This Week at Kurukulla Center
October 11, 2010 - October 17, 2010
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From the Director
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Quick Links About Us Programs Calendar Audio Teachings Stupa Project Contact Us eNews Archive We need your support! With over $8,000 of monthly expenses, we need your continued support. Please consider making a one-time donation, becoming a member, or increasing your membership. Thank you for all you do to support our center and the Dharma! Kurukulla Center is affiliated with the FPMT. If you would like to receive the FPMT's monthly newsletter, please subscribe here. In affiliation with the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Follow us on Facebook! Visit us on our Blog! |
Dear Kurukulla Community, Thank you for your continued support of Kurukulla Center and the many acitivites we offer. The magnanimity and dedication of you, the Kurukulla community, are what let us continue to share the Dharma in so many diverse ways. Geshe-la Update
This morning Geshe-la generously continued his amazing teaching on the final chapter, Dedication, of Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva. He reminded us this morning that although we might show devotion and faith, if it hasn't transformed our minds, the teaching has not benefitted us very much. The fault is neither from the side of the teaching nor the teacher, but from our relationship to the teachings and to our practice and living of them. Making requests and prayers to the buddhas are important activities, but we still need to do the work ourselves, it is our responsibility.
Geshe-la has said that if we want to work to generate the causes and conditions that are most beneficial for his continued good health and long life, we need to embrace this responsibility, and recommit ourselves to our practice of Dharma, the transformation of our hearts and minds. To help facilitate this deep introspection we are going to be offering Geshe-la "Commitment Cards" after class next Sunday October 17, which you can read about below. Until then we continue our other practices dedicated to Geshe-la's long life, and this week's tallies are:
Varjapani mantras - 109 malas
Please feel free to participate in these practices, and you can dedicate the merit from any practice to Geshe as well. You're welcome to email us with any questions.
Commitment Cards We recently requested from Geshe-la if we could offer him a long life puja before he left for India but he declined, saying it would not be of much benefit. As mentioned after class this morning, he expressed a small amount of disappointment with regard to our Dharma practices and commitments to study, and suggested that what would be of most benefit to cultivate the best conditions for his continued good health and long life, for him to stay and teach, would be for us to really re-examine our practice of Dharma and recommit ourselves to living the Dharma in every moment of our lives.
To that end, Assistant Director Sean Gonzalez has worked with the sangha and the rest of the Management Committee to develop a "Commitment Card," wherein we can take a sincere look at our practice of Dharma and push ourselves to do better. These are designed to be cards we fill out and offer to Geshe-la, and all of the merit accumulated through our recommitment is dedicated to Geshe-la. He will sign them and they can go on our altars as reminders of our commitment to our teacher. We will be offering these to Geshe-la next Sunday, October 17.
This is an exciting opportunity to remind ourselves how important the Dharma is to our lives, and how important Geshe-la is for sharing the Dharma with us. We invite you to read a letter from Sean to the Kurukulla Community which describes the Commitment Cards in much greater detail and includes all the information you need to know about them on our website.
Upcoming Recitation of The Sutra of Golden Light
On Sunday, October 24 we will not have regular class, as all of the Sangha will be attending teachings with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Toronto. However, Center member Askold is sponsoring a recitation of The Sutra of Golden Light, to be dedicated to the continued long life and good health of our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la. It will be in place of class Sunday morning, starting at 10:00 am and lasting until 1:30 - 2:00 pm, with a few breaks scheduled in. Copies of the text will be provided.
We highly encourage everyone to come, even if they are not able to stay for the whole time; the longer one can stay the better, but Lama Zopa has said that to recite even one line from The Sutra of Golden Light is of immense benefit. You can read more benefits as described by Lama Zopa on the FPMT site, as well as download a copy of the sutra. This is a wonderful opportunity to benefit all sentient beings with the performance of an important, sacred text and an opportunity to offer a treasure-house of merit to Geshe-la, we hope to see you there!
