Center for Dharma Practice
Founder's Note
On the eve of establishing the Center for Dharma Practice, H.E. Gyara Rinpoche cautioned against ‘idealism,’advising that the center first teaches equanimity, so that we avoid the damning pitfall of criticizing, maligning and demeaning others. “You cannot speak of compassion, of spirituality if you fail to practice the basics of equanimity,” he emphasized.
I have taken this counsel to heart. Equanimity is now germane to the Center for Dharma Practice.
Driven by attachment we create the causes for our suffering. The self-cherishing, grasping mind (our selfish thoughts, words, and deeds) lead us down a woeful spiral of hurt. How then can we liberate ourselves from samsara(aimless wandering till we die)? How can we find purposefulness? How do we fulfill life’s meaning? How can we experience inner peace? Is discerning the true nature of all things possible?
Every sage has taught the virtues of dharma. It is through dharma that we find the beauty and magic in life, free from the self-imposed prison of worldly concerns. It is only through dharma that we liberate ourselves from the illusions of the world and the persistent cycles of rebirth.
Glenville Ashby
(Konchuk Rinchen Tobgyal)
Founder and Facilitator
Dharma is practiced, Peace abounds, Enlightenment dawns.
In the context of practicing Dharma, individuals strive to fulfill their responsibilities and duties with integrity and selflessness. This may involve adhering to moral codes, respecting others, and contributing positively to society.
Mission
To facilitate healing and empowerment of individuals and communities through dharma.
Vision
To help underserved communities realize inner peace and authentic happiness through Eastern philosophical teachings and practices.
Promise
Creating the causes for individual peace and happiness.
FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM
What is Dharma?
Dharma is any teaching that cultivates selfless conduct of the body, speech, and mind.Dharma conveys timeless truths on philosophical subjects that have have long taxed humankind. But the application of dharma can proves challenging. The constant struggle to tame recalcitrant impulses is played out daily.
Hence, our psychological, sociological, cultural, and even past life karmic imprints must determine how dharma is taught. At the Center for Dharma Practice, we have primarily adopted the traditional guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship.
It is within this one-to-one framework that both parties flourish. It requires an adept teacher and a fully participatory student who helps design his or her program of study. This dynamic interaction is reflected in an ancient sloka: Om Sahana Vavatu.
It reads:
Meaning
- Om, Together may we two Move (in our Studies,
the Teacher and the Student), - Together may we two Relish (our Studies,
the Teacher and the Student), - Together may we perform (our Studies)
with Vigour(with deep Concentration), - May what has been Studied by us be filled with
the Brilliance (of Understanding, leading to
Knowledge); May it Not give rise to Hostility (due to lack of
Understanding),
Om - Peace, Peace, Peac.
Daily Prayer, by Shantideva, Buddhist sage - 700 A.D., India
May I be a guard for those who need protection
A guide for those on the path
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood
May I be
a lamp in the darkness
A resting place for the weary
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awaken.
There is no godman and no godwoman. Any teacher (guru) that so presents himself should be avoided. The guru is very much a student as the student a guru. Sincere gratitude and respect between teacher and student is the sole contract between the two.
The teacher-student model is at the core of the center’s modality, and despite the pressures of an expanding student base, it will remain as such.
Note: The Center for Dharma Practice does not uphold the teachings of any one faith. However, it recognizes that Buddhist principles are philosophical in nature and are present in every faith. These very principles are studied and applied at the center and are rudimentary to its mission. The Center for Dharma Practice teaches sutras (philosophy) and tantra (synthesis of timeless spiritual practices)as pathways to enlightenment.
The 8-Way Path
To remove outer, inner, and secret obstacles that derail our spiritual journey, our center teaches the 8-Way Path of love, generosity, patience, detachment, silence, contemplative meditation, prayerful affirmation and offerings.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder, and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
– Albert Einstein
Literary Sources
Daily practices are sourced from The Way of the Bodhisattva, Lamrim and The Wheel of Sharp Weapons.
Recommended readings by Glenville Ashby: Finding Mother: Practical Spirituality East and West, The Believers: Real Life Encounters, Anam Cara: Your Soul Friend and Bridge to Creativity and Enlightenment (Audio Version), and The Diary of Vivienne-What comes next?
Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine by David Kinsley.
Teachings
The Center for Dhatma Practice is a nonprofit organization committed to addressing questions surrounding life’s purpose and meaning. With a profound focus on guiding individuals on their spiritual journeys, the center provides a structured platform for seekers to explore and understand the deeper dimensions of existence.
