Gompa

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