Gompa

No YouTube in the Gompa today!

Geshe Sangpo's precious mother, Tashi Drolma, passed away on September 29. We offer this puja for her benefit on the 21st, 28th, 35th, 42d and 49th days after her passing. All are welcome to come share in offering prayers for the mother of our precious resident Geshe. About Medicine Buddha:  Imagine knowing not just one, but seven doctors we can call upon to heal all physical and mental illness! We have those doctors – the Medicine Buddhas – and in this prayer service we celebrate their compassion and call upon them for help.

Medicine Buddha Puja is a beautiful prayer service that includes lyrical praises to the seven Medicine Buddhas, requests for their help and aspirations for our own spiritual attainments.It is beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace, and is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away.

This service is very welcoming to newcomers and beginners - typically we do Medicine Buddha Puja in English.

Anyone is welcome to sponsor a scheduled puja and offer a dedication to benefit themselves or loved ones. Sponsor this puja here.

The puja will be offered on YouTube and Zoom.   

More about the benefits of Medicine Buddha puja

From the Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT:

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times. They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate.

The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation for meditating on and actualizing the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit all sentient beings."

Supporting pujas benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, who collects the merit of giving the Dharma, and thus creates the causes to meet the Dharma again.

Sponsoring the puja is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the sponsorship donation (click here)

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 include more than one intention in your dedication.

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. This amazing result is taught in the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

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

On holy days, our spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche encourages students to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts, simple vows of morality that we take for 24 hours.  These must be taken from a qualified master the first time, and Rinpoche has kindly made it possible to begin doing this practice by taking the precepts online from Rinpoche himself!  

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

    At Kadampa Center, we will celebrate with prayers selected by Geshe Gelek and led by him and Venerable Lhamo, online at 12 pm. 

    Registration is required to participate on Zoom. Please register here or participate via livestreaming on YouTube.

    At 5 pm we will hold a Medicine Buddha Puja to benefit Orion Saah on the 49th day after his passing.

    At 7 pm Geshe Gelek will teach the lamrim class.

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 general Holy Day events and activities is $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

We offer this puja to benefit Orion Saah, a young man who grew up in the Kadampa Center community. Orion passed away September 9. The puja will be at 5 pm, Wednesday, October 27. It will be offered online only. The puja will be offered on YouTube and Zoom.    Register on Zoom.

Imagine knowing not just one, but seven doctors we can call upon to heal all physical and mental illness! We have those doctors – the Medicine Buddhas – and in this prayer service we celebrate their compassion and call upon them for help.  

Medicine Buhha Puja is a beautiful prayer service, in English, that includes lyrical praises to the seven Medicine Buddhas, requests for their help and aspirations for our own spiritual attainments. 

It is beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace, and is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away.

This service is very welcoming to newcomers and beginners - typically we do Medicine Buddha Puja in English.

Anyone is welcome to sponsor a scheduled puja and offer a dedication to benefit themselves or loved ones. Sponsor this puja here.

More about the benefits of Medicine Buddha puja

From the Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT:

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times. They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate.

The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation for meditating on and actualizing the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit all sentient beings."

Supporting pujas benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, who collects the merit of giving the Dharma, and thus creates the causes to meet the Dharma again.

Sponsoring the puja is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the sponsorship donation (click here)

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 include more than one intention in your dedication.

Join Geshe Gelek onlinw as he leads us in prayers and praises to Shakyamuni Buddha on this special holy day. (See below to register) 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:

12 pm  Prayers with Geshe Gelek   Geshe-la will lead us in prayer.  Online only, on Zoom (register here) and streaming on YouTube. 

At 7 pm, Geshe-la will lead the regularly scheduled lamrim class.

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 general Holy Day events and activities is $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

We offer this puja to benefit Orion Saah, a young man who grew up in the Kadampa Center community. Orion passed away September 9. The puja will be at 5 pm, Wednesday, October 6. It will be offered online only. The puja will be offered on YouTube and Zoom.    Register on Zoom.

Imagine knowing not just one, but seven doctors we can call upon to heal all physical and mental illness! We have those doctors – the Medicine Buddhas – and in this prayer service we celebrate their compassion and call upon them for help.  

Medicine Buhha Puja is a beautiful prayer service, in English, that includes lyrical praises to the seven Medicine Buddhas, requests for their help and aspirations for our own spiritual attainments. 

It is beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace, and is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away.

This service is very welcoming to newcomers and beginners - typically we do Medicine Buddha Puja in English.

Anyone is welcome to sponsor a scheduled puja and offer a dedication to benefit themselves or loved ones. Sponsor this puja here.

More about the benefits of Medicine Buddha puja

From the Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT:

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times. They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate.

The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation for meditating on and actualizing the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit all sentient beings."

Supporting pujas benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, who collects the merit of giving the Dharma, and thus creates the causes to meet the Dharma again.

Sponsoring the puja is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the sponsorship donation (click here)

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 include more than one intention in your dedication.

