August – September
H.E. Ling Rinpoche visited North America’s West Coast over five weeks in August and September. Rinpoche’s tour started in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, where he taught for three weeks, hosted by the local FPMT Centers – Vajrapani Institute, Land of Medicine Buddha, Tse Chen Ling Center and Ocean of Compassion Buddhist Center. Rinpoche taught topics including the “Foundation of All Good Qualities,” the “Three Principal Aspects of the Path,” and the “Seven Point Mind Training,” and bestowed initiations including Manjushri, Four-Arm Chenrezig and Vajrapani. H.E. Ling Rinpoche was invited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to visit his home in Aptos, Kachoe Dechen Ling, where H.E. Ling Rinpoche led protector prayers for the FPMT.
During this tour, H.E. Ling Rinpoche visited Silicon Valley companies including Google, Apple and Electronic Arts, where he gave talks on “Genuine Happiness” and “Joyful Non-Attachment in Daily Life.” Rinpoche also gave a public talk at University of California at Berkeley, on “Finding Happiness and Well-Being.”
At the request of the Tibetan Association of Northern California (TANC), H.E. Ling Rinpoche gave a talk and bestowed the Buddha Amitayus Long Life initiation for the local Tibetan community. Rinpoche also visited the Sera Jey Foundation where he gave the oral transmission and teaching on His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama’s Long-Life Prayer, and the Gyuto Foundation where he bestowed the White Tara Long Life Initiation. Rinpoche visited and blessed the Ananda Center and later bestowed the Medicine Buddha initiation and gave the oral transmission of the Yamantaka Sadhana.
In the fourth week of the tour, H.E. Ling Rinpoche traveled to Spokane, Washington and to Portland, Oregon. In Washington, Rinpoche blessed the Buddhist Institute of Universal Compassion and visited Sravasti Abbey, where he taught on the “Song of the Four Mindfulnesses.” Rinpoche also spoke at North Idaho College on “Cultural Identity”.
H.E. Ling Rinpoche was warmly welcomed by the Tibetan Community in Portland with cultural events. Rinpoche gave a talk at Maitripa College on “Kindness and Compassion for the Youth,” and spoke at the University of Portland’s Interfaith Conference, “Spirituality and Humanity: An Interfaith Conversation about Creating Harmonious Community and Healthy Leadership.” At the invitation of the Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association, Rinpoche bestowed the White Tara Long Life initiation, and gave a teaching on the “Eight Verses of Thought Transformation.”
H.E. Ling Rinpoche then traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico, where he led a weekend retreat on “The Foundation of All Good Qualities” and bestowed the Manjushri initiation, jointly hosted by the Mexican FPMT Centers. Rinpoche consecrated a new stupa at Khamlungpa Center and gave a public talk in Guadalajara on “The Ethics of Our Time.”
Later in September, H.E. Ling Rinpoche traveled to Japan where he gave teachings on the “Four Noble Truths,” and bestowed the White Tara Long Life initiation at Thupten Dargyay Ling Dharma Center in Sendai. Rinpoche also gave a public talk on “Cultivating a Peaceful and Happy Mind.” At the request of the Office of Tibet in Japan, Rinpoche gave teachings on “Praise for Dependent Origination,” at Gokokugii Temple in Tokyo. Rinpoche concluded his visit with a talk at Seiwa Gakuan High School.