After inspiration and meditation comes the celebration! Thanks to Lama Yeshe Rinpoche for blessing this KSDE Anniversary Weekend with his wisdom, loving kindness and joyful presence. Thanks too to all the lovely volunteers that made it happen and to everyone who came and made it both meaningful and fun!
As well as overseeing and teaching at KSD Edinburgh Ani Rinchen Khandro has forged links with local schools and Universities.
As Honorary Buddhist Chaplain for the University of Edinburgh she teaches at their Buddhist Society meetings one a month and was also the first teacher invited to speak at the Buddhist Society of Saint Andrew’s University.
The students in turn can choose to join in activities at KSDE, attending meditation sessions and teachings or even lending a hand on Volunteer Days.
Everybody’s happy!
KSDE welcomes groups, as well as individuals, often hosting visits from societies, schools and universities.
As Honorary Buddhist Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh, Ani Rinchen Khandro also gives talks and guidance at Student Buddhist Society meetings.
The students in turn can choose to join in activities at KSDE, attending meditation sessions and teachings or even lending a hand on Volunteer Days.
Everybody’s happy!
May all beings be happy and create the causes of happiness in this New Year and beyond.
The dawn of a New Year in the Tibetan calendar is known as the month of miracles, when the effects of our activities are multiplied a millionfold. It is the ideal time for cultivating positive qualities of wisdom, compassion and loving kindness towards all beings. We look forward to seeing you and sharing any or all of the following events and our regular daily activities at KSDE.
Tuesday February 5th – LOSAR
6.30pm – 7.30pm Chenrezi Puja, dedicated to World Peace and Health. Everybody welcome.
Wednesday February 6th
6.30pm – 8pm Qigong & Meditation 10 week Course
Places are limited, booking is essential.
Saturday February 9th
10.30am – 11.45am Green Tara Weekend Puja
Developing fearless compassion to overcome obstacles
Saturday February 23rd
10.30am – 4.30pm Eight Verses for Training the Mind
Lama Zangmo presents this precious text composed by Buddhist Master Langri Tangpa
Because the Buddha Dharma is beyond price we wish to offer all Dharma courses free of charge. In order to do so, we rely on your generosity to sustain the Centre in this noble endeavour. Please consider making a donation when booking your course and/or joining the Circle of Friends by making a monthly contribution. Our Centre is in our hands.
Our volunteers enjoy a well-earned cup of steaming hot chai after their great work tidying up the leaves around Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh in October.
Discover Buddha WithinEvery year we hold an Introduction to Buddhism course for those who are interested but may not know where to begin. As with most things, it’s best to begin at the beginning, which in this case is with the Buddha.
Sunday November 4th 10.30am – 4.30pm
An Introduction to Buddhism
Ani Rinchen Khandro presents an overview of Buddhism starting with the life of the Buddha, through the spread of his teachings around the world to the West, via Tibet to Scotland. The main focus of the course will be to discover the relevance and benefits of timeless Buddhist wisdom and compassion in our busy modern times. This introduction can also serve as a precursor to the Four Preliminary Foundations course starting in January 2019.
As the Buddha Dharma is beyond price, all our Dharma courses are offered free of charge. In order to enable this we hope those who are able to will cultivate generosity by making a donation when booking online.
For those who prefer a more secular approach KSDE is also offering a weekend course with Alistair Appleton later in the month.
November 24th & 25th 10.30am to 4.30pm both days
A Meditative Approach to Anxiety
Full information and course bookings can be made directly with Alistair Appleton at www.mind-springs.org/courses
And finally, a wee reminder about this Saturday’s Screen Matinee on
October 27th, 10.30am
Teachings by H.H.17th Karmapa on The Four Dharmas of Gampopa
followed by discussion of the topic and Q&A
12pm Tea Break
12.30pm Optional volunteering opportunity to help keep the Centre beautiful. Leaf sweepers much appreciated and rewarded with mugs of steaming hot Chai.
After an eventful and joyful anniversary weekend with Lama Yeshe Rinpoche featuring his precious teachings, a wonderful film of Akong Rinpoche in Tibet, a photographic exhibition and a Guru Rinpoche Puja and sacred feast we’d like to share with you a some pictures of the various events. However, we don’t seem to have any pics of the Puja or feast. Obviously we were too preoccupied with praying and feasting!
Greetings one and all,
Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh welcomes you to the new Autumn Term of daily classes and monthly courses to soothe and energise body, mind and spirit.
