SPIRITUAL: Holy Day

Seven weeks after attaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Shakyamuni Buddha gave his first teaching, on the Four Noble Truths, at the Deer Park in Sarnath. We celebrate this day as Chokhor Düchen. This is a Buddha holy day, when the karma from our positive actions multiplies 100 million times, according to a Vinaya text - so it's a good day to do spiritual practice, which can be as simple as showing kindness to others.

On this holy day, Geshe Gelek will lead us in lamrim meditations and Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga. Geshe-la recommends that students take the Eight Mahayana Precepts, a set of eight vows kept for 24 hours.

Registration to take precepts for the first time is closed. Students who wish to take precepts for the first time may simply come to the Center at 6 am. Anyone who has previously taken precepts with a qualified master may take them at home in front of their altar or join Geshe-la and other students in person at Kadampa Center at 6:00 AM.

Chokhor Düchen is a Buddha Holy Day, when the karma of our virtuous actions multiplies 100,000 times, according to a Vinaya text. Don't miss the opportunity to multiply your merit!

You can sponsor Holy Day events - amazing merit!  Click here to sponsor Chokhor Düchen

Saka Dawa is the month when we honor Shakyamuni Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (passing from this life). In 2023, Saka Dawa begins May 20 and ends June 30. On Saka Dawa Düchen, (Sunday, June 4) Geshe Gelek will lead us in special prayers and practices during our Sunday Dharma Connections period, 10:30-11:30 am. There will be a lunch and social gathering afterward. The session will be offered in person and online via Zoom (the regular Sunday Dharma link) or YouTube.  To attend by Zoom, please register in advance. Saka Dawa Düchen is the full-moon day, the most holy day of the month. This day, and the entire month, are especially auspicious for spiritual practice  — the karmic effects of all actions are multiplied one hundred thousand times.

During the teachings, we will recite:

      In Praise of Dependent Origination, by Lama Tsongkhapa  (Also available in a beautifully decorated file from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive)

      The Foundation of All Good Qualities, by Lama Tsongkhapa 

      Shakyamuni Buddha - Praise of the Twelve Deeds, by Arya Nagarjuna

      Chenrezig's mantra, OM MANI PADME HUM

Geshe Gelek also advises us to create merit by going around the stupa (or the entire Gompa), reciting mantras and sutras, liberating animals, saying prayers and doing charitable works.

Geshe-la also advises that students who have previously taken the Eight Mahayana Precepts should do so at home in front of their altar. Taking the eight Mahayana precepts: students can receive the lineage of these precepts from a specially produced video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche granting them, which was edited from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Teachings on Thought Transformation video series, recorded in May 2020 at Kopan Monastery.

Come join in celebrating Losar! Kadampa Center will mark the Tibetan New Year, on Sunday, February 26, at 10:30 am. We will begin with processing the photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama into the gompa to a seat of honor and respect on the high throne at the front of the room. This is a family-friendly event - we expect a visit from the Snow Lion! to delight both children and adults!

We will enjoy milk tea, Tibetan rice, and cookies during the celebration.

The actual date of Losar is Tuesday, February 21, which marks the beginning of the 14-day Days of Miracles, a festival of prayer. Lama Zopa Rinpoche advises us that this is an especially auspicious time to do spiritual practice, because our merit multiplies exponentially.

Seven weeks after attaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Shakyamuni Buddha gave his first teaching at the Deer Park in Sarnath. We celebrate this day as Chokhor Düchen. This is a Buddha holy day, when the karma from our positive actions multiplies 100 million times, according to a Vinaya text - so it's a good day to do spiritual practice, which can be as simple as showing kindness to others.

At his first teaching, the Buddha expressed his profound realization of the nature of existence in the Four Noble Truths:

    The Truth of  the Nature of Suffering
    The Truth of the Origins or Causes of Suffering
    The Truth of the Cessation of, or Liberation from, Suffering
    The Truth of the Eight Fold Path as the means to attain ultimate happiness and freedom from suffering.

This teaching, referred to as the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, led to the formation of the Sangha, the community of disciples committed to following the Buddha's example of living simply, following the Path, and teaching the Dharma. Accordingly, every year at this time, the FPMT encourages its Centers to celebrate the presence of the sangha community. Our website includes a Sangha Support and Offerings page with valuable information, including a previous year's talk and Q&A about sangha with our director, Robbie Watkins.

