April’s Learning Resources

April Theme: The Perfection of Patience

LEARNING RESOURCES & ACTIVITIES ✨

Reflect and discuss: 🧐

  • Has your meditation practice impacted your knee-jerk reactions to frustrating situations? If so, how?
  • Can you share about a time when you felt awareness of your anger and allowed it to pass rather than acting on it?
  • Where do you first notice the sensation of anger in your body? How does it feel to you?

Read: 📖

We’re happy to share that Lama Tsomo was recently featured on the Be Here Now podcast! In this dharma-inspired episode, Lama Tsomo discusses ways in which we can develop more rich and satisfying connections. Listen below!

This month’s book recommendation: 📚

Real Life by Sharon Salzberg While not directly tied to this month’s theme, we wanted to lift up and celebrate a book by our friend, Sharon Salzberg.

Real Life is a groundbreaking book by our friend and one of the foremost meditation teachers in the world, Sharon Salzberg. Drawing on her decades of experience teaching mindfulness and compassion practices, Sharon offers a refreshing and practical guide to living a more meaningful life in the midst of a busy and often overwhelming modern world.

She guides readers through a range of practices, including mindfulness, loving-kindness, and compassion, offering insights and tools for cultivating greater resilience, joy, and connection in our everyday lives. * Namchak Foundation and Lama Tsomo do not receive any monetary or other benefit from the purchase of this book.

* Namchak Foundation and Lama Tsomo do not receive any monetary or other benefit from the purchase of this book.

Learning Circle Spotlight ☸️

This month we spotlight the Four Immeasurables Learning Circle. This Circle was initiated after the Four Immeasurables Course in December 2022. The group has a variety of members – some who are new to the Namchak Sangha and some who have been around for years. They currently meet weekly and the guiding text is Lama Tsomo’s latest book, Deepening Wisdom, Deepening Connection.

The Circle is still in the “start-up mode” and they are welcoming new members. Reach out to Rachel [email protected] for more info and or if you are interested in joining this group.

One Community Activities


💫 Opening, Community Commitments, Check-Ins (15-20 min)

  • Invite a moment of silence and give rise to bodhicitta. 
  • Read Community Commitments.
  • Check-in question: What does ethical discipline mean to you, and what associations come up for you when you hear the word “discipline?”

🌎 Watch Video of Justin's Talk on the Perfection of Patience (25-30 min)

  • Justin has been studying and practicing Buddhism for over twenty years and has been working as a Tibetan translator and interpreter for more than ten. He lived in India for eight years, studying and practicing with many great teachers and spent three of those years as a monk, studying Buddhist philosophy in a Tibetan monastic seminary. He now works at the Namchak Foundation as a translator of texts, as Namchak Khen Rinpoche’s interpreter, and as a meditation teacher.

  • This video includes Justin’s talk on the Perfection of Patience. The recording was paused during sections of small group discussion in break out rooms and continues with the Q&A session.The full video is 1 hour and 40 mins. We recommend that you watch this video over the course of 3-4 Learning Circles (maybe 30 – 40 minute clips), so that you have time to pause the video to engage in discussion with your Learning Circle members.

  • The full video is 2 hours. We recommend that you watch this video over the course of 3-4 Learning Circles (maybe 30 – 40 minute clips), so that you have time to pause the video to engage in discussion with your Learning Circle members. 

🗣️ Discussion (15-20 min)

  • After watching about 30 minutes of the recording, discuss with your Learning Circle anything that stood out to you from the teaching. What are some questions, curiosities, insights or reflections you have about the teachings?

💜 Meditation and Reflection (15 minutes)

  • You can practice together with this 8-minute Shamata Practice with Visual Support.
  • After the session is finished, reflect with your Learning Circle members on how that meditation was for you. What happened? How do you feel afterwards? Do you have any insights, curiosities or questions about the practice of Shamata and how it can help you cultivate patience?

🙏 Dedicate the merit (1 min)

By the power of this compassionate practice,
may suffering be transformed into peace.
May the hearts of all beings be open,
and their wisdom radiate from within.

📚 Recommended Resources

Keep Learning

March

The Perfection of Ethical Discipline

Can you think of one area of your life in which you became more disciplined? Maybe it was about making a meditation habit 😉, flossing, exercise, or tidying up. Whatever the actions, how did you stay motivated? What helped you stay on track? What hindered you?

Learn More

February

The Paramita of Generosity/Dana

When was the last time you gave something away to which you were attached? How was that experience

Learn More

January

Bodhicitta  

What are the components of a meaningful life?
What might engaged bodhicitta look like in your relationships and community?

Learn More

December

Returning Home

Looking back on 2022: How would you describe the last year? What are some things you can celebrate? What were some of your challenges or obstacle? What are you grateful for

Learn More