Geshe Sangpo's precious mother, Tashi Drolma, is in the hospital. We offer this puja for her benefit.  Imagine knowing not just one, but seven doctors we can call upon to heal all physical and mental illness! We have those doctors – the Medicine Buddhas – and in this prayer service we celebrate their compassion and call upon them for help.     Medicine Buddha Puja is a beautiful prayer service that includes lyrical praises to the seven Medicine Buddhas, requests for their help and aspirations for our own spiritual attainments.

It is beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace, and is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away.

This service is very welcoming to newcomers and beginners - typically we do Medicine Buddha Puja in English.

Anyone is welcome to sponsor a scheduled puja and offer a dedication to benefit themselves or loved ones. Sponsor this puja here.

The puja will be offered on YouTube and Zoom.    Register on Zoom.

More about the benefits of Medicine Buddha puja

From the Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT:

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times. They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both temporary and ultimate.

The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation for meditating on and actualizing the path.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit all sentient beings."

Supporting pujas benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, who collects the merit of giving the Dharma, and thus creates the causes to meet the Dharma again.

Sponsoring the puja is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the sponsorship donation (click here)

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 include more than one intention in your dedication.

Exploring Buddhism: Exploring Meditation

Working with the mind through meditation is an essential part of Buddhist practice, and having knowledge of the methods and techniques that establish and deepen your meditative skill can be very useful. In this module, we will gain an understanding of the purpose of meditation and the basics of how to engage in both placement and analytical meditation. We also will receive instruction on how to train in higher accomplishments in meditative practice, including developing calm abiding through the nine mental states, cultivating the concentrations of the form and formless realms, and engaging in the four close placements of mindfulness.

Previous study of at least some modules of Discovering Buddhism, either in a center or online, is highly recommended before enrolling in this program.

New students are welcome. You do not have to have attended previous modules.

This pilot course will take place online only, on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 pm.

Registration for Exploring Meditation is closed.   

Syllabus for Exploring Meditation.

Exploring Buddhism is a new program  currently being developed by FPMT to serve as a bridge between Discovering Buddhism and The Basic Program. It is designed to help students of Buddhism delve more deeply into a broad array of topics that form a solid foundation for furthering one’s study and practice.  The program will initially be run as a pilot program in FPMT centers to further test and refine the curriculum.

We depend on your support

In keeping with our tradition, Kadampa Center does not charge a fee to attend any Dharma teachings, so that financial resources will never be an obstacle to hearing the Dharma. We rely on the generosity of students to be able to offer these courses, inclulding making an offering to the teachers who will lead each module. 

Your support for the course opens access to the Dharma for others, and enables Kadampa Center to make a generous offering to each module's teacher.

Support Exploring Buddhism

Instructor for this module: Venerable Lhundub Tendron

Ven. Lhundub Tendron took refuge at the FPMT’s Kadampa Center in Raleigh, NC in 1997. With the guidance of Geshe Gelek Chodha, she requested ordination. Following Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice, she took ordination with Geshe Lhundub Sopa at Deer Park in 2002. She joined the Chenrezig Nuns Community in Australia to develop a stable foundation for living in vows and learn from the senior nuns in residence. Here she met her teacher Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Tashi Tsering and studied the Basic Program. Venerable Tendron completed the FPMT Basic Program in 2007. At the request of Geshe Gelek she returned to Kadampa Center as a spiritual program coordinator and teaching assistant. In 2012, returning to Chenrezig Institute she studied the Master’s module on Lama Tsongkhapa’s text, Illumination of the Thought.  She then cared for her father for a few years before his death in 2015. In 2016, she became the resident teacher at Thubten Kunga Ling in Deerfield Beach, Florida.  Currently she continues her teaching in Florida and follows Rinpoche’s advice to incorporate more time in retreat. According to Venerable Tendron, she teaches from “her experience of learning to counter self-centered, disagreeable, angry, impatient, lazy states of mind with the golden teachings of the Buddha, Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and all her patient, kind teachers”.

This program is offered jointly by:

• Guhyasamaja Center, Centreville, VA
• Kadampa Center, Raleigh, NC
• Lama Yeshe Ling, Burlington, Ontario
• Shantideva Center, Brooklyn, NY
• Thubten Kunga Ling, Deerfield Beach, FL

We will hold a memorial service to benefit Kadampa Center member Orion Saah, who passed away September 9.  The service will be at 10:30 am, Wednesday, September 22. We will offer prayers and special remembrances of Orion's life and his spiritual strengths, to help him as he moves toward his next rebirth. The service will be available only on Zoom.

This is a prayer service for Orion during a period of time he is in the bardo, a transition state between death and rebirth.

Generally the service takes place two weeks after death to allow the deceased time to lessen attachments to this life. The intention of the prayer service is to encourage Orion to remember his positive qualities and efforts undertaken in the life just departed, and to rely on these qualities in the transition period. Prayers are offered to support a fortunate rebirth so that he can continue to engage in positive actions and pursue the practices that lead to enlightenment, in order to benefit others.

We invite those who wish to offer individual prayers for Orion to visit our page, 49 Days of Prayer for Orion Saah, to download a PDF of prayers and/or sign in with your prayer commitment.