Juniper Foundation
Encyclopedia
Juniper Foundation
is an organization that works to adapt and promote Buddhist practice in the modern world. It was founded in 2003 by five individuals, Segyu Choepel Rinpoche, Hillary Brook Levy, Christina Juskiewicz, Pam Moriarty and Lawrence Levy. Juniper calls its approach "Buddhist training for modern life" and it emphasizes meditation, balancing emotions, cultivating compassion and developing insight as four building blocks of Buddhist training.
acknowledged this principle when, in his book The Meaning of Life from a Buddhist Perspective, he wrote
Because Buddhist ideas value inquiry and critical thinking,Juniper holds that we can apply these to build a bridge from ancient culture to modern life, one that is grounded in tradition but evolved to embrace discovery and modern social norms.
. Juniper’s lineage is from an Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition dating back over two thousand years to the time of the Buddha
. This lineage passed through India and Tibet and came to Juniper though its Brazilian born co-founder Segyu Choepel Rinpoche. In 1984, Segyu Rinpoche was recognized by the 98th Ganden Tripa
, the spiritual leader of the Gelug
(Dge-lugs) school of Tibetan Buddhism
, as a master and holder of a Gelug lineage known as the Segyu (Sed Gyued). Segyu Rinpoche’s primary teacher was Kyabje Lati Rinpoche
(1922-2010), the former abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery
, under whom Rinpoche received the full gelong
monastic ordination. For over twenty-five years Segyu Rinpoche studied under, and received initiations from, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche, Khensur Tara Tulku Rinpoche and other masters of the Gelug school. In tandem with his training, Segyu Rinpoche studied Tibetan Medicine
, a tradition of healing that integrates the philosophy and practices of the Buddhist path. Through Segyu Rinpoche, Juniper works to pass the knowledge and methods of its lineage to others in a manner that preserves and propagates those methods in modern culture.
is an organization that works to adapt and promote Buddhist practice in the modern world. It was founded in 2003 by five individuals, Segyu Choepel Rinpoche, Hillary Brook Levy, Christina Juskiewicz, Pam Moriarty and Lawrence Levy. Juniper calls its approach "Buddhist training for modern life" and it emphasizes meditation, balancing emotions, cultivating compassion and developing insight as four building blocks of Buddhist training.
Approach
To benefit from the methods of a Buddhist lineage, Juniper holds that they must become integrated into modern culture just as they were in the cultures of India, China, Japan, Tibet and others. The 14th Dalai Lama14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
acknowledged this principle when, in his book The Meaning of Life from a Buddhist Perspective, he wrote
“It is important to adopt the essence of Buddha’s teaching, recognizing that Buddhism as it is practiced by Tibetans is influenced by Tibetan culture and thus it would be a mistake to try to practice a Tibetanized form of Buddhism.”
Because Buddhist ideas value inquiry and critical thinking,Juniper holds that we can apply these to build a bridge from ancient culture to modern life, one that is grounded in tradition but evolved to embrace discovery and modern social norms.
Lineage
Buddhist thought is not based on a centralized authority but is held in lineagesLineage (Buddhism)
An authentic lineage in Buddhism is the uninterrupted transmission of the Buddha's Dharma from teacher to disciple.The transmission itself can be for example oral, scriptural, through signs, or directly from one mind to another....
. Juniper’s lineage is from an Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition dating back over two thousand years to the time of the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. This lineage passed through India and Tibet and came to Juniper though its Brazilian born co-founder Segyu Choepel Rinpoche. In 1984, Segyu Rinpoche was recognized by the 98th Ganden Tripa
Ganden Tripa
The Ganden Tripa or Gaden Tripa is the title of the spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, the school which controlled central Tibet from the mid-17th century until 1950s. He is identical with the respective abbot of Ganden Monastery...
, the spiritual leader of the Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
(Dge-lugs) school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, as a master and holder of a Gelug lineage known as the Segyu (Sed Gyued). Segyu Rinpoche’s primary teacher was Kyabje Lati Rinpoche
Lati Rinpoche
Kyabje Lati Rinpoche Born in the Kham region of Eastern Tibet in 1922, Lati Rinpoche was identified as the reincarnation of a great practitioner by Gongkar Rinpoche and entered monastic life at the age of 10....
(1922-2010), the former abbot of Ganden Shartse Monastery
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m...
, under whom Rinpoche received the full gelong
Gelongma
Gelongma or Gelong is the Tibetan word for a fully ordained monastic observing the entire vinaya....
monastic ordination. For over twenty-five years Segyu Rinpoche studied under, and received initiations from, Kyabje Lati Rinpoche, Khensur Tara Tulku Rinpoche and other masters of the Gelug school. In tandem with his training, Segyu Rinpoche studied Tibetan Medicine
Traditional Tibetan medicine
Traditional Tibetan medicine is a centuries-old traditional medical system that employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior and dietary modification, medicines composed of natural materials and physical therapies...
, a tradition of healing that integrates the philosophy and practices of the Buddhist path. Through Segyu Rinpoche, Juniper works to pass the knowledge and methods of its lineage to others in a manner that preserves and propagates those methods in modern culture.
Publications
- Awakening the Mind: An Introduction to Buddhist Training
- Heirs to Insight: Assimilating Buddhist Methods into Modern Culture
- Guide: Learning to Meditate
External links
- Juniper Foundation - official website http://www.juniperpath.org
- A Precious Jewel for the East and West http://www.snowlionpub.com/pages/N56_4.html
- Juniper: pragmatic Buddhism for secular seekers? http://fionnchu.blogspot.com/2010/04/juniper-pragmatic-buddhism-for-secular.html
- The Secular Buddhist http://www.thesecularbuddhist.com/episode_012.php
- Modern Meditation Washington DC http://www.modernmeditationdc.com/
- Tibetanlama.com http://tibetanlama.com/lama_detail.asp?id=385
- Ipeamarelo: treinamento budista para a vida moderna http://www.ipeamarelo.org.br/
- PAULA EL PAIS, Un Espíritu Terrenal http://paula.elpais.com.uy/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1648:un-espirtul-terrenal&catid=47:notas&Itemid=98