The Middle Way Initiative Newsletter: March 2024
Dear Friends,
We hope you are enjoying spring and the season’s change. We wanted to announce that we have some very exciting guest speakers planned for Open Question Live programs this year! Please save the dates.
Traleg Khandro - Saturday, April 20
Anam Thubten Rinpoche- Saturday, May 11
TBA- Saturday in August
Matthieu Ricard- Saturday, October 26
Krishna Das- Saturday, December 21
Don’t miss out on ordering your MWI special edition ”Year of the Dragon” t-shirt available through March 31. These high-quality, responsibly sourced shirts are available through the MWI non-profit store on Bonfire. The t-shirts have been very popular and thank you to all who helped us reach our goal to sell 108 t-shirts. Thank you for your generosity which has enabled us to surpass our fundraising goal of $1000! In addition to our Dragon T-shirt, you will also find t-shirts, hoodies, ball caps, and mugs with our MWI "Endless Knot" design.
See below for the upcoming April 6-7 Mangala Shri Bhuti teaching event with Dungse Jampal Norbu. We enjoy Dungse-la’s service in The Middle Way Initiative as our Vice-President and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Blessings,
The MWI Team
Open Question LIVE Conversation, "Faith: Seeking Refuge"
Open Question LIVE Conversation, "Faith: Seeking Refuge" Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel and Traleg Khandro, Saturday April 20, 2024, 3-5PM USA MT.
About this Event
Join us on April 20 for the first in Elizabeth's 2024 teaching series "Faith: Beyond Belief and Doubt." Elizabeth will be joined by Traleg Khandro to discuss "Faith: Seeking Refuge."
Traleg Khandro is a deeply insightful and experienced dharma teacher and practitioner. She is the wife of the late Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, is the Governing Director of E-Vam Institute in Australia and leads Shogam Publications.
Elizabeth and Khandro will open up the topic of faith with thoughtfulness, honesty and depth, focusing on our experience and questions such as: how do we work with uncertainty; how to identify the extremes of belief and doubt; and what does it means to take refuge in the Middle Way?
Event Pricing: $35 (USD)
This event is an important source of financial support for The Middle Way Initiative teaching programs. Your generosity is appreciated. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. MWI also makes tickets available to all monastics for free. Please send your email request to the following people: English contact: Abba: abbahatcher@gmail.com or Portuguese contact: Cerys cerys@middlewayinitiative.org.
Determined to Be Happy
April 6 – 7, 2024. In-person at Pema Osel and Live Streaming.
About this Event
In this two-day, in-person and online program, Dungse Jampal Norbu continues his ongoing exploration of the Lojong Slogans as a means to settle the mind and build the determination to rise above habitual obstacles in the pursuit of happiness.
This program will be held in-person at Pema Osel. It will also be streamed live by Wisdom Productions.
Save the Date: May 25-26th: Bearing Witness: Cultivating Courage and Engagement on the Bodhisattva Path
Watch out for forthcoming details on this in-person and live stream event!
Tashi Delek 2024! Let’s Celebrate the Year of the Wood Dragon!
Our Special Edition “Tashi Delek 2024” t-shirts are available until March 31! Your purchase through our non-profit “Bonfire” store directly benefits MWI.
These high-quality, responsibly sourced and produced shirts are available in Classic fit (100% cotton) and Slim Fit (60/40 blend) styles in a range of great colors.
Price $28.99.
https://www.bonfire.com/2024tashidelek/
Recordings Available! Audio-Video Study Set: The Liberating Practice of Looking and Not Finding
Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel invites you to engage with her in the liberating practice of looking and not finding. Elizabeth has said, ”If one were to ask: “What did the Buddha teach?” It would be accurate to reply: “The Middle Way.” Middle Way wisdom challenges the unexamined assumptions we have about things, what the Buddha called ‘extreme views.’ She will continue on themes of Madhyamaka reasoning and analysis which are often misunderstood as ‘intellectual’ and hard to apply to our own experience. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The purpose of analysis is to free our minds from confusion – to liberate us.
Regarding the analytical method, Elizabeth has shared, “Looking and not finding challenges us to consider what it would be like to behold our world without clinging to the designations of existence or nonexistence. Existence and nonexistence are dualistic concepts impossible to reconcile. This is why looking directly into the nature of things is so powerful. Can we bear not defaulting to the habit of reification? Can we bear that life will always be free or empty of the “thingness” we assign it? That the map can never fully represent the territory? These are essential Middle Way questions.”
New Podcast Episode: Faith Beyond Belief and Doubt: The “F” Word
In this episode, Elizabeth takes us on a journey through the term ‘faith.' We may assume we know what faith is, but most of us have never truly explored its nuance or spectrum of meanings. We often use the term faith to refer to: dogma, fundamentalism, doctrine, confidence, devotion, conviction, just to name a few.
In the context of contemporary culture, there are those who suggest that we replace the world faith with spirituality, but Elizabeth requests us not to write-off faith so glibly. Faith carries with it the undeniable tension between our search for security and the limits of our ability to know. Faith keeps us connected to the heart of the human condition.
Other Ways to Support MWI
Check Out Our MWI Store: T-shirts, ball caps, hoodies, and mugs
MWI opened a “Storefront” that enables us to receive a little bit of sustaining income by offering t-shirts, ball caps, hoodies, and mugs with our “Eternal Knot” logo. The storefront hosted by Bonfire helps nonprofits raise funds and has an an option for you to add a larger donation when you purchase a product.