SEPTEMBER 2026 NEWSLETTER
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
By Jacqui Merrell
"All conditioned things are impermanent. When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering." – Dhammapada
We are once again at the change of seasons here in Pennsylvania. The kids are going back to school and soon it will get colder. A riot of glorious color will soon explode across the Northeastern US, and everything will suddenly (and inexplicably) be pumpkin-spice flavored.
The changing of the seasons can be a trigger for us to contemplate impermanence, reminding us that appearances arise and dissolve constantly due to causes and conditions. It's as true for the changing of the color of the leaves as it is for the stability of glaciers in Nepal. Maybe the return of the kids to school or the leaves changing brings us joy. Glacial collapse, war, and that person in the school dropoff line who is distracted by their phone probably don't. All of them are impermanent.
Buddhism invites us to consider the possibility that by knowing impermanence, in whatever form it takes, we could wake up from our conditioned existence (samsara) and stop resisting our world. We could be free from suffering. We could choose to train in the bodhisattva path and use the vicissitudes of life to inspire ourselves to actualize our inherent kindness, compassion, and wisdom. We might let our joy and heartbreak soften us so we at least stop being so hard on ourselves and others (or maybe just stop annoying people in the dropoff line). We might even decide to practice mind training such as lojong, so we could develop a greater capacity to benefit all sentient beings, no matter what happens.
Notes from Bill:
The Wisdom Seat Podcast is growing, and we're looking for a few people from our community (or beyond) to help it run well. There are three roles open. Please take a look if you or someone you recommend is interested:
I want to point out a program starting this month from our friends at Dorje Denma Ling, The Tibetan Buddhist Path: Wisdom and Compassion. It is a year long online training through the Mahayana path, and one of the teachers is our own board member, Al San Valentin!
Community member Joanna Rotté is directing a live theatre performance of Duck Variations by David Mamet on Friday 10/2 at 7pm and Saturday 10/3 at 3pm (with a talkback), at the Park Avenue Community Center in Swarthmore, PA.
Next week we host Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo for the first time! Lots of activity in preparation for this.
Please consider joining us for retreat in November at KTD - details below.
Last month I sat down with thangka painter Greg Smith and Michael Carroll for a close look at the Luminous Dignity thangka now hanging in our Pawo Khandro Ling shrine room. If you'd like to see Greg's excellent explanation of thangka painting and this piece, the video is up on our YouTube channel:
take care,
Bill Moriarty
Board President of The Wisdom Seat
The Heart of Change: Buddhist Wisdom for a Troubled World with Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo
September 11, 2026, 6:30PM - 8:30 PM EDT
An evening with Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo exploring Buddhist wisdom for our modern world. In person, and also online via Zoom.
Six Ways of Opening to the World: The Path of the Paramitas with Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo
September 12, 2026, 10AM - 5:30PM EDT
A day-long exploration of the Six Paramitas as a practical guide for everyday life. In person, and also online via Zoom.
From Heart to Heart: The Meaning of Lineage with Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo
September 13, 2026, 10AM - 5PM EDT
We will explore how lineage serves as a source of inspiration and guidance for modern practitioners, and why it remains central to Vajrayana practice today. Please note this Sunday program is restricted to Vajrayana students.
Nyinthun: Full Day Online & In Person Practice, September 2026
September 6, 2026, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM EDT
In person and online full day group sitting practice, interspersed with walking meditation.
Embracing the Wisdom of Death, Dying and Illness
September 17, 2026, 6:30 – 7:30 PM EDT
An open community discussion on death, dying, and mortality, hosted by The Wisdom Seat's Community of Care group.
The practice of Maitri Space Awareness with Irini Rockwell
Oct 9 - 11, 2026
The practice of Maitri Space Awareness and the teachings of the Five Wisdom Energies with Irini Rockwell. In this program, we will delve into the Five Wisdoms through Maitri Space Awareness practice created by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
The Wisdom Seat Retreat 2026
Nov 28th - Dec 6th
We invite you to join us for this in-person annual retreat at the Karma TriyanaDharmachakra monastery in the delightful upstate New York Catskill Mountains. Michael Carroll will be leading this 8-day practice intensive designed to help us deepen our mindfulness-awareness meditation and integrate it into our daily life.
