Monday Meditations – new weekly sessions at Aro Ling Cardiff, virtual Buddhist centre

June 7th – and then ongoing every Monday.

7 - 8:30 pm on Zoom (UK time).

Zoom meeting ID: 85249620913; Passcode: 640389.

Do join us for silent sitting and yogic song, with a short teaching in the middle.

The meetings are hosted by Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, an ordained teaching couple of the Aro gTér Lineage.  They dedicate their time to practice, teaching, the Aro gTér Lineage, and working with their students. 

Ngakma Nor’dzin  is an award winning author. Her books are: Spacious Passion, Relaxing into Meditation, Battlecry of Freedom, and Illusory Advice (co-authored with Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin).

Interfaith Event for Buddha Day

At Aro Ling we were delighted to be part of a series of events being organised by different faith communities in association with the Interfaith Council of Wales. We hosted an Interfaith Fire Ceremony to celebrate Buddha Day. It was a joyful occasion. The weather was perfect for an outdoor event, and everyone enjoyed taking part in the celebration.

First I gave a short talk on the significance of Buddha Day for Buddhists, and the format of the ceremony itself.

The fire was created over a mandala, and oil was poured onto it as an offering throughout the ceremony.

A thread-cross was burned at the end of the ceremony. The woven threads symbolise the elements earth, water, fire, air, and space, using the colours yellow, white, red, green, and blue. The elements represent physical and psychological qualities. The threads are woven to decrease distortion of the elements, and to increase the enlightened qualities.

After the ceremony, while the fire was still lively, those attending were invited to place messages in the fire. The symbolism of burning messages is to let go of something unhelpful, such as a grudge or an irritation, and to effectuate something helpful, such as a good wish for someone, or a personal aspiration.

Interfaith Event at Aro Ling Cardiff

Creative Intention, July 1; The Art of Chaos, September 2; meditation group Tuesdays at Aro Ling Cardiff

Aro Ling Cardiff has one more weekend event before the summer break, plus the ongoing Tuesday meditation group.
On July 1st Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin will lead a workshop: Creative Intention - Amulets.
The Tuesday evening meditation group will continue to meet at 7pm throughout July. Then there will be a summer break with no events at Aro Ling Cardiff during August.

The new academic year will begin at Aro Ling Cardiff on the first weekend of September with a day of teachings on Saturday September 2nd with the Aro gTér Lineage Holders, Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen on The Art of Chaos. This event is likely to be over-subscribed, so early booking is recommended.

We look forward to seeing you soon, and wish you an enjoyable summer.
Best wishes from Aro Ling Cardiff

June 3rd teachings on death, impermanence, dream yoga and bardo + June 4th practice session – Aro Ling Cardiff

The Ebb & Flow of Existence & Non-existence

June 3rd 10:00 – 16:00 Aro Ling Cardiff

“We spend a third of our lives asleep; so it is quite useful that we use that period if we can. If your practice is only your formal practice, then a very small part of your life is actually devoted to practice. This is crucial for anyone who lives in the world and has a job. This is why we teach dream yoga – it is important that we use that part of our lives.” Ngak’chang Rinpoche

Death and impermanence are the natural ebb and flow of existence, yet there can be a tendency to look on death as a single,undesirable, end-of-life experience. Through looking at impermanence, death—and rebirth—can be recognised as a continuing experience. The process of falling to sleep, dreaming, and waking into a new day is similar to the process of falling into death, the intermediate bardo experience, and awakening into a new lifetime. Through learning to gain lucidity in dreaming and awareness through sleep, this time becomes available for practice, and death loses its fear.

Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin will teach the method of dream yoga, and discuss the
nine bardos of the Aro gTér Lineage.

Refreshments are provided for the morning tea break. Please bring a packed lunch.

