THE VIRTUAL DHARMA TEMPLE
Over Zoom, Trudy (TG) met with Lisa Cowen (LC) and Karen Russell (KR), founders of the Virtual Dharma Temple. Here’s excerpts from the interview.
TG: You two did something really cool this past year. Soon after Covid restrictions were in place, together you created a Virtual Dharma Temple. Tell us what you were thinking in March/April 2020.
LC: It was very spontaneous. It seemed like a great idea and the beauty of social media and digital technology meant that it didn’t have to be a big process. I just posted on Facebook, “Hey does somebody want to do this?” and Karen said, “Yes, let's do this thing.” It wasn’t a lot of work.
My motivation was the desire to support healing and connection in a time of sickness and isolation. Although Zoom has its limitations, meditation is a deep way to connect remotely with others despite time, space, and technology constraints. The sadhana from Namgyal Rinpoche is pith and accessible. It’s a powerful tool for healing and we should use it. I was a child when Rinpoche bestowed this sadhana and gave the commentary and was also present in NZ when Derek R revised the text and called on us all to emanate it to the world, whether “teachers” or not.
We envisioned a network of meditators across the globe, surrounding it with healing intent, applying the practices we’d received, in a time of need, for the benefit of beings.
KR: I jumped at the chance to work with Lisa. In the face of the pandemic, we wanted to create a space for people to practice, to feel supported, to reduce stress and pray for others. We came up with the name, Virtual Dharma Temple and Lisa put the word out on Facebook. Karen Meredith lent technical support from the beginning. There was an immediate enthusiastic response from people around the globe. Over the course of the year, people came and went, and now there is a core group of dedicated practitioners from all over who've been practicing Medicine Buddha together: Eleanor and Bill, Sophie, Nick, Bruce, Herold, Susan, Arlene, Michael, Karen M, Lisa and myself.
We’ve invited and hosted Derek Rasmussen, Terry Hagen, Lama Sonam, and Sonam Senge. They have all been so enthusiastic and willing to teach. Lama Sonam and Karma Chime were each presented with long life prayers on separate occasions. On April 18th Tarchin will teach and Sonam Senge will return for follow up sessions on May 16 and June 13.
TG: What’s a typical session like?
LC: Like a meditation group in one’s living room, instead we log on to Zoom and chat for maybe 5 minutes. Then Karen, Karen Meredith or Michael Bobrowicz from Australia, myself and occasionally other members of the group, will read the sadhana. We improvise a little, speak from the heart. Sometimes participants bring something to share that's relevant to the practice – a commentary from a text, or research on something in the sadhana. It usually takes 50 minutes to go through the sadhana.
There is an extensive prayer list of which Karen R is the custodian. Together at the end, we create a tent of blue light and read the names before sharing the merit. People might stay on a few moments at the end, sometimes Nick plays his guitar… that sort of thing.
KR: What a format! We can invite Tarchin to teach from New Zealand, Senge to teach from BC or Michael Bobrowicz to assist us from Australia – amazing! There's something this online format offers that's new and different. It’ll be interesting to see how this dovetails with traditional teaching when people return to the Dharma centre in person. This spontaneous creation doesn’t have organizational constraints and supports the individuals who are participating. We are so grateful to have had this throughout this past year because it gave everybody the opportunity to not only be doing practice for others but also together we have created a space to listen, to be sensitive to each other’s struggles, and engage with other aspects of our lives.
TG: How can people connect to or find the Virtual Dharma Temple?
KR: There’s a virtual dharma site on Facebook. The Zoom link and times (Thursday at 3pm ET and Sundays at 7pm ET) are posted on the DC website.
Anyone is welcome to attend. You don't need to have received a Medicine Buddha Empowerment to practice the sadhana. As a point of virtual meeting etiquette, to respect this small and personal gathering, we ask that if it's your first time joining us, log on a few minutes early and turn on your video so we can do brief introductions.
TG: This is great. Will you keep going post-Covid?
LC: We're very spontaneous and flexible with this “temple”. We care for each other by not imposing rigid commitments. I’m back to work and hardly available anymore. This puts pressure on Karen and others yet what's great about our group is that anyone can step up and read the sadhana. As long as people want to be involved and contribute, the group can continue. There’s no space to upkeep, no bills to pay; this temple can form or dissolve any time. It won’t replace in-person Dharma classes and retreats, but it adds another layer of accessibility and connection.
I’d like to shout out to those practitioners who show up every time and put in the love and work for this practice. There are others who do their practice in private and sync up with ours, another beautiful way of participating. I appreciate all the different ways people are engaging with this open format.
KR: This temple has enriched the group’s experience. We also draw on each other’s talents, for instance occasionally Nick plays his guitar. We are so appreciative of everybody that's coming because it takes determination and commitment to log on, do a practice, and be open to practicing together. I especially thank Lisa because if she hadn’t initiated the idea, it might not have happened. It has been an honour and pleasure to work with Lisa. The depth of our community is enriched by Michael Bobrowicz and Karen M. and their contributions. Thanks to Karen Meredith who has kept the rudder of our ship in the water.
LC: Karen, you've been carrying this for months since I went back to work, and it's beautiful to see you and the group and how the practice is deepening and evolving. I love that this manifested and that you grabbed hold of it. It’s so very beneficial for people.
Interview with Lisa Cowen & Karen Russell