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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170609T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170609T203000
DTSTAMP:20260616T050236
CREATED:20170605T201418Z
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SUMMARY:Saka Dawa 2017
DESCRIPTION:Message from Rinpoche sent to Sangha on Thursday\, June 8:  Saka Dawa full moon is tomorrow! This is the most holy and important day in all Buddhism. We celebrate the Buddha’s birthday\, enlightenment\, and death (paranirvana). The whole month of Saka Dawa is especially auspicious for creating merit.  I really want my students to have a beautiful\, happy celebration and create great merit in the world!  Don’t miss this important occasion—it comes only once a year. \nGeneral description:  Saka Dawa/Saga Dawa observations take place in the fourth Tibetan month\, honoring Buddha Shakyamuni’s birth\, enlightenment\, and parinirvana. From May 26 to June 24\, 2017\, the planets and stars converge to make things especially auspicious\, therefore\, positive actions can be multiplied 100\,000 times. This is a rare and important period\, so practitioners are encouraged to practice Dharma and positive actions as much as possible during this time\, and to refrain from harmful actions with extra mindfulness. Most holy of all is the full moon day of Saka Dawa\, the 15th day of the Tibetan month\, which will fall on Friday\, June 9th.   \nEditor’s recap:  The Manjushri Dharma Community gathered at 6:30pm\, and attendees brought tsog offerings of flowers\, fruits\, popcorn\, and sweets.  Rinpoche arranged it all into a beautiful offering of food and flowers for the Guru\, Three Jewels\, Assembly of Heroes and Heroines. As part of the tsog ceremony\, assistants made three heaping plates for the Guru\, Buddha\, and Dharma.  The Sangha also partook in the offerings\, imagining the food as holy nectar that purifies all negativities\, to honor the divine within.  It was a beautiful ceremony which served to accumulate merit and purify obscurations.   Rinpoche took the time to explain the various parts of the ceremony to the Sangha\, as this was only the second time a tsog ceremony was performed in our Forest Avenue center.  After the formal tsog ceremony\, participants prayed world peace.  Thank  you to all the Sangha members who helped with photocopies of prayers\, setting up and breaking down of this Saka Dawa ceremony.   Thank you to all who attended and collectively created such good energy for a peaceful world!   \nRinpoche’s recap:  Today\, on the full moon of Saga Dawa\, our offering ceremony went very well and we were able to create a tremendous amount of positive energy for the future. This root of virtue I dedicate to all living beings throughout all realms of existence . Thank you to everyone! \nPictures from June 9th\, 2017 Saka Dawa Full Moon Ceremony: \nMaking special plates to share \nSharing a day of special blessings\, Saka Dawa Full Moon Ceremony 2017 \nAll the flowers made a special alter for Saturday meditation \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\nMore information about Saka/Saga Dawa as posted by Rinpoche on his Facebook page: \nSaga Dawa is called the “month of merits” for Tibetan Buddhists. Dawameans “month” in Tibetan\, and “Saga” or “Saka” is the name of a star prominent in the sky during the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar\, when Saga Dawa is observed. Saga Dawa usually begins in May and ends in June.\nThis is a month especially dedicated to “making merit.” Merit is understood in many ways in Buddhism. We can think of it as the fruits of good karma\, especially when this brings us closer to enlightenment. In early Buddhist teachings the three grounds of meritorious action are generosity (dana)\, morality (sila)\, and mental culture or meditation (bhavana)\, although there are many ways to make merit.\nTibetan lunar months begin and end with a new moon. The full moon day that falls in the middle of the month is Saga Dawa Duchen; duchen means “great occasion.” In 2016\, this day falls on Saturday\, May 21st. This is the single most holy day of Tibetan Buddhism. Like the Theravadin observance of Vesak\, Saga Dawa Duchen commemorates the birth\, enlightenment and death (parinirvana) of the historical Buddha.\n\nWays to Make Merit\nFor Tibetan Buddhists\, the month of Saga Dawa is the most auspicious time for meritorious actions. And on Saga Dawa Duchen the merits of worthy acts are multiplied 100\,000 times.\nMeritorious acts include pilgrimages to sacred places. There are many mountains\, lakes\, caves and other natural sites in Tibet that have attracted pilgrims for centuries. Pilgrims also go to venerated monasteries\, temples and stupas. Pilgrims also travel to be in the presence of a holy person\, such as a high lama.