Upcoming Tara Initiation
We are very fortunate that Geshe-la would like to offer a Green Tara Initiation before he leaves for India for the winter. It will be in place of class on Sunday November 7, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The commitment that Geshe-la will expect of all attending the Green Tara Initiation is to recite the ten syllable mantra (OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA) 100x daily (one mala). If one is already reciting the mantra 100x or more daily, then that's enough; no need to add this on top of that. One can only attend the initiation if one is committed to reciting the mantra. If one cannot commit to doing this, then one cannot attend the initiation, even as a blessing.
According to Lama Zopa, "There are so many inner obstacles to the development of your mind, and these inner obstacles create many outer obstacles. Therefore, for the success of your practice, you must rely upon a special buddha such as Tara. All the actions of the buddhas have manifested in this female form, Tara the Liberator". We encourage you to reflect on your practice and if you are able to keep Geshe-la's commitment please attend the Initiation, it is a wonderful opportunity.
Tara Pond
Work on completing our backyard pureland continues apace as the Tara Pond moves closer and closer to completion every day. For more photos of the Tara Pond progress, please view our album on Facebook.
Through your dedication and generosity we have been able to raise enough funds to cover the expenses of the stupa itself, but as the project grew into the beautiful circumambulation path and the elaborate Tara pond, so did the budget. The importance of your continued support as we finish this transformation of our backyard cannot be overstated. Please specify "Stupa project" on any offerings you would like to contribute to the successful completion of this project which has been a number of years in the making.
Kurukulla Center Membership
I sent out an email a few days ago asking for your end-of-year support, through memberships and special gifts and we'll be sending out a similar email again! We have slightly changed our membership categories to more closely parallel FPMT's, you can see the Membership categories and sign up online at our Membership page. Thank you for giving it due consideration and for your generous responses, it is your kindness and generosity that allow the Center to continue to offer so many amazing opportunities to study and practice the Dharma. Please do what you can. Thank you again.
Kurukulla South
Last week saw the successful second installment of Kurukulla South, our venture to offer Dharma to Center members, old and new, who live south of Boston and in Northern Rhode Island. This current series of classes, exploring the three foundations of the path as taught in Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Virtue and Reality, being taught by co-SPC Tsültrim, will run through November 2.
Similar to all of our classes, we offer the Dharma for free and neither charge nor have a suggested donation for any of these classes. That said, we could use your support as we continue this project, as we do have some fees, such as space rental, etc. If you're as excited as we are about this new venture, and sharing the Dharma to a wider audience, we encourage you to donate to this project, being sure to mark any donation with "Kurukulla South" in the memo field or on the envelope. Thanks!
Two Pujas this week As you will notice in the Calendar of Events below, we have two pujas this week. There is a Tara Puja on Friday October 15th at 7:00 pm and a Guru Puja on Sunday October 17th at 4:00 pm. Pujas are opportunities to earn great amounts of merit and strengthen our connection with our gurus, the buddhas, the Dharma. We encourage everyone to attend, we hope to see you there.
Halloween Candy
Every year Kurukulla Center is known for giving our great Halloween candy, and let's not make this year an exception! If you would like to make an offering to our Halloween, there is a collection box in the entryway where you can drop off any candy you bring by. Geshe-la blesses all of the candy before we give it out, so it is a wonderful chance to share blessings with the community. Ven. Tsunma-la, who distributes it every year, says to "Get the good stuff!"
Lobster Liberation
Geshe Tenley, Haim and others released 176 lobsters on Friday around 3:30PM, 190 pounds, in the ocean, approx. 1 nautical mile out of Gloucester, with circumambulations, prayers and dedication done beforehand. If center members are interested in holding another lobster liberation, Haim has agreed to do one, so email him at haim.k.2@gmail.com if you're interested.
Lama Zopa encourages us to support and perform animal liberations as well as other practices to benefit animals, and you can read a teaching he gave about it on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Day-long Yoga & Meditation Retreat with Wendy Cook & Elizabeth Brown
We are very excited to be able to offer our space for two day-long yoga & meditation retreats, on October 30 and November 13. These retreats are being organized and taught by former KKC Director Wendy Cook and Elizabeth Brown, another local yoga instructor. Not only are these retreats a great opportunity to re-align your body and mind, but proceeds will go to the Center, so we especially encourage you to attend! You can find out more information as well as download a flyer from our Calendar page.
