Merit Makers

   Recently, our dear Sangha blessed many statues and assorted prayer flags and malas for the benefit of some center member’s home practice. Many hands were involved to make this all come together, including Louise and Tim who organized mantra rolling, Chris for his juniper offering, Guillermo for digitalizing mantras,  Christine and Julie for preparing and serving a feast for all the participants, and all those who helped and took part in the event.       
   May all the prayers to the newly consecrated statues be of the highest benefit to all sentient beings.

     One of the highlights of Sunday’s teachings is the enthusiastic presence of our youngest generation. The smiles and happy voices joining in to sing
mantras bring many of us great delight. This growing program is staffed by very generous adults who give so freely of themselves to allow parents to participate in the teachings and to provide a Buddhist framework to help the children navigate through their young lives.
     Thanks to Linda Saah for leading a special, all-ages class this past Sunday. She read one of our favorite jataka tales about a turtle who gets into trouble when he talks instead of keeping quiet, and brought live turtles for fun and education, including caring for our animal friends.
     Thanks to Vincent Batts and Shannon Blackwood for caring for our younger friends during this time and helping six of our preschoolers enjoy class with Linda. Thanks to Virginia Maier, Jennifer Sanford-Johnson, Sue Stern, and David Kiker who all assisted with our very full class, ensuring a delightful morning.      
A big thanks to everyone connected to our wonderful children’s program!                                                                                                                        

   Recently, Geshe Gelek led a Chenrezig Mani Retreat at the center, during which, more than twenty-three participants recited over 111,413 mantras together while thinking positive thoughts.
   Geshe-la said that there's no doubt that because we did these mantras, it will definitely help our community and Kadampa Center - when people practice and attend the center, it for sure makes a positive difference.
   Geshe-la hopes we will do another Mani retreat next year, and make this a regular practice to help our center.
   Thanks so much to all who participated and to those who helped organize and run this wonderful retreat, including Tim Powell for
organizing the potluck, Brian Dyer for media and water bowls, and Sarah Brooks for coordinating.

   On a recent Saturday night, our center was filled with wonderful sounds and deep feelings of goodwill, as an interfaith group supporting Habitat for Humanity came together to raise funds and awareness for building projects in Wake County. So much goes into putting on a show like this, both behind the scenes and on the stage and we would like to thank all of those who had a part, big or small, in sharing this with us.
   Thanks to Elise and David Strevel, Sandy and John Carlson, Suzi Boehm, Pat Long, Michael Flaherty, Joey Gooch, Sarah Brooks, Robbie Watkins, Dan McFarland, Renee Revaz, Triangle Alliance Choir, One Human Family, Mary Callan Kelso & Michael Raul Perez from Liz LaBelle’s Music Studio, and everyone who came out to take part in our second annual Harmony for  Habitat event.

A big thanks to all the folks who helped make our movie night a success by popping popcorn, selling tickets, setting up, organizing, advertising, operating the technical sysyems, cleaning up, and attending.
   Thank you Elise Strevel, Sarah Brooks, Chris Baranski, Christine Allen, Sandy Carlson, Jackie and Jim Scott, David Strevel, Kim Lillig, Jim Barnes, Jim and Cherie Sutorus and everyone who came out to share in the fun and inspiration of the Dalai Lama Double Feature.

Discovering Buddhism students arrive on Monday nights to a center that is warm and well-lit, with the gompa ready for class, registration and hand-out materials ready for anyone who needs them, and a friendly face to greet them at the door.
   All this is thanks to our DB program assistant, Joanna Smith.

Our Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche has advised all FPMT centers to do Sur Offering Practice daily in order to be successful. This practice involves the mixing of ingredients and the burning of a food offering to create an aroma offering. It is possible for a student to do the practice on behalf of an entire center and that is exactly what some dedicated volunteers have been engaged in over the  last several months. Committing to a month at a time, Sarah Brooks, Lee Clark, Herb Cunningham, and Venerable Choekyi have quietly done this practice daily for the benefit of our wonderful center. Thank you all so much!

We are very fortunate to have a library on site with so many wonderful resources. There are books, CDs and DVDs that cover a range of topics to suit a variety of  interests available to all members of the center. For more than ten years, one dedicated volunteer has been managing all this inventory and helping seekers find the right material for them.
   A big thanks to Liz Rourke for all her time and joyful effort.

  Have you ever found yourself marveling at Kadampa
Center’s beautiful altar? Not only rich in meaning, but also a glowing, glittering feast for the eyes with glistening water bowls, luminous lotuses, and radiant Holy Beings. Behind the scenes, a crew of cleaners comes in weekly to chase off any dust and debris so the rest of us may enjoy the altar’s vast splendor.
Thanks so much to Traci, Guy, Jaya, Christine, and Deann.