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GMR Newsletter 5 1 20 Newsletter from Geshe Michael April 2020 A Newsletter from Geshe Michael Roach May 1, 2020 Rainbow House, Arizona, USA Hi dear friends: I hope you and your loved ones are safe & sound in these difficult times, and taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime moment when so many of us in the world are more or less in retreat together! (The retreat in our house was interrupted by this sweet stray dog, whose owner we located a few days later!) I believe that this home time is for all of us one of the most amazing opportunities I have ever experienced, in my long life. Just being the one person in our city or town who remains calm, and who takes this chance to share money or food or good wishes with those living in anxiety around us, is a chance for each of us to make a big difference in the world. So I strongly urge you to think about this wonderful opportunity, and to be that one who shares and gives and gives again in the midst of fear and selfishness. Be that one shining light for others around you to see. If you accomplish that, then I personally feel happy and satisfied that we are all on the right path. Like everybody, Veronica and I have been almost completely confined to our house now, for weeks. And like everybody, I am guessing, I have to admit that this “retreat” was unexpected and that I have not really used my time as well as I should have. I am trying to improve on that every day, but I do see one thing: that while we are kind to others, we also have to be kind to ourselves. It is true that suddenly we have all day 1 Newsletter from Geshe Michael April 2020 at our desk to work, but it is also true that we are human beings. We too have our weaknesses and our fears about life in this moment. And so I really encourage you to be kind to yourselves, in these coming months. Try to choose one or two tasks—such as your daily meditation practice in the morning, and some online study of the seed principles or similar teachings, in the afternoon. Promise yourself that you will give each of these jobs one hour per day, and be very strict with yourself about that. And then see what the rest of the day brings you, in the service of others, but also in the small needs and tasks of life that we all have. Don’t be hard on yourself, so long as you finish those two hours. One thing I learned during my own 3-year retreat is that we cannot expect ourselves to be focused every single minute of the day on deep and important practices. We are humans, and we also need time to relax; to cook something nice and enjoy; to watch a movie in the evening if we feel like it; to not spend every minute of the day super- efficiently. Just set a goal of those two good hours of practice & study, and stick to it: this will be enough for these difficult times. My second reason for writing is to share with everyone some new resources that people in our extended family around the world are creating; these will help all of us become better people through this crisis. And of course, we will continue with our regular programs and tours as soon as possible; we have already re-scheduled many of them for the final months of 2020, and will monitor the situation until then to make sure that is safe for everyone. In the meantime, here is a wide range of support that you can turn to, from different people in our family, who have each described here what they would like to share with all of us: 1) Diamond Cutter Institute (DCI) Peach Tree Morning Show 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, free of charge: Geshe Michael, DCI VPs Scott & Orit Vacek, and senior DCI and DiamondX teachers from around the world answering your business and personal questions while you have breakfast! 50 episodes already, available in 8 2 Newsletter from Geshe Michael April 2020 languages, with 168,000 views so far! Big thanks to staff members Victor Gonzalez, Brian Mendoza, Seiji Takahashi, as well as our many guests on the show, and 47 hardworking translators worldwide!! Access from DiamondCutterInstitute.com. Success Detective Video Series 6-part video series by Geshe Michael on discovering the secrets to making a success out of this difficult Year of the Rat! 7,800 people have already completed the entire series, due to the hard work of organizers Wang Xia & Penny Wong, along with a team of over 50 staff and 10 companies worldwide. Copies still available. Access from DiamondCutterInstitute.com. DiamondX The DiamondX program of certified DCI speakers continues to grow, under the leadership of Wang Xia. Programs are already in planning for selected countries where limited group events may soon be considered safe by their governments. Dx, like all of us, is also jumping online with programs soon, and Dx speakers are already making a big impact in online spots like the Peach Tree Morning Show! Access from DiamondCutterInstitute.com. DCI Online Academy: arriving very soon with— DCI Online Threads Brief video episodes aimed at quick specific goals, like a 20% bump in salary. Geshe Michael with Scott & Orit Vacek, and other senior DCI staff. Check DiamondCutterInstitute.com for release info. The 12 Complete DCI Online Courses The entire famous 12 levels of DCI in 12 videos per level, for 144 total videos, taught by Geshe Michael and senior DCI teachers. Episodes will be releasing weekly on DiamondCutterInstitute.com. 3 Newsletter from Geshe Michael April 2020 2) Sedona College of International Management (SCIM) Due to the shutdown of international travel, and to keep our students and teachers safe, SCIM cancelled its spring term in Sedona, Arizona, USA. Taking the model of great institutions like Princeton University, the autumn term (September 10-25) will be held online, if necessary. We will be sending out details in the coming weeks to our current and prospective students, and posting them on our website at SedonaCollegeInternational.com. As noted below, we will be holding—online live & recorded—the Mixed Nuts Translation Classes for the spring term (second half of May). We encourage especially our regular DCI/SCIM teacher training participants to watch …there will be 65 amazing classes covering ten of the greatest books of ancient Asia. And one more exciting piece of news: We continue to develop our plans for SCIM branches in different countries, to open within the next year or two, depending on when the international travel situation opens up. More details to come! If you would like to propose that SCIM hold programs in your country or area of the world, please visit the same website and send us a note at “Get in Touch.” 3) Asian Classics Institute (ACI) The Wheel of Life Online Retreat 35th retreat led by Geshe Michael on the Steps of the Path to Enlightenment, first time online—all organized by ACI Executive Director Tim Lowenhaupt & his crew of almost 100 volunteers. See all 25 of Geshe M’s video segments for free, or join the online community of extra classes & materials. About 5,000 participants! Chinese 4 Newsletter from Geshe Michael April 2020 & many other languages available. Access at: AsianClassicsInstitute.org and click on red ribbon at top for Wheel of Life Retreat 4) Mixed Nuts Translation Group The Mixed Nuts Reading Club Geshe Michael, Mixed Nuts Director Nick Lashaw, and other senior translators of the Mixed Nuts Ancient Book Translation Group meet weekly in an exciting live discussion of the best of the best from thousands of pages of ancient wisdom they’ve been translating. Join in live online and ask questions of your own, or enjoy watching past episodes! Access at: AsianClassics.org/Translate/Reading-Club Over 600 free classes in the ancient Asian classics! During the last three years, Geshe Michael has taught over 600 classes about how to read the ancient classics of Asia. If you are stuck in your house this spring, you can enjoy some of these very deep, free videos! For info contact: [email protected] Upcoming series of online classes in the ancient Asian books! Since we will not be able to hold our regular spring college term at the Sedona College, we will be holding the Mixed Nuts Translation Group classes online. Everyone can participate, and the classes will be translated into many modern languages simultaneously! Hours & hours of great, deep, live online exploration of the classics, from the greatest translation project since Master Xuanzang! This series will run live May 19 to June 2, with recorded sessions available during and after. For info contact: [email protected] 5 Newsletter from Geshe Michael April 2020 Diamond Cutter Classics Read updates of translations by the Mixed Nuts of ancient classics from many different schools & centuries. Thousands of pages of never-before-translated Asian classics, for free! Access at: DiamondCutterClassics.com Join the Secondary Translators! This amazing group of translators, directed by Silvia Engelhardt from Hamburg, takes the classics translated by the Mixed Nuts into English from Sanskrit, Tibetan, & Chinese, and re-translates them into other modern languages like Mandarin Chinese; Spanish; French; German; & Russian. Want to join up? Write to Silvia at [email protected]. Spanish translation group A premier group of Spanish translators working on translating all the ACI courses and other materials, directed by Rosa van Grieken.
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