\nPilgrims may circumambulate a shrine or other holy place. This means walking clockwise around the holy site. As they circumambulate\, pilgrims may pray and chant mantras\, such as mantras to White or Green Tara\, Om Mani Padme Hum or Buddha Amitabha. The circumambulation may include full-body prostrations.\nDana\, or giving\, may be the most common way for Buddhists of all traditions to make merit\, especially giving donations to temples or to individual monks and nuns. During Saga Dawa\, it’s also auspicious to give money to beggars. Traditionally\, beggars line the roads on Saga Dawa Duchen knowing they are certain to receive something.\nThe lighting of butter lamps is a common devotional practice. Traditionally\, butter lamps burned clarified yak butter\, but these days they might be filled with vegetable oil. The lights are said to banish spiritual darkness as well as visual darkness. Tibetan temples burn a lot of butter lamps; donating lamp oil is another way to make merit.\nAnother way to make merit is by not eating meat. One can take this further by buying animals intended to be slaughtered and setting them free.\n\nObserving Precepts\nIn many Buddhist traditions there are precepts observed by laypeople only on holy days. In Theravada Buddhism these are called the uposatha precepts. Lay Tibetan Buddhists sometimes follow the same eight precepts on holy days. During Saga Dawa\, laypeople may keep these eight precepts on both new moon and full moon days.\nThese precepts are the first five basic precepts precepts for all lay Buddhists\, plus three more. The first five are:\n1. Not killing\n2. Not stealing\n3. Not misusing sex\n4. Not lying\n5. Not abusing intoxicants\nOn especially holy days\, three more are added:\nThe sixth “holy day” precept is to eat only one meal\, before noon. This is a basic precept for many monks and nuns\, but most of the time it doesn’t apply to laypeople. “Grazing” is not allowed; once you’ve stopped eating for thirty minutes\, the meal is done. For Tibetans\, this one meal should not include meat\, eggs\, onions\, garlic or radishes.\nThe seventh “holy day” precept is to avoid sleeping in a high\, soft bed. The eighth is to not wear adornments — jewelry or cosmetics.\nSometimes lay Tibetans turn these special days into two-day retreats\, with complete silence and fasting on the second day.\n\nThere are\, of course\, a variety of rituals and ceremonies performed during Saga Dawa\, and these vary among the several schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In recent years\, Chinese security forces have limited Ssga Dawa activities\, including pilgrimages and ceremonies\, in Tibet.
URL:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/event/saga-dawa-2017/
LOCATION:Private Residence\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Life-Of-Buddha-Gauri-Thangka.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170614T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170614T203000
DTSTAMP:20260616T050236
CREATED:20170605T201735Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170619T183404Z
UID:3186-1497466800-1497472200@manjushridharmacenter.org
SUMMARY:Thargyen Certificate Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:From Rinpoche following ceremony\, June 14\, 2017:   Our Jewel Ornament of Liberation teachings\, which commenced a year and nine months ago\, has now ended and went extremely well.  We had a concluding celebration today with practice of Venerable Milarepa Guru Yoga and offering of Ganachakra.   The Ornament by Gampopa is such a precious\, sacred instruction. We would not be incorrect to recognize it as the first Lamrim\, Stages of the Path to Enlightenment\, to appear in Tibet. It is the first time that I have taught the Ornament in America. I want to thank everyone involved\, all members of my Manjushri Dharma Center who attended and helped make it happen for the wonderful opportunity. Apart from how much it benefitted others\, it is always extremely beneficial for me to able to give such teachings. Thank you so much! \nBackground:\nOver the course of a year and a nine months\, August 2015 to April 2017\, the sangha completed initial study of The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings\, by the venerable Gampopa (1074-1153 C.E.\, depicted in thangka above)\,  also known as the Thargyen.   On June 14th\, 2017\, we celebrated all those who participated in this course of study with a special set of prayers (Milarepa sadhana) and a certificate ceremony.    Practitioners also completed a one to two page written reflection of the Thargyen\, and turned those in to Rinpoche.   It was a nice way to celebrate and recognize those who participated in and completed listening\, meditating and contemplation of this comprehensive work. \nThe day before we held this celebration\, a very nice woman came by and donated a beautiful Thangka (religious painting) depicting the Dalai Lama and his life.   It is was very auspicious\, as it was the Dalai Lama who recommended to Khenpo Karten Rinpoche that he teach the Thargyen to his western students.    It was as if the Dalai Lama came to celebrate with us\, the full circle of his idea!  Read More:  The Auspicious Dalai Lama Thangka \nPictures from the Thargyen Certificate Ceremony: \nTsog offering and alter set up to honor Milarepa and Gampopa \n 
