Manjushri Dharma Center

Walking Meditation at Asilomar Beach & Beach Fun
2026-06-27 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Asilomar State Beach, 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Rinpoche invites all to carpool, bike or walk down to Asilomar State Beach where we learn and practice walking meditation. In walking meditation, you direct your attention to the movement of your feet and legs, and the motion of your body as it advances. You feel your feet on the ground, and arrive fully to the present moment.
After the walking meditation, participants are invited to bust out the frizbee & beach blankets, bring “luckypot” pot luck food or a bag lunch, and chill. (if it’s overcast or cold, we may do a beach fire)
We will meet at MDC at 9:30AM and head from there to Asilomar Beach for meditation.

Meet to Carpool at 9:30am at MDC: We will gather at the Manjushri Dharma Center and carpool to the Asilomar Conference Grounds/Asilomar Beach.
“LuckyPot” or bring your own bag lunch: After the formal meditation, we will gather on beach blankets to eat together.
Please Bring Your Own: bag lunch or food to share, chair or beach blanket, warm layers, and anything you’d like to play with at the beach.

Parking at Asilomar: Parking is free at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, or there is parking on the street on Sunset Blvd. The Asilomar Conference Grounds are located at 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950.
Questions? Contact Rachel C. at rachelichristo@gmail.com or 831-277-0529.
No Zoom on this day, so sorry!

Songs of Milarepa: Oral Transmission, Teaching, and Tsok Offering in Santa Cruz
2026-06-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Wisdom Center of Santa Cruz, 740 Front Street, The Galleria #155, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, United States
Songs of Milarepa: Oral Transmission, Teaching, and Tsok Offering
Sunday, June 28, 2026
1:00pm to 4:00pm
In person event only
Teaching given in Tibetan with English consecutive interpretation (translation)
Location: Wisdom Center
740 Front St, Suite 240 (The Galleria Community Room),
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Suggested donation: $60.00 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. Registration link has option for $60.00 or $30.00 donation or you may email wisdomcenter.sc@gmail.com to register.
REGISTER HERE
ABOUT THE EVENT
Join Khenpo Karten Rinpoche for this immersion into the life and songs of the Great Tibetan Yogi Saint, Jetsun Milarepa, with an oral transmission, teaching, and tsok/ganachakra offering. Milarepa’s tragic childhood led him to train in black magic, eventually unleashing a tide of killing and destruction.
But he came to regret his actions and sought and found his teacher, Marpa, who, being aware that Milarepa had to purify his negative karma, exposed him to many extremely difficult trials. Eventually, Marpa gave Milarepa full transmissions of all the Mahamudra teachings from Naropa, Maitripa and other Indian masters. Practicing these teachings for many years in isolated mountain retreats, Milarepa attained enlightenment. He gained fame for his incredible perseverance in practice and for his spontaneous songs of realization.
ABOUT THE HOST
The Wisdom Center of Santa Cruz is a non-sectarian Buddhist teaching and meditation center. “Our goal is to generate enlightened activity through meditation, insight, and compassion in individuals and community.” See more about their teachers and schedule of events: https://www.wisdomcentersc.org/

Special Event--Chenrezig Practice & Birthday Celebration for His Holiness the Dalai Lama
2026-07-06 18:30 - 21:30 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Khenpo Karten (right) with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (right)
Monday, July 6th is His Holiness Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday! We will celebrate after our Chenrezig chanted prayer practice with a “lucky pot” (pot luck) at the Manjushri Dharma Center. Rinpoche will set up a birthday shrine for His Holiness and lead prayers for his long life. If we are lucky, perhaps Michael Martinez will lend his talent and good energy with the piano! Bring your instruments, it will be a musical party!

