Present: Jack Petranker (Chair); Caroline Sherwood (Host); Bruce Alderman; David Filippone; Michael Gray; Britta Hauenschild; Remco Wernert
Jack opened the meeting by saying that although we were looking towards co-ordination of TSK on a global scale; this would start with small steps. For this to happen there is a need for people to step forward, to work towards this, to take on responsibilities. In this way we can turn possibilities into realities.
- Putting ourselves in the international picture
Remco (Holland): Remco is leading the third year of a TSK course in Holland at Nyingma Centrum which meets for 1 ½ hours on Tuesday evening. There are about 10 participants and they hold 27 classes per year. The first year concentrated on TSK; the second on exercises from DTS and this year they are working with VOK. Workshops for advanced groups are in the planning stages. This year, the 4th International European Summer retreat will take place 12-19 August in South Holland; in the past it has been held in Germany.
Britta (Germany): 3 times a year Britta goes to the Cologne Nyingma Institute to teach a day-long TSK seminar. She is connecting her work there with the CCI online work. There are always new people attending these workshops. There was more interest at the beginning, but it is more difficult now as there is so much on offer at the centre and TSK tends to be regarded as rather a peripheral activity.
Jack: There is a need to discuss the relationship between Nyingma institutes and TSK in each country.
Caroline (England): Following two talks by Jack in March 2012 (in London and Bristol) a small study group (4 people) has formed in the South West. There is interest in other areas, but so far no groups have formed. The SW group meets every two months for a day. They have been following programmes designed by Jack, also WIR and DTS. They will be getting together in April for a weekend residential retreat. A summer retreat is planned for 27-31 August 2014. This will take place in a centre near Birmingham and will (hopefully) be preceded by a public talk by Jack at Alternatives, St James’s, Piccadilly, in central London.
David (Pennsylvania): Together with Bruce Alderman, he has set up the TSK Inquiry blog (http://timespaceknowledge.socialgo.com/forum/top/12). This offers a resource to co-ordinate discussion about TSK and other related materials. There are 30 participants, and David and Bruce both blog. There is significant overlap between TSK Inquiry and CCI (with some participants posting to both sites). Until CCI recently opened its discussion board to the public, TSK inquiry offered a unique public forum. It also has a useful archive.
Jack: The question of how to co-ordinate two sites needs to be investigated and Steve Randall’s TSK Association could be included in this discussion. Jack will inform Steve Randall about this meeting; he will also invite Hayward Fox
Jack: Developments in the U.S.: In April, Mangalam Research will be presenting a conference about the Language of Meditation across different traditions. Jack will present TSK as ‘an interesting alternative to traditional meditation structures.’ Remember: VOK is subtitled ‘The Liberation of the Modern Mind.’
There is a study group in Texas which meets 3 times a year and is organised by two Nyingma students. This was taught by Hal (who now finds plane travel difficult) and Jack will visit in April to teach this group of 6-7.
Summer retreat at Ratna Ling 8-11 August. (Update) The proposed ‘Deep Listening’ CCI conference (with Pauline Oliveros) at Ratna Ling, 5-7 August, will not take place.
The Nyingma Institute in Berkeley also run TSK activities, including a small course which has run for years in which 3-4 students meet weekly (taught by Tom Morse and, formerly, Ken McKeon). There has not been much communication between these and the CCI.
Until recently Hal Gurish visited Germany to teach TSK. Hal had a cordial meeting with Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche last April (after many years of not seeing each other).
In October 2012 Jack spoke at the Science and Non-Duality conference. This was a success, but the workshop of 4 people did not work so well. Last year the theme was ‘Self’; this year the conference will be held in San Jose, CA; the theme is ‘Perception’ and Jack may give a presentation again. Jack suggested that the Remco and/or Joleen might give a presentation at the SAND conference in Amsterdam: the deadline for proposals is still open, but not much longer.
Jack is working on a pilot psychology project (in conjunction with Erika Rosenberg who teaches at Nyingma Inst.) The project will explore the impact of working with TSK, at first as a live program, then online. Hopefully, the results will merit publication.
Nyingma and TSK are both separate and connected. A year ago the Nyingma Association of Mandala Organisations (NAMO) was established, of which Jack is Chair. Originally, when the question arose as to whether CCI should be part of NAMO, Jack said no. Then Rinpoche said that if CCI wants to present TSK as TSK then it should be part of NAMO, which it now is.
Piet Hut (Princeton astrophysicist) runs TSK-style online courses under the title: ‘Play as Being’. Jack is in touch with him.
