Inner Fire Retreat Closed

Dear Friends,

Registration for the Inner Fire Retreat is now closed. We are completely sold out, and we are no longer keeping a waiting list. If you have questions, please contact Terry Ladner at retreatregistration@guhyasamaja.org.

Just as a reminder, Khensur Rinpoche will also be offering a special Mahamudra retreat in Reston, VA in August. This is a non-residential retreat. For details, please check the Center website: www.guhyasamaja.org

Thank you for your interest and support,

Dina Li, Program Coordinator

No-killing pledge during month of Saka Dawa

The following has been posted with permission from Kopan Monastery:

Dear friends and students of FPMT,

I have been asked about continuing with the pledges to Avoid Killing, and I think that this is good to do again now. We are now celebrating the Month of Saka Dawa (from June 3rd to July 2nd), a very special month to make the pledge, as the merit of virtuous activities during this month multiply by a million.

Let’s use this precious opportunity to accumulate merit, purifying our karma, and benefit so many sentient beings.

This is also an easy way to do something for the long life of our Holy Gurus - His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, your own gurus.

It is also very beneficial for prolonging our own lives, by not contributing to killing. I suggest that during the holy month of Saka Dawa (Buddhas Enlightenment and Paranirvana) you can take one of the following pledges:

• To become vegetarian for this whole life
• To become vegetarian for one year
• To become vegetarian for the month of Saka Dawa ( June 1 - June 30)
• Keep precepts for the whole month of Saka Dawa
• Keep precepts on all special days of Buddha and all precept days for the whole life
• Not to eat meat during all special days of Buddha (4 days in a year) for one year

We can also promise not to get angry during this month of Saka Dawa.

It is most powerful to make this pledge on the day of Saka Dawa, which
is June 18th, 2008.

Please use this the link to make the pledge:
http://FreeOnlineSu rveys.com/ rendersurvey. asp?sid=lmdgf7f4 8ovh55w439018

Once you have submitted the pledge, feel very strongly that you have
made this promise in the presence of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
and rejoice at the merit created. Your sincere motivation will make
this pledge very powerful.

All the merit accumulated in this way, please dedicate extensively in the following way:

• to the long life of HH, LZR, LOR, and all your own gurus
• to increase the teachings of the Buddha in general and specially the Mahayana teachings
• to remove all the problems in all countries experiencing war, famine, violence of any kind
• to increase peace in the world
• to remove all obstacles to the return of HH to Tibet
• for complete peace between Tibet and China

I rejoice in your great merit and make prayers for the success of your practice.

with many prayers,
Lama Lhundrup
Kopan Monastery

Recordings of Khensur Rinpoche’s commentary on Shantideva’s “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life”

For those of you who may not already know, MP3 recordings of Khensur Rinpoche’s teachings on “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” are available at the following URL:

http://guhyasamaja.org/listen.htm

Enjoy!

May 31 Shantideva Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

• What are the disadvantages of not maintaining the bodhisattva vows?
• How does bodhicitta make you feel about death?
• By practicing carefulness / conscientiousness, we prevent our bodhicitta from deteriorating. What exactly are we guarding against?

Suggested Readings

For those of you who have not studied the sections of the Lam Rim that explain subjects such as bodhicitta, the bodhisattva vows, and the Six Perfections, please consider reading some of the following books or online texts. You will get a lot more out of Rinpoche’s class if you do some background reading:

• Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, vol 3: The Way of the Bodhisattva. by Geshe Sopa. Wisdom, 2007.
• The Bodhisattva Vow by Geshe Sonam Rinchen Snow Lion, 2000

• The Wish-Fulfilling Golden Sun of the Mahayana Thought Training
  by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche source: http://www.lywa.org, see the fourth PDF file

• Root Bodhisattva Vows http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/practice_material/vows/bodhisattva/root_bodhisattva_pledges.html?query=18+bodhisattva+vows by Alexander Berzin

Meditation

When setting out on the path to Enlightenment, having role models and guides such as spiritual teachers and sangha are absolutely vital. There are bodhisattvas amongst us, but we can not recognize them as such. Think of people in your own life — parents, friends, acquaintances who inspire you with their selfless love, compassion, and courage. Whether they are Buddhist or not doesn’t matter. Then take a honest, gentle look at yourself. Is it necessary for you to make changes to the circumstances in your life so you can better nurture and cultivate bodhicitta?

posted by Dina Li

A unique opportunity to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts with Ven Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche

June 18 is the most holy day within the month of Saka Dawa. Saka Dawa celebrates Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and parinirvana. As cited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic, virtuous actions done on this day are multiplied one hundred million times. This is a unique opportunity to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts with Ven Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche in the early morning and then to relax, recite prayers together, and meditate quietly.