An important date on our calendar is the upcoming Anniversary Weekend of September 22/23rd when Lama Yeshe Rinpoche will honour us with his joyful presence and invaluable teaching. On the Saturday before his visit we will be getting the Centre spick and span, both inside and out, ready to receive him. Volunteer help is much needed and appreciated!
TLC for KSDESaturday September 15th at 10.30
Join us for a morning of weeding, cleaning, sweeping and sprucing up the Centre ahead of the visit of Lama Yeshe Rinpoche.
Refreshments and a warm welcome for all volunteers.
PS trowels owners, please bring them along : )
KSDE is also recruiting Weekly Volunteers to assist with Admin, DIY and general helpfulness. To apply, Just email info@edinburgh.samye.org and mark your email Volunteer Help.
Explore the fascinating story of how Tibetan Buddhism came to the West, and in particular to Holy Isle, a magical island off the West Coast of Scotland.
Ani Rinchen Khandro, a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, was ordained and studied at Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery, then completed a three and a half year retreat on Holy Isle, before being appointed to establish and run Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh.
She returns to the island this summer to share something of its unique history and revitalising energy, giving talks, guided meditations and pilgrimages to the cave of Celtic Christian Saint Molaise and to the Tibetan Buddhist Masters depicted in beautiful rock carvings, allowing the island to speak for itself.
Information and Bookings at www.holyisle.org
His Holiness Karmapa announced that he will be giving monthly teachings by live webcast. We will be screening them in the Samye Dzong Shrine Room so that we can all benefit together.
We do not as yet have dates and times but we will email out information, and post it on this website, as soon as it has been confirmed by His Holiness’s office.
As the saying goes, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”. March 2018 proved at least the first part true as the “Beast from the East” breathed snow blizzards over the UK. Meanwhile, Ani Rinchen Khandro who was in Australia speaking at a Buddhist Conference during the big freeze, sent the pictures below to warm us up until the spring lamb puts in an appearance.
Even more heart warming is the news that His Holiness Karmapa, who is currently in the USA, will be teaching live by Webcast once a month. We hope to screen the teachings in the Samye Dzong Shrine Room so that we can all benefit together. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available and in the meantime provide you with the link to His Holiness’s introductory teaching on meditation. Ah the wonders of modern technology in the service of Buddha Dharma!
These precious teachings, first broadcast by live webcast on March 2nd, are now available with English subtitles to augment His Holiness’s ever improving English, so now we can benefit from his instruction at the click of a link.
https://www.youtube.com/KarmapafoundationEurope
WHAT’S ON IN MARCH 2018
Saturday March 10th
10.30am- 4.30pm
The Four Thoughts, Part 2 Death and Impermanence
With Ani Rinchen Khandro
Sunday March 18th
10.30am-4.30pm
Acceptance, Forgiveness and Letting Go
With Clive Holmes
Sunday March 25th
10.30am – 11.30pm
Medicine Buddha Puja
Please click on the menu for full details of our weekly programme and monthly courses and events.
On the last weekend of most months, KSDE is offering additional opportunities to attend Pujas, Meditation sessions or other Dharma events.
These are drop in and by donation.
10.30 am to 11.30 Main session.
11.30am to 12.30 Tea/brunch break.
12.30 to 2.30 The Centre will be open for personal practice and/or volunteer service.
We look forward to seeing you, hopefully rested, recharged and ready for the new year ahead. If not, no worries! Our full range of wholesome weekly activities will benefit body, mind and spirit. And our precious monthly Dharma courses are now available to book online, free of charge, or by donation.
If you are willing and able to offer a donation, you will accomplish the threefold benefit of:
May all beings be happy and create the causes of happiness.
From January 1st 2018, Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh is offering all Dharma teachings free of charge. Our new Programme also provides a wealth of weekly Pujas, Meditation Sessions and Exercise Classes for health of mind and body. See our Courses and Weekly Programme web pages for bookings and information on all courses and events.
However, it is the precious Buddha Dharma which is the very heart of KSDE because of its invaluable benefit to beings. As it is beyond price, we wish to make the Dharma freely available to everyone. Therefore we hope that those who can, will support and enable the Centre to provide this much needed service for the good of all.
As Drupon Rinpoche said “The friends and sponsors of each Dharma Centre should take responsibility for its upkeep and enable it as a place where Buddha Dharma can flourish”. Inspired by this message, and with the blessings of Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, we cordially invite you to become a Friend of Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh.
Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh is undoubtedly an iconic building, but it’s what happens on the inside that makes it such a precious resource. Dedicated volunteers work for free to keep the place running, but there are still considerable costs involved in the Centre’s upkeep and its sustainability as an oasis of peace, health, learning and inspiration.
By becoming Friends of Kagyu Samye Dzong Edinburgh we can all take care and ownership of our Centre. In this way, we can enable the Buddha Dharma to be free for everyone and so cultivate the virtue of impartial generosity. Blessings all round.
For a modest offering of £5, or £10 a month, (the price of a cup of coffee a week), we can make it happen!
Join the Circle of Friends today
The new KSD Edinburgh Winter/Spring 2018 Programme, with full information on all courses and events, will be launched on Sunday December 10th and includes some very good tidings. We hope you’ll agree it’s been worth waiting for!
Please also note that the Centre closes for the winter holidays from Friday December 15th and re-opens for the new term on Monday January 8th 2018. We wish you all a joyful holiday and a peaceful, healthy and happy New Year.
who stayed on after Medicine Buddha Puja last weekend and made a great job of keeping the Centre swept clean and cared for, inside and out.
Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche gives teachings at KSDE’s 7th Anniversary Special Events and Celebrations
The audience at KSDE’s 7th Anniversary Special Events and Celebrations
Dharma practitioners taking Refuge
Hopefully you are all rested and recharged after the summer holidays. But if you’re suffering from Festival burn out, fear not. We have a revitalising programme of courses and events to relax, restore and re-energise health of mind and body.
For details of our weekday programme of Meditation Sessions, Pujas, Qigong, Yoga and Pilates classes see our Weekly Programme. And for information on all monthly Buddhist teachings and other special events see Courses and Events.
The first of these will be Teachings, Special Events and Celebrations of KSDE’s 7th Anniversary on September 29th and 30th. This starts on the Friday evening with a highly recommended public teaching by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche on The Alchemy of the Dharma, and concludes on Saturday evening with a screening of Akong – A Remarkable Life, an award winning film about our founder, Akong Tulku Rinpoche. As these events are likely to be very popular, please book early if you wish to attend. Everybody is welcome.
Drupon Rinpoche, who was expected to teach at KSD Edinburgh on October 15th is regrettably not coming at this time. Hopefully Rinpoche will be able to come next year.
Meanwhile, for those who are unable to attend Drupon Rinpoche’s full courses at Samye Ling, Rinpoche will be giving a one day teaching there on Saturday October 7th on Methods of Cultivating Kindness. This is part of the 4th Anniversary events being held to honour Akong Tulku Rinpoche. Further information is on the Samye Ling website.
An additional event to our existing programme will be KSD Edinburgh’s participation in Doors Open Day on Sunday September 24th, 2pm to 5pm. This has come about at the invitation of the Cockburn Association who organise the event to celebrate Edinburgh’s iconic buildings. As such we are honoured and happy to participate. However, we could do with a little help from our friends! See below.
A huge thank you to everyone who has ever volunteered their help at Samye Dzong Edinburgh! And now an invitation to anyone who can help us get the Centre ready for the upcoming Open Doors Day on the September 24th and the Anniversary Events with Lama Yeshe Rinpoche on September 29th/30th.
VOLUNTEER DAY – SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 17th, 2-5pm
Volunteers enjoying an al fresco tea break
Jobs include, cleaning the exterior building and courtyard, weeding, sweeping etc. (please bring a trowel or similar useful tool if you have one), as well as making the interior spick and span.
In addition we also need people able to help out on a regular basis with Admin, DIY, and General Upkeep so do let us know if you have an afternoon a week to spare.
Please drop us a line if you can assist, either on September 17th, or on a more regular basis. We’d love to hear from you!
A poem by Ani Rinchen Khandro, AKA Jackie Glass, a Mancunian
The blood of Irish, Catholic immigrants
And Russian, Jewish refugees
Flows through the veins of this Buddhist nun,
A seeker of wisdom, compassion and peace,
Whose path has encircled the world and alights
Now in Edinburgh, where it has stayed.
But my heart cries out for Manchester,
For Manchester’s where I was made.
And I weep to see your suffering,
Caused by minds deluded by hate,
Yet tears of sadness are mixed with pride,
Seeing what makes my hometown so great.
