July Newsletter 2025

KSD Dublin
Jul 25, 2025
3 min read

Dear All,

Dear Friends of Kagyu Samye Dzong Dublin,

The holiday season has started and for some of us this might be a time with more freedom to choose how we want to spend our moments in life, or to reflect on how we want to continue our journey in this world.

In Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery, this summer, there will be various opportunities to meet with Khenpos and Lamas and listen to their dharma-teachings, for a weekend, a week or even for a longer duration of several weeks. Such teachings might become a precious pointer on our spiritual path. What you can experience there is much more than we can offer here in KSDD and I encourage everybody who is yearning for dharma to look at the programme and consider making the journey to Scotland. Due to the difficulties around Visas, not all events are yet advertised and it is worthwhile keeping an eye on the programme https://www.samyeling.org/courses/

Those already on are:

Khenpo Karma Drodul: https://www.samyeling.org/courses/buddhism/view/the-four-noble-truths

The Summer Meditation Retreat with Drupon Rinpoche: https://www.samyeling.org/courses/retreats/view/summer-meditation-retreat-august-2025

The Khyabje Akong Tulku Memorial Retreat in October with Lama Ghawang: https://www.samyeling.org/courses/buddhism/view/khyabje-akong-tulku-memorial-retreat-2025

For people who are sincerely interested and wishing to spend a longer time in Retreat, Samye Ling is also offering a one year Ngondro retreat, starting in November. Participants would need to come for the August Summer Retreat to receive the required teachings and transmissions from Drupon Rinpoche. More information https://www.samyeling.org/news/one-year-retreat-opportunity/

You can also speak to Ani Yonten if you want to know more about this retreat.

One of the Khenpos expected to teach in Samye Ling is Khenpo Lekthong, and you might remember that we had invited him last year to Dublin, but his visit was later cancelled. There is a chance that he will visit us this year but so far no certainty and no dates scheduled yet. We keep you updated and make aspirations that we will be so fortunate to welcome him in KSDD.

For those who are staying here, during July and the first part of August we have our regular programme to offer to you, with Meditation, Mindfulness, Tara and Chenrezig Pujas as well as weekly Dharma talks and Dònal Creedon's Saturday Morning Dialogues.

The centre will close for a two week summer-break from Monday 11th August until Sunday 24th of August and will open again for the Summer Retreat Days - Monday 25th - Friday 29th August. During these days there will be no Regular Programme, this will start again on Saturday 30th of August.

In September we hope that Lama Zangpo from the Glasgow Centre is visiting us for the weekend of 13th and14th, and Lama Zangmo from the London Centre has confirmed coming to teach on the last weekend of November 2025. More information is further down.

To apply yourselves with body, speech and

mind to the sacred teachings,

People of Tingri, is the best thing you can do.

(From Padampa Sangye's Hundred Verses of Advice to the people of Tingri)

From Dilgo Khentse's commentary:

Through the unfailing process of cause and effect, our acts, our words and our thoughts determine the happiness or the suffering that we will later experience. If the balance of our acts leans to the negative side, we will suffer in the lower states of existence of samsara. If it leans toward the positive, we will be able to liberate ourselves from samsara and attain Buddhahood in a single lifetime. The choice is clear: avoid the causes of sorrow and thus be sure of happiness.

If you are born as a human being, in a place where Buddhism has flourished, and you meet an accomplished spiritual master, you can put his instructions into practice and reap immense benefits in this life and in all future lives. You will realize that your focus on worldly distractions and preoccupations is holding you prisoner in samsara, and you will begin to feel an intense desire to free yourself. Right now, you are at the crossroad: one way leads to liberation, the other to the different realms of samsara.

Two Weekends to pencil in:

Saturday/Sunday 13th/14th September:

Lama Zangpo from Kagyu Samye Dzong Glasgow is likely to come and teach in KSDD. More information about this weekend is coming soon.

Saturday/Sunday 29th/30th November

Lama Zangmo from the London Centre will come and teach on "Living and Dying with Confidence".

More details coming soon.

We wish you all a sunny, warm and joyful summertime,

May peace and kindness of heart spread throughout the world.

Kind regards,

Ani Yonten and the KSDD Community