thekchen choling
Syracuse

Dr. James Bae, a world-renowned master of Tibetan yoga and Tsa Lung yogic practices, returns to Central New York for a weekend healing retreat.

He will lead a program titled Tibetan Yoga, Meditation and Buddhist Healing Methods at Thekchen Choling Syracuse (109 East Ave., Minoa) on March 13-15. The retreat runs Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday morning.

Open to adults of all ages, backgrounds and physical abilities, the retreat costs $185 and includes Saturday and Sunday breakfast as well as a Saturday night dinner. Simple, dormitory-style lodging is available onsite for $25 a night on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register, contact temple president Babette Teich-Visco at tccl.syracuse@gmail.com or 315.480.1088. The registration deadline is Sunday, March 8, at 5 p.m. (ET).  

Teich-Visco considers “Dr. James,” as he’s affectionately called, one of the temple’s most popular presenters. “He’s an expert in his field,” she says. “In spite of his impressive credentials, Dr. James presents mind-body medicine in a relaxed, accessible way.”

Bae will teach students how to integrate their body, mind and spirit—a 2,500-year-old practice dating back to the time of the Buddha. Special emphasis is on various healing methods, like Tibetan yogic exercises, breathwork, visualization and mantra recitation, as well as restorative diet and herbs, some of which Bae has acquired on a recent trip to Asia.

He also will present a simple, yet powerful practice based on Dorje Namjom, a Vajrayana Buddhist deity specializing in cleansing, purification and the elimination of negative karma. Dorje Namjom is part of the Nyingma tradition, the oldest of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The practice treats a wide of range of illnesses, from intractable pain conditions to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

“All of these methods ultimately foster spiritual insight and self-healing,” says Bae, a licensed, U.S.-trained physician in acupuncture as well as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. 

Much of his work is rooted in traditional Buddhist theories, like Interdependent Origination, which suggests that all sentient beings are interconnected, and the law of cause and effect (aka karma), underlying the practical understanding of how disease, illness and suffering arise.

The idea of a bodhisattva—an enlightened being who, instead of entering Nirvana, remains in the cycle of death and rebirth to assist others—also informs his teaching.

“Buddhist healing begins and culminates in a place of compassion,” says Bae, a Brooklyn-based medical clinician whose expertise extends to trauma-informed approaches to Tibetan yoga and to Tsa Lung, which uses breath retention, physical movements and visualization to clear energetic blockages in the body’s subtle channels.

“The wisdom of our interconnectedness informs Buddhist Yogic healing methods,” he adds.

Thekchen Choling Syracuse is the North American seat of Singha Namdrol Rinpoche, a Vajrayana Buddhist lama who has founded centers in Malaysia and his native Singapore. Located in the picturesque village of Minoa (a suburb of Syracuse), the 11-year-old temple is home to two resident monks, weekly events and activities, and a collection of Buddhist relics.

Thekchen Choling also offers an online portal, through which people can request pujas and light offerings for all kinds of healing and purification. The portal is available at https://thekchen-choling-usa.square.site/.