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This Week at Kurukulla Center
November 15, 2010 - November 21, 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, It has been another busy week at the Center, and we look forward to more to come! Today marks the official last day of Nick Ribush's tenure as Kurukulla Center Director, and I certainly have some big shoes to fill! Nick has done an absolutely incredible job not just running the Center but growing the Center, and we really are a place that is welcoming and encouraging more and new members every day. Not to mention the incredible Kalachakra Stupa for Peace that he was able to get completed! Thank you, Nick! I am excited to officially begin my new role as Director, and look forward to helping the Center be as much benefit to all beings as it can.  Geshe-la Update As was mentioned after class today, Geshe-la is continuing to manifest a weakness of physical body, though his mind is clear and engaged. Even as his physical body weakens, his concern is with us, with his students. His incredible compassion and wisdom are unflinchingly focused on us, still working to help ensure that we study Dharma, that we live Dharma, more and more in our lives. Geshe-la has suggested and requested a few different practices from us--including recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri (Manjushrinamasamgiti), the King of Prayers, and 100,000 recitations of Hayagriva mantra + a special requesting prayer--but it is important for us to recognize that those requests and recommendations are not for his benefit, but for our own. Geshe-la is offering us opportunities to accumulate merit and to engrave the Dharma more firmly on our hearts, to let it permeate every moment of our lives, and we are grateful for the opportunity and for the incredible teachings he is continuing to offer us.
As Geshe-la continues to manifest an increasingly weaker physical state, there is no reason for us to feel sad for him. Geshe-la has worked for many years to make Kurukulla what it is, a Center which shares the glorious teachings of the Buddha with the world. As we re-commit ourselves to our practice of Dharma we can re-commit ourselves to the vision of Kurukulla Center that he has worked so long for, and we can continue to work to make Kurukulla grow and prosper, and be of immeasurable benefit to all beings. Geshe-la has gone through all of our Commitment Cards, and after they were all signed he held the whole pile to the crown of his head for a full minute, blessing them, rejoicing and dedicating. He was very pleased with our commitments to the Dharma, and encouraged us to fulfill them, every moment committing ourselves to the Dharma. Every day this week we will be reciting prayers that Geshe-la has suggested and requested from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm, you are welcome to join us in person or online. You can keep track of our mantra tally on our homepage, but at the time of sending this we had reached more than 65,700, rejoice! You can email your daily tallies, as well as any questions, to program@kurukulla.org. Our tally this week of other practices for Geshe-la is: White Tara mantras: 112 malas Vajrapani mantras: 388 malas Green Tara mantras: 21 malas Chenrezig mantras: 21 malas Manjushrinamasamgiti recitations: 14 King of Prayers recitations: 31 Eight Mahayana Precepts: 3 days
November Book Club with Venerable Tsunma-la Next Saturday! November 20, 1:00 pm - 3:00pm
Tsunma-la's monthly book club will be a little bit different than usual this month. We will be joined by Kurukulla Center Spiritual Program Coordinator and resident vegan baker Tsültrim Davis, who will not only share a few recipes from the KKC Vegan Cookbook he is compiling, but also give a baking demonstration! In addition he has agreed to talk about what it means to eat for precepts, as well as lead a discussion about vegetarianism and Buddhism.
There is no "official book" for the book club this month, but the book Food of Bodhisattvas, which contains the translations of two texts by 18th - 19th century Tibetan scholar Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, is suggested as background reading as a starting point of the conversation.
Artists in our Midst
For the last few months we have been updating you on the amazing work our Nepali artists, Sonam and Jampel, have been doing making Kurukulla Center a more beautiful place, as they completed work on a Kalachakra Stupa, Tara Pond, a new back gate and a new front sign for the Center, rejoice!
They will be around for a while longer yet, and while they are here they are available to hire on commission to build statues and paint thangkas, as well as other traditional Tibetan arts. If you're looking for a new addition to your home gompa, this is a great opportunity. You may have noticed the unfinished Tara statue in our gompa, which was in need of a new crown and a fresh coat of paint. Well, they have already started giving her a makeover, and are available to repair art you might already have or design new works for you. If you're interested, please contact Damchoe.