Avalokiteshvara, or Chenrezig in Tibetan, is the Bodhisattva who embodies the love and compassion of all Buddhas. Chenrezig is an important deity* in Tibet and considered the patron Bodhisattva of the Tibetan people. Chenrezig is also believed by Tibetans to be the actual progenitor of the Tibetan people. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Karmapa are considered living Buddhas, emanations of Chenrezig. It is said that in Tibet even babies upon birth know the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM.
Chanted prayers are an important part of spiritual life, regardless of where you are at on the path. They allow us to still our minds, connect with the blessings of the Buddhas, and purify negative karma. With these prayers we transform ourselves and our world into pure beings and pure lands, free from suffering, and connect with the energies of love and compassion. Appropriate for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. Prayer books provided. Donations are not expected, but always welcome.
Monday night prayers are held both in-person at the Dharma Center and virtually on Zoom.

Please do join us for this profound practice. Tashi Delek!

Text:
https://manjushridharmacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ChenrezigPracticeText.pdf

Zoom Link to Join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86274306749?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,86274306749#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86274306749#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdVGgCWTHU

*The word deity in Buddhist context is not the same as in the west. A deity may have many meanings, but one meaning is the timeless energies that are also within us, rather than all-knowing beings outside ourselves.

Introduction to Ngöndro: The Kagyu Preliminary Practices
2026-07-11 11:15 - 13:30 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Introduction to Ngöndro: The Kagyu Preliminary Practices
Saturday, July 11, 2026
following meditation from 10:00am to 11:00am
11:00am to 11:15am–we take a break, have some tea/coffee/snacks/set up luckypot
11:15am to 1:30pm–teaching
1:30pm to 2:30pm–Luckypot (pot luck)
Manjushri Dharma Center
In-Person and on Zoom
Donations of any amount welcome, no one turned away for lack of funds
No registration needed–just show up!
About the Event
Our mind has the potential to bring forth a bountiful harvest of wisdom and compassion, but for such seeds to grow, the ground needs to be properly prepared. Preliminary practices serve to purify negative karmic imprints, enrich our mind with positive potential and blessings, and connect us to a long lineage of practitioners. Engaging in the preliminary practices serves as an invaluable tool to both create a firm foundation for practice and deepen our path. Khenpo Karten Rinpoche will present an overview introduction to the Kagyu preliminary practices known as Ngöndro along with an oral transmission blessing. Please bring a dish to share for a “Luckypot” luncheon on after the teaching (breakfast items welcome!). Consecutive interpretation will be provided by David Molk aka Jampa Tharchin.
Text

Ngondro Sadhana

Resources for Ngöndro Practice:

Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (print or audio book)
Ngondro: Karma Kagyu Preliminaries, DVD–By: Lama Karma Wangdu
Torch of True Meaning: Instructions and the Practice for the Mahamudra Preliminaries–By: Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Ngondro for Our Current Day: A Short Ngondro Practice and Its Instructions–By: Seventeenth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Ngondro Commentary–By: Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
Mandala supplies (purchase at Vajra Collection or other retail store selling items from Nepal/Tibet/India)
Kagyu Refuge Tree Guru lineage poster

Names on the Refuge Tree in English
བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་ཀྱི་བརྒྱུད་པའི་ཤིང་སྡོང་གི་པོ་སྟེར་ཐོག་གི་མིང་བྱང་བོད་ཡིག་ཏུ་བྲིས་པ།

About Ngöndro
Source: Adapted from Wikipedia
The Tibetan term Ngöndro refers to the preliminary, preparatory or foundational practices common to all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and also to Bon. Each tradition will have a variation on the practice. The version we will learn in this retreat is the Karma Kagyu practice. The term ngöndro literally denotes meanings in the range of “something that goes before, something which precedes.” The preliminary practices establish the foundation for the more advanced and rarefied Vajrayana practices of Dzogchen, Heruka and Mahamudra. Nevertheless, Vajrayana masters are careful to point out that “foundational” does not mean “lesser,” that the practice of Ngöndro is a complete and sufficient practice of the spiritual path, and that it can take the practitioner all the way to full enlightenment.
Outer and inner preliminaries
In general the preliminary practices are divided into two sections or kinds: the first are the common or ordinary kind of preliminary practices, and the second are the special or extraordinary kind of preliminaries.
Outer preliminaries
The common or ordinary preliminaries consists of a series of deep reflections or contemplations on the following four topics:
the freedoms and advantages of precious human rebirth
the truth of impermanence and change
the workings of karma
the suffering of living beings within samsara
The above four contemplations are sometimes referred to as “the four reminders” or “the four mind-changers” or “the four thoughts which turn the mind towards Dharma.” Additional reflections may be included in the specific instructions on the outer preliminaries within different lineages, but the above four topics are the main reflections.
Inner preliminaries
The special or extraordinary kind of preliminaries consist of :
taking of refuge in the three roots in conjunction with the performance of prostrations (purifying pride)
cultivation of bodhicitta (purifying jealousy)
recitations of Vajrasattva’s hundred-syllable mantra (purifying hatred/aversion/harsh words)
mandala offerings (purifying attachment)
guru yoga practices (purifying delusion)
These practices purify negative deeds and accumulate merit. Traditionally ngöndro practice is done for the enlightenment of the spiritual aspirant and for the benefit of all sentient beings. That is, the merit of doing the practices is dedicated to all sentient beings. These practices are typically done to reach a certain goal (100,00 prostrations, 100,000 Vajrasattva recitations, etc).

