Aro Ling Cardiff is moving – May newsletter

Aro Ling Cardiff

is moving . . . 

From May 17th Aro Ling Cardiff will be holding its meetings at 5 Court Close, Whitchurch, CF14 1JR. Over the last month volunteers have been helping convert an outbuilding into a new meditation room. The room has been insulated and is now being painted in the traditional colours of a Nyingma gompa. 

24th April: yellow and red nearly complete.

It is a larger space, and will be quieter than the Merthyr Road venue – although some people may miss the tempting smells from the chip shop next door! The new meditation room is also on the ground floor with direct access from the street, and so can offer disabled access.

29th April: orange stripe finished - just the green stripe to paint

All activities will continue without a break, but move to 5 Court Close from Tuesday 17th May. The only change will be that weekend events will now all happen over the first weekend of the month with the retreat days moving to the Sunday. A variety of meetings will be offered on both the Saturday and Sunday

Weekly schedule
Tuesdays:
sKu-mNyé 10:30 – 11:30
Meditation & Song 12:00 – 13:00
Meditation Group 19:00 – 20:30
sKu-mNyé is a physical yoga practice. 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. Each class is 1 hour.
Meditation group and daytime meditation – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness. 
Monthly schedule: first weekend of the month (from June)
Saturday:
Meditation & yogic song   10:00 - 11:30 (all welcome)
Tsog’khorlo practice   12:30 (Aro Lineage practitioners only)
Dance   14:30 (all welcome for Georgian and Tibetan folk dance)
Sunday:
One day retreats   10:00 - 17:00 (all welcome for teachings on Vajrayana Buddhism as advertised)   

Sunday June 5th

Body, Speech and Mind 10:00 - 17:00 £25 donation requested

As human beings we exist as emptiness, energy and form. In order to liberate and awaken our experience it is important to engage with Dharma practice at all three levels – mind, speech and body. This one day retreat will look at the physical practices of the Aro gTér Lineage, such as sKu-mNyé and ying’khor, interspersed with periods of yogic song and meditation.

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

Donations are requested to cover the costs of advertising, 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
or call
07875 716644

Aro Ling Cardiff newsletter – new book, Illusory Advice, the precepts

Aro Ling Cardiff

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1DB  07875 716644

  April Newsletter 2016

The main teachers at Aro Ling Cardiff have recently published a new book: Illusory Advice. It is their first co-authored publication. Ngakma Nor’dzin is also the author of Spacious Passion (2009), and Relaxing into Meditation (2010). Illusory Advice is available to purchase from all major distributors, such as Amazon, Blackwells, Barnes & Noble, etcetera.
The blurb on the back says:
"Illusory Advice is an anthology of lively email discussions between two Western-born Buddhist teachers and their students. The questions and replies cover a wide range of topics—to which the Buddhist view is applied with directness, subtlety, and humour—such as: family life; interpersonal difficulties; and, the student-teacher relationship. Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin are a married teaching-couple of the Aro gTér Lineage of the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. They are ordained representatives of the ancient non-monastic tradition of Vajrayana, in which every-day life circumstances and individual-personality are embraced as the path of transformation."
 

Aro Ling Cardiff continues to offer sessions and classes on Tuesdays for the month of April, plus a Saturday retreat on the 9th April. The Five Principles of Awareness will look at a teaching that is often considered to be fundamental to Buddhists: the precepts. 

Events beyond April are not yet decided as there are exciting changes happening in the world of Aro Ling Cardiff – more about that in the next newsletter.

 

Saturday events upcoming (details below)
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness 10 – 5

Weekly schedule
Tuesdays:
sKu-mNyé 10:30 – 11:30
Meditation & Song 12:00 – 13:00
Meditation Group 19:00 – 20:30

sKu-mNyé is a physical yoga practice. 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. Each class is 1 hour and a donation of £4 is requested.

Meditation group and daytime meditation – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness.  Daytime £4, evening £5 donation requested. Introductory session every first Saturday of the month – £8 donation requested.

