When should you not eat meat?

In a teaching given at Instituto Lama Tzongkhapa, Geshe Jampa Gelek said this in response to a student’s question about eating meat:

Regarding the question of eating meat or not, nowadays many people say that the Buddha said that one cannot eat meat in the Vinaya, in Sutra, and some tantras as well. However, if we go back to the Vinaya, which is the basis, the Buddha said that one should not eat meat characterized by three circumstances: seeing, hearing, and thinking. This means that if one sees, hears, or thinks that that meat has been killed on purpose for you or you have a doubt, “I wonder about that” then you should not eat the meat. These are the three circumstances in which one should not eat meat.

The meat that you find in supermarkets, and so forth, was not specifically slaughtered for you. You have not seen, heard, or thought that it was.

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: Vajrasattva Initiation May 14 2013

Vajrasattva Initiation and Teaching with His Holiness Sakya Trizin

May 14, 2013

10:00 am – initiation
2:30 pm – teaching

Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza, Fenton Room
One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Organizer: Sakya Phuntsok Ling

Receiving the initiation and teaching of Vajrasattva (Dorje Sempa) is not only a profound blessing, but is one of the most effective methods for purifying negative karma and removing obstacles on the path. His Holiness will bestow the initiation in the morning and will give a teaching on Vajrasattva in the afternoon. One must receive the initiation in order to attend the teaching.

Donation: $25 non-members

Sakya Phuntsok Ling – online registration

For more information, please contact the organizer, Sakya Phuntsok Ling.
Email: sakya@sakyatemple.org
Telephone: (301) 592-9286

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Summer 2013 North America Dharma Courses

Here’s an incomplete list of summer Dharma courses taking place in North America this year. These are primarily FPMT Centers with a few other Gelukpa Centers and teachings from other traditions as well. For registration information and the most up-to-date information, please visit the links below.

Rejoice! We are truly blessed to have so many unbelievable opportunities to learn from incredible masters.

Tsechen Kunchab Ling. H.H. Sakya Trizin: Teachings and Empowerments. April – July, 2013. Walden, NY.

Land of Medicine Buddha. Jangtse Choje Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche Fri-Sat, June 7-8, 2013. Soquel, CA.

Vajrapani Institute. Summer Program – Jangtse Choje Lobsang Tenzin Rinpoche Jun 12, 2013 – Jun 20, 2013. Boulder Creek, CA.

Land of Medicine Buddha. Lam Rim Teachings with Chöden Rinpoche – Day 1 Sun, June 30 at 3pm; Mon, July 1 at 7pm; Tue, July 2 at 7pm. Soquel, CA.

Guhyasamaja Center. Realizing Emptiness: Praise to Dependent Origination. July 1 to 7, 2013. Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa. Am Kolel Retreat Center, Beallesville, MD.

Vajrapani Institute. Open Your Heart to Others: Eight Verses of Mind Training. Choden Rinpoche and Jon Landaw. July 5 – 7, 2013. Boulder Creek, CA.

Jewel Heart. 2013 Jewel Heart Joyful Summer Retreat
Gelek Rinpoche. July 4 – Sunday, July 14. Ann Arbor, MI.

Deer Park Buddhist Center. Wisdom/Special Insight Chapter of Je Tsong Khapa’s Middle Length Lam Rim Monday, July 8th through Friday, August 2nd, 2013. Ganden Jangtse Choje Rinpoche. Oregon, WI.

Bodhicitta Chapter of Je Tsong Khapa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
Jangtse Choje Rinpoche. August 5th through August 16th. Oregon, WI.

Mindrolling Lotus Garden. Summer Shedra H.E. Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche. July 24 – August 4. Lotus Garden Retreat Center. Stanley, VA.

Vajrapani Institute. Teen Camp at Vajrapani. Jul 19,2013 – Jul 22, 2013. Boulder Creek, CA.

Namgyal Monastery. Kalachakra Six Session Guru Yoga Retreat July 28 – August 4, 2013. Geshe Lobsang Dakpa. Du Khor Choling, The Land of Kalachakra Study and Practice.