Zoom Link to Join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86274306749?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,86274306749#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86274306749#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdVGgCWTHU

Canceled: Four Noble Truths on Chökhor Düchen
2026-07-18 10:00 - 11:30 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
So sorry, but this teaching has been canceled. Rinpoche will host regular meditation on this day.

Four Noble Truths on Chökhor Düchen
Saturday, July 18, 2026
10:00am to 11:30am
In-person and on Zoom
Free event, but donations always welcome
About the Event
Chökhor Düchen is one of the four great occasions (Losar, Saga Dawa, Choekhor Duchen and Lhabab Duchen) celebrated by all Tibetan Buddhists. During those times, it is believed that the effects of positive or negative actions are multiplied ten million times. It falls in the Tibetan Lunar calendar in the 6th month, 4th day. Tradition has it that Buddha was not convinced that teaching what he had discovered through his meditations could be communicated in a way that would be of any benefit to others. It took the intercession of the sky goddesses called Dakinis, and the great Hindu gods, Brahma and Indra, to persuade him to do so for the benefit of all sentient beings. After seven weeks, the Buddha finally addressed the five people who had been his companions during the time spent with the forest yogins, and at Sarnath in India, he taught this first teaching–the Four Noble Truths. This is the foundational teaching of all of Buddhism.
Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, resident monk and spiritual director at the Manjushri Dharma Center will celebrate Chökhor Düchen – ‘The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma’ with a teaching on the Four Noble Truths. This is rare public talk, and we invite all to attend.
Pre-Reading: Attendees may wish to read Rinpoche’s in-depth teaching on the topic, which covers the Four Noble Truths and the 12 Links of Interdependence. Essence of Buddhism As Related to the Four Noble Truths (http://www.khenpokarten.org/2019/10/normal.html)
About the Venerable Khenpo Karten Rinpoche

Khenpo Karten Rinpoche is an accomplished teacher and practitioner of the Karma Kagyu Lineage and is also trained in the Nyingma Lineage of Buddhism. He was born in the beautiful mountains of the Himalayas of Tibet. At the age of twelve, he was ordained at Japa monastery, where he began his formal education of reading, writing and ritual practice. At the age of fifteen having completed the basic studies, he furthered his studies in the Sutra and Tantric texts under the accomplished master Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche and Pema Tsewang Rinpoche for eight years. Subsequently Khenpo Karten Rinpoche went to the hermitage of anther accomplished teacher, who became his heart teacher and root guru, Japa Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche and completed five years of silent and solitary retreat under the great master. In recognition of his achievements, Sangye Tenzin Ringpoche bestowed upon him the title, Khenpo Karma Lekshe Tharchin in 1994.
In 1996, he left Tibet and traveled to Dharamsala, India to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Upon His Holiness’ advice, he spent another two years doing retreat. H.H Dalai Lama also recognizing his achievement, bestowed upon him the title Khenpo Rinpoche.
Khenpo Karten arrived in the United States in 2008, and taught in the Monterey Bay area for the first time in September of that year. After meeting a group of prospective students and seeing the hills of Big Sur which remind him of Tibet, he returned in 2009 to make the Monterey Bay his home. Rinpoche established the Manjushri Dharma Center in Pacific Grove, California, which has become his main teaching location and his home residence. Rinpoche and the Manjushri Dharma Center will be moving next year (summer 2027) to the Portland, Oregon area.
With unflinching faith in the precious Buddha Dharma, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, now a U.S. citizen, bestows sacred teachings to thousands of people all over the world, with weekly teachings and events.
More about Rinpoche here