Monthly schedule:
First Saturday of month: Discovering Spaciousness of Mind  10:00 – 12:00; What is meditation? How to meditate, and why it’s a worthwhile occupation. The how and why of establishing a daily meditation practice. This monthly session offers practical instruction on meditation, plus an introduction to the Aro gTér Lineage and its practices, and to the Nyingma school of Buddhism; £8 donation requested
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness – a one day retreat (see details below)

April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness
The method of the Owl Precepts undermines the confusion that creates unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Living within the Owl Precepts is an invaluable method of realising the spiritual path through everyday life. This Dzogchen view of the Five Buddhist Precepts originates in the Heart Essence Sutra of the Owl-headed Dakini, from the gTérmas of Khyungchen Aro Lingma (1886-1923).
10:00 – 17:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

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

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

Happy St David's Day, retreat and session information – Aro Ling Buddhist Centre March Newsletter

Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1DB  07875 716644

  March Newsletter 2016

Belated good wishes for St David’s Day. There were certainly no concerns this year of whether the daffodils would be in bloom in time for March 1st. 

From a painting by Ngakma Nor'dzin

It is not possible for Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre to be staffed for two days a week for the next few weeks. As Tuesday is generally the most popular day, daytime classes with continue as usual on Tuesday, but there will be no Wednesday opening. The schedule on Meetup.com and at aro-ling.org will be adjusted accordingly as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience.

If you had been on the brink of coming along to try the Georgian dancing on a Wednesday afternoon – do not be concerned. A Saturday afternoon group will be starting soon, and it will also be possible to learn Tibetan folk dance. 

Saturday events upcoming (details below)
March 05: Discovering Spaciousness of Mind 10 – 12
March 12: The Mahasiddhas 10 – 5
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness 10 – 5

Weekly schedule
Tuesdays:
sKu-mNyé 10:30 – 11:30
Meditation & Song 12:00 – 13:00
Meditation Group 19:00 – 20:30

sKu-mNyé is a physical yoga practice. 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. Each class is 1 hour and a donation of £4 is requested.

Meditation group and daytime meditation – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness.  Daytime £4, evening £5 donation requested. Introductory session every first Saturday of the month – £8 donation requested.

Monthly schedule:
First Saturday of month: Discovering Spaciousness of Mind  10:00 – 12:00; What is meditation? How to meditate, and why it’s a worthwhile occupation. The how and why of establishing a daily meditation practice. This monthly session offers practical instruction on meditation, plus an introduction to the Aro gTér Lineage and its practices, and to the Nyingma school of Buddhism; £8 donation requested
March 12: The Mahasiddhas – a one day retreat (see details below)
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness – a one day retreat (see details below)

March 12: The Mahasiddhas
The 84 Mahasiddhas were early Tantric practitioners who discovered complete liberation through outrageously conventional or unconventional means. The lives of the Mahasiddhas emphasise that spiritual realisation is found within ordinary life, not in a special realm outside it. Stories of some of the 84 Mahasiddhas will presented from the unique perspective of Dzogchen. This method of integrating practice into the experience of everyday life is a profound practice of finding the presence of awareness in all of one’s experience.
10:00 – 17:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness
The method of the Owl Precepts undermines the confusion that creates unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Living within the Owl Precepts is an invaluable method of realising the spiritual path through everyday life. This Dzogchen view of the Five Buddhist Precepts originates in the Heart Essence Sutra of the Owl-headed Dakini, from the gTérmas of Khyungchen Aro Lingma (1886-1923).
10:00 – 17:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

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

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

Citizenship Award, a full house, and generous donations - Aro Ling Buddhist Centre February Newsletter

Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1DB  07875 716644

  February Newsletter 2016

Please note: on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd February daytime classes are cancelled. Only the Tuesday 7pm meditation group will be running. This is because Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin are on retreat with their students.

The 7pm meditation group on Tuesday 2nd February, will be attended by eleven of Ngakma Nor’dzin and Ngakpa ’ö-Dzin’s students. Their students include Aro gTér Lineage practitioners from Finland, Germany, Austria, and France, as well as from the UK. This evening meditation session is a great opportunity to practise with a group of experienced practitioners.

