Saturday Morning Meditation
2026-05-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-09 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-13 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-20 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) and 4 more dates | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Meditation is a helpful way to relax the body and calm the mind, and it can help us connect to timeless, deep inner peace. Join us Saturday mornings as Rinpoche gives a brief teaching followed by silent meditation practice. A donation of $10.00 per class is requested, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Saturday morning meditation is held both in-person at the Dharma Center and virtually on Zoom.

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

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Monday Night Chanted Prayers-Medicine Buddha
2026-05-04 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-06-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Medicine Buddha is the Buddha of Infinite Healing, creating the causes for a world that is healed from illness and disease, both of the body and of the mind.

Texts
You can find a link to the prayer text here: MedicineBuddhaPuja_༄༅།-།སྨན་བླའི་སྒྲུབས་ཐབས་བཞུགས་སོ།-།.pdf
Rinpoche wrote a very short but beautiful teaching on the practice of Medicine Buddha, which includes the visualization: Medicine Buddha Practice for Corona Virus from Khenpo Karten Rinpoche.
Additionally we typically recite a short Buddha Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light) mantra: Om Ami Dewa Hri. Here is the text for Buddha Amitabha: The Recitation for Accomplishment of Sukhavati from the Sky Dharma Mind Terma.
Please join us as we wish for all beings to have health and peace of mind.
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!

Zoom Link to Join:
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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No Monday Night Chanted Prayers
2026-05-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Rinpoche needs to prepare for an doctor visit the next day–he is healthy and well, this is a routine, every ten years exam. Thank you Sangha!

Monday Night Chanted Prayers--Chenrezig Practice
2026-05-18 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-06-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
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
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Dial by your location
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+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
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*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.

Amitabha Practice & Karma Shawa Remembrance Day
2026-05-25 18:30 - 20:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
This Monday night is a special combination of chanted prayers and remembering Khenpo Karten Rinpoche’s Dharma son, a little deer named Karma Shawa. 2026 marks three years since his passing.

About Karma Shawa
There was/is a deep karmic connection between Rinpoche and the deer named Karma Shawa. Rinpoche wrote about it in his blog, “Who was Karma Shawa? ཀརྨ་ཤྭ་བ། “, and he was interviewed in the Monterey County Weekly, “The story of a Pacific Grove Tibetan monk and his fawn friend.“

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

Buddha Amitabha is the Buddha of Infinite Light.
Here is a link to the main text (in Tibetan, English, and Chinese): The Recitation for Accomplishment of Sukhavati from the Sky Dharma Mind Terma.

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/shown on screen. Donations are not expected, but always welcome

Monday night prayers are held both in-person at the Dharma Center and virtually on Zoom.

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

Dial by your location
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+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
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+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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Saga Dawa Duchen - Buddha Shakyamuni Puja
2026-06-01 18:30 - 20:00 | 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
The MDC will celebrate Saga Dawa Duchen with a Buddha Shakyamuni Puja for Monday evening prayers. The 15th day of this lunar month is a full moon and is called Saga Dawa Duchen. This year, Saga Dawa Duchen will take place on Sunday, May 31st. Saga Dawa Duchen, the “Great Occasion” of the month of Saga Dawa, is one of the holiest days in Tibetan Buddhism and commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, the supreme and perfect Guru. The fifteenth day of the month is very special as the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni, which refers to the day the consciousness of the Buddha entered his mother’s womb rather than His physical birth. At the age of 35, the Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodhgaya. This day also marks the anniversary of His parinirvana at Kushinagara at the age of 80. This is the single most important day of the year for all Vajrayana practitioners and Tibetan Buddhists. Therefore, this month represents a great opportunity to commemorate and honor the Buddha, and to accumulate merit and purify our body, speech, and mind. This month only occurs once a year, so please wholeheartedly practice the Dharma during this precious time! Tashi Delek
Learn more: What is Saga Dawa?
Text: Treasury of Blessings: A Practice of Buddha Shakyamuni

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!

Zoom Link to Join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86274306749?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
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+1 564 217 2000 US
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+1 305 224 1968 US
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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All-Sangha Meeting 2026
2026-06-06 11:00 - 12:30 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Annual All-Sangha Meeting
Saturday, June 6, 2026
11:00am Pacific Time (after meditation)
In-person and on Zoom
Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Every year, the spiritual community of the Manjushri Dharma Center comes together to reflect on the past year, envision the year ahead, and confirm our Board Members for the next term. Join us after meditation on Saturday, June 6th to hear a brief overview of the state of center, updates on Rinpoche’s move to the Portland area, and the sangha trip to India.

