New York and Boston teachings with Kilung Rinpoche, March 2018

Kilung Rinpoche, accompanied by Jeanne Lepisto, Kilung Foundation’s Co-Executive Director, had a very active visit to New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. Between March 15-25, at least 300 people were present at 9 events.

Rinpoche and Jeanne arrived an hour early from Denmark Thursday, March 15. It was good that Frank Ryan and Susan Ryan also felt they should be at JFK early to pick them up. Rinpoche’s teachings in New York were supported by Frank, Susan, and Lila Kate Wheeler who all traveled south to participate and rejoice.

In Manhattan, Rinpoche was hosted by Josh Baran, who has attended two Dzogchen East retreats and helped Lila to plan out and arrange the New York visit. On Friday, Rinpoche held a Q and A for invited students at Khachod Dechen Ling, a consecrated temple that is also the personal home of Ani Bhadri. Later that afternoon, he offered a talk and guided meditation on The Relaxed Mind for about 40 members and guests of the Assemblage, a new deluxe co-working office space in Midtown.

Saturday, Rinpoche led a daylong retreat on The Relaxed Mind for 33 students at MNDFL meditation studio in Greenwich Village (they had to bring in extra cushions due to interest).

Sunday, the curator of the Rubin Museum’s Padmasambhava exhibit offered us a private tour before Rinpoche’s public conversation with prizewinning brain scientist Gyorgyi Buszaki, part of the museum’s Brain Waves program. Their conversation on the nature of time had one main point of agreement:  timelessness. The lively audience of 150 occasionally offered spontaneous comments.

After driving to the Boston area that night, Kilung Rinpoche’s events began with a Monday evening Dharma talk on The Relaxed Mind for at least 60 people at Boston Center for Contemplative Practice (BCCP) in Newton, where Jim Rosen and Susan Ryan also hold Relaxed Mind classes.

Tuesday, by invitation from Daniel Aitken, publisher at of Wisdom Publications, Rinpoche recorded a podcast that is still being edited — we will let you know when it is released.  In person and by Zoom Rinpoche taught about 30 members of 3 local Relaxed Mind groups led by Shana Klinger, Jim Rosen and Susan Ryan, and Lila Kate Wheeler.

Rinpoche was also able to make a personal visit to Tulku Thondup before the 5-day East Coast Dzogchen retreat, held once again at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, south of Boston. This year 50 new and old students, a record number for us, received reading transmission, practical instructions and Rinpoche’s original commentary on Gongpa Rangdrol, The Naturally Liberated Wisdom Mind, by Dza Patrul Rinpoche.

Jeanne, Shana, and Jim also did a presentation for folks interested in joining Pema Kilaya Sangha and in a teaching relationship with Kilung Rinpoche. There was also a progress report and fundraising for the Shedra.

The overall retreat and visit were organized by Ilona Anderson, Tom Curlin, Frank Ryan, Susan Ryan, and Lila Kate Wheeler. Rinpoche and Jeanne boarded an airplane soon after the retreat closed to continue benefiting beings to the West.

We are so grateful to Rinpoche for his ongoing support, and to Jeanne as well for making things work out on so many levels.

~~~Lila Kate Wheeler