Jack is trying to support TSK initiatives in Brazil.
Remco: – Developments in Holland and Europe:
There used to be students in Russia (Jack responded that they had not been heard of since the ‘80s)
Robert Hartzema runs TSK courses in Holland (under the name of ‘modern Dzogchen’) and has published two books; his programs attract a lot of people. He has also taught in Brazil. (Jack commented later that Rinpoche has specifically requested that TSK not be referred to as ‘dzogchen’). Robert was the director of the Nyingma Centre in Amsterdam for 10-15 years, but is no longer associated with Nyingma.
Jack: There is a need to investigate and clarity the situation with Robert Hartzema (RH). Remco will prepare a short report to Jack; Jack will also discuss with Joleen, who should also be invited to this group.
- Egroup?
Communication among the development group could easily take place via the CCI website, as a closed discussion group with a password, or via Yahoo or Google group. TSK Development Group agreed upon as the name for this group. Update: This has been set up on the CCI website; all participants should be able to log on using their usual credientials.
3. Websites and Facebook
CCI web designer, Kyle Kosup, says that is easy to set up other TSK sites and link them to CCI and also that the CCI PayPal facility can be used for retreat payments, for instance.
Britta: Usefulness and relevance of featuring events on both Nyingma centres and TSK websites.
Remco: Runs Facebook page and has started a website. Facebook is easy and people like it. Useful to have both FB and website. FB can serve as a reminder, with picture and quote – a useful promotional medium.
Bruce (Bay Area): For comparison, the Magellan Courses (contemplative and philosophical inquiry) run both FB and website pages which are well co-ordinated. Input to website is substantial; with updates, announcements and excerpts on FB.
Jack: Websites need discussion. Historically, TSK has been more central in Holland than Germany. CCI can develop independently from Nyingma, but is also a part of NAMO. Jack will raise website issues at next NAMO (update: this was postponed)
Britta: Website would help bring together several people practising in Germany.
Caroline: CCI could have a section called ‘International Activities’ on which we could all enter events.
Jack: Someone comfortable with websites, social media etc, needs to be responsible in each country. Jeffrey Tsao (work/study student) is helping at Mangalam Research, CCI and NAMO. He is skilled in these matters, but will be leaving in a few months. Jack will discuss with him some of the issues raised here.
4. Communication and Coordination
Have a look at the NAMO website: www.namonyingma.org. Its colour coded calendar includes CCI events and this method could serve co-ordination of international TSK events.
Promotion, Advertising, Development
David: Articles submitted so far have been rejected.
Caroline ; Need to find new way of expressing and presenting TSK to get over initial difficulty in understanding what it’s about. Working on a couple of articles: ‘Time to Walk Through Walls’ and ‘A Question of Questions’ aimed at alternative magazines in the UK (eg. Caduceus, Resurgence, Kindred Spirit).
Jack: The editor of Quest magazine (US) is a former TSK student and may take an article.
So much is now done online – we need to be ‘more active in the blogosphere’, rather than focusing only on print publications.
The Wisdom2.0 conference (Silicon Valley) focuses on mindfulness and this may be a venue for TSK.
Jack has been in touch with Ronald Purser (specializes in organisational studies and business consulting) about some new programs. Ron and Jack co-wrote academic articles in field of organisational research.
Jack wrote ‘Seven Steps to Creative Inquiry’ but it is on hold for now.
Remco: What is the aim of such publicity? To get more people in classes? There are many opportunities in Holland for publication, but we need to be clear who we are representing.
Jack: It is perfectly acceptable to say that we are presenting/publishing on behalf of the CCI.
It would be helpful to present TSK in different language: we can think about/discuss this.
Michael (New Mexico): The TSK Perspectives series useful to reach new people. The two most recent: ‘A New Way of Being’ and ‘A New Kind of Knowledge’ favourably reviewed in Yoga Journal.
- Multi Media Show
Caroline: A multi-media show (visual, music, dance, readings, resources in foyer) to introduce TSK to much wider audience. Caroline to circulate description (update: done)
- Teacher Training
Jack: Dovetails with Nyingma interests to train people to teach at each centre. Jack has designed a program based on WIR.
Joleen is the only formally authorized (by Nyingma Centers) TSK teacher.
Britta and Remco are already teaching. Bruce and Caroline interested in training. Philip Gold in Brazil has done some teaching. This needs to be discussed with NAMO.
Future Contact
It was agreed we will keep in contact via TSK Development group on CCI website.