From February 17 through February 22, 2006, Shamar Rimpoche gave a series of teachings on meditation practice at Stanford University and nearby at the Menlo Park Bodhipath Buddhist Center.
Organized by Bodhipath and Stanford University Professor of Buddhist History Mark Mancall, the first main part of the transmission was given at Stanford’s Florence Moore Hall. Over one hundred people of all ages and horizons attended, from as far away as Japan and as near by as the Stanford student body.
Shamar Rinpoché taught in both English and Tibetan, translated by Trinlay Tulku Rinpoché when required. He gave instructions based on the Indian scholar Vimalamitra’s classic text, Progressive Integration of the Meaning of Meditation, giving additional examples and explanations that made the work highly accessible and timely. This text describes the three main aspects of valid meditation practice as being shamatha, or calm-abiding meditation, vipassana, or insight meditation, and bodhicitta, or awakened mind. Rinpoché gave space for questions daily, allowing both beginning and weathered students to deepen their knowledge of the Buddhist path.