Impressions from the festival |
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Hello folks! Greetings from England, where I have just been attending the annual UK Spring Festival with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Once again, although the Festival was only four days long, I feel like I have been on a great adventure, whose beneficial effects will last for many months. I'd like to take this opportunity to explain why over the last ten years I have been making all this effort to get to Festivals! Anyone whose life is full of irritations, stress, and pain, whether physical or mental, needs a vacation from time to time. Just getting away from the usual routine and surroundings alleviates stress, promotes relaxation, and gives us some mental space with which to establish more positive attitudes. However, thinking about it, what do we have now to show for our last vacation? It seems, unfortunately, that the effects are almost always very temporary. The vacation ends, but the same problems are still there when we get back home. When we go on an ordinary vacation, it seems that within a week or two of resuming our regular routine, all that remains of all that time and money and suntan lotion are the souvenirs we brought home, and maybe a residual tan! If we remain exactly as we were before - thinking and feeling and doing the same old things - our investment has not had much of an impact on our life. That is why Festivals are so precious - because they give us our well-earned break, but they also set us up for months, years, even lifetimes to come. This is because a Festival is designed to be a meaningful holiday. It represents a chance to go to an exciting new place and to relax and unwind, for sure, but it is also far more satisfying and productive than being a passive sightseer. It gives us the opportunity to find a deep and lasting mental peace by working on our minds, which is the essence of the Buddhist way of life. During this Spring Festival, Geshe-la explained how Buddhism helps us to find a lasting happiness and freedom from pain. To progress along the spiritual path, which is said to lead us from joy to joy, those interested in Buddhist meditation rely upon what is known as the 'Three Jewels of refuge' - Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Buddha is the supreme doctor and diagnostician, who discovered how all human problems come from an uncontrolled and unpeaceful mind, and who prescribed a perfect cure. We suffer because we have the disease of delusions - negative minds such as attachment, hatred, and ignorance. The perfect cure prescribed by Buddha is the medicine of Dharma. These are the teachings and personal realizations which actually overcome our delusions (in particular our self-grasping ignorance), and which lead to a permanent inner peace. The spiritual community, or Sangha, are those who are trying to put Dharma into practice. Encouraging us with their example and advice, they are like supreme nurses who help us in our quest to overcome the inner disease of our delusions. At these Festivals we have ample opportunity to rely upon a Buddha doctor, in the form of a wise, compassionate, and realized Teacher. We have the chance to meditate on Dharma, and thus discover an almost unbelievable degree of inner peace and happiness. We are surrounded by inspiring examples of meditators and practitioners, both lay and ordained, from all around the world; and just by being in the light-hearted presence of these Sangha we are uplifted and encouraged for months to come. There is no doubt in my mind that due to the combined force of all this, the Festivals have a powerfully beneficial effect on people, in this case the 1500 people gathered in the English Lake District. Therefore, unlike a normal vacation, a Festival is not just a temporary escape from our stressful and busy lives, but an opportunity to gain spiritual insights and skills that enable us to deal more effectively with our problems once we have returned home. Returning home from a Festival is not a 'back to business as usual', where we become so involved with the details of everyday living that we forget the deeper meaning of life, but instead a time to put everything we have learnt into practice. With a renewed zest for living, we can feel confident in pursuing our meditation practice (e.g. attending weekly meditation classes), transforming our everyday experiences, and helping our family and those around us. No wonder Geshe-la calls these Festivals 'meaningful holidays'. They are holidays, no doubt, but instead of returning to find that nothing really has changed, these Festivals have a meaningful, satisfying, and lasting outcome. The Festivals are designed for everyone to enjoy - no one is excluded. They are a feat of extraordinary organization, with comfortable, inexpensive accommodation and food provided for thousands of people. In between the teachings and meditations in the Temple, there is plenty of time to hang out in the international cafes, meet friends old and new, and explore the scenic Lake District. The next Festival is in August. Don't expect a tan, as this one is in England (and anyway we live in Florida!), but if you come, feel assured that you will have the vacation of your lifetime! Hope to see you there. |
SPECIAL EVENTS Shelter from the Storm International Spring Je Tsongkhapa Shelter from the Storm International Summer PHOTOS View the US
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