Nyinthun Letter from Bill Wooding

After two decades as the lead coordinator for Nyinthün – our weekly Sunday morning meditation group – Bill Wooding is stepping down and passing the torch. His service has provided a place for many hundreds of practitioners over the years. Dedication like this is rare and we are deeply grateful for his service.

Bill wrote a letter to the community who have made a regular part of their practice, but there are many other people who might want to read it.

Dear Nyinthün friends,

This letter is to let you know that I am passing the torch of nyinthun leadership on to Mr Till Cremer. Till of course needs no introduction, being well known to us all as a steady nyinthun participant, Umdze and organizer. Till is fully knowledgeable about the nyinthun forms and tradition and is a proven hands-on participant-leader. Most of all, he is inspired by our connection to the three great practice lineages of Kagyu, Nyingma and Shambhala, and he loves group meditation, so I am grateful to Till for taking over as leader.

As I approach my 80th birthday, I find myself reflecting on the great value of the nyinthun tradition.  For me Nyinthun has always been closest to my heart, of all Shambhala activities and practices. To some extent, it has been my child, something that I’ve always loved to nurture.  Nyinthun is our “original practice” (from Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind); introduced to us by Trungpa Rinpoche as the best way to mix intensive group practice with everyday life. Nyinthun has also tied us together as a practice community and still remains our most accessible way to further our practice of sitting meditation.

Seeing Nynthun as one of Trungpa Rinpoche’s gifts to us, direct from the heart of the practice lineage, has also made me feel a sacredness about the practice. This lineage empowerment has kept my enthusiasm alive to this day. Nyinthun is where I discovered my most profound trust in buddhadharma, the great sanity of dharma and confidence in my own basic goodness.  Rinpoche urged us all to sit a lot of nyinthun (and dathun), as much as we possibly could. Somehow I took this to heart and never changed about it. That is why you all have seen me guiding nyinthun over the years.

I will not be disappearing, but will continue as meditation instructor and Umdze trainer.

At this time of transition I also want to thank all of you who have supported nyinthun over the years as staff, volunteers and participants. May we all continue to sit, sit and sit together until confidence in our awake nature dawns. Then may we continue to sit and support others in the practice, as so many of you are doing. Please continue to support nyinthun.

Warm regards and grateful thanks to you all,

Bill Wooding