A donation of £25 is requested for the day of teachings.
For enquiries about this event, please:
email: aro.ling.cardiff@gmail.com
text: 07875 716644
telephone: 07092 010756

“Instantaneous ordinariness’ is the fruit of the gYo-wa bardo. Instantaneous ordinariness is the moment when continuity is destroyed. As soon as continuity is destroyed, continuity appears again as the continuous moment of ‘Great Time’. One senses continuity again, but ‘that which is continuous’ is empty. One arrives at the non-dual point of realising the one taste of continuity and discontinuity. This is the essence of the tha-mal-gyi-shé-pa bardo: simply noticing death – and being born as the next moment.” Ngak’chang Rinpoche

June 4th 

10:00 – 11:00 meditation, mantra, chant and yogic song (£5 donation requested)
11:00 – 11:30 tea break
11:30 – 12:30 jong dar – physical yogas of the Aro Tradition (£5 donation requested)
12:30 – 15:00 tsog’khorlo ceremony – please give notice in advance to attend (£5 donation requested)

We Can Be Heroes, Every Day – Saturday April 1st – book now!

This day of teachings, led by Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin, will explore methods of Awakening, and how to make the aspiration to Buddhahood a natural part of our everyday life. Learn how to be a decent human being – a kind neighbour, a considerate boss, a loving partner, an inspiring mother. Embrace the qualities of heroes: open and honest communication, dignity and honour, considerate behaviour, and creativity, joy and good humour.

We can all aspire to awaken and discover the Buddha within us.  Buddha means Awakened Being. So to aspire to Buddhahood is to become an Awakened Hero or Heroine. Through developing wisdom and compassion; through recognising their non-duality; it is possible to engage with the path of Awakening. 

Refreshments are provided for the morning tea break. Please bring a packed lunch.
A donation of £25 is requested for the day of teachings.
For enquiries about this event, please:
email: aro.ling.cardiff@gmail.com
text: 07875 716644
telephone: 07092 010756

We Can Be Heroes Every Day, April 1st

Aro Ling Cardiff
Vajrayana Buddhism

Upcoming events:

• April Retreat Weekend –  1st and 2nd of April
• Saturday 1st April – Vajrayana teachings, 10 – 4
• Sunday 2nd April – 3 practice sessions, 10 - 3

Ongoing weekly :

• Tuesday meditation group, 19:00 – 20:30

The next first-weekend-of-the-month event will be on the 1st and 2nd of April.
Saturday 1st April – Vajrayana teaching entitled ‘We can be heroes, every day’ (postponed from March). Full details for this event are on the website. 10:00 – 16:00, please bring a packed lunch. £25 donation requested
Sunday 2nd April – three practice sessions: 10:00 – 11:00 meditation and song, 11:30 – 12:30 Jong Dar, 13:00 – 15:00  tsog’khorlo ceremony. £5 donation per session requested
Please join us for all sessions, a single session, or any combination that suits you. £35 donation requested if attending all sessions Saturday and Sunday (£5 discount). All welcome.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin

Aro Ling Cardiff meets at 5 Court Close, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1JR. The practice room is on the ground floor with direct access from the street, and is wheelchair accessible.

All classes and groups are led by ordained Buddhists with many years of practice experience.

Donations are requested to cover costs, and so that Aro Ling Cardiff can make donations to the Buddhist charity, Sang-ngak-chö-dzong #1019886.

For fuller details of events at Aro Ling Cardiff, please visit

aro-ling.org/cardiff or meetup.com/arolingcardiff

07875 71664
aro.ling.cardiff@gmail.com

Meditation group – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness. For more information about meditation in the Aro gTér Nyingma tradition, please view the information page on MeetUp. 
The 10:00 session on the Sunday of the first weekend of the month follows the same format.

Saturday Teaching Sessions – morning tea break provided; please bring a packed lunch.

Sunday practice sessions
10:00 - 11:00 – meditation, song and chant (see details for meditation group above)
11:30 - 12:30 – Jong Dar, the physical practices of the Aro Tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. Each class is 1 hour. The session includes Ying’khor, sKu-mNyé, walking meditation, and standing meditation. See this page for details.
13:00 - 15:00 – tsog’khorlo ceremony (this session is for experienced practitioners.)

