Gompa

Important Things to Know about Family Camp Before You Register:

 

 

Where: Camp Agape, Fuquay Varina

When: Aug 24 - 26

Fri, 4:00 - 5:00 pm to Sun, 1:00 - 2:30 pm

 

"A good parenting plan comes from having a healthy, positive motivation for bringing up your children...based on 

a good heart rather than on attachment."

~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Joyful Parents, Successful Children  
 

       

 

 

Please Register by Aug 5, registration is based on first come first serve basis until we reach capacity.

• This year’s theme is Patience -- one of the Six Perfections. Children and adults will explore how we can develop patience in our every day lives and include it in our practice. We will learn together how to give space to our compassionate good heart and control our desires so that we can strengthen our relationships and be of benefit to ourselves and many others.
• This year, the Kadampa Center is pleased to offer financial aid in the form of partial scholarships. Those who sincerely need financial assistance are encouraged to complete this application.
• Family Camp is a special kind of experience, bringing parents and children together to learn about the teachings of the Buddha, sharing in the rituals of the Tibetan tradition, getting to know other Buddhist families and Sangha, and having a place to talk freely about putting the dharma into practice in family life.  Whether you are a long time practitioner or new to the Dharma, Family Camp can be an a rich way to experience Buddhist philosophy and values together and energize each of our individual efforts to foster these practices in our daily lives. 
• Camp programming will be designed for children ages newborn-12 with some concurrent meditation/discussion sessions for parents, teen counselors (age 13-18) and college counselors.  There will be opportunities for the whole group to be together and times for solitude, as well. Children will be divided into approximately three age ranges and will be invited to explore Camp theme through structured and semi-structured activities such as, meditations, art, drama, and nature sessions.
• Camp will be held at a nearby retreat/camp facility called Camp Agape in Fuquay-Varina. Camp Agape is a Christian organization and also welcomes other groups to their facility. If you look at their website, please be aware that we will not utilize some of the amenities there, due to cost constraints.
• Teen counselors will be required to have a parent in attendance. We welcome teens to serve as jr. counselors and mentors for younger campers. Teens must attend a training in the weeks just before Camp. Special Teen Exclusive sessions will punctuate the weekend in exchange for their service.
• There are no paid staff for Camp – it is entirely organized and led by volunteers. There are many ways to help – including teaching children, leading meditation, leading arts sessions or nature walks, helping with the altar, or Sangha care. We will follow up with all registered Camp families with more details about how to help. 
• Registration costs are for food, accommodations, and use of the facility and there is no charge for the spiritual programming of Camp. We rely on the generosity of our members and participants to cover costs, such as counselor stipends, art and dharma supplies, and Sangha offerings. 
• We greatly appreciate your early commitment, which enables us to meet our minimum facility requirements and focus on planning camp activities! In the event that you must cancel your reservation, we will attempt to fill your space, but refunds are not guaranteed.
• When registering, be sure to use the age of the child at the time of camp. Also, if you’d like to pay with check/cash, please email here, so we can let the office know what to expect.
• Lodging accommodations will be in semi-private rooms (think dorm style) for each family. Common space and sometimes bathrooms are shared. Camping accommodations are for tent only with hot water showers and bath houses available.
• All meals and snacks will be provided and everything served will be vegetarian. Agape will try to accommodate everybody’s special dietary needs; however, it may be necessary to bring your own food for those with severe allergies. Please indicate this on your registration form. Families will be asked nearer to date to contribute specifically toward snacks.
• Please make every effort to arrive between 4-5:00 on Friday, August 24th. This will give you enough time to unload, park your car, and get situated in the dorm. Dinner will be served at 5:30 on Friday evening before the camp orientation. The camp schedule will be posted throughout the camp. Our activities will run late on both Friday and Saturday evenings (approx. 9:30 pm) and our mornings will begin early with breakfast beginning at 7:30 am. There is a Dorje Khadro practice, animal liberation, bonfire and talent show scheduled for the weekend. Activities will conclude with a short after lunch session on Sunday Aug 26th, with departures between 1-2:30.