Relics Tour in Worcester
The Maitreya Project Relics, which Kurukulla was lucky enough to host last year, are just down the road in Worcester at the Linh Son Temple this weekend:
Friday, Oct 15 - 6pm: Opening Ceremony
Linh Son Temple is located at 16 Ruthven Avenue in Worcester, MA.
Thank you again for your wonderful support. Much love, Nick Ribush Director |
Calendar of Events
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Monday, October 11
There is no Introduction to Buddhism with Ven. Ani Yeshe this week, it will return October 18.
Tuesday, October 12 Morning Meditation with Tsunma-la (Sue Macy) 6:30 am to 7:00 am Start your day on the right foot by calming your mind, setting your day's purpose to be a meaningful one and remembering to just breathe! Resident nun Tsunma-la leads basic meditations that help stabilize the mind by learning to focus on the breath. By using these simple techniques, you can bring a sense of tranquility to your day. If you plan to join Tsunma-la in the meditation hall (gompa) at Kurukulla Center please arrive a few minutes early. We will start promptly at 6:30 am. Feel free to listen live online.
Yoga & Meditation with Wendy Cook 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm These classes include therapeutic movements, standing postures, back strengthening postures and hip openers. The last twenty minutes are spent in guided meditation, including breath awareness, visualization, and analytical techniques to enhance our inner good qualities. Suitable for both experienced and new students, you are welcome to attend on a drop-in basis. Please arrive a few minutes early and wear comfortable, fitted and modest clothing.
Improve Your Life From Within, an Introduction to Buddhism with Tsultrim Davis
Wednesday, October 13 Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas with Venerable Geshe Tenley 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Geshe-la continues an explanation of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas by Togme Sangpo (1245-1369.) Come and discover what it means to model your actions after those of a bodhisattva. All are welcome. A copy of the text will be distributed in class and a commentary by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is available on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website. Other contemporary commentaries are available for purchase in our bookstore. Feel free to listen live online.
Thursday, October 14 Discovering Buddhism: Presenting the Path with Tsunma-la (Sue Macy) 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Resident nun Tsunma-la continues teaching the Discovering Buddhism program with the third module: "Presenting the Path." Think of this series as understanding how to GoogleMap your mind--how to figure out the directions to get from where you are now to your eventual destination, complete enlightenment. This overview of the Buddhist path will give you a summary of the most fundamental ideas in Buddhism.
The course meets on six Thursday evenings: Sept 9, 16 & 30 and Oct 7, 14 & 21. It is highly recommended you attend all six sessions but it is not required. Feel free to listen live online. Friday, October 15 Morning Meditation with Tsunma-la (Sue Macy) 6:30 am to 7:00 am Resident nun Tsunma-la continues the Morning Meditation series on Fridays with a variation on the stabilizing meditations that have been offered earlier. The focus is now using our analytical mind to investigate core Buddhist concepts as a way to deepen our understanding of them. Today we explore our impermanence as it manifests in our breath and our body. If you plan to join Tsunma-la in the meditation hall (gompa) at Kurukulla Center, please arrive a few minutes early. We will start promptly at 6:30 am.
You are also welcome to participate from your home by listening on-line to the live broadcast.
Tara Puja 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Tara is a female Buddha and represents the enlightened activity of the Buddhas. Once a month, we pay homage to her by doing practices for this specially loved Buddha. Practices to Tara are said to remove obstacles to both our spiritual and worldly success. Since most of the recitation is done in English, the Tara puja is easily accessible to those unfamiliar with this type of chanting ceremony practice.
Sunday, October 17
Dedication - Chapter 10 from Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life with Venerable Geshe Tsulga
This course is from the Basic Program, a multi-year program offering a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of core Buddhist texts. Prior participation in theBasic Program or a background in Buddhist philosophy is recommended. If you would like to receive the handouts, homework and materials for this course, please click the link at the bottom of this email, "Update Profile/Email Address," and be sure that "Basic Program" is selected, or email us and we will manually add you to the list.
Guru Puja (Lama Chopa)
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Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies 68 Magoun Avenue Medford, MA 02155 617.624.0177 http://www.kurukulla.org |
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes! |