Approval and Affiliation
The Center for Dharma Practice, Inc. was established with the approval and blessings of
Guru Brahmanand
President, Nikhil Vatika, Uttarakhand, India.
H.E. Gyara Rinpoche, Shar Gaden Monastery, India.
Guru Vishwajit Vishwa. Astro Science Institute, Mauritius.
Affiliation: International Association of Vedic Hindu Universities
I have been blessed to be a student of Guru Sri Gyananda (Glenville Ashby) under whose calm and steady guidance I have experienced tremendous spiritual growth. Guru has equipped me with knowledge that helps me in my daily life, and even in extremely challenging circumstances I have been able to ride through the storm unscathed, sometimes with results that can only be described as miraculous.
Namaste
My journey with Guru has been profound. I’ve grown immensely from the practice of his teachings. Ultimately living through conscious guidance formed from trust, stillness compassion and love.
Thank you,
With unfailing kindness, gentleness and humility Glenville guides your search for answers. The goal is not for life’s challenges to be swept away miraculously but for lifelong change.
“The experience that I had during my sadhana with facilitator Deon is something that has allowed me to transform my life. I experienced emotional clarity and breakthroughs through the work that we did. Life will always have it’s ebbs and flows, and because of my experience with the sadhana, I am able to refer back to what I learned from Deon to supoort me through times where I need it the most. The love, care, and extreme dedication that Deon puts into himself, the work that he does, and the people that he serves allows for him to produce authenticity during his sessions.”
First, I was led to Dr. Glenville “Guru” Ashby simply because spirit guided me. There are absolutely no coincidences with spirit. I needed spiritual guidance as well as direction regarding where I was in life at that time. The teachings were new because I was rooted on a different path, but always on time and relevant to everything that had been on my heart or mind around then. The teachings were/are deeply spirited and masterful. For those seeking divine knowledge, these teachings are the very essence of true empowerment. The teachings clarified the deep significance of spiritual meanings, messaging, communing with spirit, revering, and honoring ancestors, learning to listen to spirit, calling upon spirit and real-world examples of how to incorporate drawing down the power of the Divine for every situation in your life. In the end, I can confidently say that I am a better person today who can address matters with a better heart and frame of mind while my ancestors stand firm by my side.
Dear Guru Gyananda,
I've been your student for at least a year now and my expansion and accelerated growth have been invaluable. I am stronger spiritually now, than I have ever been.
My confidence and curiosity have grown too. I have loved learning about Buddhist and Hindu spirituality with the liberty to explore from any "religious angle."
Guru, you have supported me spiritually in a way I haven't experienced before, so I thank you from the depths of my heart. I'm not scared anymore, and I cannot thank you enough. Your Centre for Dharma Practice is for humanity. May you be forever blessed, watered, fed and elevated.
Your humble student
With unfailing kindness, gentleness and humility Glenville guides your search for answers. The goal is not for life’s challenges to be swept away miraculously but for lifelong change.
Equanimity, Compassion, Wisdom
Namaste - I bow to you. Namaste - I recognize that I am you and that you are me. Namaste - I meet you at the place where I reside nonjudgmentally in your love, ugliness, abundance, poverty, authority, weakness, saint, sinner, yin, yang, in all that you are, in your authenticity, in your truth. And because we are the same, because we are one, because we are inseparable, I have compassion for all that you are, and all that you are not, and I love you anyway, instead of loving you because of. It is here too, at this place of acceptance and wanting nothing else than what is, wanting no more than who you are - hero and antihero - that my equanimity comes. Out of an acceptance of the beauty and perhaps incurable ugliness of myself and yourself – springs the compassion for me and for you. This amazing compassion that comes from my resignation to the frailties of my human-ness and of yours, and which in the essence of namaste, can have nothing but a mind of equanimity which teaches me to realise that everything comes to teach me, to make me better because I (yes, you too) am so loved. And so, through the suffering and chaos that brings one to this place of wisdom, one learns the code of the path towards wisdom, one learns dharma. As one practices dharma, as one walks the path of wisdom, peace comes. Peace that understands that I am you, that you are me, that we are simultaneous Atman and Brahman, that we are inseparable. Namaste to the Brahman, Namaste to the Atman, Namaste to my enemies internal and external. In short, this is the story of Dr. Ashby and why he is such a powerful Healer, Sage and Guru.