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Gompa

Repeats every month on January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November on the third Saturday until Sat Dec 15 2018 except Sat Mar 17 2018, Sat Jul 21 2018, Sat Sep 15 2018, Sat Nov 17 2018. Also includes Sat Jul 14 2018, Sat Dec 08 2018.
6:00 pm Saturday, January 20, 2018

  

Tara is a female Buddha whose qualities include enlightened action and swiftly removing obstacles (Tara's 21 aspects are represented in statues on our altar). Geshe Gelek translated this special practice for us, The Practice of Tara that Fulfills All Wishes, and assures us that this will greatly benefit not just our center and community, but have the best benefit of helping all sentient beings.

Geshe-la's  teacher, (the former Abbot of Sera Je Monastery) Khensur Rinpoche Jetsun Lobsang Delek, also said when he visited in 2011 that we have a special connection to Tara, so doing her practice is incredibly beneficial for our community, harmony working together, and the success of Kadampa Center.

The evening begins with making offerings of water, flowers, incense, light, perfume and food on a special offering table before Tara's altar, and all are welcome to join in making these offerings!

This practice is for all levels of students and is done in English. It begins at 6:00pm with the group setting up an altar of extensive waterbowl and sense offerings. Once that's finished, we say prayers that include the Praises to the 21 Taras, mantras, and the opportunity to do prostrations if desired.

Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and altar are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the merit to their loved ones in need of support and prayers. Sponsorship of Tara practice is $125.

Please click here to sponsor Tara practice.

If you'd like to know more about sponsoring a puja, please contact pujas@kadampa-center.org for instructions about making the donation and sending your personal dedication.

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
2:00 pm Sunday, August 26, 2018

 

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 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."

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
12:00 pm Friday, January 26, 2018

 

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.

 

 

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. Kadampa Center holds pujas with tsog on these dates (when they don't conflict with other programs).

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.

Sponsorship of a Guru puja is $70 - click here to sponsor this puja.

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
Repeats every week 5 times.
7:00 pm Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Are you interested in Buddhism but don't know where to start? Have you heard words like dharma and karma and samsara thrown around and wondered what they meant or why they mattered? Do you want to get a quick overview of Buddhism without making a long-term commitment?

Then…we have just 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.

In five classes we provide a broad, simple overview of these and other key aspects of Buddhism and our practice. There is no required reading, no homework and no quizzes! There is, however, a suggested reading list for those who want to read more. 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

In keeping with our tradition, these classes are offered on a donation basis. No pre-registration is needed.

This course is led by Karen Mastroianni.

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
10:30 am Sunday, December 10, 2017
                  

On December 10, 1989, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

We will celebrate the anniversary of this event by inviting His Holiness into the gompa, saying Long Life Prayers and offering food.

In addition, Tibetan students from Duke University will offer songs and give presentations on His Holiness and the state of affairs in Tibet.

We offer a full range of children's programs on Sundays. Children are invited to sit on the blue cushions at the front of the gompa, and then depart to their classes after opening prayers. Any child who wishes to is welcome to remain in the gompa for the teachings.

 

 
Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
Repeats every week every Tuesday 5 times.
7:00 pm Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Meditation 101 is an introductory course on basic Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners, and includes Buddhist meditations that can be used by anyone to create more peace and happiness in daily life. Presented in five sessions. Students are encouraged to come for the whole class, but drop-ins are welcome.

The basic Buddhist meditation techniques covered include:

what is meditation?

breathing meditations

mindfulness meditations

visualization meditations

In keeping with Kadampa Center traditiion, we do not request a fee to attend this class -- the Dharma is too precious to let money be an obstacle to hearing teachings. We do welcome any heartfelt donations to help cover the cost of offering Meditation 101.

This class is led by Jill Marie.

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
Repeats every week every Wednesday until Wed Jan 31 2018.
7:00 pm Wednesday, December 6, 2017

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 will teach on The Foundation of All Good Qualities, a condensed text that contains the entire lamrim in 14 stanzas. Many students at Kadampa Center have memorized this text, and Geshe-la will teach with an eye to helping students use this text in our daily practice. 

Find The Foundation of All Good Qualities here.

This course would be meaningful to any interested students, and especially those with some foundation in Buddhist basics.

 

 

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
6:00 pm Friday, December 1, to 11:00 pm Sunday, December 3, 2017
Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
Friday, February 9, (All day) to Sunday, February 11, (All day) 2018

Making Friends with Death: Finding Peace and Perspective in this Ultimate Transition

A Weekend Workshop with Venerable Amy Miller

Kadampa Center is happy to welcome Venerable Amy back!  With her warm and engaging style and deep understanding of the Dharma, Venerable Amy brings a unique approach to the teachings that explores how we can use this wisdom in our daily lives. In this weekend, we will tackle one of the biggest questions of life.

       

For most of our culture, death often presents an anxious situation ridden with fear, loss, hopelessness and grief.

In this weekend workshop, we will explore a more expansive view of this natural transition and how it is possible to face death with peace, dignity and no regrets.

The weekend will include discussion and meditation, as well as with practical applications for caregivers.

This course is open to all levels of students with a particular interest in death and dying, hospice work, and all caregivers.

            We all pitch in to make Venerable Amy's visit a success. There are lots of ways to volunteer!  You can sign up here.

                             Sponsor the Teachings Here

 Schedule:

Friday evening 7-8:30 pm Workshop begins
     
Saturday 10 am - noon Workshop continues
  12-1:30 pm Brown-bag lunch.    Students are  encouraged to bring lunch and discuss the teachings.
  1:30-4 pm Workshop continues
  4:30 pm Guru Puja with Tsog
     
Sunday 10:30 am - noon Regular Kadampa Center Sunday Dharma with Family Program
  12-1:30 pm Brown-bag lunch
  1:30-4 pm   Workshop concludes

Learn more about Venerable Amy and her teaching schedule at other centers at her website.

 

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa
10:30 am Thursday, December 14, 2017

NCSU Diversity group for tour and presentation on Buddhism

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa

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