Gompa

Awakening the Fully Open Heart with Visiting Teacher Venerable Amy Miller

Kadampa Center is happy to welcome Venerable Amy Miller back for a weekend workshop on Awakening the Fully Open Heart! “Cherishing others more than oneself” rests as the crux of the Buddhist path and seems beneficial in theory, but how do we truly cultivate that mindset? This class presents the two main methods for developing bodhichitta, the enlightened attitude, and introduces meditations on tonglen and equanimity to begin the process of fully opening our hearts. In this weekend workshop, Ven. Amy will guide our exploration of how to expand our hearts to see everyone around us as more precious than ourselves.  We encourage folks to bring a bag lunch on Saturday and Sunday, so we can keep our momentum by discussing the morning's teachings over lunch -- and get better acquainted in the process!

As always, these Dharma teachings will be offered with no entrance fee. However, there are extensive costs involved in bringing a visiting teacher from another city, including travel and food.  A great way to support the teachings is through sponsorship! 

Sponsor Venerable Amy's visit

Recordings from Venerable Amy Miller's Visit

More about Ven. Amy Miller.

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. His teacher, (the Abbot of Sera Je Monastery) Khen Rinpoche 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.

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 $150.

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.

Lama Tsongkhapa is the founder of our lineage, the Gelugpa tradition, in Tibetan Buddhism. He was a renowned scholar, practitioner, meditator, teacher and author.

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 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.

At Kadampa Center, we will celebrate the day with a few events.

At 12 pm we will have Guru Puja.

In Guru Puja, we reflect on and celebrate the good qualities of all our teachers -- and Lama Tsongkhapa is such an important lineage teacher for us! This
beautiful practice includes many stanzas meditating on key points of the lamrim.

Following the puja, we will recite selections from the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.

The Center will be open from 9 am to 5 pm for those who wish to do personal practices.

Start your new year with a squeaky clean slate!

The Vajrasattva purification practice is a powerful means to purify negative karma, using the four opponent powers -- refuge, regret, remedy and resolve.

Robbie Watkins will lead us in the practice.

There will be no Children's Program today.

Happy New Year!

The lamrim prayer in the Guru Puja contains all the profound, vital points of the complete path of sutra and tantra.  -- Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Geshe Gelek's teaching on the Guru Puja now covers the lamrim verses, covering all the major points of the path to enlightenment. 

Lama Atisha organized all of the Buddha's teachings into a step-by-step guide how to become enlightened in a short text called "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment." Lama Tsongkhapa (the founder of our Gelugpa lineage) wrote a detailed explanation of Lama Atisha's text to help students understand and practice the instructions called The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Chenmo). This lamrim foundation is the basis of all practice in our lineage, including tantra.

Students who were studying Lamrim with Geshe-la before the Guru Puja class began may wish to join this class for the lamrim section.

Paul Lochner, beloved member of the Kadampa Center, passed away Sunday morning, December 4, 2016.

We will hold a Medicine Buddha Puja for his benefit at noon, Saturday, December 17, followed by an opportunity to share memories.

Medicine Buddha puja is particularly beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace.

This puja is especially beneficial for those who have recently passed away.

The nuns will recite a Medicine Buddha Sadhana for Ven. Drolkar, who is having surgery that day. It should last about one hour.

Interfaith Prayer Service sponsored by Triangle Interfaith Alliance. Theme is: Unity in Diversity. All are welcome.

Kadampa Center will be closed for the Christmas holiday.