SPIRITUAL: Holy Day

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/

Join us for the power of group practice to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts, followed by a light breakfast, on the anniversary of the Buddha's first teaching. If you'd like to participate in the merit by helping provide breakfast, please sign up on Volunteer Spot.

Wheel Turning Day is a holy day when karmic results are multiplied one hundred million, 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, Geshe Gelek will come on the 31st, 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

On Sunday, July 6th, His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns 79! Please join us for a birthday celebration during the 10:45am program. We'll invite His Holiness to join us (represented by a large photo), learn a little about his life story, say a prayer for his long life, and at the end present cake and sing happy birthday. The 9:00am program that morning is canceled - let's all party together!

In addition, FPMT encourages participation in Compassion Day as a way of honoring His Holiness by putting his teachings into practice. We'll be launching a very special Compassion in Action project by our Outreach program to help alleviate hunger and participate in http://www.1billionacts.org/ - a joint project led by 13 Nobel Laureates, including His Holiness. Let's be a part of One Billion Acts of Peace!

Would you like to help make His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday party special? We'd love it if you'd bring some watermelon or iced tea/lemonade (perfect for a summertime treat!) for everyone to enjoy at the end of the 10:45am program. It's easy - just pick what you'd like to bring and sign up on Volunteer Spot! Go to http://vols.pt/inL5fn, put in your email address, and sign up on July 6th!

Join us to benefit from the power of practicing together as a group taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts (see below), reciting the Golden Light Sutra for Lama Zopa Rinpoche's long life and for world peace, followed by a light breakfast for anyone who would like to stay.

To volunteer to help on Saka Dawa by bringing breakfast foods or helping the center stay open for the day, please sign up on Volunteer Spot.

Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa 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. For an explanation of the Eight Mahayana Precepts, go to http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=503&chid=973

The vows can be taken any time before a statue of the Buddha. To receive the lineage (line of teachers unbroken since Buddha), the vows should be taken with a qualified teach. If there are Kadampa Center students who want to request Geshe Gelek to give precepts (and have not taken them before with a teacher), please contact our holy day coordinator, Patrick McGinity, to make this request or with questions about the practice.

Join us for our monthly vegetarian potluck lunch!  Please bring a main or side dish, dessert, or beverages to share. Since this is a holy day, many people will have taken precepts which include avoiding eating the black foods - please bring dishes that do not have these ingredients if possible: eggs, garlic, onion, raishes, turnips, and of course meat. Also, preceptors cannot eat the rest of the day, so hearty main dishes are expecially appreciated! Please lable your ingredients so people know which dishes they can eat. To sign up to bring a specific dish or volunteer for setup and cleanup, please go to VolunteerSpot.

If you don't have time to prepare something, please come along anyway. There's always plenty of food and all are welcome! Please remember that a crockpot won't heat a cold dish and it's best to heat your food before you come. We ask that you put your name on serving dishes and utensils and please take them and any leftover food home with you.

Our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa 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, Geshe Gelek will come on the 16th, 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