Gompa

Guru puja (Lama Chöpa)  is a practice of making offerings and requests to all the Buddhas and holy beings, but especially the root guru, who, according to the teachings, is the root of the path to liberation. It is a practice recommended by FPMT's Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who says: This practice of Guru Puja is very profound, with many extra benefits, and is very quick to bring enlightenment. The lam-rim prayer, the prayer of the steps of the path to enlightenment, in Guru Puja has lam-rim and also lo-jong, or thought transformation. Generally, the whole of the lam-rim, from guru devotion up to enlightenment, is thought transformation. If your mind is not transformed into the path, how can you have realizations of the path? There’s no way, without transforming your mind.

This puja will be offered on Zoom. Please click here to register on Zoom.

Today's puja is especially meaningful, because it is Lama Tsongkhapa Day, honoring the founder of our Gelugpa lineage, and one of our most important lineage gurus.

As part of the puja, we perform a special practice called tsog which has extensive offerings. According to the Liberation Prison Project Tibetan calendar, on the 10th and 25th of every Tibetan (lunar) month, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, “Those who have received an initiation into Highest Yoga Tantra have a commitment to perform tsog” on these days. During the pandemic, when we are doing the puja online, students can make these offerings at home.

Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice. This puja is recited partly in English and partly chanted in Tibetan. (It is possible to read the English translations of the whole puja, and there is optional sheet music available to help learn the Tibetan tunes.) Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and puja are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the puja to their spiritual teachers or loved ones in need of support and prayers.

Sponsoring the puja is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the sponsorship donation

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.

Sponsorship of a Guru puja is $75 - click here to sponsor this puja.

Lama Tsongkhapa is the founder of our lineage, the Gelugpa tradition, in Tibetan Buddhism. 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. He also revitalized the monastic code in Tibet, established the annual Great Prayer Festival, established Ganden Monastery, the first of the great monasteries in the Gelugpa tradition, and wrote 18 volumes of teachings.  Lama Tsongkhapa Day is a celebration of the anniversary of his parinirvana. Practices recommended for this day include making offerings and reciting Lamrim texts, as well as Guru Puja.

Please watch our calendar for a schedule of events for the day.

Kadampa Center is happy to host Sera Je Khensur Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Delek for an online teaching on the Foundation of All Good Qualities. This text is a concise prayer by Lama Tsongkhapa that teaches the entire graduated path to enlightenment.  The teachings will continue each Sunday until the full text is covered.

Khensur Rinpoche is the former abbot of both Sera Je Monastery and Gyudmed Tantric Monastery, in southern India, and he is also the teacher of our resident Geshes, Geshe Gelek and Geshe Sangpo.

We have been fortunate to host Khensur Rinpoche in person twice before, most recently in 2011. We happily welcome this opportunity for teachings online!

Download a copy of the text, The Foundation of All Good Qualities.

Khensur Rinpoche will teach on Sundays, 10 - 11:30 am (US Eastern Standard Time)  The teachings will continue until he completes the text.

His teachings will be available on both Zoom and YouTube. We encourage students to attend via Zoom so that Khensur Rinpoche can see our faces.

There is no pre-registration for the Zoom session - simply click on this link. 

Please sign in between 9:50 and 9:55 am so we can all be in place when Khensur Rinpoche arrives. It's wonderful to have our video cameras on so he can see us individually -- and see our smiles.

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.

We will celebrate with a Shakyamuni Buddha Puja at 1 pm on Zoom.

Registration is required to participate. Please register here.

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 continues offering our classes online via Zoom during the COVID crisis.  Please register below to get the link for joining the class online.

Are you interested in Buddhism but don't know where to start? Have you heard words like dharma and karma and samsara and wondered what they meant or why they mattered? Do you want to get an overview of Buddhism without making a long-term commitment? Then this is the program for you.

In five short classes, we introduce you to the major terms and concepts of Buddhism - a fast tour of the basics to enable you to take the next steps if you want more.

This course provides a broad, basic overview of key aspects of Buddhism and our practice. There is no required reading, no homework and no quizzes!

Topics covered include:

• The Four Noble Truths
• Different kinds of Buddhism: Theravadan, Mahayana, Vajrayana, etc.
• Buddha's teachings in a gradual form for the practice of one individual...where to start, what next, etc.
• A brief introduction to meditation

Registration required to access the class. Click here to register.

We have a minimum registration; the class may be cancelled if registration doesn't meet the minimum.

In keeping with our long-standing tradition, Kadampa Center does not charge a fee for any Dharma course. These teachings are too precious to allow money to be an obstacle for anyone to hear them!  We do, of course, have expenses to offer the course, so we happily welcome any heart-felt donations. 

The instructor for this course is Karen Mastroianni

The Heart Sutra is one of the most famous Mahayana Sutras, setting out in a clear and concise way the Bodhisattvas' practice of the Perfection of Wisdom - the meaning of and meditation on profound emptiness, the ultimate nature of all phenomena. Often recited before teachings and other spiritual occasions, the Heart Sutra was inspired and blessed by the Buddha. It occured as a inquiry by Shariputra, the foremost in wisdom amongst Buddha's Hearer disciples, to Avalokiteshvara the great Bodhisattva, concerning how the Bodhisattvas perform their practice of the Perfection of Wisdom.