URL:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/event/thargyen-certificate-ceremony/
LOCATION:Private Residence\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Gampopa-FB.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170621T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170621T200000
DTSTAMP:20260616T050236
CREATED:20170605T180641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170626T190416Z
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SUMMARY:Blessing of the Waters: Summer Solstice 2017
DESCRIPTION:General recap:  Khenpo Karten Rinpoche offered a Water Blessing Ceremony on the occasion of the Summer Solstice and First Day of Summer at Lovers Point beach in Pacific Grove. The blessing honored all the earth’s elements as Rinpoche chanted to pray for their protection. Participants offered a prayer for world peace and brought flower petals to contribute to this beautiful and moving ceremony.  \nRinpoche’s recap:  Yesterday\, June 21st\, the summer solstice\, we had the 8th water blessing ceremony on the beach at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. Offerings were given to the nagas\, the water serpents\, of the three white substances: honey\, milk\, and yogurt\, and many flowers and flower petals of brilliant colors which reset floating on the waves. There was quite a crowd of people! This ceremony of the water element is especially important for California which has droughts and floods and avalanches. I think the Nagas were very pleased! \nPhotos (thank you Stacy Loving\, Heidi Feldman and all others who contributed photos):
URL:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/event/blessing-of-the-waters-summer-solstice-2017/
LOCATION:Lover’s Point Beach\, 17th St and Ocean View Blvd\, Pacific Grove\, CA\, 93950\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/WaterBlessing.4000x3000.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170624T111500
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20170624T121500
DTSTAMP:20260616T050236
CREATED:20170605T175844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170626T191738Z
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SUMMARY:Public Talk--Medicine for the Mind:  Transforming Suffering into Joy
DESCRIPTION:General Description:  Every living being experiences suffering.  Most people view suffering as something to get rid of and not look back.  However\, suffering can teach us compassion for others and can be used to train our mind in a way that good conditions cannot.  In this very special public talk\, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche will give an account of his root guru’s 21 years in a Chinese prison\, where Kyabje Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche transformed an atmosphere of starvation and fear into pure spiritual food and joy.  Join us after our regular meditation class (which runs 10-11am) for this deeply inspiring teaching.  Free event\, all are welcome! \nBackground:  Every year\, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche visits the Bridgewater State Prison to teach students incarcerated there. He composed this teaching originally for them\, and delivered it on May 29th.  After reading the teaching\, presented below\, students in Pacific Grove requested he give the same teaching as a public talk.  This teaching is one of the most powerful and inspiring teachings this editor has ever read. \nRecap of event:  On June 24\, 2017 Khenpo Karten Rinpoche addressed the community with a public talk entitled\, “Medicine for the Mind:  Transforming Suffering into Joy.”  The talk was based on his teaching given to Dharma students in prison in Boston earlier in May.   The attendees read the written teaching aloud in its entirety\, and Rinpoche expanded on “tong-len” or the practice of taking and giving.  It was indeed powerful medicine for the mind.    \nPhoto from Public Talk: \n \nLink to Blog Post:  Medicine For The Mind:  Instructions for My Boston Dharma Brothers On Using Suffering and Obstacles for Mental Development \nDownload Teaching as PDF:  Medicine For The Mind:  Instructions for My Boston Dharma Brothers On Using Suffering and Obstacles for Mental Development
URL:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/event/public-talk-medicine-for-the-mind-transforming-suffering-into-joy/
LOCATION:Private Residence\, CA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://manjushridharmacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/LightThroughForest.jpg
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