Strength and kindness in adversity,
That brave, indomitable spirit,
Bred by love that welcomes diversity,
All embellished with pithy, street wit.
Mancunia, Mancunia!
That fortress of Northern souls,
Your red brick streets and fields of dreams,
Bear witness to impossible goals.
In grief we stand united,
United we’ll rise from the ruins,
Like so many who’ve gone before us,
For in Manchester, that’s how we do things.
In the holiest week of the Buddhist calendar, marking the Anniversary of both the Buddha’s Birth and his Enlightenment, it is said that the effect of our actions are multiplied by millions. Therefore it is the perfect time for Dharma practice dedicated to the benefit of all beings.
During this auspicious time KSD Edinburgh is offering a weekend course of instruction in all aspects of the Guru Rinpoche Shower of Blessings Practice from June 2nd to the 4th. For details and bookings please visit this page.
The Guru Rinpoche Shower of Blessings Tsok Puja at 12pm, Sunday June 4th on Guru Rinpoche Day, concludes the course and is open for everyone to attend and share the sacred feast. There is no need to book for this but it would be helpful if you could drop us an email if you wish to attend.
Donations and/or food offerings for the Tsok are welcome.
Wonderful news! His Holiness Karmapa has arrived safely for his first visit to the UK.
Some of you will be attending teachings over the weekend. Meanwhile we just want to share this joyful picture of His Holiness in London surrounded by Rinpoches, including our own Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche.
May all beings be happy.
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s course cancelled due to the historic UK visit of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is presently very busy preparing for the proposed visit to the UK of HH Karmapa and regrets that he will be unable to fulfil his own teaching commitments at KSD Edinburgh and at other Centres during May.
We hope that all those who are able to attend His Holiness Karmapa’s teachings in London on May 20th/21st will avail themselves of this wonderful opportunity.
KSD Edinburgh will automatically refund the course contributions of those who have already booked on Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s course, unless instructed by you to use it as a donation towards our imminent roof repairs and maintenance costs.
Thank you for your patience and understanding
Drupon Rinpoche giving precious teachings at KSD Edinburgh.
A happy throng gathered at Samye Dzong Edinburgh over the weekend of September 24th and 25th 2016 to enjoy an eventful and meaningful time with Lama Yeshe Rinpoche.
After giving Refuge and an inspiring public talk, Lama Rinpoche presided over the Official Opening Ceremony alongside Guest of Honour Sir David Steel. As they cut the ceremonial ribbon across the threshold, the jahlings, ably played by Ani Lhamo and Ani Kunzang, signalled the door to open as if by magic and piped everyone inside.
There followed a Guru Rinpoche Tsok Puja lead by Tulku Urgyen and Ani Rinchen Khandro, culminating in a sacred feast enjoyed by all. And as Lama Yeshe Rinpoche left to return to Samye Ling, a beautiful rainbow appeared over Leith, surely a blessing from Guru Rinpoche himself!
The opening day was documented by ace photographer Ai-Lan, a selection of whose memorable images can be seen below.
Greetings one and all, and welcome to the new Autumn Term at KSD Edinburgh. We hope you’ve had an enjoyable summer and are now recharged and ready to avail yourselves of some of the great courses, teachings and regular Dharma practices on offer.
We re-open this Monday September 5th with a new look weekly programme so do check information on all Pujas, Meditation sessions, Qigong and Yoga classes.
We also have some exciting monthly events lined up, including a weekend of teachings, meditation and celebration of our “official opening” with Lama Yeshe Rinpoche over the last weekend of September. And in October we are fortunate to be hosting Lama Drupon Rinpoche for more of his precious teachings. Please note that all monthly events need to be booked online so do book early to be sure of your place.
Saturdays in September, 10am to 4pm – Filling, Sanding, Painting and Cleaning
And finally, just a wee heads up to anyone willing and able to lend a hand. Why not throw on your old clothes and come join us in putting the finishing touches to our beautiful new Centre in readiness for the official opening celebrations!
We look forward to seeing you at KSD Edinburgh in the new term for any or all of the above and much more.
May all beings be happy and create the causes of happiness.
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche delivers the first Dharma teaching of a visiting Lama in the new Centre Shrine Room. It was a most inspiring and joyful time for everyone. Rinpoche said how much he liked the new Centre, that it was a true Dzong and that he really enjoyed his stay.
May this be the first of many such visits.