Download a PDF of the Heart Sutra here.

The seminar will consist of an explanation of the meaning of the very words of the sutra, drawn from revered Indian and Tibetan commentaries on it, along with sessions of meditation as well as periods for questions and answers.

Suitable for all those wishing to better understand the meaning of emptiness.

A graduate in physics from MIT, Venerable George teaches with warmth and humor while bringing the same intellectual acuity to the Dharma as he did to physics.

Come experience Venerable George's clear and engaging teaching style!

Click here to hear Venerable George's teachings in 2014.

This weekend workshop begins Friday evening and continues Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This course will be offered online via Zoom or YouTube streaming. 

Registration is required to participate via Zoom. Because of Zoom's setup, you will need to register separately for Friday night and for Saturday-Sunday afternoons. 

Please register here for Friday night.

Please register here for Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Supporting the teachings

Supporting the teachings is an incredibly powerful and important act -- it is a practice of the highest form of generosity – giving the means to enlightenment. Kadampa Center has for many years operated within the ideal of offering teachings without charging a fee, so that money is not 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 support the spiritual offerings and keep them open to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

Although we don't have the expense of travel and hospitality for a teacher's virtual visit, donations are still needed and meaningful, and make it possible for us to make a generous offering to the teacher on behalf of everyone attending the teachings.

Supporting the teachings benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, because it creates the causes to meet the teachings again in future lives, and deepens the connection with the teacher.

Kadampa Center offers two ways to support the teachings: Sponsorships and Donations.

Sponsorships begin at $108.

Sponsors receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post  for all to share.  We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

There may be more than one sponsor for any event.

Donations are any amount less than $108.

Donors of $75 or more receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post for all to share. We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

Supporting the teachings is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the buttons 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. If you'd like, you can team up with friends on a sponsorship - please have one person make the donation and work it out among yourselves. 

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 generosity!

Visiting Teacher Sponsorship Opportunities

Compassion Warrior ~ $108

Insight Warrior ~ $250

Awakened Warrior ~ $350

Transformed Warrior ~ $500

Visiting Teacher Donation Opportunities

Heart Giving ~ $Your Choice

Thank You!

The Heart Sutra is one of the most famous Mahayana Sutras, setting out in a clear and concise way the Bodhisattvas' practice of the Perfection of Wisdom - the meaning of and meditation on profound emptiness, the ultimate nature of all phenomena. Often recited before teachings and other spiritual occasions, the Heart Sutra was inspired and blessed by the Buddha. It occured as a inquiry by Shariputra, the foremost in wisdom amongst Buddha's Hearer disciples, to Avalokiteshvara the great Bodhisattva, concerning how the Bodhisattvas perform their practice of the Perfection of Wisdom.

Download a PDF of the Heart Sutra here.

The seminar will consist of an explanation of the meaning of the very words of the sutra, drawn from revered Indian and Tibetan commentaries on it, along with sessions of meditation as well as periods for questions and answers.

Suitable for all those wishing to better understand the meaning of emptiness.

A graduate in physics from MIT, Venerable George teaches with warmth and humor while bringing the same intellectual acuity to the Dharma as he did to physics.

Come experience Venerable George's clear and engaging teaching style!

Click here to hear Venerable George's teachings in 2014.

This weekend workshop begins Friday evening and continues Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This course will be offered online via Zoom or YouTube streaming. 

Registration is required to participate via Zoom. Because of Zoom's setup, you will need to register separately for Friday night and for Saturday-Sunday afternoons. 

Please register here for Friday night.

Please register here for Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Supporting the teachings

Supporting the teachings is an incredibly powerful and important act -- it is a practice of the highest form of generosity – giving the means to enlightenment. Kadampa Center has for many years operated within the ideal of offering teachings without charging a fee, so that money is not 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 support the spiritual offerings and keep them open to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

Although we don't have the expense of travel and hospitality for a teacher's virtual visit, donations are still needed and meaningful, and make it possible for us to make a generous offering to the teacher on behalf of everyone attending the teachings.

Supporting the teachings benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, because it creates the causes to meet the teachings again in future lives, and deepens the connection with the teacher.

Kadampa Center offers two ways to support the teachings: Sponsorships and Donations.

Sponsorships begin at $108.

Sponsors receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post  for all to share.  We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

There may be more than one sponsor for any event.

Donations are any amount less than $108.

Donors of $75 or more receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post for all to share. We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

Supporting the teachings is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the buttons 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. If you'd like, you can team up with friends on a sponsorship - please have one person make the donation and work it out among yourselves. 

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 generosity!

Visiting Teacher Sponsorship Opportunities

Compassion Warrior ~ $108

Insight Warrior ~ $250

Awakened Warrior ~ $350

Transformed Warrior ~ $500

Visiting Teacher Donation Opportunities

Heart Giving ~ $Your Choice

Thank You!

