SPIRITUAL: Holy Day

Spend the lunch hour on this merit-multiplying holy day by joining our communithy in a group reading of the Golden Light Sutra. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, our Spiritual Director, has advised us at Kadampa Center to recite this sutra to create the causes for hosting this year's Light of the Path Retreat.

We will read the sutra monastery-style:  All the pages will be divided among those who attend, and then we will all read aloud at the same time until all are finished. The idea is that, even if we are not consciously comprehending the words, the entire sutra is entering our mindstream because we can hear one another speak. It's a joyful cacophony!

Learn more here about the Golden Light Sutra.

Sponsoring the sutra readings is a great way to create merit, and it's especially auspicious to do so during the Days of Miracles, when our merit is multiplied exponentially.

Sponsorship is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your sponsorship (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation (use the buttons below on this page),

Sponsors may wish to dedicate very simply - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might make more extensive spiritual wishes, such as ""May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention!  You also can dedicate for more than one intention.

Use our secure online community to donate by clicking your choice below. 

To try our new Text Giving, send KC108 to 73256 and select your level from the drop down menu.

Don't forget to dedicate your sponsorship!

Sponsor a Sutra Reading ~ $75

The two-week long Tibetan Great Prayer Festival, Monlam Chenmo, which began with the Tibetan New Year, culminates in the Day of Miracles, Chotrul Duchen, which falls this year on Monday, March 9.  As a Buddha Holy Day, the karmic effects of virtuous actions performed on this day are multiplied exponentially, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Our Schedule:

•  12:00 pm  Group reading of the Golden Light Sutra, followed by

                       Medicine Buddha Puja

The FPMT 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 the following day. Those who have taken precepts previously from a qualified teacher are encouraged to take them at home, at "first light".

*Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends reciting the Golden Light Sutra everyday, and especially on Buddha holy days. The benefits from reciting, listening to, or even hearing the name of the sutra are immeasurable, extending from eliminating conflict, terrorism, torture and gamine, to achieving full enlightenment. The Sanghata Sutra is a direct teaching by the Buddha that promised to tranform all who read or recite it.

Sponsoring the sutra readings is a great way to create merit, and it's especially auspicious to do so during the Days of Miracles, when our merit is multiplied exponentially.

Sponsorship is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your sponsorship (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation (use the button below on this page),

Sponsors may wish to dedicate very simply - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might make more extensive spiritual wishes, such as "May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention!  You also can dedicate for more than one intention.

Use our secure online community to donate by clicking your choice below. 

To try our new Text Giving, send KC108 to 73256 and select your level from the drop down menu.

Don't forget to dedicate your sponsorship!

Sponsor a Sutra Reading ~ $75

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

There will be no classes for the Family Program -- children are invited to remain in the gompa for the festivities.

The actual date of Losar is Monday, February 24. This day 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.

Sponsoring the Losar Celebration is a great way to create merit!

Sponsorship is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your sponsorship (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation (use the button below on this page),

Sponsors may wish to dedicate very simply - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might make more extensive spiritual wishes, such as ""May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention!  You also can dedicate for more than one intention.

Use our secure online community to donate by clicking your choice below. 

To try our new Text Giving, send KC108 to 73256 and select your level from the drop down menu.

Don't forget to dedicate your sponsorship!

Sponsor Losar Celebration ~ $125

Come join us as we celebrate Lama Tsongkhapa,  the founder of our lineage, the Gelugpa tradition, in Tibetan Buddhism. This day marks the 600th anniversary of his passing. He was a renowned scholar, practitioner, meditator, teacher and author.  His studies and meditations in all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism resulted in the founding of the Gelugpa lineage. Among his major accomplishments is writing the Lamrim, or the Great Treatise on the Path to Enlightenment, a step-by-step guide to the spiritual practices that lead to enlightenment. He also wrote several condensed versions of the Lamrim, including Foundation of All Good Qualities, the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, and Song of Experience.

  
Led by Geshe Gelek, we will celebrate Lama Tsongkhapa and his great contribution to the Dharma with a festival of prayer and practice.  To bring us closer to him, we will bring Lama Tsongkhapa and his disciples from the main altar onto a special altar in the center of the gompa, where we will make light offerings and circumambulate the altar while reciting mantras. Our celebration also includes review of his three major short works. Geshe-la encourages us all to come, even if we can't attend the entire festival. Students are welcome to drop in and drop out throughout the afternoon.

Program
Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga
  Circumambulate altar while chanting 21 Lama Tsongkhapa mantras 
  Return to seats for long mandala offerings.
Foundation of All Good Qualities – review & analytical meditation
  Circumambulate altar while chanting 21 Lama Tsongkhapa mantras 
  Return to seats for long mandala offerings.
Three Principal Aspects of the Path – review & analytical meditation
  Circumambulate altar while chanting 21 Lama Tsongkhapa mantras
  Return to seats for long mandala offerings.
Song of Experience – review & analytical meditation
  Circumambulate altar while chanting 21 Lama Tsongkhapa mantras 
  Return to seats for long mandala offerings.
In Praise of Dependent Origination – review & analytical meditation
  Circumambulate altar while chanting 21 Lama Tsongkhapa mantras
  Return to seats for long mandala offerings.
Recite Lama Tsongkhapa mantra 14 times
Lamrim dedication prayerr

Geshe Gelek encourages students who have previously taken Eight Mahayana Precepts to take them at home before sunrise, before their home altar.

Lama Tsongkhapa Day honors a very powerful practitioner so there is great power in the merit of supporting it financially. Supporting this holy day's spiritual practices – whether you are able to attend or not – is an opportunity to collect great merit. If you are sponsoring but not attending, you can offer prayers for those who are participating in the events.