Please visit our website for details about the time, location and any schedule changes. For more information about Saga Dawa (Vesak), please see “A few Saga Dawa (Vesak) Resources“.

The Five Root Vows and Monastic Vows: notes from a discussion with Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa

I spoke with Khensur Rinpoche briefly about the five root vows and monastic vows. Entering the Buddhist path involves taking Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and sangha and taking vows to help us guard ourselves from non-virtuous actions.

Five Root Vows (ge nyen, Tib)

The five root vows are the foundation for the monastic vows. The five root vows are: 1.) Not killing human beings, 2.) Not stealing, 3.) Not lying, 4.) Not committing sexual misconduct (adultery), 5.) Not becoming intoxicated (drugs, alcohol). The lay vows involve taking the five root vows.

“Killing” refers to any sentient being. Killing as a root downfall — meaning that when committed one loses one’s vow (phamba, Tib), refers to killing human beings.

“Stealing” is culture-specific as different societies value different things. Transgressing the root vow would be to steal an object that is valued by society so that you end up in trouble with the law.

“Lying” is defined as pretending to have realized emptiness, omniscience etc. In general, lying refers to any verbal or non-verbal expression one with the intention of deceiving others. So it also refers to making factual statements with the intention to deceive others.

The supreme ge nyen vow is the same as the five root vows with the exception being that instead of sexual misconduct, one takes the vow of celibacy. Having taken the supreme ge nyen vow, one can also wears robes.

The five root vows are taken in the presence of a spiritual elder.

Renunciate vows (rab jung, Tib)

By taking the rab jung vows, a person commits to: 1.) leave behind lay clothes and signs, 2.) wear the robes of an ordained person and shave one’s head, 3.) follow the Buddha’s teachings.

The combination of the five root vows and rab jung vows is the first step to ordination. After taking these vows, one can then take the vows of a novice nun (getsulma) or monk (getsul). For nuns, this is an additional ten vows. 253 additional vows are taken for becoming a fully ordained monk (gelong). As far as I can tell, while His Holiness expressed support for full ordination for nuns in 2007, this has yet to be implemented.

New IMI Policy

The International Mahayana Institute released new ordination guidelines this week. They clearly state that anyone who ordains must not work unless it’s for a Dharma center. Unless you can stop working, you can not take even the rab jung vows because novices wear robes.

Although currently there are many monks and nuns in the West who work, the new policy was developed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as being in the best interest of protecting the sangha and BuddhaDharma in the West. For more information, please see the link below.

Opportunity to Take the Five Root Vows

If you’d like to take the five root vows, there’s no better time than on June 18 when we will be celebrating Buddha’s Birth and Enlightenment. Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche will be leading us as we take the Eight Mahayana Precepts. The Precepts center around the five root vows which you commit to take for as long as you think you can realistically maintain them.

Place: 8120 Erika Drive, Manassas, VA.
Time: 4:30 am.
For more information, please see our website.

For more advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche regarding ordination and an explanation of the process of applying for ordination through FPMT, please visit the International Mahayana Institute website: http://www.imisangha.org/ordain/resources_fpmt_imi.html

For an interesting article entitled “What is a Monk?” by Jose Ignacia Cabezon, see: http://www.thdl.org/xml/show.php?xml=/collections/cultgeo/mons/sera/essays/people-monk.xml&m=B1

– Posted by Dina Li with special thanks both to Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche for the interview and to Tenzin Bhuchung for his invaluable translating and editing assistance.

