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L'UNION BOUDDHISTE DE FRANCE presents
SAGESSES B0UDDHISTE (Buddhist Wisdom)
Hello everyone. Hello everyone. And thank you for watching.
We are very happy to find you here again today on the program Sagesses Bouddhiste
for the second of our interviews with the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
After having seen last week the background and personality of this young master,
today we will look into his lineage, the lineage of Shambhala, as well as its teachings.
What are the characteristics of that tradition?
How do its retreat centers work?
What are the important points of the teachings of that lineage?
I have great pleasure to meet again to talk about this with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, good day.
Good day
We are very happy to meet you again this week on the program Sagesses Bouddhiste.
So I remember that you are the spiritual leader of Shambhala.
You are also the descendent of the warrior King of Tibet, Gesar of Ling
and you are one of the holders of the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
Thank you very much for being with us today.
But before going any further I suggest that we first discover with images
the different aspects of the activity of our guest.
Sakyong Mipham, a modern Buddhist master, is equally a poet,
an artist and an accomplished athlete.
He enjoys many activities such as horseback riding, yoga, and running.
He has participated in several marathons to raise money
to benefit the Kunchok Foundation of Tibet, dedicated to education.
In September 2006 he awarded the first Living Peace award to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Sakyong has written two books that present meditation in everyday life.
And one of his poems he recorded as a music video.
What about? What about?
You know what? When you're happy, I'm happy.
That's the formula: first you then me.
That is all happiness is. It is just the heart being free.
How to engage the world with compassion and create an enlightened society here and now?
Coming out of a year in retreat the Sakyong Mipham has taught meditation workshops
in France and abroad: entitled "Being Brave: Transforming our world"
Produced by Tessa Racine
Rinpoche we have just seen those pictures. You sing, you do a lot of sports;
you present an image of a very modern Tibetan teacher. Is that important for you?
I don't sing well. But I try to express the teachings in a way
that everyone can understand and is incorporated into life.
I have always enjoyed sport or some kind of activity, so that's very important for me.
Especially the mind body: trying to synchronize mind and body.
But I think one of the main things is how to take spirituality, how to take mindfulness,
how to take all those things: openness and heart and mind, and apply them in everyday situations.
So for myself it's a further extension of ...
of my trust and belief in the wisdom, the inherent wisdom.
I remember that you are the holder of the Shambhala lineage,
I would like return again for a minute to those meditation and retreat centers.
How are they organized, both throughout the world and in France for example?
Shambhala's international headquarters is in Canada, in Halifax,
and so we have centers in the US. In France we have a center in Paris and also a retreat center
in Limousin, Dechen Chöling. I teach there every year.
Usually the centers are... I would almost describe them as socially active
and socially engaged societies or environments.
And one of the key things I always try to express is that
really the centers are not to retreat from the world,
but to deepen and then enter more into the world.
So I think it is not quite a monastery from that point of view.
But they are really meant to be incorporated into people's lives,
and engage in people's lives.
So therefore we have education programs, meditation programs,
physical disciplines, arts, family. So it's really a society; that's part of the intention.
So returning to the history of this ancestral tradition of Shambhala, in what circumstances did it start?
Could you talk to us about that?
Well I think the tradition is that at the time of the buddha, there was actually a country,
some people say it's mythical; some people say it was actually a country, called Shambhala.
And the king and leader of that country went to the buddha
and said I would like to have teachings where I can still practice and live in the world;
so he gave him the Kalachakra Tantra, to teach these principles.
And so King Dawa Sangpo went back to Shambhala and he began to spread this notion of...
one society, that everyone is engaged.
A society where no matter what you are doing you can still practice
some kind of inner practice.
So legend has it that in Shambhala everyone attained enlightenment,
a level of realization or attainment.
And my father was always inspired by that.
And I think when he left Tibet after ...
with the 80,000 other Tibetans who left after the communist invasion,
and the notion of society was really important to him,
because he saw his own culture destroyed.
So how is it that you can practice this wisdom in a modern society?
And he always was inspired by Shambhala.
He also received visions and teachings which he wrote down.
And those are based upon the Shambhala rigdens
and the practice of warriorship or courageousness.
And so that is what we are trying to practice.
At the same time within Shambhala we have different forms:
we have Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism;
but I would say the specialty would be the societal aspect.
Your latest book is called "Ruling Your World". Could you explain that title to us Rinpoche
and above all how does "Ruling Your World" relate to westerners, particularly to the French?
Okay "Ruling Our World" (laughs). I picked that title
because I feel like nowadays people are ruled by the world.
The world is... has so much; there is so much aggression and speed,
and people's principles... they're not sure what their principles are.
So how do you lead your life, how do you best control or manifest?
And the principle here is that we trust our inherent strength
and we call this basic goodness.
It's the notion of primordialness, inherent strength; so if we have confidence in that,
then we can actually direct the mind in the direction that we want to go.