Kadampa Center will open our doors from 10 am to 6 pm to allow students the opportunity to practice. 

You can sponsor Holy Day events - amazing merit!  Click here to sponsor Chokhor Düchen

Seven weeks after attaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Shakyamuni Buddha gave his first teaching at the Deer Park in Sarnath. We celebrate this day as Chokhor Düchen. It is a Buddha Holy Day, when the karma of our merit is multiplied 100 million times, according to a Vinaya sutra. To support our members in creating merit, we will open our doors from 10 am to 6 pm for students to do personal practice.

At his first teaching, the Buddha expressed his profound realization of the nature of existence in the Four Noble Truths:

    The Truth of  the Nature of Suffering
    The Truth of the Origins or Causes of Suffering
    The Truth of the Cessation of, or Liberation from, Suffering
    The Truth of the Eight Fold Path as the means to attain ultimate happiness and freedom from suffering.

This teaching, referred to as the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, led to the formation of the Sangha, the community of disciples committed to following the Buddha's example of living simply, following the Path, and teaching the Dharma. Accordingly, every year at this time, the FPMT encourages its Centers to celebrate the presence of the ordained sangha community. Our website includes a Sangha Support and Offerings page with valuable information, including a previous year's talk and Q&A about sangha with our director, Robbie Watkins.

Kadampa Center will open our doors from 10 am to 6 pm for students to come and do personal practice. Geshe Gelek recommends practices such as circumambulating the gompa, circumambulating the stupa, reciting mantras, reciting Praises to the 21 Taras, purification practice and, of course, anyone's personal practice.

You can sponsor Holy Day events - amazing merit!  Click here to sponsor Chokhor Düchen

Saka Dawa Düchen (June 14), is the full-moon day of the month when we honor Shakyamuni Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (passing from this life). Join us online in two powerful practices - Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas, and a group reading of the Vajra Cutter Sutra. This day, and the entire month, are especially auspicious for spiritual practice  — the karmic effects of all actions are multiplied one hundred thousand times.

12:00 pm:  A group reading of the Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas, and of the Vajra Cutter Sutra. Online only via YouTube and Zoom (registration required for Zoom).

We will display these texts via shared screen so students can follow along. If you wish, you can download them to read in advance.

The practice of Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas is available in the FPMT Retreat Prayer Book 

Download a copy of the Vajra (Diamond) Cutter Sutra from FPMT  Geshe Gelek advises that we begin reading the sutrat at home in preparation for the group reading.

Geshe Gelek also advises us to create merit by going around the stupa (or the entire Gompa), reciting mantras and sutras, liberating animals, saying prayers and doing charitable works.

On this Saka Dawa holy day - a merit-mutiplying day - Geshe Gelek will offer the Eight Mahayana Precepts at the Center.  Kadampa Center will open at 5:15 am; the Eight Mahayana Precepts will begin at 5:30 am.

5:30 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, and more (see below).

The first time you take these precepts, it must be from a qualified master. After that, you can take them from your altar. 

            If you wish to take the Precepts online with a teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has kindly made this option available here: 

• Eight Mahayana Precepts online with Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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

Saka Dawa is the month when we honor Shakyamuni Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (passing from this life). In 2022, Saka Dawa begins May 31 and ends June 29. Saka Dawa Düchen (June 14), is the full-moon day of the month.  This day, and the entire month, are especially auspicious for spiritual practice  — the karmic effects of all actions are multiplied one hundred thousand times.

Geshe Gelek advises us to create merit by going around the stupa (or the entire Gompa), reciting mantras and sutras, liberating animals, saying prayers and doing charitable works.

Here is our schedule of Saka Dawa practices.

•  5:30 am:  Geshe Gelek will offer the Eight Mahayana Precepts. In-person only at the Center.
•  6:00 am:  Light breakfast
• 12:00 pm:  A group reading of the Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas, and of the Vajra Cutter Sutra. Online only via YouTube and Zoom (registration required for Zoom).

     If you wish to take the Precepts online with a teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has kindly made this option available here: 

• Eight Mahayana Precepts online with Lama Zopa Rinpoche