about…

…life, the universe, and everything.

Or, to be more specific. about how to be good at life.

I spend a lot of time these days thinking about what that is. And I think Kum Nye is one of the keys to that. It cannot help us know what to eat and how to be kind to people. But it can help us make the choices that are best for us by getting through the things that are not us. Our thoughts and judgments are not us. We are the one who sees we have thoughts and judgments. By teaching us that, as Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche says “All experience is an expression of energy.”

So I’ve been developing a manifesto of sorts, based on Kum Nye, a guide for how to be good at life. And I’m exploring the potential for Kum Nye to be a way to build the skills to be good at life, one step at a time. It is a work in progress, and I welcome feedback and suggestions, and hope that you will take ideas and explore for yourself. One of the basic tenets of Kum Nye (and all of Tarthang Tulku’s teachings, I believe) is the continuous exploration of life.

It occurs to me that Kum Nye isn’t only yoga. In fact, perhaps it isn’t really yoga at all.
just a thought. The first book (it was originally two volumes) was originally called Kum Nye Relaxation until it was changed when the single volume version came out.

In Joy of Being, Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche says “Kum Nye tends to inspire innovation…”; I like to think that this is just the kind of thing he was imagining.

I have an immense appreciation for Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche – for his hard work and vision in bringing this (and the Dharma) to the West, encapsulating in the way he did, sharing it with his students near and far, and encouraging those students, and all of us, to share it as well. Daily I am touched by his words, energy, and wisdom, and am filled with gratitude. I also very much appreciate that his students took it upon themselves to share in various ways, and to encourage their students to do so too.

When I think of the chain of events and the number of people across time and space who were involved in any way, large or small, with the possibility for me to study, practice, and now share Kum Nye, it appears it must necessarily include an infinite number of people – I am grateful to them all.

Each day, I thank all of my teachers, seen and unseen for their blessings, and dedicate whatever merit these efforts may generate to the benefit of all sentient beings. May we all, one day (soon), be free.