Here’s the link to the June 26, 2012 article in the Washington Post about the new abbot of Rato monastery, none other than Ven. Nicholas Vreeland, Director of the Tibet Center in NYC.
Rejoice!
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Khensur Rinpoche Nicholas Vreeland
Posted in Uncategorized on July 12, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Ven. Yang Teng Tulku’s Prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Posted in Buddhism, Interviews/highlights of FPMT projects, Uncategorized, tagged Lama Zopa Rinpoche advice on September 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
(September 22, 2011) A new long life prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche is available on the FPMT website. The prayer titled “Panacea of Pure Nectar” was composed by Sera Mey monastery Yang Teng Tulku is a very knowledgeable young lama working in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Private Office assisting His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Dharma texts.
Visiting D.C. for Kalachakra: more travel tips
Posted in Uncategorized on June 5, 2011 | 1 Comment »
If you’re coming to D.C. for the first time, you might wonder about transportation options. Here are a couple of ideas:
Capital Bikeshare — this is a great way to travel around the city by bike. You can rent a bike on the street and return it at a drop off location near your destination. This program has become very popular. Riding in D.C. is not as dangerous as riding in cities such as New York, but you should bring a helmet. Incidentally, the metro buses are equipped with easy-to-use bike racks, so you can put a bike on the front and go. Bikes are allowed on the metro during off-peak hours.
ZipCar – rent a car by the hour or by the day at locations across the city.
Metro system — D.C. has a good metro system. It is fairly reliable, but delays are not unusual so make sure to give yourself a little extra time just in case. The evening rush hour starts around 4:30 pm and the museums close at 5 pm so it’s better to wait until after 6 pm because the combination of office workers and tourists can create over crowding. Also, elevator and escalator outages are very common, so if walking up the stairs is a problem, pay attention to the announcements or check the metro website when planning your trip. Metro stations have bike racks. If you stay in Northern Virginia, there’s a bike path that parallels Route 66 and takes you right into D.C. There may be similar bike paths in Maryland that I don’t know about. (Living in Virgina, Maryland is like a foreign country, LOL).
Airports — for domestic flights, Reagan National airport is the most convenient because it’s in Alexandria, VA and the metro stops at the airport. It’s a 15 minute ride on the blue line to downtown D.C. For international flights, Washington Dulles airport in Herndon, VA is a nice airport. The metro doesn’t go out to the airport, but there is a shuttle bus to the West Falls Church metro station. (There might be more shuttle bus options that I don’t know about.) The airport has both domestic and international flights. It’s about 30 minutes from downtown D.C. depending on traffic. Baltimore Washington International airport is the farthest from D.C., but the airfares tend to be less expensive. Metro Bus offers express bus service from BWI to the Greenbelt Metro station. There are shuttle bus services, taxis, and some rail options. BWI might make more sense if you plan on staying in Maryland.
Official Washington D.C. Tourism Board — information about events in D.C. and resources for visitors.
Fairfax Connector Bus – Fairfax County in Northern Virginia has an extensive bus system. Buses run on time and are comfortable. Arlington county (closer into D.C.) also has a bus system to connect neighborhoods to metro rail.
For more information about staying in Northern Virginia, please see the blog post: kalachakra-2011-insider-tips-for-staying-in-northern-virginia
Hope this helps you plan your trip! If you have travel tips to share, please feel free to add them.
Light of the Path Retreat Registration Open
Posted in Buddhism, Interviews/highlights of FPMT projects, Other Local Dharma Events, Uncategorized, tagged retreat on May 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Just in case you missed it, registration for the Light of the Path retreat hosted by the FPMT Kadampa Center opened several weeks ago. This is a “must attend” for anyone who wants to be immersed in Tibetan Buddhism and who enjoys Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s energizing and captivating style of teaching. It’s a rare opportunity on the East Coast to be amongst so many sangha (at least rare in the Gelukpa tradition) and serious lay practitioners. Over 200 people attended in 2009. I spoke with a woman from New Jersey who said she knew very little about Buddhism but when she heard about the retreat and Lama Zopa knew immediately that she had to drop everything and go. She made a lot of friends and enjoyed herself.
