-September to mid-May, reserve meals, your meal deposit must be received by roughly an eight-month period. Please con- the deadline. tact Kate at 393-3990 or on line at To pre-register or inquire about work-study opportuni- [email protected]. Thank you very ties, email the Institute at [email protected] or call much in advance for your help. 928-925-1237. For further information, please visit our website at www.garchen.net. NON-PROFIT ORG Arizona Friends of Tibet U.S. Postage PAID Tucson, Arizona PERMIT NO. 999

The Arizona Friends of Tibet PO Box 31956 Tucson, Arizona 85751

Local Buddhist organizations:

Dharmakirti College

749-4217 www.dharmakirti.org

Drikung Namgyal Ling 465-1882 www.drikungkagyutucson.org

Tucson Shambhala 735-2740 www.tucson.shambhala.org

Bodhisattva Institute

325-2272 www.bodhisattvainstitute.org

AZ Diamond Zen Center 572-3777

AZ Soto Zen Center

325-3155 www.azszc.org Visit www.arizonafriendsoftibet.org for Zen Desert Sangha 235-4275 the latest postings of activities and www.zendesertsangha.org events in the local Buddhist

Manjushri Wisdom Center (FPMT) 971-1681 www.manjushriwisdom-fpmt.org/

This newsletter is a seasonal publication of ARIZONA FRIENDS OF TIBET a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about Tibetan culture and civilization.

We can be reached at P.O. Box 31956, Tucson, Arizona 85751 (520) 885-6527 , (520) 751-2671 fax www.arizonafriendsoftibet.org

Board of Directors PEGGY HITCHCOCK President MARY K. THOMPSON Treasurer TONI TALLMAN Secretary BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE EMILY DANIES JUDY MARGOLIS JACKI ELDER ANN MITCHELL KATE GARNER LEONARD SCHEFF KAREN J. KIRSCH MIRIAM TARCOV Cover photo by: Toni Tallman