The Roar of the Werma Retreat
Feb 12-21, 2027
Join Michael Carroll, Rhea Colmar, and MI Dylan Khanal for The Roar of the Werma Retreat at Karme Choling - nine days of Werma sadhana practice, Ashe' stroke practice, and dharma talks exploring the warrior's heart of sadness. Open to those who have received the Werma Sadhana Transmission.
Monday Morning Sessions with Michael & Susan
Mondays 9am EDT
Join Michael and Susan for Dharma teachings and meditation. This is a beautiful opportunity to hear these dear friends teach together. Every Monday, 9:00–9:45am Eastern Time.
The Power of Mind: The 7 Points of Mind Training
Select Tuesdays 6:30pm EDT
Join us for an in-depth exploration of lojong, or mind training, starting May 19, 2026. Using the text The Power of Mind by Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche as our base, we will meet Tuesday evenings to practice and discuss the text.
Wednesday Meditation
Wednesdays 6:15pm EDT
HIATUS FOR 2 WEEKS Ongoing sitting meditation practice. Zoom only. Every Wednesday, 6:15–7:30pm Eastern Time.
Dorje Denma Ling
[Online] The Tibetan Buddhist Path: Wisdom and Compassion
September 3, 2026 — April 8, 2027 (year-long online course, take the full path or join any module) Online
With Al San Valentin, Andy Karr, Daniel Nguyen, Jean Marie Robbins, Lynn Friedman, Molly DeShong, Rhea Colmar, and Tavita Martinez Four modules guide students through the Mahayana path from foundation to bodhicitta, paramita, lojong, and emptiness. Join for the full year or register for any individual module. Register for the full year by September 1st and receive a 1:1 meeting with an instructor included with the program. Mahayana Introduction: Sept. 3 to Oct. 15 Paramitas: Oct. 29 to Dec. 17 Lojong: Jan. 7 to Feb. 18 Emptiness: March 4 to April 8
Dorje Denma Ling
Kyudo: The Way of the Bow
September 3-7, 2026 In-Person at Dorje Denma Ling, The Falls, Nova Scotia (AST)
Join us for the 4-day annual Kyudo Intensive taught by Max Baltin (Guest Instructor from Germany) and Sam West. Open to both new and experienced Kyudo students. "Through Kyudo one can learn to live beyond hope and fear, how to be." Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Dorje Denma Ling
The Oxherding Retreat
September 16-20, 2026 In-Person at Dorje Denma Ling, The Falls, Nova Scotia (AST)
With Sarah Bender, Roshi. The Oxherding series is a 12th-century Zen Buddhist series of drawings and poems telling an ancient and modern tale of enlightenment and endarkenment. For four days we'll immerse ourselves together in silence and conversation, stillness and motion, and emerge with hearts and minds refreshed.
Ocean / The Chronicles
The Five Wisdoms of Tantric Buddhism
September 6, 13, 20, 27, 2026 Online
The Five Wisdom Energies, also known as the Five Buddha Families, are rooted in the teachings of Tantric Buddhism. They offer a framework for understanding how we express our inherent nature, experience the world, and relate to others. This introductory course offers an accessible entry point into these profound teachings developed through the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Each wisdom, simple presence, insightful clarity, abundant resourcefulness, passionate engagement, and skillful action, illuminates a distinct facet of human consciousness and lived experience. Each of us carries a combination of these energies, a mix that is entirely our own. When they manifest as wisdom, they illuminate and enliven everything we touch. When confused or out of balance, they quietly shape our struggles. Over four Sunday sessions, you'll move from concept into lived experience: explore the energetic dimensions of your experience, recognize personal energy patterns, see where you shine, work with the places you get stuck, and learn how even your most challenging emotions point toward inherent brilliance. Instructor: Irini Rockwell, MA, is the founder of the Five Wisdoms Institute and a pioneering teacher in the field of human development. Drawing on her roots as a dancer and her training in Contemplative Psychotherapy, Irini brings decades of experience in translating the profound teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism into accessible, embodied tools for transformation. Course reading: Unfolding the Mystery of Your Life on the Five Wisdoms Path Prerequisite: Open to all.