Last September, a typical day started with an opportunity to take the 8 Mahayana Precepts followed by the Lama Chopa guru prayer and other morning prayers. Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught a session after breakfast. We observed silence until after lunch (or at least we tried to!). There was a discussion led by a senior sangha in the gompa after lunch as well as smaller, less formal discussion groups with other sangha. The informal groups met outside on the wide veranda of Lee Hall, students and teachers sat in rocking chairs in the sunshine looking out at the distant mountains. There was plenty of time for walks in the woods — complete with exciting black bear encounters.
After dinner Lama Zopa taught a final session and led the dedication prayers. We wrapped up about midnight, although the last night of the retreat I think we ended around 2 am. Then we walked back up the steep hill to the housing area, or caught a ride from the ever-cheerful volunteers who ferried people back and forth.
I stayed in Lee Hall in a double room which I shared with a terrific nun who came all the way from Australia just to attend the retreat. The room had a very high ceiling, a hardwood floor, big window, and a private bathroom. It was clean, and the beds were comfortable. It did not have a table or telephone or alarm clock, nor did it have WiFi (although it is available in the common area). So if you bring a laptop and need to work, plan on doing it in the in the lobby and bring an extension cord as there are very few outlets.
This year the retreat runs from September 12 – 16, 2010. You can attend for just one week or a weekend, there are several options. Please check the Kadampa website for more information and registration details.
Hope to see you there!
Tendrol
DC BuddhaFest Film Festival: 6/17 – 6/20/10
Posted in Buddhism, Other Local Dharma Events, Uncategorized on May 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
(posted as a courtesy to a local Dharma group, please contact the event sponsors for more information)
A dozen films plus talks and meditation present a unique mix and fresh take on the principles of Buddhism.
Highlights include a world-premiere film, an Academy Award-nominated documentary, talks by Tara Brach, Lama Surya Das and Sharon Salzberg, and a Picnic for Peace.
Location: American University, Katzen Art Center
Presented by Eric Forbis & Gabriel Riera
Made possible by a team of volunteers
Sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain at American University
And the Insight Meditation Community of Washington
March 10 Free Tibet Vigil
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Free Tibet on March 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Join the Global Uprising for Tibet on March 10th, 2010 to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising and the enduring spirit of Tibetan resistance.
Candle Light Vigil
Location: Chinese Embassy; 3505 International Place NW, Washington DC 20008
Time: 4:30pm
Organized by: Capital Area Tibetan Association
Contact: Tseyang – 434.245.2286
Happy Lama Tsongkhapa Day 12-11-2009
Posted in Uncategorized on December 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Dear Friends,
Today’s a special day in the Gelukpa tradition for it honors the founder, Lama Tsongkhapa. Think of all the countless beings who have attained Enlightenment by relying on his profound teachings on sutra and tantra. It’s a perfect opportunity to meditate on the Lam Rim and to do the Lama Tsonghkhapa guru yoga practice.
In case you didn’t see it already, here’s a related blog post about Lama Tsongkhapa day.
May your meditations on the Lam Rim help you quickly uproot ignorance and attain the bliss of supreme Enlightenment. May Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings flourish forever.
tendrol
Shantideva August 29
Posted in Basic Program discussion, Buddhism, Shantideva, Uncategorized on August 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Chapter 6 verse 47. “Having been instigated by my own actions, Those who cause me harm come into being.”
Explain these sentences and relate them to verse 46. Does this mean that the physical existence of people who are causing us harm is the result of our past negative actions? Are we somehow responsible for their current re-birth, or are they alone responsible? Are we collectively responsible for one another’s current condition? Draw on Shantideva, the Lam Rim teachings, and Mind Training to support your answer.
This is the last weekly question for the 2009 Basic Program.
Sitting Quietly, Doing Something
Posted in Buddhism, Uncategorized, tagged Meditation, other blogs on July 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
From the NY Times Happy Days blog about the Kagyu master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche:
Question of the week: Long life mantras
Posted in Buddhism, Question of the Week, Uncategorized on June 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Each week we will ask a question related to Buddhism. Please share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment. We welcome your response to earlier comments, or you can post new ideas. Comments are moderated, please be supportive and respectful of others.
Please share your experience in reciting the White Tara mantras on behalf of Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche. Has it been blissful? Difficult? Do you think saying the mantras is truly beneficial and if so, how?