Zoom Link to Join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86274306749?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,86274306749#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,86274306749#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdVGgCWTHU

Garden Volunteer Day
2026-08-01 11:00 - 13:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
We have not had a garden day since April–time flies! Please come enjoy some light weeding and gentle garden cleanup after meditation. Summer garden fun!
We will supply: coffee/tea/goodies and a few garden tools
You should supply: your own garden gloves, tools you like, etc.
Many thanks and hope to see you there!

No Monday Night Chanted Prayers
2026-08-17 18:30 - 20:00 | CA
Rinpoche is leading the Portland Amitabha Dechen Shingdrup this week, so we will not have Monday night chanted prayers on 8/17/26 nor on 8/24/26. Our next practice will be on Monday, 8/31/26 with Medicine Buddha. Enjoy the week!

No Monday Night Chanted Prayers
2026-08-24 18:30 - 20:00 | CA
Rinpoche is leading the Portland Amitabha Dechen Shingdrup this week, so we will not have Monday night chanted prayers on 8/24/26. Our next practice will be on Monday, 8/31/26 with Medicine Buddha. Enjoy the week!

3rd Annual Amitabha Dechen Shingdrup Northern California
2026-09-25 08:00 - 2026-09-27 16:00 | Sera Jey Foundation, 6712 Portola Drive, El Cerrito, 94530
The third annual Amitabha Dechen Shingdrup with the Venerable Khenpo Karten Rinpoche in Northern California will be held over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 25 to 27, 2026, 8:00am to 4:00pm each day, at the Sera Jey Foundation, 6712 Portola Drive, El Cerrito, CA. This special event is hosted by the Tibetan Association of Northern California. The event is held in Tibetan and there will not be an English translator, but all are welcome to join and enjoy the special energy of the practice of Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light.
Important Notes:

The event is held in Tibetan and there will not be an English translator, but all are welcome to join and enjoy the special energy of the practice of Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light.
Here’s a copy of the Sadhana ‘Dechen Shingdrup’ (Tibetan text only)
Breakfast and lunch will be provided (vegetarian). All meals are sponsored by community members and offered free of charge.
They will have cushions there and chairs, but participants should bring their own cushions (whatever will help make your sit comfortable).
They may need help with food preparation and/or cleanup, so come early/stay late if you can offer to volunteer

Shrine room etiquette
Rinpoche is informal here in California, but it is good for students to know how to show respect in a traditional way in the gompa (shrine room):

Remove shoes and hats before entering the gompa
As soon as you enter, make 3 prostrations in the direction of the altar
When the teacher enters, please stand and bow slightly, hold your hands in prostration or “lotus blossom” at your heart
After the teacher makes 3 prostrations and sits down, the students then make 3 prostrations before sitting down
Keep all texts, Buddha images, or images of the Lama off the floor
Do not show the soles of your feet to the teacher/altar during the session. (Exceptions can be made for those with back problems or leg problems or anyone who needs to stretch their legs–use a scarf or cloth to cover your feet as you extend and stretch is good.)
Dress modestly, don’t show too much bare skin or wear super-tight or revealing clothing
Feel free to move and adjust your sitting position, but try not to disturb others; as you leave make a slight bow to the altar/teacher before turning away
At the end of the whole retreat, there will be a “kata ceremony” where white silk scarves are presented to Rinpoche as a sign of respect and thanks, and typically attendees also give “dana” at this time–a special monetary offering. Please bring your own kata if you have one. Dana should be concealed in an envelope.

Buddhist Pilgrimage to India and Nepal
2026-10-11 - 2026-10-29 | CA
Buddhist Pilgrimage to India and Nepal
October 11 to October 29, 2026
Click here for all the details