Supporting the Holy Day event is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the button below on this page)

Dedications may be very simple - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might encompass more extensive spiritual wishes, such as "May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention!  You also can dedicate for more than one intention.

The festival begins with Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga puja and will include light offerings.

Sponsor Holy Day Puja ~ $125

Sponsor the light offerings ($50)

Shakyamuni Buddha Puja is a source of good collections: a rite of homage, worship (making offerings) and prayers to the teacher, the King of Sages, remembering his previous lives and biography. The main point of the puja is to develop one's faith in the Buddha and collect vast merits by thinking about the wonderful things he has done - both in his countless previous lives as a bodhisattva and in his life as Shakyamuni, feeling joyful about them and making offerings, both real and visualized.

The framework of the central part of the puja is the seven limbs - prostrations, offering, purification, rejoicing, requesting the guru to remain, requesting the teachings, and dedication. These are preceded by various preliminaries aimed at getting the participants into the right frame of mind and at setting up the visualization of the field of merit, to whom the seven limbs are addressed. One also purifies one's negative karmas by confessing them with regret and creates further merits by auspicious wishes and prayers for the flourishing of the Buddha's doctrine. These are followed by prayers which comprise the extensive limb of dedication and then saying goodbye to the beings in the field of merit.

(Extracted from A Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT and Shakyamuni Puja - Worshipping the Buddha, Wisdom Publications, London.)

From Lama Zopa Rinpoche:

I want to introduce the Guru Shakyamuni Puja, which I found very beneficial for the mind and especially, I thought for developing bodhicitta and entering into the Bodhisattva deeds - the extensive, hard Bodhisattva deeds. It gives great inspiration to sacrifice oneself for sentient beings equaling the sky.

Holy Days are an especially auspicious time to sponsor spiritual events. Sponsoring spiritual events is beneficial on many levels. It benefits the Center by providing the resources to offer the event; it benefits the students who attend the event, and it benefits the donor by deepening the practice of generosity and creating the causes to meet the Dharma again in the future.

Sponsorship of a Holy Day puja is $125, and of general Holy Day events and activities, it's $108.

Supporting the Holy Day event is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the button below on this page)

Dedications may be very simple - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might encompass more extensive spiritual wishes, such as "May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention!  You also can dedicate for more than one intention.

Sponsor Holy Day Puja ~ $125

Because no one requested to take the Precepts for the first time, and our volunteers must rise and travel a long way before dawn to offer them at the Center, we will not hold them in our Center gompa. Students who have previously received the Precepts from a qualified master are encouraged to take them at home before their altar.

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 seats, and more.
The first time you take these precepts, it must be from a qualified master. After that, you can take them from your altar. Geshe Sangpo will offer precepts if students request it.  If you wish to take precepts for the first time, please register by 5 pm Friday, November 15.

Because no one requested to take the Precepts for the first time, and our volunteers must rise and travel a long way before dawn to offer them at the Center, we will not hold them in our Center gompa. Students who have previously received the Precepts from a qualified master are encouraged to take them at home before their altar.

Please register ONLY if you have not taken precepts before.

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.
 

You may read more about the precepts here.

Sponsor Holy Day Activities $108

Lhabab Düchen is one of the four major Buddhist holy days of the year. On this day, we celebrate the Buddha’s return to beings in our realm after a three-month separation. During that separation, he had gone to the God Realm of Thirty-Three, a higher realm where his mother was reborn after giving him birth, in order to repay her kindness by giving teachings to liberate her from samsara. His teachings in the God Realm of the Thirty-Three also benefited the Arya Beings who lived there.

As a Buddha holy day, this is an auspicious day for practice, when the karmic effects of actions are multiplied one hundred million times, according to our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, citing the Vinaya text The Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

Lhabab Düchen occurs on the 22nd day of the ninth month on the Tibetan lunar calendar.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, encourages students to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts on holy days. For more about the practice of precepts, please read The Direct and Unmistaken Method by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Rinpoche advises many other practices on holy days as well.

Our schedule of events for the day:

5:30 pm  Shakyamuni Buddha Puja     The Shakyamuni Buddha Puja is a  a rite of homage, making offerings and prayers to the teacher, the King of Sages, remembering his previous lives and biography. 

Students who have previously taken the Eight Mahayana Precepts from a qualified master are encouraged to take them at home before their altar.

Create merit by sponsoring a Holy Day event!  Sponsoring spiritual events is beneficial on many levels. It benefits the Center by providing the resources to offer the event; it benefits the students who attend the event, and it benefits the donor by deepening the practice of generosity and creating the causes to meet the Dharma again in the future.

Sponsorship of a Holy Day puja is $125, and of general Holy Day events and activities, it's $108.

Supporting the Holy Day event is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the button below on this page)

Dedications may be very simple - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might encompass more extensive spiritual wishes, such as "May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention!  You also can dedicate for more than one intention.

Sponsor Holy Day Activities $108

Sponsor Holy Day Puja ~ $125

Kadampa Center will open at 5:45 am; the Eight Mahayana Precepts will begin at 6 am. 5:45 am The PRECEPTS WILL NOT BE HELD AT KADAMPA CENTER. THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THEM FROM A QUALIFIED MASTER IN THE PAST MAY TAKE THEM AT HOME BEFORE YOUR ALTAR.   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 seats, and more.

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 by Wednesday, July 31.

Please register here to take precepts for the first time.  SORRY, REGISTRATION FOR PRECEPTS IS CLOSED

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.
 

You may read more about the precepts here.

Sponsor Holy Day Activities $108