Nyingma: Blessings On the Wind

By Sylvia Gretchen

Some people trek the mountains of Tibet or Bhutan to discover the wonders of an ancient spiritual tradition, others merely walk up the steep hill to the top of Hearst Avenue in Berkeley to the Tibetan Nyingma Institute. Even from a distance, rows of colorful prayer flags announce that you are approaching a unique destination. As you come closer, you glimpse the Institute's three-story building which is perched on a hill overlooking the Golden Gate. Painted a vivid yellow, it has been said to resemble a Tibetan monastery. But this is just the beginning of the journey.

Climbing its staircases, you enter brightly colored rooms where you can sip a cup of tea, explore the many treasures of a small book store, or simply relax and enjoy the beauty of the sweeping views. You see a row of prayer wheels turning continually, and meet a community of people dedicated to bringing the wisdom of Tibet to the West.

Even more opportunities unfold as you open the latest catalogue of Nyingma Institute course offerings: evening classes, weekend workshops, and retreats welcome you to a world of inner serenity and compassionate love. Programs in meditation, Buddhist Psychology, Tibetan Yoga, and Buddhist studies take you step by step toward deeper self-reflection and insight. Your guides are the compassionate teachings of the Buddha and your teachers are men and women who have devoted their time and talents to integrating these ancient teachings into their lives today. The classrooms are temple-like spaces adorned with Tibetan art.

Make the journey. A beautiful meditation garden nestled behind the main building is open to visitors daily from 9 AM to 5 PM. The garden features a five-ton prayer wheel that sends out 500 trillion mantras per day. Across from the prayer wheel a golden emblem of enlightened mind called a "Stupa" glimmers in the spring sun next to roses just awakening from their winter's dormancy. A path around the main prayer wheel allows you to undertake a sacred journey that recreates the movement of the earth around the sun; walking in the same direction that the prayer wheel turns, you move in the direction of wisdom and compassion.

Dozens of prayer flags in the garden catch every breeze. The flags and wheels are said to bring harmony, healing, and balance to all beings nearby. In Tibet, a heritage of sacred knowledge taught that specific prayers, texts, mantras, and images written onto fabric and flown as flags or written onto strips of paper and wrapped around a spindle that is turned have a positive effect on the environment and its inhabitants. Unbroken lineages of great masters set in motion wheels wrapped with mantras to protect the earth and benefit others. These lineages were imperiled by the political events that swept through Tibet in the 1950's and drove hundreds of thousands of spiritual masters to flee for their lives.

Among the great masters who fled Tibet at that time was Tarthang Tulku. In 1969 he brought the ancient Buddhist tradition to Berkeley where he trained students in its science of being, including making prayer wheels and prayer flags. For over thirty-five years volunteers at the Nyingma Institute have made hundreds of thousands of prayer flags, prayer wheels, and sacred Tibetan images which have been distributed throughout the world. As in Tibet, doing this work develops a quiet concentration and connection with deep currents of goodness that flow through the individual and into the world.

Attend a retreat. You can fully immerse yourself in this sacred environment by attending a meditation or Tibetan Yoga retreat. Practices and lectures in this setting stimulate each participant to find greater wellness as they explore the Tibetan tradition. At every moment, you will be absorbing blessings, blessings that are on the wind.

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