Six Yogas of Naropa & Hevajra Empowerment Chodon Rinpoche and Geshe Gyalten. August 2-11, 2013. Lasell College. Newton, MA.

Do Ngak Khunphen Ling. Nine-day Teaching on the Vajrayogini Generation Stage. Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa. August 17-25, 2013. New York City.

May our precious gurus never leave us, and may we always have opportunities to study and practice the holy Dharma.

Last updated: April 26, 2013

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H.E. Garchen Rinpoche White Tara Empowerment April 20 2013

The Drikung Dharma Surya Center has the great honor of hosting His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche in Northern Virginia the weekend of April 19.

Friday, April 19, 2013

10:00 AM - Noon: Thirty-Seven Practices Teaching

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Continue Teaching

Saturday, April 20, 2013

9:00 AM - Noon: White Tara Empowerment

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Questions & Answers

3:00 PM  - 4:00 PM: Refuge Ceremony

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Kata Offering

Hoa Nghiem Temple

9111 Backlick Road, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 22060

Sunday, April 21, 2013

 10:00 AM - Noon: Dharma Teaching

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Questions & Answers

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Private Audience & Kata Offering

Auspicious Cloud Monastery

2101 James Madison Hwy, Haymarket, Virginia 20169

For more information, please visit the Drikung Dharma Surya Center website. Questions can be addressed to Peter de la Cruz ( 301-530-2347 ) or Tri Bui ( 703-926-1423 )

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Lama Zopa Rinpoche Webcast March 23 – 24

Take teachings live from Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Hongkong on March 23rd and 24th!

The following live webcasts are planned:
March 23rd: Teaching on How to Face Death without Fear (3pm-7pm Hong Kong time, 2:00 am Eastern Standard Time)

March 24th: Motivation teaching before Vajrasattva initiation (starts at 3pm Hong Kong time).

Watch at http://new.livestream.com/FPMT/ChamTseLing

This will be the last live webcast for a while.  We are trying our best to bring you the best quality, but with recent live webcasts have experienced some technical difficulties which unfortunately resulted in lower quality than we would ideally like.

(source: FPMT email)

 

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Important Information for Triple Empowerment March 23

Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche will confer the Triple Empowerment of Hayagriva, Vajrapani, Garuda on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, VA. Participants should note the following:

• As is customary for lower tantra empowerments, it is best not to consume onions, eggs, garlic, or meat prior to the empowerment.
• There is a mantra recitation commitment for the empowerment.
• The discussion on Sunday afternoon on the topic “Truth, Path, and Buddha Nature” will be led by Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa
• Please bring your own cushion and a towel or mat to sit on if you would like to sit on the floor instead of a chair.
• If you are planning on staying for dinner on Saturday, please email the organizer Pema Dechen (pema2011@yahoo.com)

Please contact Pema Dechen if you have any questions about this event by phone: (571) 643-4233 – mobile , or email.

This event is sponsored by:

Partners for Tibetan Education (PTE) http://www.partnersfortibetaneducation.org 1875 Connecticut Ave, NW., Suite #410 Washington D.C 20009

The schedule of events is available here

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Rare Empowerment: Hayagriva, Vajrapani, Wisdom Garuda on March 23, 2013

UPDATED 2/23/2013: Please see the attached flyer with the complete schedule of events: PTE – announcement for March 23-24, 2013

At the request of Pema Gorap, the Director of Partners for Tibetan Education, www.partnersfortibetaneducation.org, our most kind teacher Venerable Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa will bestow the rare empowerment of Hayagriva, Vajrapani and wisdom Garuda on the afternoon of Saturday, March 23 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. This empowerment is most beneficial to ward off big obstacles and illnesses. The program continues after the empowerment with teachings by Rinpoche and Geshe Losang Dhargye. Attendees are invited to stay for dinner.

On Sunday March 24 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm, Geshe Losang Dhargye will lead a meditation and then give a talk on “Truth, Path, and Buddha Nature”.

The empowerment and all other events are open and free. Donations are appreciated to defray the room rental and other expenses. Any extra monies received will be used to fund Tibetan children’s language and culture programs.

