Gompa

 If you plan to attend the 10:30 teaching on Sunday December 13, you are in for a treat! “Geshe Clause” will make his fourth annual appearance to give gifts to the children. Grown ups (aka big kids) get presents too - wind horse ornaments. The appearance of the wind horse is said to bring peace, wealth, and harmony. You are invited to stay for light refreshments and socialize afterwards. Children and Youth classes will begin as usual. We request that between 11:30 and 11:40, parents of preschoolers pick up their children and bring them to the gompa. At 11:40, teachers will enter with students from their classrooms, and the festivities will begin! Parents of preschoolers will assist their children by lining up the same way we do for kata offerings. After that, children will line up by class, youngest first, receive a gift, and then join their families. Next we will offer each adult an ornament. The gifts for the children were generously sponsored in the memory of Charlie Smith by his loving family.

Buddhism is a psychology of the mind, providing us methods to understand our emotions and how to change our bad habits and thoughts to be happy. The Sunday teachings about how to practice Dharma in daily life, led by one of our resident teachers, Geshe Gelek Chodha or Geshe Palden Sangpo,  are appropriate for visitors and students of all levels of study and interest in Buddhism. The session typically includes a brief meditation, prayers, and the rare opportunity to learn from a highly trained Tibetan Buddhist monk. When Geshe-la is away, several senior students typically lead these sessions. The teachings and prayers are offered in English.

Sunday is a great time for a first visit to Kadampa Center – students at every level come, from newcomers to practitioners with 30+ years of experience, and it's a great opportunity to meet others and start making new friends. 

We offer a full range of children's programs on Sundays. Children are invited to sit on the blue cushions at the front of the gompa, and then depart to their classes after opening prayers. Any child who wishes to is welcome to remain in the gompa for the teachings.

On many Sundays, we also host other events, such as the Newcomer Orientation, New Member Orientation, potluck lunches, pujas, and more. Special events for holy days, special practices, or exhibits and visiting teachers are also occasionally held on Sundays, so for all these events please check the calendar for more information and specific times.

Discover practices that develop our innate qualities of compassion. Learn to apply these techniques to generate the mind of bodhichitta, known as the very heart of Buddha's teachings.

This module is led by Don Brown.

Students who have had prior teachings on Buddhist meditation (Discovering Buddhism, Meditiation 101, etc.) are invited to participate in this practice.

Led by the Discovering Buddhism teacher, Stephanie Smith, this session is aimed at students in the course, but is also open to students who meet the above criteria. An important part of the Discovering Buddhism course is trying the practices, and this class allows students the opportunity to have guidance and the support of group practice to learn.

To celebrate this day honoring Lama Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition -- our lineage at Kadampa Center -- we will round out the evening by making light offerings at the stupa. 

Please come and join in !

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche has advised us to perform Kshitigarbha practice extensively from now until February, 2016, to pacify the danger of earthquakes, especially in Nepal and California.  Through this practice we can fulfill our teacher's wishes and also offer help to our sister centers and all the people living in earthquake-prone areas.

Please join us as we recite as many mantras as possible before beginning the Guru Puja practice at 4 p.m.

To learn more about Rinpoche's advice and to make your own pledge to recite mantras, please go to the website created by Bay area FPMT centers.

You can download your own copy of the practice here.

 

Guru puja (Lama Chöpa)  is a practice of making offerings and requests to all the Buddhas and holy beings, but especially the root guru, who, according to the teachings, is the root of the path to liberation. It is a practice recommended by FPMT's Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who says:

This practice of Guru Puja is very profound, with many extra benefits, and is very quick to bring enlightenment. The lam-rim prayer, the prayer of the steps of the path to enlightenment, in Guru Puja has lam-rim and also lo-jong, or thought transformation. Generally, the whole of the lam-rim, from guru devotion up to enlightenment, is thought transformation. If your mind is not transformed into the path, how can you have realizations of the path? There’s no way, without transforming your mind.

As part of the puja, we perform a special practice called tsog which has extensive offerings. According to the Liberation Prison Project Tibetan calendar, on the 10th and 25th of every Tibetan (lunar) month, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, “Those who have received an initiation into Highest Yoga Tantra have a commitment to perform tsog” on these days. Kadampa Center holds pujas with tsog on these dates (when they don't conflict with other programs).

Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice. This puja is recited partly in English and partly chanted in Tibetan. (It is possible to read the English translations of the whole puja, and there is optional sheet music available to help learn the Tibetan tunes.) Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and puja are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the puja to their spiritual teachers or loved ones in need of support and prayers.

Sponsorship of a Guru puja is $75 - click here to sponsor this puja.

Investigate what "samsara" is and how we are stuck in it.

Find out what "nirvana" is and how to achieve it.

Learn how to be free from suffering and empower yourself with practical tools to deal with and eliminate disturbing emotions forever.

We ask that new students joining the course please come on the first night of new modules rather than entering in the middle of a subject. So this Monday please come and we'll have volunteers ready to explain how the course works and how to access online teachings by becoming a member. This makes the transition easiest for new students, and we've found that attending the entire module is the least confusing for everyone (rather than starting in the middle, not having clear instructions, and finding the topic difficult after missing the early classes).

This class is led by Stephanie (Steep) Smith.

 

Thank you for your interest in this event. This event is full.

For those who did not make a reservation, we wish you could be there, and we hope to offer similar opportunities in the future.

For those who made a reservation:

• No need to print an email or "ticket." We have your name on a list.
• Come any time during your selected seating (either 5 -7 or 7-9)
• Delicious Tibetan specialties buffet
• Profits will be dedicated to Family Camp 2016**
• Email questions to familycamp@kadampa-center.org

Hosted by Geshe Gelek Choda, the Tibetan Restaurant, and the Kadampa Center's Children and Youth Program.

Tibetan Restaurant
748-A E Chatham St, Cary

 

**Fees for meals are not tax-deductible. Funds raised for camp at this event are intended to support participation of Sangha and camp counselors and to provide financial assistance to families in need. All funds received by the Kadampa Center are allocated at its discretion

Making offerings to holy beings is a powerful way to create merit, and creating merit is a powerful way to remove obstacles to spiritual progress.

On this auspicious holy day, we will make extensive offerings across the width of our altar, in preparation for saying the Shakyamuni Buddha puja in the evening.  Because this is a merit-multiplying day, the merit we collect by making offerings will be increased exponentially.  How wonderful!

Please come join in, starting at noon, to create an amazing array of offerings!

 

 

Meditation 101 is a five-week introductory course on Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners. It teaches basic Buddhist meditations that can be used by anyone to create more peace and happiness in daily life.

In keeping with our tradition, no fee is required to attend the class. We do rely on donations, so any offerings are greatly appreciated!

No registraiton is required, but we recommend attending the entire course for the most benefit.

The basic Buddhist meditation techniques covered include:

• What is meditation?
• Breathing meditations
• Mindfulness meditations
• Visualization meditations

This class will be led by David Machles