What’s the focus for the Rigpa Community in 2023 and beyond?

June 2, 2023International Steering Group

This is the second in a four-part series to keep us all informed about how Rigpa is held, what we are focusing on in 2023, and an update about the leadership teams in Rigpa:

In January we shared an explanation of how the spiritual direction is being held in Rigpa, as we are in a phase of nominating and appointing new Vision Board members;
This post will tell us about what Rigpa is focusing on in 2023 and the coming years
An upcoming article will share news about ‘One Rigpa’ a new structure that formalises the way Rigpa entities work together to achieve Rigpa’s vision, and finally
Soon the new members of the Vision Board will be announced.

The Rigpa Community is the heart

Rigpa’s activity is intended to serve beings, to offer Dharma in ways that can benefit anyone who wishes to connect with these teachings, and to continue the lineage and tradition that has been passed down to us.

It is only through the dedication and contributions, large and small, of the Rigpa community, the worldwide sangha, that this can happen.

As you read below what we will be focusing on across Rigpa in 2023 and the coming years, if you feel inspired to jump in and help make it happen, step forward and contact your local team or email sangha.connection@rigpa.org to find out how you can get involved.

Reflections that led to Rigpa focus for 2023 and beyond

How can we best support senior Rigpa students to mature as students and practitioners on the path and attain enlightenment?
Do we have clear courses of action to follow when we accompany students who are dying?
How can we bring Dharma to a new generation of students to ensure a vibrant future for Rigpa in accord with Sogyal Rinpoche’s vast vision?

These were the questions that the Vision Board and International Steering Group reflected on to arrive at the priorities and next steps for us as a dharma community, in 2023 and the coming years.

In recent years we have seen the development of the Vision Board to oversee Rigpa’s spiritual direction, and the entrustment of a group of teachers and practice holders who will take the lead in supporting students in their study and practice, as well as the formation of teams across the Rigpa landscape who bring their expertise to different aspects of Rigpa’s activity. So what’s next?

Communicate Dharma in ways that are relevant and accessible to all

Times are changing, our lives and needs are changing - so how can we make sure that we share the Buddhist teachings in new ways so they continue to be of benefit? The world of today is full of challenging and often disturbing news. Social Media grabs our attention whether we want it or not. How can we reach out, connect meaningfully, openly and with love and compassion to anyone and everyone who is looking to ease their day-to-day life or those who wish to follow the path all the way to enlightenment, or both?

Many local and national Rigpa teams are tuning in and reaching out to new audiences already and are sharing their experiences to learn from each other. More initiatives are being developed, with a ground-up focus and more will be shared as things evolve.

Support practitioners to accomplish their path

As we travel the path, there are many ways we can support each other as a community to develop our knowledge and our practice experience, to work with our minds, and to ‘peel the layers of the onion’ of our being.

With this in mind, there are projects in development to:

find the best ways to offer personal guidance to students to meet their needs at every stage of study and practice, including at the time of death, and

to treasure the Sangha as the third Jewel and encourage awareness of the sacred importance of community as we study, practise and engage in activity together as part of the path.

In parallel, we will explore how to best meet students where they are at, adapting to what each student needs, and aligning and simplifying our international programme with international, national and local curricula and online. In short, the intention is to make it easier for each of us, according to where we are at, to find the resources, courses and programmes that will help us take the next step in our Dharma path.

For example, more concretely, in response to the sangha calls for more guidance, a project called ‘Rigpa Guides’ is underway, through which students everywhere can get immediate answers to their dharma questions.

Dharma Leadership

Now that our teachers and practice holders have been entrusted, the next step is to facilitate and support them to teach and to be available for Rigpa students around the world, serving and offering guidance for each of us on our path.

During the One Month Retreat of Senior Teachers and Senior Practice Holders in January this year, the group brought more clarity to their role and began to explore how they can serve and support the sangha. For example, they will be more present and available to students at national retreats and other events, and on an organisational level, Senior Teachers and Senior Practice Holders and Dharma Councils will have a role in influencing key decisions in Rigpa, ensuring we continue to uphold Rigpa’s vision and the lineage we have inherited.

Practical Wisdom and Spiritual Care

Now is also the time to bring back into focus two of Sogyal Rinpoche’s most unique teachings—his teachings on activity (‘activity teachings’, ‘integration teachings’ or ‘Practical Wisdom’), and his teachings on death and dying exemplified in his groundbreaking book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying which led to the development of Rigpa’s Spiritual Care Programme.

In the coming year and beyond, we will focus on rejuvenating our approach to activity, acknowledging its importance as a path of service, a practice of integration and a means of building meaningful community. Practically, in the coming years, we will see Practical Wisdom training and courses throughout Rigpa, reviews of our work culture and care for and mentoring the next generation of holders, and supporting Rigpa teams at all levels - local, national and international.

Moreover, this is also time to take a fresh look at the vision of spiritual care in Rigpa and make a plan for its role in supporting the sangha and as an outreach for the public and professionals. More specifically:

Acknowledging the particular needs of our ageing sangha, we will look at bringing together experiences from different countries where students have been supported in the process of dying, to create models of support that can be shared for the future and
Explore any benefits to nurturing links between the activities of Rigpa teachers independently offering spiritual care programmes and Rigpa.

Rigpa’s Leadership Teams

Taking the lead on these activities is Rigpa’s leadership teams which are made up of sangha members from the different Rigpa countries who offer their time to serve on the different management teams and groups (mostly as volunteers). Together, strengthened by this diversity, these groups steer Rigpa’s activities and make decisions for the wider Rigpa organisation.

You can read more about Rigpa’s leadership teams here.

As a Dharma community, let us take on this activity together, for the benefit of all sentient beings - near and far. If you feel inspired to jump in and help make it happen, step forward and contact your local team or email sangha.connection@rigpa.org to find out how you can get involved.

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