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HistoryThe center’s programming is based in the teachings of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni who was born into a royal family approximately 2,600 years ago in the Shakya region of India. As a young man he left the palace and his family to embark on a spiritual quest to understand the nature of suffering. His practices and travels finally brought him to a seat of kusha grass under the Bodhi tree where he vowed to sit until he understood the nature of his own mind. It was during the long night that he worked with his mind and attained enlightenment. He came to know the nature of his mind and an understanding of the causes of suffering. He taught for 45 years until his death and has left us a wealth of teachings that are as relevant today as they were in his times. Yeshe TsogyalOur meditation center is named after Yeshe Tsogyal, a woman who was born and lived in the 8th century in Tibet. Togyaling, which is pronounced “so jal ling” and means “place of Tsogyal”. Her name means “victorious lake of wisdom”.
Before receiving Buddhist instruction, Tsogyal suffered rape and the worst kinds of abuse. She is an example of a real woman who used meditation practices to work with her mind and heart and not only over come the trauma she had experienced, but attain complete enlightenment. Tsogyal lived to be an old woman and over the course of her life taught many students. She teaches us that no matter how painful our lives are, through the practice of meditation we can manifest peace and harmony in our minds and bodies, thus contributing to greater peace in our families, communities and the world at large.
Older Yeshe Tsogyal
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Buddha Shakyamuni
Young Yeshe Tsogyal
Pamasambhava (Guru Rinpoche)
Thangkas courtesy of Tsogyaling Meditation Center. |
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