Aro Ling Buddhist Centre has been selected as a finalist for a Citizenship Award.
Thank you for voting for us.

On 23rd January we were delighted to welcome the Aro gTér Lineage Holders to Aro Ling Cardiff for the first time. The room was packed as the event was fully booked, and everyone found the day most inspiring. We hope that Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen will be regularly visiting Aro Ling to teach from now on.

A number of members of the Aro Ling Cardiff community donated items for the Women‘s Refuge for World Interfaith Harmony Day. Several bags, of a range of the requested items, have been delivered to the organiser. It was a generous collection for such a small Buddhist Community. Thank you.

New for 2016

Dances of the Jane Austen Era - Wednesdays 16:30
Have you enjoyed the dancing in classic drama productions such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Emma’? Come to Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre and learn how to practise them.
To dance these Georgian dances well requires passion and precision; respect and consideration; good humour and sensitivity – all valuable qualities Buddhists wish to develop. While dancing we must be aware of our partner and our neighbour, and the overall pattern of the dance – and still have fun.
The class is suitable for adults, and children aged 10 and above with a supervising adult.
Adults £3, accompanied children £1.
Meditation Group - Wednesdays 18:00
A new, one hour, early-evening meditation session - the perfect way to end your work day and feel refreshed to enjoy the rest of your evening.
Short periods of silent meditation are interspersed with chant and song. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Requested donation £4. 

Saturday retreats for the new year (details below)
February 13: Wearing the body of Visions
March 12: The Mahasiddhas
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness

Weekly schedule from January 2016
Tuesdays:
sKu-mNyé 10:30; Meditation & Song 12:00; Meditation Group 19:00 – 20:30
Wednesdays:

sKu-mNyé 14:00; Meditation & Song 15:15; Dancing of Jane Austen Era 16:30; Meditation Group 18:00
sKu-mNyé is a physical yoga practice. 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. Each class is 1 hour and a donation of £4 is requested.
Meditation groups and daytime meditation – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness.  Daytime £4, evening £5 donation requested. Introductory session every first Saturday of the month – £8 donation requested.

Monthly schedule:
First Saturday of month: Discovering Spaciousness of Mind  10:00 – 12:00; an introduction to the Aro gTér Lineage and its practices, and to the Nyingma school of Buddhism; £8 donation requested.
*Next one Saturday 6th February*
Retreat days – one Saturday a month as advertised, 10:00 to 19:00; £30 in advance, or £35 on the day. Concessions available on application and if paid in advance.
February 13: Wearing the body of Visions
March 12: The Mahasiddhas
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness


February 13: Wearing the Body of Visions
Explore the rich and dramatic symbolism of inner Tantra, through practices of vision, yogic song, chant, mudra, and Tantric music. We are symbols of our true enlightened selves, and through ‘wearing’ the visionary body of the awareness-beings we can reveal our true nature. The peaceful, joyous, and wrathful awareness-beings are the key to both personal dignity and to perceiving the dignity of others. The day will conclude with an empowerment into the
practice of Yeshé Tsogyel, the female tantric Buddha of Tibet.
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day
*Bookings now being taken for this event. Book on Meetup.com and pay in advance on Paypal to receive the discount, send a cheque made out to ‘Aro Ling Cardiff’, or pay cash when you visit.*

March 12: The Mahasiddhas
The 84 Mahasiddhas were early Tantric practitioners who discovered complete liberation through outrageously conventional or unconventional means. The lives of the Mahasiddhas emphasise that spiritual realisation is found within ordinary life, not in a special realm outside it. Stories of some of the 84 Mahasiddhas will presented from the unique perspective of Dzogchen. This method of integrating practice into the experience of everyday life is a profound practice of finding the presence of awareness in all of one’s experience.
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness
The method of the Owl Precepts undermines the confusion that creates unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Living within the Owl Precepts is an invaluable method of realising the spiritual path through everyday life. This Dzogchen view of the Five Buddhist Precepts originates in the Heart Essence Sutra of the Owl-headed Dakini, from the gTérmas of Khyungchen Aro Lingma (1886-1923).
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

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

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

January Newsletter - New Year Resolutions - Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre - Citizenship Award

Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1DB  07875 716644

January Newsletter 2016

All of us at Aro Ling Cardiff hope that you have enjoyed a splendid Yuletide and wish you all the best for 2016. Have you made any resolutions? How about resolving to establish a daily meditation practice in 2016. Ten minutes of silent sitting every day can enable us to be calmer and more content, creating a peaceful atmosphere around us.