*Ready to start packing?  Here’s a few ideas to get you started:  
          Washcloth, towels, pillows and linens (There will be hotel-like beds/mattresses, just no linens) OR
          Tent and Sleeping Bag if you’re camping!
          Your Family Camp Prayer Book (if you came in previous years)
          Basic toiletries (There will be an extensive list of other things to bring as we near the date.)
          Ear plugs – always a good idea for sleeping in a group setting!
          A kata and/or optional offering/gift.

Thank you for your kind attention in completing this registration.
We look forward to an exciting and meaningful camp experience with you!

With Folded Hands,
Christy Batts 
Family Dharma Camp Director
Any questions? email here

Registration fee is non-refundable and covers meals and use of the facility. Registration closes Aug 6.

REGISTRATION

Registration costs are for food, accommodations, and use of the facility and there is no charge for the spiritual programming of Camp. We rely on the generosity of our members and participants to cover costs, such as counselor stipends, art and dharma supplies, and Sangha offerings. In order to cover total costs, a donation of $10 per camper would be greatly appreciated!

SUPPORT CAMP

On this holy Buddha day, we mark the creation of the Sangha, the community of practitioners who study the Buddha Dharma in our quest to become enlightened and liberate all beings from samsara.

This year we have a special treat:  Venerable Tenzin Legtsok, a Western monk who is studying toward his Geshe degree at Sera Jey monastery, will talk about life at Sera Jey, his experiences as a Westerner, and the overall community of FPMT ordained sangha. 

Ven. Legtsok is also special to Kadampa Center, because he is the son of our member, Carol Vogel, and brother of Elyse Beffa.

Come hear all about monastery life through the eyes of a Western monk!

Because of the Nyung Na retreat, we will not have meditation, Dharma for a Happy Life, or the Family Program today.

Thank you for your patience, and do rejoice in the merit of those doing this powerful purification retreat!

We offer this Medicine Buddha Puja to benefit Dr. Reverend Rollin Shoemaker, whose niece, Jeffifer Shoemaker, is a member of Kadampa Center. Dr. Shoemaker  passed away June 29. The puja will be at 12 pm Thursday, July 26. Medicine Buddha Puja is particularly beneficial for those who have passed away and are passing through the bardo. In this beautiful prayer service, we recollect the qualities of the seven Medicine Buddhas and pray for a beneficial rebirth. Geshe Gelek encourages us to attend pujas when members of our community or their loved ones have passed away, to offer our support for those who are grieving and those who have died.

About Medicine Buddha puja:

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."

Written by Lama Tsongkhapa, the Lamrim organizes the Buddha's teachings into a systematic method of spiritual growth. Lama Tsongkhapa presented this method in both a lengthy treatise and in short poems designed for easy memorization, as a guide to meditating on the path. Geshe Gelek is teaching on these condensed versions of the Lamrim, with the intention of helping students become familiar with these texts so that we may use them in our daily practice. The Three Principal Aspects of the Path is one of these condensed, foundational texts; it contains the entire lamrim in 14 stanzas.    This course would be meaningful to any interested students, and especially those with some foundation in Buddhist basics, such as Buddhism in a Nutshell or Discovering Buddhism.

Find The Three Principal Aspects of the Path here. 
 

We offer this Medicine Buddha Puja to benefit Chris Spruyt, who attended Kadampa Center for many years. Chris passed away suddenly May 2. The puja will be at 3 pm Saturday, August 4.  A gathering to share memories and stories about Chris will follow the puja, in our front lobby area. Medicine Buddha Puja is particularly beneficial for those who have passed away and are passing through the bardo. In this beautiful prayer service, we recollect the qualities of the seven Medicine Buddhas and pray for a beneficial rebirth. Geshe Gelek encourages us to attend pujas when members of our community or their loved ones have passed away, to offer our support for those who are grieving and those who have died.

About Medicine Buddha puja:

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."

Dear Kadampa Center Family,
 

Aloha! Dust off your Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts… LET’S LUAU!

When: Saturday, July 28, 6:30pm

Where: Kadampa Center
 

Best Hawaiian dressed contest, potluck, hula hooping, lei and limbo fun.

Bring your favorite summer dish, hula hoops, lawn chairs and soak your feet in a pool!
 

Love from Heather,

Hospitality Coordinator