Gompa

A sutra is a holy scripture -- the very words of the Buddha, written down so that all can receive the teachings. The practice of doing group readings of sutras began in the monasteries, where it continues today. The pages of the sutra are divided evenly among all participants, so that each person has a different set of pages than the others. Then all begin reading aloud at the same time, so that the room is filled with the joyful sound of precious teachings. It creates a wonderful current of energy, and everyone in the room hears the entire sutra and gets it on their mindstreams, although of course they are not consciously taking in the words spoken by the others.

From FPMT:  Along with the Heart Sutra, the Vajra Cutter Sutra (also known as the Diamond Cutter Sutra or Diamond Sutra) is one of most well-known sutras of Mahayana Buddhism. The Vajra Cutter Sutra is a discourse on the Buddhist concept of emptiness or “Wisdom Gone Beyond.”

Kadampa Center will open at 6 am; the Eight Mahayana Precepts will begin at 6:15 am.

6:15 am  The Eight Mahayana Precepts,  a set of eight vows taken for a period of 24 hours, from sunrise on one day to sunrise the following day. The vows include no killing, stealing, sexual activity, lying, sitting on high

The first time you take these precepts, it must be from a qualified master. After that, you can take them from your altar. Geshe Gelek will offer precepts if students request it.  If you wish to take precepts for the first time, please register here.

Please register ONLY if you have not taken precepts before.

Following the precepts, we will have a light breakfast and a group reading of a sutra.

The Eight Mahayana Precepts are a set of vows that are taken for 24 hours, from first light before dawn to sunrise of the following day. The only prerequisite is that the first time one takes precepts it should be from a qualified teacher who has received the oral transmission of the practice. Thereafter you can perform the ceremony at first light yourself, reciting the prayers before an image of your teacher or the Buddha, imagining you are taking the vows from Buddha himself.

 It is good to take them on full and new moon days, and especially beneficial on Buddha Holy Days, when Karmic results are multiplied exponentionally, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, citing the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

These Mahayana Precepts enable you to live in the essence of pure moral conduct, and since you take them with the strong motivation of cherishing and wishing to benefit all others, their value is immeasurable. Taking these precepts is a powerful and effective way for you to build, maintain and increase deep propensities for spiritual practice and attainment and thus is a profound method for giving meaning to this precious human life. 

The essence of this practice is to recall the Mahayana motivation; to take these precepts in order to become enlightened in order to lead all sentient beings to enlightenment.

The eight precepts are:

1. Not to kill, even insects.
2. Not to steal (Not to take what is not offered).
3. Not to engage in sexual contact.
4. Not to lie.
5. Not use intoxicants: alcohol, tobacco and drugs (except for medicinal purposes).
6. Not to eat at wrong times.*
7. Not to sit on high, expensive beds or seats with pride. Avoid sitting on animal skins.
8. Not to wear jewelry, perfume, or makeup; and not to sing, dance, or play music with attachment.

*It is alright to eat a light breakfast before or after the precepts. Avoid eating black foods: meat, eggs, onions, garlic, and radishes. The main meal of the day is to be finished by midday. After that one can take light drinks, but not undiluted whole milk or fruit juice with pulp, nor any food until sunrise of the following day.

Here is a link where you may read more about the precepts:

http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=503&chid=973

We offer this Medicine Buddha Puja to benefit Chris Kettner, who passed away February 10. Medicine Buddha puja is a beautiful prayer service that includes lyrical praises to the seven Medicine Buddhas, requests for their help and aspirations for our own spiritual attainments. It is beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace, and is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away. Geshe Gelek encourages all of us in the Kadampa Center community to attend services for those who have died, even if we don't know them, as a support to their families. This service is very welcoming to newcomers and beginners. Typically we do Medicine Buddha Puja in English.

More about the benefits of Medicine Buddha puja

From the Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT:

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times. They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate.

The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation for meditating on and actualizing the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit all sentient beings."

60 students from Leesville Road HS for tour and talk about Buddhism

30 students from Montessori School grade 3,4,5 for tour and talk about Buddhism

2 groups of Meredith Students, 30 each group for tour and talk about Buddhism

109 Students from Cary Academy. Tour and talk about Buddhism.

Join us for an informal discussion about Discovering Buddhism topics. Class resumes March 5.

Written by Lama Tsongkhapa, the Lamrim organizes the Buddha's teachings into a systematic method of spiritual growth. Lama Tsongkhapa presented this method in both a lengthy treatise and in short poems designed for easy memorization, as a guide to meditating on the path. Geshe Gelek is teaching on these condensed versions of the Lamrim, with the intention of helping students become familiar with these texts so that we may use them in our daily practice. The Three Principal Aspects of the Path is one of these condensed, foundational texts; it contains the entire lamrim in 14 stanzas.    This course would be meaningful to any interested students, and especially those with some foundation in Buddhist basics, such as Buddhism in a Nutshell or Discovering Buddhism.

Find The Three Principal Aspects of the Path here.