Buddhism in a Nutshell
Buddhism in a Nutshell is an introductory course on Buddhism for beginners or those wishing to learn about Buddhism as practiced at Kurukulla Center. The course is organized by our parent organization the FPMT. It presents basic Buddhist philosophy and principles within the Tibetan Mahayana context, and provides simple meditation instruction. I am delighted to announce that SPC Tsültrim Davis has agreed to teach this four week series of classes, beginning tomorrow, Monday November 15. This is not only a great introductory course on Buddhism, but good a way to introduce friends and family to the Dharma, we encourage you to invite your friends!
Merit Boxes
For everyone who is engaging in an FPMT "Merit Box" practice, please submit all donations by November 22 so they can be sent to the FPMT main office before Lama Tsongkhapa Day, when they do the yearly tally. To make it a bit easier for us, please convert all change into bills or checks, if possible, and be sure to specify "Merit Box" either on the check or the envelope when leaving your contribution.
For everyone who is unsure as to what the Merit Box Project is, we encourage you to read more about it on the FPMT website. In brief, it is an opportunity to include generosity in your regular practice, and every year the FPMT distributes the funds raised--totaling around $70,000 last year!--to various charitable projects they are engaged in.
Membership
Over the last year, Kurukulla Center has been fortunate enough to offer numerous teachings and special events, all for the benefit of sentient beings, rejoice! We are able to continue to offer all of this thanks to the generosity and dedication of the community. Please click here to see a list of some of the offerings Kurukulla Center has been able to make this year, as well as a break-down of our monthly budget, and consider making a donation or becoming a member!
Tibet in Song playing at Kendall Square Cinema
We wanted to alert the community to a wonderful film, written and directed by Tibetan artist Ngawang Choephel, playing this week only at Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, called Tibet in Song. Ngawang Choephel shares the story of his travels into Tibet to document Tibetan folk music traditions and his unlawful imprisonment by the Chinese government as a consequence, exploring the ways Tibetan culture has been viewed as a threat by the occupying forces, and how it has been and is being systematically eliminated from the Tibetan historical memory. It is only scheduled to be there for a week, so don't miss it! You can click the title above to visit their website, click here for a schedule of show times, or see a trailer below.
Got an old car?
We mentioned this a few weeks ago, and while we have had a few leads nothing has panned out yet. It is not, technically, a request for Kurukulla Center, but as Tsültrim is so engaged and busy at the Center we thought we could help him out a bit.
If anyone has an old car they are looking to get rid of, or sell for cheap, we've got just the opportunity for you! Spiritual Program Coordinator Tsültrim Davis has a car that is on its last legs. Seeing as how he lives in Medford but we have him driving down south to Hingham to teach once a week and as far north as Chelmsford to fulfill other Kurukulla commitments, never mind the many errands he runs for the sangha and artists, it would be in our best interest if he could continue to do so!
He is planning on studying at Sera Je monastery next year, and currently working to save money to pay off his student loans from studying at Harvard Divinity School (loans which will follow him to India), so his fiscal resources are a bit constrained. If you have a car you are willing to sell for cheap--it doesn't need to be new or pretty, just roadworthy and safe--or are able to help in anyway, please email us and let us know. Thanks!
Thank you again for your wonderful support. Much love,  Debra Thornburg Director |
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Calendar of Events
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Monday, November 15 Prayers for Health and Long Life of Geshe Tsulga 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and King of Prayers, dedicated to the continued health and long life of our precious teacher. Feel free to join us online. Buddhism in a Nutshellwith Tsultrim Davis 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Buddhism in a Nutshell is an introductory course on Buddhism for beginners or those wishing to learn about Buddhism as practiced at Kurukulla Center. The course is organized by our parent organization the FPMT. It presents basic Buddhist philosophy and principles within the Tibetan Mahayana context, and provides simple meditation instruction. It is a series of four courses that will meet Mondays 11/15. 11/22, 11/29 and 12/6. This is a great way to introduce friends and family to Buddhism, we encourage you to invite your friends!
All are welcome!