Profound Treasury Retreat
How to Be a Bodhisattva: Practicing the Paramitas
September 25 — October 4, 2026 In-Person at Drala Mountain Center, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
An opportunity to explore paramita practice and the broader question of how to lead a more compassionate life. We will focus on the six primary paramitas -- generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and wisdom -- and how we can apply them to our lives and to our meditation practice.
Katog Choling
Annual Pandey Norbu Shedra
Saturdays and Sundays, November 7-8, 14-15, and 21-22, 2026, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 2:30-4:30 p.m. (CST) Live Webcast
Teaching by Khentrul Rinpoche. Based on a four-stage approach to the Buddha's teachings drawn from the treatise of the omniscient Longchen Rabjam: turn your mind toward the dharma, turn the dharma into the path, dispel confusion through the path, and transform confused appearances into the wisdom of timeless awareness. This text covers the entire scope of the path, from the sutras through the tantras, offering an overview of all stages of practice.
Westchester Meditation Center
The Way of the Buddha: Waking Up through the Path of Meditation (Foundation Course)
Tuesdays, September 15th - December 15th, 2026, 7:00 - 8:30 PM Hybrid: in person at the Aligned Center in Irvington NY, and virtually on Zoom
Join WMC to explore the authentic path of meditation and insight as originally described by the Buddha and skillfully transmitted to the West by one of the great Tibetan masters of our time, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The course will be based on a curated sourcebook of readings from his work, and will include meditation, presentation, and discussion. Open to all. Led by Jane Kolleeny, Charles Olson, and Kelsa DeBrabant.
Westchester Meditation Center
The Bodhisattva Path: The Heart of Wakefulness (Intermediate Course)
Wednesdays, September 16th - December 16th, 2026, 7:00 - 8:45 PM Hybrid: in person at the Aligned Center in Irvington NY, and virtually on Zoom
In this course, we embark on the true heart of the Buddhist journey in the Tibetan Mahayana tradition, the bodhisattva path. We will begin our in-depth study of The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion, (Volume Two of Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma), in which Trungpa Rinpoche presents the totality of the Mahayana vision, the union of profound wisdom and vast compassionate activity. Prerequisites apply. Led by Tom Pantaleoni, Warner Dick, Erich Kramer, and Dorian Burden.
Westchester Meditation Center
Exploring Vajrayana, Part 1: The Path of Natural Wakefulness (Advanced Course)
Tuesdays, September 15th - December 15th, 2026, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Virtually on Zoom
WMC is very pleased to be able to offer students the opportunity to explore the culmination of the Tibetan Buddhist path: the "indestructible vehicle" known as the Vajrayana. This rounds out the WMC curriculum covering the preceding two yanas (vehicles), the Hinayana and Mahayana, completing our presentation of the entire path of meditation and insight as originally described by the Buddha and expertly transmitted to the West by Chogyam Trungpa, one of the greatest Tibetan masters of our time. Prerequisites apply. Led by Gene Bobker, David Frankel, and Emily Waters.
Rime Shedra
The Reimagination of Indian Buddhism in Tibet
September 22 - December 15, 2026, Tuesdays 7-9:15PM ET Online Tibetan Buddhism inherited an extraordinary range of teachings from India, emptiness, buddha-nature, tantra, mahamudra and dzogchen, sometimes expressed in seemingly contradictory ways. How did Tibetans make sense of this vast inheritance? And how did they refine, transform, and sometimes transcend it as they formed distinctive ways of understanding the nature of reality, the path, and awakening?
This course traces the development of the Tibetan Buddhist view from the first wave of Indian transmissions in the eighth century through the great thinkers of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. We will explore how key primary texts of Indian Buddhism, particularly those by Candrakīrti and Maitreya, shaped the views of Tibetan masters such as Mabja, Rongzom, Rangjung Dorje, and Longchenpa, and how those masters in turn reimagine these teachings through their own philosophical and contemplative realization, offering new perspectives on emptiness, buddha-nature, and the ground of awakening that remain deeply relevant to Buddhist practice today.
To register, please email dkolleeny@gmail.com
Dorje Denma Ling
Contemplative Arts: The Magnificent Display of Awake Mind September 20, 2026 - October 24, 2027, 3:00 pm ET one Sunday/month Online
The Series will showcase professional artists who devoted themselves to the pursuit of mastery in the contemplative arts, both as the core of their artistic expression as well as of their spiritual path.
