Gompa

Our Sunday morning teachings are a vibrant, interactive experience where we explore applying the methods of Buddhism to the nitty-gritty of daily life.  With the guidance of one of our resident teachers, Geshe Gelek Chodha or Geshe Palden Sangpo, we discuss the complications that make us unhappy, and how the tools of Buddhism sheds new light on our thoughts and emotions. In this process we discover how to steer our minds toward happiness.

Sunday mornings typically begin with prayers, a brief meditation, and the rare opportunity to learn from a highly trained Buddhist monk. When Geshe Gelek and Geshe Sangpo are away, one of several senior students will lead the session. The teachings and prayers are in English.

Geshe-la welcomes questions and frequently will ask for questions from us, so that he can tailor his teachings to our needs.  We collect questions at any time at the Center (there’s a box on the desk just inside the door for them), and you can also submit questions online.

Sunday is a great time for a first visit to Kadampa Center – students at every level come, from newcomers to practitioners with 30+ years of experience, and it's a great opportunity to meet others and start making new friends. 

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.

On many Sundays, we also host other events, such as the Newcomer Orientation, New Member Orientation, pujas, and more. Special events for holy days, special practices, or exhibits and visiting teachers are also occasionally held on Sundays, so for all these events please check the calendar for more information and specific times.

On Sunday, January 24, 2016, we will hold our Annual Meeting to close out 2015. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. The teachings will end 30 minutes early at 11:30 and the meeting will end at 12:15. (There will be care for the children.)

We will have an address from:
Director, Robbie Watkins
Board of Directors President, Hemant Pandya
Center Manager, Jill Marie
Co-Spiritual Coordinator, Donna Seese

End of Year Financial Reoprt from Treasurer, David Strevel

We will have time for concerns, questions and discussion.

We hope you will attend and find out what's going on at YOUR Center.

As the great Bodhisattva Shantideva said, “If you churn the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha, their essence is bodhicitta.”  Therefore, it is extremely important for us to strive to achieve the uncontrived, effortless experience of bodhicitta.  To quote Rilbur Rinpoche, "The aspiration to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all living beings is something that is truly inconceivable, truly splendid and marvelous.”

Bodhicitta is the doorway to the great vehicle (Mahayana) and the higher practices that ultimately lead to the freedom, joy and happiness of enlightenment.  Bodhicitta is more than just compassion or a good heart; it is an attitude that transforms all of our actions into the causes for enlightenment.  It is an antidote to our worst enemy, selfishness/egocentricity.  

Our lives are so precious and yet so short.  To make life meaningful we must make the time to study, practice and actualize this most important teaching of the Buddha.  To make excuses and procrastinate would be truly unfortunate.  As Pabongka Rinpoche said in Heart Spoon:

“Who’s faster:
Yama, the Lord of Death,
Or you in your practice of realizing the essence of you eternal dream -
The welfare of both yourself and others (bodhicitta) - as much as you can each day?
Unifying the three doors of you body, speech and mind,
Put the whole of your effort into your practice.”

Please join us for this one-day retreat on Saturday, February 13 from 7:30 a.m. to  5 p.m. at Kadampa Center.  The retreat will incorporate the 12 successive meditations that result in the experience of bodhicitta, so attendance for the full day is essential. 

We will break for a brown-bag-style lunch. Because of time restraints, lunch will not be a potluck.

You must commit to participate in the entire retreat. This creates powerful energy in the retreat mandala!  

This retreat is open to everyone in the Kadampa Center community and is also the final session of the Discovering Buddhism module on How to Develop Bodhicitta.  
It will be led by Don Brown, the course facilitator.  

In keeping with our tradition, we charge no fee to participate in the retreat. Donations to Kadampa Center are happily welcomed!

Meditation 101 is a five-week introductory course on Buddhist meditation techniques for complete beginners. It teaches basic Buddhist meditations that can be used by anyone to create more peace and happiness in daily life.

The basic Buddhist meditation techniques covered include:

• What is meditation?
• Breathing meditations
• Mindfulness meditations
• Visualization meditations

In keeping with our tradition, no fee is required to attend the class. We do rely on donations, so any offerings are greatly appreciated!

No registraiton is required, but we recommend attending the entire course for the most benefit.

This class will be led by David Machles.

The final session on March 15 will be taught by visiting teacher Venerable Robina Courtin.

65 students, grade 10-12

30 students

Medicine Buddha puja is particularly beneficial for mental and physical healing and world peace. This puja is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing physical or mental illness or those who have recently passed away. Typically we do these pujas in English.

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 became the seven Medicine Buddhas, and the puja is prayers and offerings to create merit and make requests of the Buddhas. Just some of the benefits of this practice include healing of mental and physical suffering, helping those who have died, as well as removing obstacles and creating the causes of enlightenment.

Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice, and this puja is recited in English. Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and puja are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the puja to someone who is ill, dying, or generally in need of support and prayers.

Sponsorship of a Medicine Buddha puja is $60 - click here to sponsor this puja.

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.

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 $75 - click here to sponsor this puja.