Life has a way of throwing us a curveball, multiple times a day, whether it's a difficult co-worker, disappointment in our ambitions and hopes, or a sudden change in our circumstances. Every curveball is an opportunity to practice and deepen our ability to maintain a calm, even state of mind and an attitude of love and compassion for others. In this weekend workshop on The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, Venerable George will offer a set of tools to change our minds.

Download the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation here.

A graduate in physics from MIT, Venerable George teaches with warmth and humor while bringing the same intellectual acuity to the Dharma as he did to physics.

Come experience Venerable George's clear and engaging teaching style!

Click here to hear Venerable George's teachings in 2014.

This weekend workshop begins Friday evening and continues Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This course will be offered online via Zoom or YouTube streaming. Students who missed the livestream can find the recorded session here.

Registration is required to participate via Zoom. Because of Zoom's setup, you will need to register separately for Friday night and for Saturday-Sunday afternoons.  

Please register here for Friday night.

Please register here for Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Supporting the teachings

Supporting the teachings is an incredibly powerful and important act -- it is a practice of the highest form of generosity – giving the means to enlightenment. Kadampa Center has for many years operated within the ideal of offering teachings without charging a fee, so that money is not 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 support the spiritual offerings and keep them open to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

Although we don't have the expense of travel and hospitality for a teacher's virtual visit, donations are still needed and meaningful, and make it possible for us to make a generous offering to the teacher on behalf of everyone attending the teachings.

Supporting the teachings benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, because it creates the causes to meet the teachings again in future lives, and deepens the connection with the teacher.

Kadampa Center offers two ways to support the teachings: Sponsorships and Donations.

Sponsorships begin at $108.

Sponsors receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post  for all to share.  We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

There may be more than one sponsor for any event.

Donations are any amount less than $108.

Donors of $75 or more receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post for all to share. We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

Supporting the teachings is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the buttons 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. If you'd like, you can team up with friends on a sponsorship - please have one person make the donation and work it out among yourselves. 

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 generosity!

Visiting Teacher Sponsorship Opportunities

Compassion Warrior ~ $108

Insight Warrior ~ $250

Awakened Warrior ~ $350

Transformed Warrior ~ $500

Visiting Teacher Donation Opportunities

Heart Giving ~ $Your Choice

Thank You!

Life has a way of throwing us a curveball, multiple times a day, whether it's a difficult co-worker, disappointment in our ambitions and hopes, or a sudden change in our circumstances. Every curveball is an opportunity to practice and deepen our ability to maintain a calm, even state of mind and an attitude of love and compassion for others. In this weekend workshop on The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, Venerable George will offer a set of tools to change our minds.

Download the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation here.

A graduate in physics from MIT, Venerable George teaches with warmth and humor while bringing the same intellectual acuity to the Dharma as he did to physics.

Come experience Venerable George's clear and engaging teaching style!

Click here to hear Venerable George's teachings in 2014.

This weekend workshop begins Friday evening and continues Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This course will be offered online via Zoom or YouTube streaming. Students who missed the livestream can find the recorded session here. 

Registration is required to participate via Zoom. Because of Zoom's setup, you will need to register separately for Friday night and for Saturday-Sunday afternoons. 

Please register here for Friday night.

 Please register here for Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Supporting the teachings

Supporting the teachings is an incredibly powerful and important act -- it is a practice of the highest form of generosity – giving the means to enlightenment. Kadampa Center has for many years operated within the ideal of offering teachings without charging a fee, so that money is not 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 support the spiritual offerings and keep them open to everyone regardless of ability to pay.

Although we don't have the expense of travel and hospitality for a teacher's virtual visit, donations are still needed and meaningful, and make it possible for us to make a generous offering to the teacher on behalf of everyone attending the teachings.

Supporting the teachings benefits not just the Center and those who attend, but it also greatly benefits the donor, because it creates the causes to meet the teachings again in future lives, and deepens the connection with the teacher.

Kadampa Center offers two ways to support the teachings: Sponsorships and Donations.

Sponsorships begin at $108.

Sponsors receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post  for all to share.  We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

There may be more than one sponsor for any event.

Donations are any amount less than $108.

Donors of $75 or more receive:

 - The opportunity to write a personal dedication that we will post for all to share. We must receive the sponsorship and dedication by the previous day to assure we have time to print and post your dedication.

Supporting the teachings is a two-step process

Step One  is dedicating your generosity (click here).

Step Two  is making the donation or sponsorship (use the buttons 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. If you'd like, you can team up with friends on a sponsorship - please have one person make the donation and work it out among yourselves. 

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 generosity!

Visiting Teacher Sponsorship Opportunities

Compassion Warrior ~ $108

Insight Warrior ~ $250

Awakened Warrior ~ $350

Transformed Warrior ~ $500

Visiting Teacher Donation Opportunities

Heart Giving ~ $Your Choice

Thank You!