The series will survey Japanese disciplines such as Ikebana (flowers), Kyudo (archery), Bugaku (dance), calligraphy, as well as contemporary western arts such as theatre, dance, music, poetry, film, design and photography.
Registration: https://dorjedenmaling.org/program/3032/online-contemplative-arts-the-magnificent-display-of-awake-mind/
Wisdom's Melody
Do Fence Me In
This discipline is a way of taking care of yourself as though you were worthy.
By Elizabeth Brownrigg
At the Shambhala Meditation Center where I practice, the idea of a container, a protected sacred space, is very important. The shrine room is spare and colorful, with Tibetan and Zen influences. There are bright banners on the white walls. There is abundant light. The cushions are arranged in a certain order.
The purpose of this space is to support our meditation.
We remove our shoes when we come into the building. The gatekeeper at the door has us pause and take a breath. We bow before we enter the room. Meditators are asked to be silent, and to refrain from disturbing others. I hope no one else can hear the racket in my head.
There are rituals for lighting the candles and the incense on the shrine, for when to ring the gong, for how to recite the chants. In a way, these rituals are silly and arbitrary. In another way, paying attention to them forces you to be in the present moment. A teacher suggested we experiment: "Observe your mind when you ignore the rules. Observe your mind when you follow them. Is there a difference?"
Discipline is another kind of container. There is really nothing to prevent your jumping off the meditation cushion and running screaming out of the room. Or, you could always mentally redesign your kitchen while you pretend to be meditating, and no one would ever know. You choose to stay there and return to the breath because of your own discipline.
The discipline I'm talking about is not the kind that you impose because you're not good enough, not thin enough, not smart enough, not enough like someone else.
This discipline is a way of taking care of yourself as though you were worthy.
Last year, I attended a program in Florida with a very cheerful Tibetan lama.
Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
He began his talk every morning with "Joy and appreciation, joy and appreciation." Joy and appreciation of one's precious life were central to his teachings. His advice on meditation was deceptively simple:
1. Go to a place where it's easy to get necessary things,
2. that is not dangerous or disturbing,
3. that is peaceful,
4. that is quiet.
5. Surround yourself with spiritual friends who are also meditating.
6. Follow a schedule.
7. Organize your surroundings to support your practice.
I visit residential meditation retreats in Vermont and Colorado. I love relaxing into that container of discipline. All decisions are made for me: when to get up, when to meditate, when to eat, when to sleep. All I have to is show up, sit, and complain about the food.
There are little mutinies. The meat-eaters might slip over to the vegetarian lunch line if the food's better on that side. We're chastised and sent back to the omnivore line because they're running out of vegetarian dishes. Under Noble Silence (No talking. Really.) I make a call on the pay phone to my partner back home, and get a serious side eye from the teacher who just happens to be walking by. People with cars sneak off for a swim in a nearby lake.
Andrei Bortnikau / shutterstock.com
Despite our transgressions, the container is still there to hold us.
Discipline can be a container for anything: dance; music; learning a language; exercise; writing a poem.
The cheerful lama's advice is always good:
1. Get what you need.
2. Practice in a place that makes it easier.
3. Find people who support you.
4. Follow a schedule.
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Elizabeth Brownrigg is an author of novels, essays, and feature articles. She teaches at the Durham Shambhala Center, where she has been a member since 2004. She writes about practicing the dharma and living in the difficult world in her Substack column, __"Walking the Inspired Path"__.
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Wisdom's Melody is open to submissions from the Wisdom Seat community. Essays, reflections, and creative writing of 800 words or less are welcome. Contact Bill at billmoriarty@thewisdomseat.org to submit.
The Most Profound Six Dharmas that Liberate The Stream of Consciousness
"Since the view is the nature of mind, recognize your own essence.
Since the meditation is luminosity, let go in continuous natural lucidity.
Since conduct is illusory, take whatever appears as the path.
Since experience arises as dharmata, uproot fixation.
Since the fruition is innate, give up clinging to hope and fear.
Since activity is altruism, lead beings through compassion."
—Source Unknown
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