The charity of the Aro gTér Lineage in the UK is called ‘Sang-ngak-chö-dzong’ (UK charity number 1019886). This was the name given by Kyabjé Düd’jom Rinpoche. There are also other European charities connected with the Lineage, plus Aro Gar in the USA. Currently we are fund-raising to establish a residential retreat centre in Wales, which will be called ‘Drala Jong’. For information about this appeal, please see http://arobuddhism.org/drala-jong/drala-jong-appeal.html or go to the Drala Jong appeal blog.  

Extracts from Aro gTér Lineage publications appear once a week on a blog called Aro Quotation. If you would like to receive the Aro Quotations by email, please go to the blog and subscribe.

The Aro gTer Lineage also offers a free meditation course. The course is delivered in weekly emails.

We can be heroes, every day; weekly meditation group

Aro Ling Cardiff
Vajrayana Buddhism

Upcoming events:

• March Retreat Weekend –  4th and 5th of March
• Saturday 4th March – Vajrayana teachings, 10 – 4
• Sunday 5th March – 3 practice sessions, 10 - 3

Ongoing weekly :

• Tuesday meditation group, 19:00 – 20:30

The next first-weekend-of-the-month event will be on the 4th and 5th of March.
Saturday 4th March – Vajrayana teaching entitled ‘We can be heroes, every day’. Full details for this event are on the website. 10:00 – 16:00, please bring a packed lunch. £25 donation requested
Sunday 5th March – three practice sessions: 10:00 – 11:00 meditation and song, 11:30 – 12:30 Jong Dar, 13:00 – 15:00  tsog’khorlo ceremony. £5 donation per session requested
Please join us for all sessions, a single session, or any combination that suits you. £35 donation requested if attending all sessions Saturday and Sunday (£5 discount). All welcome.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin

Aro Ling Cardiff meets at 5 Court Close, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1JR. The practice room is on the ground floor with direct access from the street, and is wheelchair accessible.

All classes and groups are led by ordained Buddhists with many years of practice experience.

Donations are requested to cover costs, and so that Aro Ling Cardiff can make donations to the Buddhist charity, Sang-ngak-chö-dzong #1019886.

For fuller details of events at Aro Ling Cardiff, please visit

aro-ling.org/cardiff or meetup.com/arolingcardiff
07875 716644

Meditation group – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness. For more information about meditation in the Aro gTér Nyingma tradition, please view the information page on MeetUp. 
The 10:00 session on the Sunday of the first weekend of the month follows the same format.

Saturday Teaching Sessions – morning tea break provided; please bring a packed lunch.

Jong Dar is a term that covers all the physical practices of the Aro Tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. Each class is 1 hour. The session includes Ying’khor, sKu-mNyé, walking meditation, and standing meditation. The 25 Ying ’khor exercises involve subtle movement in a standing position. Some include visualisation of coloured light energy synchronised with the breath. A few involve sound as vocalised syllables. sKu-mNyé (the ‘s’ is silent) in the Aro tradition is a system of 111 repetitive physical exercises which massage the spatial nerves of the subtle, energetic body – giving rise to extraordinary sensations. In these unusual sensations it is possible to find the presence of non-dual awareness—rigpa—momentary enlightenment. It offers a range of movements, from simple and gentle to demanding and vigorous – so there is something for everyone. All are welcome whatever age or level of fitness. A wonderful form of exercise that is refreshing and invigorating.

The charity of the Aro gTér Lineage in the UK is called ‘Sang-ngak-chö-dzong’ (UK charity number 1019886). This was the name given by Kyabjé Düd’jom Rinpoche. There are also other European charities connected with the Lineage, plus Aro Gar in the USA. Currently we are fund-raising to establish a residential retreat centre in Wales, which will be called ‘Drala Jong’. For information about this appeal, please see http://arobuddhism.org/drala-jong/drala-jong-appeal.html or go to the Drala Jong appeal blog.  

Extracts from Aro gTér Lineage publications appear once a week on a blog called Aro Quotation. If you would like to receive the Aro Quotations by email, please go to the blog and subscribe.

The Aro gTer Lineage also offers a free meditation course. The course is delivered in weekly emails.