April
H.E. Ling Rinpoche was given a very warm welcome to Holland by Maitreya Center (FPMT), Kadam Chöling, Rigpa and Jewel Heart, for the commencement of his two-month European tour. In the first days of April, Rinpoche visited and blessed the Tibetan Community of Netherlands Sunday School, Maitreya Center and Rigpa in Amsterdam. Rinpoche bestowed the Medicine Buddha Initiation at Jewel Heart, Nijmegen, the White Tara Initiation at Maitreya Instituut, Loenen, and the Manjushri Initiation at Kadam Chöling Buddhist Center in Haarlem. Rinpoche gave two days of teachings in Amsterdam, on Lama Tsongkhapa’s “Songs of Spiritual Experience,” jointly hosted by Kadam Chöling Buddhist Center and Maitreya Instituut. Rinpoche enjoyed sightseeing at Kalverstraat, Cherry Blossom Garden, and Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam, before departing for Spain.
On 9th April, H.E. Ling Rinpoche arrived in Barcelona. Rinpoche visited and blessed Tara Center, Nagarjuna Center (FPMT) and Casa de Tibet, where he gave a talk to the local Tibetan community in Spain. Rinpoche gave three days of teachings at Casa de Tibet in Barcelona, including “The Four Noble Truths,” the “Seven Point Mind Training,” the Orange Manjushri Initiation and the White Tara Long Life Initiation. The event was jointly organized by Casa de Tibet, Nagarjuna Center (FPMT) and Tara Center. Rinpoche also visited and blessed the Rigpa Center in Barcelona, where he gave a talk about how to bring meditation practice into daily life. Rinpoche enjoyed a visit to Montserrat Monastery in Barcelona.
Rinpoche then traveled to Madrid, where he taught Lama Tsongkhapa’s “Three Principle Aspects of the Path” at Nagarjuna Center Madrid (FPMT). Rinpoche continued on to Valencia, where he concluded his Spanish visit with a teaching on Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen’s “Parting from the Four Attachments,” at Nagarjuna Center Valencia (FPMT).
On 20th April, H.E. Ling Rinpoche arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport, where he was given a warm welcome by the Representative of Office of Tibet, the President of the Tibetan Association and the FPMT UK. Rinpoche commenced his UK visit by blessing the Office of Tibet and giving a talk to the Tibetan community in London. The event included cultural performances and a visit to the Tibetan Peace Garden. Rinpoche bestowed the White Tara Long Life Initiation and gave a public talk on “The Buddhist Science of Happiness” in Kensington – jointly organized by Jamyang Buddhist Center (FPMT), the Office of Tibet and the Tibetan Community in Britain. Rinpoche visited Rigpa London, where he gave a Dharma talk about “How Buddhism is Relevant in Today’s Society.” Rinpoche also visited and blessed Jamyang Buddhist Center, where he gave teachings on Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen’s “Parting from the Four Attachments.” Rinpoche was kindly offered a tour of Parliament House by MPs in London, along with the Representative of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the UK.
H.E. Ling Rinpoche next traveled to Leeds (UK). Rinpoche blessed the new Jamyang Buddhist Center, Leeds (FPMT), where he gave a public talk on “Developing a Peaceful Mind in a Turbulent World,” teachings on Shantideva’s “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life,” and the initiation of 4-Arm Chenrezig. Rinpoche met with the local Tibetan Community from Leeds and Manchester and celebrated the birthday of the Panchen Lama with them, organized by TBC UK North Association. Before departing from Leeds, Rinpoche was kindly invited by the Earl of Harewood to visit his residence at Harewood House and bless the stupa on the historic estate.
On 30th April, Rinpoche arrived at Toulouse airport in France, where he was warmly greeted by representatives from Institute of Vajrayogini and Nalanda Monastery (FPMT).