2016 at Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre begins with our regular monthly introductory session Discovering the Spaciousness of Mind on Saturday, 2nd January. The spring schedule then begins with our usual opening days, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5th January. Look out for the two new sessions: Dances of the Jane Austen Era, Wednesdays at 16:30, and a new meditation group, also on Wednesdays, at 18:00. Please see details below.

  

There are only about 4 places remaining for the January retreat with the Aro gTér Lineage Holders teaching on Dzogchen at Aro Ling. This is a rare opportunity to hear these teachings from realised Dzogchen practitioners. If you would like to attend, booking soon is recommended.

Other news – Aro Ling Buddhist Centre has been nominated for a Citizenship Award. 

 

Please vote for us here before the end of the year.
Voting closes on December 31st 2015.

Thank you.

New for 2016

Dances of the Jane Austen Era - Wednesdays 16:30

Have you enjoyed the dancing in classic drama productions such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Emma’? Come to Aro Ling Cardiff Buddhist Centre and learn how to practise them.
To dance these Georgian dances well requires passion and precision; respect and consideration; good humour and sensitivity – all valuable qualities Buddhists develop. While dancing we must be aware of our partner and our neighbour, and the overall pattern of the dance – and still have fun.
The class is suitable for adults, and children aged 10 and above with a supervising adult.
Adults £3, accompanied children £1.
Meditation Group - Wednesdays 18:00
A new, one hour, early-evening meditation session - the perfect way to end your work day and feel refreshed to enjoy the rest of your evening.
Short periods of silent meditation are interspersed with chant and song. Beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Requested donation £4.
Saturday retreats for the new year (details below)
January 23: Dzogchen, Wonderment & Vividness
February 13: Wearing the body of Visions
March 12: The Mahasiddhas
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness

Weekly schedule January 2016
Tuesdays:
sKu-mNyé 10:30; Meditation & Song 12:00; Meditation Group 19:00 – 20:30
Wednesdays:

sKu-mNyé 14:00; Meditation & Song 15:15; Dancing of Jane Austen Era 16:30; Meditation Group 18:00
sKu-mNyé is a physical yoga practice. 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. Each class is 1 hour and a donation of £4 is requested.
Meditation groups and daytime meditation – beginners and experienced meditators welcome. Short periods of meditation are interspersed with yogic song and chant. Discover emptiness and self-awareness.  Daytime £4, evening £5 donation requested. Introductory session every first Saturday of the month – £8 donation requested.

Monthly schedule:
First Saturday of month: Discovering Spaciousness of Mind  10:00 – 12:00; an introduction to the Aro gTér Lineage and its practices, and to the Nyingma school of Buddhism; £8 donation requested.
Retreat days – one Saturday a month as advertised, 10:00 to 19:00; £30 in advance, or £35 on the day. Concessions available on application and if paid in advance.
January 23: Dzogchen, Wonderment & Vividness
February 13: Wearing the body of Visions
March 12: The Mahasiddhas
April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness

January 23: Dzogchen, Wonderment & Vividness
In their first teaching at Aro Ling Cardiff, the Lineage Lamas will give direct introduction to Dzogchen sem-dé – the totality teaching of the ‘nature of Mind’. Dzogchen is unique in dealing with the experience of being human at the most essential level of perception. Dzogchen lays bare the problems which arise through our dualistic vision – and creates a sense of wonderment at the immense possibility for each individual.
10:00 – 19:00; £35 if paid in advance, £40 on the day
**Booking recommended as this event will be likely to be oversubscribed. This retreat is charged at slightly more than usual so that Aro Ling Cardiff can make an offering to Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen, and pay their travel expenses. **

