Hello, Brothers and Sisters ... FINALLY, I am going to start the Healing Circle component that I envisioned when I first openned this group in early  2006. It will be a "MEDCINE BUDDHA HEALING CIRCLE," and their are several considerations about that, but no difficulties or obstacles to doing that -- ONLINE, wow -- for all comers, WOW -- even though the Medicine Buddha that I practice is from the Terma Tradition and is among the "Supreme Anutara Yoga Tantras" WOW ... How?

The Medicine Buddha is a meditational deity that the Buddha spoke about in two special SUTRAS. As such, like the meditational deity practice of CHENREZI, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, there is a pathway through the Sutras to do some practice of these meditational dieties without the customary EMPOWERMENT & INITIATIONS that are required for (any) Tantric Practices. In my own case, I had the great good fortune to receive my first Medicine Buddha Empowerment from Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche, in 1986, three years before he passed away.

Since that time, and finally receiving through good causes and conditions the precious "Lapis Lazuli RIver" Sadhana (practice text), on December 17th, 1988 -- just 14-days before my Gelong Ordination -- and 1) having had the Menla Empowerment again, many times, from many Lamas and Rinpoches, including my Sawa Lama, and Spiritual Father, Yubla, His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya, several times; and 2) most recently, in 2001, from my main Medicine Buddha teacher, Very Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche [Supreme Teacher of the Karma Kagyu Lineage]; and 3) having received both the Sutra and Tantra teachings, Empowerments, and Commentaries from Thrangu Rinpoche; and as a Tantric and Sutric Practitioner of the Medicine Buddha practices for 21-years; and, whereas, I have conducted the Medicine Budhha practice in my Vajrayana Pathways Sangha in Seattle, from 1994 until I left Seattle for Boulder, CO in 2002 -- leaving one of my three Cheala's, Sycamore Jangchub Kunga Rabgye [Ric Jackson] to continue the VPIWW tradition in Seatlle; and, whereas, I have since 2002 done the Medicine Buddha Sadhana as my most rigorous and consistent practice here in the Front Range and in Nepal since 2002, personally; and, whereas, I have consistently had this practice, Menla -- the Medicine Buddha, as one of the two main practices, along with Chenrezi -- Bodhisattva of Compassion, in my Kunga Tenphel Ling Dharma Center, since 2001, although often having to do the practice alone, without any Sangha; and, whereas, the Menla Practice has now been established solidly at my Kunga Tenphel Ling Dharma Center [authorized and named by Kyabje Chogye Trichen (1919-2007) in 2001] in Lyons, Colorado, since July of 2005; and, whereas, with the concern that most other Dharma Centers in America were not doing the practice of Menla, and that I strongly wanted to do so, and, having the great opportunity to discuss this with one of my teachers, His Eminence Dzongsar Kheyentse Rinpoche, in Seattle, in 1995, and that Rinpoche empowered me on the spot to "do this for the rest of your (my) life." -- almost bringing me to tears; and, whereas, I have since 1997, when with Sangha, in Seattle, and here in the Front Range of Colorado, since 2002, I have as a part of the Completion practice of the Sadhana, developed from my own Mind-Terma, the practice of doing a Healing Circle after the first 21 recitations of the Mental Mantra, of whatever length that Healing Circle took, based in part upon things that I learned from my SiSiWiss Medicine Tradition Teachers [Whis-Stem-Men-Knee -- Johnny Moses, and Hekula(t) -- Beaver Chief Fred Jameson, of the Northwest Coast Salish (Seattle area and SE British Columbia)] and the Red Cedar Circle, and then completing the practice with the recitation of the Menla Mantra, short sitting meditation, and then the Dedications of Merit; finally, I have decided to develop this Medicine Buddha Healing Circle from the traditions and from my own Mind-Terma, as an online practice, and, here, in this group "Medtation-DZOGCHEN-Ati Yoga-Healing Circle," and in the "Vajrayana Pathways Institute Without Walls" group, and eventually as a Real-Time Online Medicine Buddha Healing Circle, utilizing the various "MESSENGER" technologies that are available in our world today, thus expanding the reach of the Buddhadharma Globally, and as a contribution from a Western Rinpoche, and as a development of the Dharma from the West.  WELCOME TO THE PCL/KTL/VPIWW MEDICINE BUDDHA HEALING CIRCLE.  E Ma Ho!  Sarva Mangalam!

 Sapan Rinpoche

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<p><b> The continuation of the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, for the Healing Circle here, and THERE, will be given only in the "Vajrayana Pathways Institute Without Walls," an ONLINE SANGHA and the main Vajrayana Buddhist teaching site for Sapan Rinpoche and friends. The URL in Care2.com for that is:

<p><b> http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Vajrayana_Pathways

<p><b> The VPIWW group requires an Application, to encourage the development of an ongoing ONLINE SANGHA, and due to the necessity of some "Skillful Means."  All members of this "Meditation - DZOGCHEN - Ati Yoga - Healing Circle" are strongly encouraged to join that group for further instruction and for the activity of the VPIWW SANGHA.

<p><b> Eventually, the MENLA HEALING CIRCLE for this group will function (ONLINE) through the VPIWW site, for which this group is a ... PORTAL!

<p><b> Kindest regards, Sapan Rinpoche

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