May 24 Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

• Chapter 1 describes the benefits of bodhicitta. Please list a few of the major benefits.
• Some people feel: “Rescuing all sentient beings from samsara sounds so difficult, I can’t even rescue myself. I can’t do it!” What advice or words of encouragement might you offer to someone who suffers from this sort of doubt and low esteem.
• Explain the difference between aspirational and engaged bodhicitta.

Reading

Start Chapter 4.

Meditations

• Meditate on the meaning of “sentient being” (dro wa, Tib.) Rinpoche explained that it means beings who are migratory, transient, like guests in this life. Does this change the way you view yourself?
• Rinpoche mentioned several ways in which we can transform our day-to-day activities such as washing, illness, even negative emotions such as anger into Bodhisattva practices. This week, pick one specific action and try to do it with awareness — keeping in mind how you can use it to benefit all sentient beings.

Link to the May 24 teaching: http://guhyasamaja.org/Recordings/Shantideva_KR_052408.mp3

Save the Date for our next Golden Light Sunday, June 1

Hi Everyone,

Save the date, and mark your calendars.

Next Sunday, June 1, brings our next Circle-the-Globe-with Golden-Light sutra reading.

Last month, if you want extra reason to rejoice, we had a total of 40 readers around the globe.

Details will follow later in the week. There’s lots of time to see if you have any friends who’d like to join in; if they’d like to, please email anitenzinlhamo at msn.com (replace the ‘at’ with an ‘@’).

If you missed the first reading and want to catch up, please read chapters 1 through 5.

Our readings groups are organized around 3 times, all keyed to East Coast US time: 8 am, 11 am, or 9 pm. If you need help with converting the time, here is a great site: http://timeanddate.com/

For long-range planners, the next reading will be July 6.

with warmest regards,
and memorial prayers for all those who have been victims of war in any way,
Tenzin Lhamo

Gyume Khensur Rinpoche Teaching on Memorial Day!

Open to Highest Yoga Tantric Initiates

A Special Teaching on Applying Tantric Practices to Daily Life

“The Three Essential Practices: A Pathway to Journey to the Land of Joy”
~ By the First Dalai lama Je Gedun Drupa

Khensur Rinpoche will teach from a text composed by the First Dalai Lama entitled “The Three Essential Practices: A Pathway to Journey to the Land of Joy ”. In this very concise yet powerful text, the First Dalai Lama explains how to carry three essential practices for three states of existence we all will experience:

1.) the practice of Deity Yoga in this life, 2.) the practice of consciousness transference [Phowa] for the time of death, 3.) and the practice of “mixing” for the intermediate state [Bardo].

“Mixing refers to mixing the thoughts and experiences of this life with the thoughts experiences in the intermediate state, in such a way that while we are alive we practice as if we are in the intermediate state.” The last two essential practices are practiced on a daily basis so that one becomes proficient enough to practice them respectively at the time of death and in the intermediate state.

Rinpoche has noted that he received these precious teachings of the First Dalai Lama’s from the current, Fourteenth Dalai Lama who strongly emphasized the importance of this special teaching. Rinpoche himself suggested this text as a subject that would benefit practitioners of Tantra or Vajrayana Buddhism here in the West.

Rinpoche has indicated that this teaching can only be open to those who’ve previously received a Highest Yoga Tantra Initiation as it includes practices from the completion stage of that level of tantra.

Where: 8120 Erika Drive, Manassas, VA 20112
When: Memorial Day–Monday, May 26– in two sessions: 2:00 - 3:30 PM & 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Suggested Donation: $15-25

Posted by Dina Li on behalf of Lorne Ladner

May 17 Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

• What does Bodhicitta, the mind of Enlightenment mean?
• What are afflictive emotions?
• Why are afflictive emotions considered to be adventitious stains on our Buddha nature?

Reading Assignment
Read chapters 1 - 3 of Shantideva’s A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.

Meditation Topics

• Identify specific experiences in your life where you’ve felt a deep sense of altruistic compassion. What were the causes and conditions that gave rise to your compassion? Cultivate this mental state of compassion for others, practice extending it to people you love, feel neutral to, and feel dislike towards. How does this feel?
• Start by trying to identify which afflictive emotion causes you the most suffering in your life. In your daily meditation practice, try to recall particular experiences when this emotion has taken control of you. How did it feel?