Zoom Link to Join:
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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Monday Night Chanted Prayers: Green Tara Practice
2026-06-08 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-07-13 18:30 - 20:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
The feminine embodiment of enlightened activity, Green Tara is the swift liberator, a compassionate and loving protector in times of distress and great danger. Through meditating on the form and mantra Arya Tara, and chanting the Praises to her 21 different manifestations, we receive the blessings to become inseparable from Tara herself, actualizing the potential to liberate all sentient beings from the suffering ocean of samsara. She is known as the Mother of all Buddhas, born from Chenrezig’s tear of compassion (in one of many origin stories). She will swiftly come to comfort and protect those who supplicate her, she gives protection from emotional and physical sufferings. In her hands she holds utpala flowers which symbolize power and pure compassionate intention.
“This is also my daily practice,” writes Rinpoche. “We will pray for overcoming fear and clearing of obstacles. We will recite the mantra “OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA “. You can see me and recite the mantra at the same time so we can practice together for those who have recently died. Thank you and Tashi Delek.”
Prayers will be recited in both Tibetan and English.
Texts:

NEW translation/text of the Green Tara Sadhana of Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa
Supplemental texts:

Concise Tara Prayer by Lama Gephel
GreenTara-Sevenfold Supplication by Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Sumgon
YouTube video of the Sevenfold Supplication prayer sung by Phub zam with beautiful imagery

Description of the Tara practice above was written by Khenpo Karten Rinpoche.
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!

Zoom Link to Join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86274306749?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
Passcode: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
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Dial by your location
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+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

Summer Solstice Blessing of the Waters 2026
2026-06-21 18:30 - 19:00 | Lover’s Point Beach, 17th St and Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Sunday, June 21st, 2026 is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. For many years now, at both summer and winter solstices, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche offers a Blessing of the Waters, by reciting two prayers that he composed, Propitiating the Devas of the Four Elements and the Prayer for World Peace.We now have a new prayer book with many other prayers as well. This year, we will meet again in person at Lover’s Point Beach. We will gather in community and send our good energy to the ocean, to all the waters of the world, and to all of nature and humanity. Attendees are asked to bring flower petals/flowers for the offering.
Because this practice is on the beach, there is no opportunity for us to also broadcast online (as far as known).
This practice may also be done by any person in they place they live. Practitioners may download these prayers to recite at the beach, by a river, or wherever you choose outside in nature. Bring some flowers to offer and send your good energy and wishes for healing to the waters of the world, all the elements of nature, and all sentient beings.
Here is an “instruction on how to practice” the Blessing of the Waters, composed by Rinpoche and Pema Tsultrim/Aaron (past MDC President) with more information on how to conduct a “do-it-yourself” Blessing of the Waters ceremony. Instructions on Blessing the Waters
Tashi Delek!
Prayer for World Peace
Through roots of goodness of us all on this vast earth,
May all living creatures become full of
love and compassion,
So that all enjoy peace on earth!
Stop bad intentions, thoughts and deeds
of all those who terrorize others,
That all living beings on this earth
come together like one family!
May all be well, have long life and health
with bliss of mind, free of illusion.
May all mothers have oceans of bliss
of body, for now, and ultimately of mind.
May this lamp of wisdom love, oneness,
highest remedy to clear darkness,
Enter the hearts of all living beings,
so their perfect path be illumined!

Footnote to Prayer for World Peace: In the name of all religions on earth, as I see and hear of increasingly many unwarranted harmful actions being enacted, thinking, with a joyful, universal aspiration, how wonderful it would be if all such activities ceased entirely. Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, on 2-4-2015, on Wednesday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s auspicious day, wrote this dedication prayer to be recited at the conclusion of other prayers, meditation, or practices.

Monday Night Chanted Prayers-Amitabha Practice
2026-06-22 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-07-20 18:30 - 20:00 | Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, United States
Buddha Amitabha is the Buddha of Infinite Light.
Text: Here is a link to the main text (in Tibetan, English, and Chinese): The Recitation for Accomplishment of Sukhavati from the Sky Dharma Mind Terma.
Lineage of Namchö Mingyur Dorje.

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/shown on screen. 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!

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)
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Dial by your location
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+1 564 217 2000 US
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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Walking Meditation at Asilomar Beach & Beach Fun
2026-06-27 09:30 - 12:00 | 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)
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Dial by your location
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+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
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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*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).

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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

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Dial by your location
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+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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+1 305 224 1968 US
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Meeting ID: 862 7430 6749
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