And I think that nowadays people are much more reactionary, just reacting to things.
So how do you live the way you view your life?
So it really depends on the strength and confidence of each person,
how they feel like they want to be.
And I feel like this is a very critical area, because we are in a time where
we have to have compassion and strength, these are very strong principles
and be successful at it. I feel like, in my book I talk about,
we can do this in family, in business, and art, to actually make friends with that.
For talking to us about this you use a certain number of symbols Rinpoche,
like the tiger, the lion, the garuda, and also the dragon.
What do these symbols correspond to? What do they mean?
Well the symbols are representing the journey of a person,
going from a sense of doubt and fear, to trust and confidence.
And the images used, we call them dignities or signs of strength,
and they represent the journey of the mind, and journey of the heart.
So the image of the tiger is very much to do with the personal looking at the environment,
being mindful, paying attention to what you are doing,
which is sort of personal discipline and just being present.
And the notion of lion is enjoying, enjoying life, enjoying and appreciating.
So there is a sense of celebration and...
respecting and also celebrating human... humanness.
And the next is known as garuda, or sort of ... eagle.
The notion is of always challenging ourselves to do something,
so that we don't become complacent. We actually go in to challenges.
So what everyday can we challenge?
Then there is the notion of dragon,
which is very much the notion of discovering those wisdoms in everyday life.
So there are stages but the main principle is courageousness and bravery.
Rinpoche meditation has a very important role in the Shambhala tradition and always has.
Can you say something about that to us?
Meditation is... what I like to think of as the time of day where you strengthen
and get used to... sort of the wisdom and the principles of your life.
And meditation is very much, I believe, like you train the body, you exercise and eat healthy,
and equally the mind. The mind really needs to be equally strengthened, paid attention to.
So the notion is that it is a way where if you do that your inherent qualities will come out.
And it's very much the notion of responsibility in terms of our mind
and thoughts arising and emotions.
So I feel like it is a very good way to train in a lot of the principles that support your life.
So one of the key things in meditation is it's not separate from your life, it is an enhancement.
And I often think just a few minutes a day of meditation is very helpful,
and in our centers it is very key... I try to teach it.
And obviously some people have a difficult time meditating,
so we make the sessions shorter. For some people it's longer.
It's something that everyone has to make personal.
We are going to finish with those words.
Thank you very much Rinpoche for joining us for these two broadcasts. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you.
To finish here are some books.
I remind you first of all of the book by our quest Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche:
"Régnez sur votre monde". (Ruling Your World) published by La Table Ronde (in French).
There you will find the essential teachings of Shambhala about the art of ruling, with the
concrete suggestions for transforming your daily life by acting with wisdom and compassion.
Then two books by Chögyam Trungpa published by Editions du Seuil (in French)
in the Collection "Points Sagesse".
First of all "Shambhala : The Sacred Path of the Warrior". The author presents in detail
that path in context of a bigger mastery of the self and a bigger realization
in the light of the Shambhala teachings,
that emphasize the enlightened behavior inherent in every human being.
And finally "The Myth of Freedom, and the Way of Meditation".
You will find in this work a collection of talks given by Chögyam Trungpa
reflecting on the notion of liberty.
He explains to us particularly the role that meditation can play
in eliminating negative energies and help us progress towards true freedom.
It is the end of our broadcast. You can see it again all next week on the internet on France 2.
Look under the heading Tous les Programs and Les Chemins de la Foi.
Thank you all for watching. I wish you a very, very beautiful week.
Buddhist Wisdom. An interview with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. "A life dedicated to the teachings of Shambhala".
A broadcast prepared by L'Union Bouddhiste de France. Presented by Aurélie Godefroy
Prepared by: Liliane Chatel, Chriss Gallot, Aurélie Godefroy
Translation by Catherine Eveillard. Subject: Cedric Esteve, Petros Drossos.
Archives: Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Christophe Schöenherr, Johanna Lunn, Ethan Neville, Manu Faure, Gesar Mukpo, Buddha Channel
Production Studios: BlaiseBaudry-Roussel, Sophie Leromain, Malika Ait-Ouakli
Head of Production: Veronique Balloni-Coste. Studio AB. France Televisions
Music: Francois Roulin, Fredd Alie, Kluzo. Décor: Guy Lelong, Viviane Delieuvin, Jean-Yves Wissing
Special effects: Sanh Tran. Sound Engineer: Nicholas Bordet-Chauveau. Lighting: Jean_Paul Jacquet called Legendre
Post Production: Michel Beaudreux. Assistant Director: Norbert Bensoussar
Script: Veronique Cader, Marilyne Dubreuil:
Directed by Michel Baulez. All rights reserved
Information: L'Union Bouddhiste de France, Grande Pagode, Route de la Ceinture du Lac Daumesnil, 75012 Paris. info@buddhisme-france.org www.france2.fr France Television-2011