There is no Introduction to Buddhism for the next several weeks. It will return in 2011.
Tuesday, November 16 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. Prayers for Health and Long Life of Geshe Tsulga 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and King of Prayers, dedicated to the continued health and long life of our precious teacher. Feel free to join us online.
Guru Puja (Lama Chopa) 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm The word puja means "to please" and has the connotation to please through offerings and practice. The Guru Puja lays the whole path to enlightenment on our mindstream, connects us more strongly to our teachers, allows us to accumulate skies of merit and purifies eons of negative karma. We perform this practice on the 10th and 25th of the lunar Tibetan calendar, a time that is special for making the "tsok" offering, a particular ritual inserted into the Guru Puja. We chant the first 2/3rds of this puja in Tibetan and the last 1/3 we recite in English. There is no Yoga & Meditation with Wendy Cook this week, it will return November 23.
Wednesday, November 17 Prayers for Health and Long Life of Geshe Tsulga 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and King of Prayers, dedicated to the continued health and long life of our precious teacher. Feel free to join us online.
Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas with 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, November 18
Prayers for Health and Long Life of Geshe Tsulga 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and King of Prayers, dedicated to the continued health and long life of our precious teacher. Feel free to join us online.
Discovering Buddhism: The Spiritual Teacher with Tsunma-la (Sue Macy) 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Resident nun Tsunma-la continues teaching on the Discovering Buddhism course: Relating to a Spiritual Teacher. Tsunma-la will cover the importance and role of a spiritual teacher in Buddhist practice, the ideal qualities of a teacher, and how students can gain the most benefit from the student-teacher relationship.
Presenting the Path is the fourth of fourteen modules in our Discovering Buddhism program. This is a multi-session series that meets Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. It is not necessary to have attended the earlier modules in order to attend the later ones. 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 "Discovering Buddhism" is selected, or email us and we will manually add you to the list.
Friday, November 19 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. This morning we will explore sympathetic joy, the third of the four immeasurables. These four (love, compassion, joy and equanimity) are powerful antidotes to negative mental states. 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.
Prayers for Health and Long Life of Geshe Tsulga 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and King of Prayers, dedicated to the continued health and long life of our precious teacher. Feel free to join us online.
Saturday, November 20
Monthly Book Club with Tsunma-la and special guest Tsültrim Davis The Book Club will be a little bit different than usual this month. We will be joined by Kurukulla Center Spiritual Program Coordinator and resident vegan baker Tsultrim Davis, who will not only share a few recipes from the KKC Vegan Cookbook he is compiling, but also give a baking demonstration! In addition he has agreed to talk about what it means to eat for precepts, as well as lead a discussion about vegetarianism and Buddhism. There is no "official book" for the book club this month, but the book Food of Bodhisattvas, which contains the translations of two texts by 18th - 19th century Tibetan scholar Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol, is suggested as background reading as a starting point of the conversation.
Sunday, November 21 Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand Day 1 with Geshe Tenley 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Pabongka Rinpoche's Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand is the seminal lam-rim or stages on the path to enlightenment text of the 20th century. It is a transcription of a 24 day lam rim teaching given in 1921 and lays out the steps one follows to reach liberation and enlightenment. Offered as a "practical teaching," it is less scholarly than Je Tsongkhapa's Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment popularly known as The Lam Rim Chen Mo and so is the text from which most modern lamas teach lam rim.
Medicine Buddha Puja (Full Moon) 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm Puja is a Sanskrit word that means pleasing by making offerings. Making offering prayers to the Medicine Buddhas is the same as offering to numberless buddhas and brings inconceivable merit like the limitless sky. The special mantra of the Medicine Buddha quickly actualizes prayers that the Medicine Buddhas made in the past: to bring happiness to all beings by showing them the causes of enlightenment, pacifying their problems, fulfilling their positive wishes and, especially, helping those afflicted by illness. The Medicine Buddha practice is extremely powerful and beneficial for the sick and dying, helps those who have already passed away, allows those practicing healing methods to benefit others more profoundly and helps bring success in general. We dedicate the merit from this practice to the full recovery and long-life of our precious resident teacher Geshe Tsulga.
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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! |
