SPIRITUAL: Holy Day

The center will be closed due to a winter weather advisory calling for freezing rain and hazardous driving conditions.

Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, recommends the recitation of The Sanghata Sutra on the Days of Miracles. Join together with other students for a group recitation of the sutra at 7:00am. According to Geshe Gelek, the benefits of doing practice with as a group are more powerful, with many minds thinking the same positive thoughts at the same time - it's so rare! In a group, the sutra can also be divided up amongst the students, and a complete recitation takes much less time than when done alone. How long the recitation will take depends on how many people attend - we estimate an hour at most.

Students are also encouraged to read the sutra at home with a special dedication by Lama Zopa Rinpoche found at http://fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice/fifteen-days-of-miracles/.

Join us for the power of group practice to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts, followed by a light breakfast, on the final holy day of the 15 Days of Miracles. Please plan to arrive at 5:45am so the practice can start right at 6:00am.

Following breakfast, at around 7:00am, students are invited to stay and recite The Sanghata Sutra as a group. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends reciting this particular stura during the Days of Miracles.

The Day of Miracles are holy days when karmic results are multiplied one hundred million times, as cited by our Spitiual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic. Rinpoche, encourages students to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts on holy days. This is a set of vows that are taken for 24 hours, from just before dawn to sunrise of the following day.  Those who have taken precepts previously from a qualified teacher can take them at the center, or at home, at “first light”.

If there are Kadampa Center students who haven’t taken the vows before and wish to do so, we can invite one of our resident Geshes to offer the vows, but as is traditional only if requested by the students. Please contact our holy day coordinator, Patrick McGinity, if you haven’t previously taken precepts and want to make this request, or have questions about the practice.

For more information about the Eight Mahayana Precepts you can also go to http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=503&chid=973

It's particularly auspicious on Lama Tsongkhapa Day to make light offerings, so the center will offer at 6:00pm and provide tealights and holders to make light offerings. You can place your candles on the stupa, and according to Padmasambahava, "All those who make light offerings to the stupa will eliminate all the darkness of ignorance." Alternatively, you can also place your candles on Kadampa Center's altar, which is there for our community to use to create merit through making offerings and prostrations. We'll also have decorated luminaries thanks to the children's program, for light offerings along the center's walk, so light one of those as well! The best prayer to read while making these offering is the Light Offering Prayer by Lama Atisha, found in this collection of offering practices: http://fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/teachers/zopa/advice/pdf/extoffringprctce_bl.pdf

Drop in anytime between 6:00 - 6:45pm to make your offerings, and then please stay if you can for Guru puja at 7:00pm.

Sponsors of the light offerings as welcome as well. For $35 you can help provide these offerings, and we'll read a personal dedication for you at the puja. To be a sponsor, please contact Sarah at program@kadampa-center.org so we know to thank you, and include your dedication (or indicate if you prefer to be thanked anonymously). You can then make your donation online, by cash in the donation box, check, or credit card in the bookstore - please indicate the money is a sponsorship for Lama Tsongkhapa Day.

Want to do light offerings at home? This is the perfect day to hang your Christmas lights - say a prayer and offer them!

The Shakyamuni Buddha puja recalls the excellent qualities and deeds of the historical Buddha, and is an extensive prayer based on the seven limbs (prostrations, offerings, confession, rejoicing, requesting teachings, praying for long life, and dedications). Done in English, it's easy for anyone to follow and participate at their individual levels. Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, says that having this puja and making extensive offerings on the holy days is particularly important for centers to do to be successful, allowing for a place to serve our community and provide the Dharma, so everyone is invited to come participate!

Sponsoring offerings on a holy day is an incredible opportunity for practitioners to benefit the center, community, and collect unbelievable amounts of generosity karma and merit! Sponsorships on the holy day are $150, and sponsors are welcome to send a personal dedication to be read at the puja that evening. To become a sponsor, please email Sarah at program@kadampa-center.org, and she will help with details of payment and dedications.

Afterwards, at about 8:15pm, we need lots of helpers to take down the extensive offerings. No experience necessary, but we'd love to know if we can count on on you to help. Please sign up on Volunteer Spot if you can help - stay as long as you can, or until the job is done! (How long it takes will depend on how many people can help.)

This date marks this year’s celebration of Lha Bab Duchen-Lord Buddha’s actual return from the God Realm of Thirty-three. As a Buddha Holy Day, it is an auspicious day for practice, when the karmic effects of actions are multiplied 100 million times, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, citing the Vinaya text, The Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

Following his performance of extensive miracles at Shravasti in his 41st year, Shakyamuni Buddha ascended to the God Realm of Thirty-Three in order to give teachings to repay the kindness of his mother(by liberating her from samsara), and to benefit the Arya Beings as well. After three months, at the request of his disciples, the Buddha agreed to return to continue his teachings on earth.

Kadampa Center will be open from 6:00am to 8:30pm for group and individual practices. Please see the calendar for details about planned group practices.

Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, says that for centers to be successful, one of the most important things to do is to make offerings and do pujsa on the holy days. These are days when, according to sutra, merit is mulitplied 100 million times. We'll be setting up extensive offerings together, and depending on how many people can help, we will make them as extensive as possible! No experience necessary - there will be sangha and peers to help who you what to do. Feel free to bring your own contributions of flowers, food, tealights, etc. since our altar is for the community - here for you to make offerings and as part of your practice.

Sponsoring offerings on a holy day is an incredible opportunity for practitioners to benefit the center, community, and collect unbelievable amounts of generosity karma and merit! Sponsorships on the holy day are $150, and sponsors are welcome to send a personal dedication to be read at the puja that evening. To become a sponsor, please email Sarah at program@kadampa-center.org, and she will help with details of payment and dedications.

We'd love to know if you are coming - please sign up on Volunteer Spot if plan to be there! Setup begins at 1:00pm - how long it takes will depend on how many people come and help!

On this holy day honoring the Buddha's first teaching, Wheel Turning Day, it's particularly powerful to do practice. The center will be open all day for individuals who would like to come and do individual practice in the gompa. Group practices in the morning will be precepts (more information is below) at 5:00am followed by a light breakfast. After breakfast, probably around 7:00am, students are encouraged to stay and recite the Golden Light Sutra for world peace and as an incredibly powerful way to accumulate merit and create the cause for success in our practice.

Precepts

Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, encourages students to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts on holy days. They must be taken for the first time with a qualified teacher, and then can be practiced on any day. Those who have taken precepts previously from a teacher can take them as a group at the Center, or at home, at “first light” (5:00 am). Geshe Gelek is away so unable to provide the vows this holy day. If students come who have not taken the vows with a teacher before, they can still participate and will receive a lot of merit from practicing ethics, but will not be fully taking the vows during the ceremony.

For more information about the Eight Mahayana Precepts practice, please read Lama Zopa Rinpoche's commentary The Direct and Unmistaken Method.

Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, recommends reciting the Golden Light Sutra on holy days for world peace. When we read as a group, we divide the sutra up into short sections for each individual. Once we've each completed our part, we are able to count that as a full recitation and all share in the merit!

More about the sutra, including free downloads, visit FPMT's website. If you can't join us but instead recite the sutra at home, please dedicate it for world peace and enter your count on FPMT’s website:
http://fpmt.org/education/teachings/sutras/golden-light-sutra/email-reporting/