It is almost a year since Rob passed away. He was instrumental in establishing and growing Tara Rokpa Centre into the mature retreat centre it is today. In the early days of TRC, it was Rob, in support of Akong Rinpoche's vision for TRC, who interpreted Rinpoche's vision, and provided ideas and the drive, who [...]
In November 2012, during his month-long retreat at Tara Rokpa Centre, Mark Borchers (in collaboration with Erika van Greunen, Rob's South African editor and publisher) interviewed Rob for a series entitled 7 Questions for 7 Teachers on the integration of Buddhism into the West, as well as into Africa. Although these interviews were done more [...]
by Erika 7 October 2023 Die trane die rol oor jou Bokkie Die trane die rol oor jou Bokkie (The tears are flowing for your dearest Deer) I have great memories of Rob singing this traditional song in Afrikaans! Dear Rob, thank you for showing us a different way of being in the world. Thank [...]
by the Lazy Buddhist This question has come up twice recently, and it is something that many of us are struggling with. Firstly, in a question and answer session with Dónal, and then in an article Gelong Thubten wrote on Lama Yeshe Rinpoche’s recent visit to some of the UK Samye Dzongs. The gist of [...]
August 19th, and full blue moon day. I enjoyed watching both the rising of the huge moon over the treetops last night and the setting moon at dawn this morning. Setting moon over Sean's house The full moon often brings weather changes. We had the warmest night after many months at minus 1 [...]
I recently got a puppy and observing her interactions, she has taught me a a few lessons. The distinct noise of the puppy food packet being opened brings great excitement and joy to Ellie the puppy. I thought, imagine if one could have such joy at hearing the sound of the meditation gong being rung, [...]
Biosphere reserves are designated areas that aim to conserve and manage ecosystems, promote sustainable development, and support research and education. They are recognized by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program, which was established in 1971. The Marico Biosphere Reserve was designated by UNESCO in July 2018 at the 30th International Man and the Biosphere [...]
Lama Yeshe Rinpoche with Lamas Tsondru, Zangmo and Rinchen at Samye Ling during the Kagyu Monlams During March, our southern African centres had the privilege of hosting Lama Rinchen Palmo, one of the lamas in the Samye Ling mandala, for 3 weeks. Lama Rinchen is based in Belgium at Kagyu Samye Dzong [...]
Autumn is approaching with cooler nights and days. I love this time of year, which isn’t as spectacular as Autumn in Europe, but leaves fall from trees, and the long grass turns brownish yellow, thereby creating a fire risk until the summer rains appear in October. The recent bright autumn full moon heralded the increased [...]
We heard recently that Ulrike Mueller-Glodde passed away on the 27th of April 2024 surrounded by her family in Germany after a long illness. Ulrike was a member of the Tara Rokpa Centre management committee in the early days, when TRC was called the Tara Rokpa Healthcare Centre (TRHC). Ulrike and her husband were living [...]
