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Comforting Words from Namchak Khen Rinpoche

Greetings to all of the students of the Namchak Community. Due to the current situation with COVID-19, everyone is experiencing great difficulties and as a result are facing tremendous fear, stress, and anxiety. I am sharing in your grief, am experiencing this with you, and am keeping you all in my prayers and aspirations. In particular, I am focusing, again and again, upon the practice of taking on others difficulties and giving them my happiness.

I encourage you all to keep your minds open and try to broaden your scope by considering not just how this situation is affecting you, but how it is affecting the whole world. If you turn your focus to the situation of others in this way, it is certain that love and compassion will well up within you.

You can also practice “tonglen,” giving and taking meditation, as Lama Tsomo has instructed you, by thinking of taking on all of the sufferings of everyone in the world and sending them comfort and joy. It is quite possible that by meditating in such a way some new and distinct qualities will arise in your mind. Looking at things with this perspective, we can see how meeting with unfortunate circumstances can be helpful in that they give us opportunities to develop ourselves through facing and overcoming such difficulties. I therefore urge you to put this into practice as much as possible.

Even if you find yourself unable to apply this particular practice, I hope that you will try not to allow outer adverse circumstances to affect your mental state by expanding your consideration outwards to others. If you can do so, it will help you to persevere through this tough time with gentleness and peace that you can share with your friends and families.

Warmest wishes,

Namchak Khenpo Ngawang Gelek

Published on Mar 30 03 : 17 pm

We’re accepting applications and nominations for the 2025-2026 Compassion in Action Fellows Program.

The Compassion in Action Fellows program is a year-long inner & outer change program that supports next-generation leaders in learning meditation practice, building community, and promoting social change. 💟

Inspired by the path of the bodhisattva, awakened beings filled with compassion and committed to ending suffering and benefiting all life. Fellows embark upon a journey that includes personal development, community building, shared learning, and collaborative action as they transform their lives, campus, and society. 🌍

Next-generation leaders ages 18-27 in the United States and Canada who have a meditation practice and commitment to creating inner and outer change are encouraged to apply! If you know an aspiring leader interested in positively impacting the world, consider nominating them for this opportunity.

Reset & Renew

We invite you to join us for a precious opportunity to learn and immerse in foundational meditation practices in the presence of a supportive community and the beauty of the Namchak Retreat Ranch.

Over this in-person weekend retreat, you’ll learn foundational Buddhist meditation practices while enjoying the support and warmth of a like-minded community. Whether new to meditation or looking to refresh your practice, this retreat offers tools to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and resilience in your daily life. The retreat will be in-person at the Namchak Retreat Ranch: Bodhi House, in Hot Springs, Montana from Friday, April 11 – Sunday, April 13, 2025