February 13: Wearing the Body of Visions
Explore the rich and dramatic symbolism of inner Tantra, through practices of vision, yogic song, chant, mudra, and Tantric music. We are symbols of our true enlightened selves, and through ‘wearing’ the visionary body of the awareness-beings we can reveal our true nature. The peaceful, joyous, and wrathful awareness-beings are the key to both personal dignity and to perceiving the dignity of others. The day will conclude with an empowerment into the
practice of Yeshé Tsogyel, the female tantric Buddha of Tibet.
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

March 12: The Mahasiddhas
The 84 Mahasiddhas were early Tantric practitioners who discovered complete liberation through outrageously conventional or unconventional means. The lives of the Mahasiddhas emphasise that spiritual realisation is found within ordinary life, not in a special realm outside it. Stories of some of the 84 Mahasiddhas will presented from the unique perspective of Dzogchen. This method of integrating practice into the experience of everyday life is a profound practice of finding the presence of awareness in all of one’s experience.
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

April 09: The 5 Principles of Awareness
The method of the Owl Precepts undermines the confusion that creates unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Living within the Owl Precepts is an invaluable method of realising the spiritual path through everyday life. This Dzogchen view of the Five Buddhist Precepts originates in the Heart Essence Sutra of the Owl-headed Dakini, from the gTérmas of Khyungchen Aro Lingma (1886-1923).
10:00 – 19:00, £30 if paid in advance, £35 on the day

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

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

Regional Awards Nomination - please vote for us!

Aro Ling Buddhist Centre has been nominated in the not-for-profit category of the Regional Awards in Cardiff.

Please vote for us here before the end of the year.
Voting closes on December 31st 2015.

Thank you.

You've been nominated!
The Regional Awards has now launched in Cardiff.  Bringing a transparent and completely independent judging format that recognises the achievements, expertise and hard work of the most remarkable businesses and individuals in the region.  We are pleased to inform you that your entry or nomination has been accepted.

 

Cardiff Media Partners & Venue Announced

December 1, 2015

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The Regional Awards

The Regional awards are pleased to announce both RedHanded Magazine and Buzz Magazine as media partners for The Regional Awards event in Cardiff.

With an estimated 250 entries the first event in Cardiff looks set to be one amazing event, lasting in total a staggering 6 months for the entry, voting, judging process and of course the awards evening.  

Paul Mulligan of RedHanded Magazine said "RedHanded is proud to be associated with The Regional Awards because they genuinely reflect and recognise what’s great about the inspirational people and businesses of Cardiff. Key to this is the independence and transparency of the judging process – it’s reassuring to know that the winners will be judged solely on merit. May the best business win!"

Matt Lissack from Capital FM's South Wales Breakfast Show is set to be hosting the evening which will be held at the prestigious Mercure Holland House Hotel on Thursday 7th April 2016.

 

September 2013 - From Office to Opening Day

Inspired by Aro Ling Bristol, we looked for a place in Cardiff to create a small Buddhist Centre. Aro Ling Bristol had shown how much of a difference it made  to have a public space in the city.

We were looking for a place that was within walking distance of our home in Whitchurch, and of course, not too expensive to rent. After viewing several places we eventually found a room to rent over Chambers Estate Agents in Whitchurch village.

At the time we looked at the place it had only just ceased being an office and still had all the desks, chairs and cupboards that you would expect.  The walls were a plain magnolia.  We measured the room, and talked to Chambers about renting.  We then went across to Coffee#1 to make the big decision.

We signed for the place at the end of August 2013, with the intention of opening one month later.  So began the process of transforming a plain room in Whitchurch into a traditional Tibetan shrine room.  This involved Ngakma Nor'dzin in working long days and late nights to ensure that everything was ready on time.

The slideshow shows the gradual transformation of the room and includes photographs from the blessing by Ngak'chang Rinpoche and the Opening Day on 28th September 2013.

..