Gompa

KADAMPA CENTER WELCOMES VENERABLE ROBINA COURTIN BACK TO RALEIGH!

Venerable Robina Courtin returns to Kadampa Center for almost a week of teachings, including evenings from 7-9pm, a weekend workshop, and our Sunday Morning Dharma Connections. Don't miss this dynamic teacher who combines a precise knowledge of Dharma with a challenging and compassionate teaching style.  Join us! See below for ways to support the teachings, the teaching schedule and topics, as well as the links to access the teachings online.  Teachings will be offered both in person at Kadampa Center and via Zoom and YouTube live stream.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT THE TEACHINGS Click HERE to Sponsor the Teachings Click HERE to offer Acts of Service (a.k.a. volunteer)

Supporting the teachings is an incredibly powerful and important act -- giving the means to enlightenment is a practice of the highest form of generosity.  There are countless ways, and levels, in which to give, enabling everyone this precious opportunity to support the teachings by whatever means best suits their ability.  Kadampa Center has for many years operated within the ideal of offering teachings without charging a fee, so that money is never an obstacle for anyone to hear the precious teachings and participate in the practices.  We rely on the generous hearts of those who are moved to financially support our spiritual offerings and keep them open to everyone regardless of ability to pay.  Did you know that Kadampa Center is run almost entirely by volunteers?  Our Center simply can not exist without the amazing generosity of its volunteers who offer their time, talent, and passion to be of benefit to others.   Supporting the teachings is incredibly beneficial to you, to the Center, to its students, to the greater community, and to all living beings!

TEACHING SCHEDULE and MATERIALS

COURSE NOTES - provided by Venerable Robina to supplement the teachings

1. Course Notes for TABLET, click HERE

2. Course Notes for PHONE, click HERE

MAHAMUDRA: HOW TO DISCOVER OUR TRUE NATURE According to Buddha’s amazing view about the human mind, we all have the potential to achieve buddhahood: the eradication of all delusions and the development to perfection of all goodness.  In his beautiful book, Mahamudra: How to Discover Our True Nature, Lama Yeshe explains so clearly, so simply, how to get in touch with this natural potential through meditation on the mind itself, the unique characteristic of mahamudra meditation, and finally by realizing the emptiness of the mind: our buddha nature.  As always, Lama Yeshe's words are direct, funny, and incredibly encouraging -- he makes enlightenment seem possible.  He gets us to go beyond ego's addiction to a limited sense of self and to taste the lightness and expansiveness of our true nature.

HOW TO FACE DEATH WITHOUT FEAR Death is a natural event, but because we have so much attachment to this life, this body, this self, we cannot stand the thought of death. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche says in his new book, How to Face Death Without Fear, "Death itself is not what causes fear. It is simply the consciousness leaving the body; one labels death on that event. There is no terrifying death from its own side; the terrifying death is made up by our own mind." Because of this fear, we simply don’t believe we will die. Or if we do think about death it’s always someone else who dies. But it’s not enough to be sad, to have compassion. Knowing that we’re in charge, not a creator or anyone else, and understanding well the workings of the natural law of karma — that every thought and action leaves a seed in our mind that will just naturally ripen as our future experiences — we will lead a meaningful life and thus be prepared for death and our next rebirth. And then we can help others. As Rinpoche says, “Helping our loved ones at the time of death is the best service we can offer them, our greatest gift, Why? Because death is the most important time of life: it’s at death that the next rebirth is determined.”

For the benefit of all in our community, we continue to practice caution, and we ask all who attend to observe the following COVID-19 protocols.

• Gompa seating will be limited to allow for social distancing and maximum air filtration (please do not rearrange seating).
• Anyone wishing to attend Sunday Morning Meditation inside the gompa must have an up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine. Up-to-date means a person has received all recommended doses in their primary series COVID-19 vaccine, and a booster dose when eligible. No other conditions (such as being infected with COVID-19 in the past) qualify you to be in the gompa. 
• There will be additional seating in the lobby for those who prefer that seating or who are not up-to-date on the vaccine. 
• Masks must be worn at all times while inside the building.  Masks are optional for our meditation leaders so they can be clearly understood.
• Please use hand sanitizer upon entering the Center.
• Continue to use good hand hygiene practices while onsite e.g. washing hands immediately after using the restroom or blowing your nose, keeping your hands to yourself, avoid touching your face, cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
• Please stay home if you, or someone you have been around, don’t feel well.

For the benefit of all in our community, we continue to practice caution, and we ask all who attend to observe the following COVID-19 protocols.

• Gompa seating will be limited to allow for social distancing and maximum air filtration (please do not rearrange seating).
• Anyone wishing to attend Sunday Morning Meditation inside the gompa must have an up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine. Up-to-date means a person has received all recommended doses in their primary series COVID-19 vaccine, and a booster dose when eligible. No other conditions (such as being infected with COVID-19 in the past) qualify you to be in the gompa. 
• There will be additional seating in the lobby for those who prefer that seating or who are not up-to-date on the vaccine. 
• Masks must be worn at all times while inside the building.  Masks are optional for our meditation leaders so they can be clearly understood.
• Please use hand sanitizer upon entering the Center.
• Continue to use good hand hygiene practices while onsite e.g. washing hands immediately after using the restroom or blowing your nose, keeping your hands to yourself, avoid touching your face, cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
• Please stay home if you, or someone you have been around, don’t feel well.

Geshe Gelek is away this Sunday, August 7.

We will have guided meditations in place of teachings.

We have multiple options for attending in person or tuning in online to hear the meditations:

* At home: join us via either Zoom or YouTube streaming. 

    Watch the teaching on YouTube online streaming.

    To attend by Zoom, please register in advance.

* In the gompa: Gather with other students in the gompa in person. Please observe the following COVID protocols if you attend in person.

• Gompa seating will be limited to allow for social distancing and maximum air filtration (please do not rearrange seating).
• Anyone wishing to attend Sunday Dharma inside the gompa must have an up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine. Up-to-date means a person has received all recommended doses in their primary series COVID-19 vaccine, and a booster dose when eligible. No other conditions (such as being infected with COVID-19 in the past) qualify you to be in the gompa. 
• There will be additional seating in the lobby for those who prefer that seating or who are not up-to-date on the vaccine. 
• Please maintain at least a 6-foot distance from Geshe-la, whether he is seated or entering/leaving the building. We will not have a khata line or opportunities to bring offerings to Geshe-la at the end of teachings. Of course, any student who wishes to make an offering may leave an envelope or card of appreciation on his table before he arrives. This is to protect our precious teacher.
• Masks must be worn at all times while inside the building.  Masks are optional for our teachers so they can be clearly understood.
• Please use hand sanitizer upon entering the Center.
• Continue to use good hand hygiene practices while onsite e.g. washing hands immediately after using the restroom or blowing your nose, keeping your hands to yourself, avoid touching your face, cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
• Please stay home if you, or someone you have been around, don’t feel well.

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