135ml

We had a most wonderful Christmas miracle this year. After months of heat and drought, we were gifted 135 ml of rain! It came pouring down in a day - smashing all our streams wide open, quenching the ground's thirst and restoring balance to our land.

With dams full, streams flowing, happy animals and humans, all that was left to do was celebrate the festivities. We had an amazing feast of nut roast and lots of tasty veggies, followed by a display of various cakes baked at TRC & brought in by some of our generous retreatants.

We shared a table together and as our bellies filled, we connected further and further. Finding common humanity at a table of people from all walks of life is something that takes place every weekend at TRC. It's truly wonderful, and we do hope that in time, all of you reading this, will get to experience this with us. And on this note, we wish you all a wonderful New Year celebration - may all your greatest aspirations come to fruition in the years to come.

With love,
Tara Rokpa Centre

Here you can see a happy frog bouncing around at TRC during the rain, which reminds of the following quote by Chamgon Kentin Tai Situ Rinpoche:

"Every sentient being is equal to the Buddha"

Seek the Truth, Seek the Truth, and Don’t Ever Forget to Seek the Truth.

This being human thing; it’s very strange. There is such a vast array of ways to do it. Some may do it in such a way that their ancestors have, and some may choose to forge a new path in search of what is meaningful, some may choose to live the same way that those who are around them do, and others may choose otherwise. One way I know, is the way I have chosen: seek the truth, seek the truth, and don’t ever forget to seek the truth.

It has proven challenging at times, and sometimes it seems like it’s a dead-end road, but often times, just when you think it’s the end, you see there’s a corner to turn. And so, turn after turn, an entire journey has unfolded, and in this way, I am experiencing what it is, to be a human being.

One would assume that such a rigorous path could be quite an isolated one, and although it may feel that way at times, it is in fact, quite a connection-infused journey. Truth cannot exist in isolation, after all, truth is truth, and what I may stumble upon has got to be discoverable by others for it to really be true. And so, I have been fortunate enough, to unite with many who share what I hold in my heart: seek the truth, seek the truth, and don’t ever forget to seek the truth.

Every now and then, those that seek the truth, find it. For many of us, this involves the idea of retreat - retreating from day-to-day activity to softly fall within. Allowing ourselves to land amidst infinite information and cultivating concentration to explore the frontiers of the mind. 

This is the work we do here. This is why we gather. This is why we retreat.

By Jami Selikow

Search The Darkness
By Rumi 

Search the Darkness

Sit with your friends; don't go back to sleep.
Don't sink like a fish to the bottom of the sea.

Surge like an ocean,
don't scatter yourself like a storm.

Life's waters flow from darkness.
Search the darkness, don't run from it.

Night travelers are full of light,
and you are, too; don't leave this companionship

Be a wakeful candle in a golden dish,
don't slip into the dirk like quicksilver.

The moon appears for night travelers,
be watchful when the moon is full.