Gompa

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.)

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.

The review sessions are discussion time for Basic Program students to help each other better understand the material and prepare for the subject test. Everyone is encouraged to take the test as a way of simply checking knowledge of the subject and to benefit your practice, however it is required for anyone seeking a certificate for the program. Also to encourage students to try, the test will be take-home and closed book is encouraged but not required. It will likely be graded on a pass-fail basis. 

Students who have had prior teachings on Buddhist meditation (Discovering Buddhism, Meditiation 101, etc.) are invited to participate in this morning practice. Led by the Discovering Buddhism teacher, Stephanie Smith, it's aimed at students in the course, but is also open to students who meet the above criteria. An important part of the Discovering Buddhism course is trying the practices, and this class allows students the opportunity to have guidance and the support of group practice to learn.

The Maitreya Loving Kindness Tour is a world-wide touring collection of sacred relics of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and many other Buddhist masters from India Tibet, Korea & China.

The relics were found among the cremation ashes of these Buddhist masters. They resemble beautiful, pearl-like crystals that Tibetans call ‘ringsel.’ Buddhists believe relics embody the master’s spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom and are deliberately produced by the master at his death.

His Holiness the Dalia Lama has graciously offered to this collection, eight relics of the historical Buddha that are over 2,500 years old. The tour also features relics from forty other Buddhist masters from different parts of the world, in all there are over 1,000 relics in this collection, making it the largest touring relic collection of its kind.
The tour was created in 2001 by the modern day Buddhist master Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Zopa collected the relics from all over the world, over a period of many years. The tour has now visited 68 countries and over 2.3 million people have visited the relics. Currently two collections are touring simultaneously, one tour is traveling in Europe/Asia and the other in the Americas.

Maitreya Loving Kindness Tour events are multi-faith, multi-cultural and are always free to attend. The exhibition is intended for all walks of life and faith, to learn about and to experience these historical relics.

*We encourage visitors to bring their pets at anytime during the event for blessings from the relics and to circumambulate the center's stupa. For the safety and comfort of all visitors (human and other animals), please make sure your pet is on a leash or in a crate/cage/container as you'd think is appropriate.

Hours

Friday: 6pm to 8pm - Opening Ceremony followed by viewing of the relics
Saturday: 10am to 7pm
Sunday: 10am to 5pm

Many volunteers are needed as well! To sign up, go to this special Volunteer Spot calendar: http://vols.pt/mwnJt5

We need helpers to roll mantras that will be put in statues as a blessing. After the 10:45am teaching, there will be a quick hands-on lesson in the center lobby how to roll mantras and take-home kits for anyone who would like to try this meritorious activity! Led by Tim Powell and Louise Miller.

Dear Kadampa Community,

As Robbie announced recently, the Board has approved a committee to investigate the potential of expanding Kadampa Center’s executive leadership, perhaps adding the position of Center Manager, and if appropriate, to prepare a proposed job description.

This committee wants to hear from YOU. We will be holding a general meeting for all interested in sharing their thoughts on Sunday, November 9, at 12:15pm following the second teaching. Please plan to attend if you have thoughts to share.

Additionally, if you are unable to attend but would like to voice your ideas, please contact one of the ad hoc committee members to set up an alternate time for thoughtful discussion.

Again, the committee members are
Hemant Pandya (chair)
Shankha Mitra
Julie Jones
Ven. Choekyi
Ann Worthington
Barb Baranski

As Robbie shared, the investigation will include gathering stakeholder data from the entire Kadampa Center Community - general membership, Management Team members, and Board members. Information gathering has taken various forms over several weeks and the committee is committed to ensuring that anyone interested in offering feedback will be included.

We hope to wrap up our information gathering soon after the November 9 meeting so please do plan to share your thoughts by then.

The information collected from within the Center, combined with other data gathered by the committee from other FPMT Centers and appropriate external faith, non-profit, and for-profit organizations about their management structure, will be used to inform committee recommendations.

We look forward to seeing many of you Sunday, November 9!

Thank you,

Hemant Pandya
President, Kadampa Center Board of Directors
Chair, Center Manager Ad Hoc Committee

In Essential Form School Feng Shui you will learn the most important points of the Form School of Feng Shui. It is suitable for complete beginners and provides information on the right way to choose and landscape your place. You will also get advice on the correct way to design and set up the interior. This course can be taken on its own or with Essentials of Compass School Feng Shui course.

Schedule

• Saturday 10 am to 5 pm at Kadampa Center

See the other events happening during Ven. Jampa's visit

More information and course outline