The program will be held at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street SE, Vienna, VA.

For more information, please contact Pema Dechen Gorap (pema2011@yahoo.com, 571-643-4233) or any of the volunteers listed on the attached flyer, or visit: www.partnersfortibetaneducation.org.

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Completion Stage Guhyasamaja Tantra: new translation

The Library of Tibetan Classics is releasing a new translation of Tsongkhapa’s seminal work on completion stage Highest Yoga Tantra practice, A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages: Teachings on Guhyasamaja Tantra. This translation is by Gavin Kitty. The book will be available in December.

Amazon is offering it on pre-order for only $35.53 (free shipping).  The regular price will be $59.95.

See also Robert Thurman’s translation of this text published in 2011 as
Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages: Practical Instructions in the King of Trantras, The Glorious Esoteric Community and available on Amazon.com.

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Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa: Completion Stage Practices Retreat Nov 5 – 12 2012

This week-long retreat with Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Losang Jampa will focus on the completion stage practices of highest yoga tantra. A particular focus for the retreat this year will be on the subtle energies and channels of the body as described in Buddhist tantra. These teachings will cover the remarkable, skillful methods of the Vajrayana which allow a practitioner to achieve full enlightenment in one brief lifetime! The unique methods and qualities of illusory body and clear light will be discussed, which is an extremely rare opportunity. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has noted that studying the illusory body and clear light as presented in such teachings allows one to much more deeply and clearly understand the nature of enlightenment itself and how it is achieved.

Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche is a former abbot of Gyumed Tantric College and is also a senior teacher from Sera Monastic University. In India he often taught on tantra to other Lamas and Geshes. During this retreat, Rinpoche will give those same teachings to Western students!

During this week-long, residential retreat, Rinpoche will teach on the essential points for practicing the completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. His teachings will be based on a text that has been translated into English and will be available to participants entitled The Condensed Meaning of the Path of the Vajrayana. Rinpoche will focus on the sections of the text that address the practices of the completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. This text covers the stages and paths of tantric practice and contains the essence of all the teachings in Lama Tsongkhapa’s Great Path of Secret Mantra. The important points of deity yoga and the generation stage sadhanas are covered as are the secret instructions related to the completion stage which allow one to progress in realizing the Illusory Body, Clear Light, and their union. Rinpoche will also cover the topic of the 9 mixings, which is an essential element also taught in the Six Yogas of Naropa.

The retreat will be held November 5 – 12, 2012 at the Am Kolel Sanctuary, Beallsville, MD. The sanctuary is about a 30 – 45 minute drive from Washington, DC.

For more information and to register, please visit the Guhyasamaja Center website. Registration closes on October 15th.

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Northern Virginia: Garchen Rinpoche 100 Million Amidewa Retreat

(source: Drikung Dharma Surya Center website)

In order to benefit all sentient beings, Drikung Dharma Surya Center (DDSC) is organizing a 100-Million Amidewa Recitation Retreat to be led by His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche near the National Capital of U.S.A., a country blessed with many attributes.  The aspiration of this Special Event is to also promote innate human quality of love, compassion, wisdom, understanding, harmony and peace for our world.

Date:         Dec 1 and Dec 2, 2012

Location:   Jewish Community Center, 8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, Virginia 22031, U.S.A.

Events:    Amitabha Mantra Recitation, Amitabha Empowerment, Amitabha Chang Chok, Great Drikung Phowa transmission or “Drikung Phowa Chenmo”

Garchen Rinpoche has said: ”Everyone who has contributed to the 100-Million Amidewa Mantra Accumulation, whether by actually attending the retreat, or by offering mantras from all over the world, or by offering financial support to the retreat, or even by merely rejoicing in the virtue of this practice, has obtained the merit of 100-million mantra recitations.”  

Garchen Rinpoche encourages everyone around the world to start reciting Amitabha’s mantra now.

For more information about the retreat and the mantra count, please visit  the sponsoring Center’s website http://www.drikungdharmasurya.org/100MillionAmidewaRecitationRetreat.html

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