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This Week at Kurukulla Center
December 27, 2010 - January 2, 2011
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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, I hope the winter holidays find you well. In class this morning Geshe Tenley warned us all of Kamadeva, the demon of lust, and the many blessings he bestows upon us in the form of laziness! To help stamp out that laziness, we are excited to begin the new calendar year with an active schedule, and hope to offer as many opportunities for study and practice as possible! Things to look forward to are:
* Meditation 101 - A four week course beginning January 3 * New Discovering Buddhism classes on "Death & Rebirth," beginning January 13 * Kurukulla South resuming, at a new location in Bridgewater in mid-February, more details to come * Parent & Children's "Book Club" and Vegan baking class, February 12 * Guest teacher Ven. Amy Milleroffering a variety of classes in February, more details to come * Guest teacher Ven. Antonio Satta offering a variety of classes in May, more details to come * Other guest teachers, more details to come
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Geshe Tsulga-la have worked continuously to establish Kurukulla Center as cause for Dharma to flourish in New England, for generations to come, and we are excited to always be working to realize those visions. Please join us! Also, please note that there is no Wednesday night class this upcoming week, Geshe Tenley is taking a much needed night off!
Annual New Year's Vajrasattva Purification Retreat at Milarepa Center with Ven. Amy Miller December 29, 2010 - January 1, 2011
We are happy to share with you this wonderful retreat opportunity at our sister center in Vermont!
More information about the retreat, including registration information, can be found on Milarepa's website.
No New Year's Events at Kurukulla Center this year
We had hoped to organize a potluck and movie night at Kurukulla Center to celebrate the new year, but we were a little late in our organizing efforts and it seems everyone has already made plans! Due to a weak response to last week's interest request, we will not having a potluck this year. Sorry!
Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Guhyasamaja Center, July 17
The day after the Kalachakra Initiation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Informal Kalachakra Group
Speaking of the Kalachakra Tantra Initiation, we are sure a lot of you are attending, and in the process of figuring out travel and accommodation plans. We thought we would try and organize an email list of people who are attending and still up in the air about plans, to try and make it as easy as possible. Please note: We are not able to actually make any arrangements, we are simply working to connect the various individuals who are making or in need of arrangements. If you would like to be included in this email list, please email Tsültrim Davis at tsultrimdavis@kurukulla.org.
The Launch of VajraTV
A few years ago, Lama Zopa Rinpoche suggested it would be beneficial for every FPMT center to have a life-sized Maitreya statue, and a small number of statues, in the same design as those that travel with the Relics Tour, were produced. Once again they have produced a limited quantity of these statues, and they are available for purchase not only by FPMT centers but by individuals as well. If you would like to find out more information, you can visit the Maitreya Project website.
Thank you again for your wonderful support. Much love,  Debra Thornburg Director |
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Calendar of Events
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Monday, December 27
Prayers for Geshe Tsulga-la's Passing 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and The King of Prayers, prayers requested of us both by our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la, as well as by his teachers at this time.
Tuesday, December 28 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 Geshe Tsulga-la's Passing 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and The King of Prayers, prayers requested of us both by our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la, as well as by his teachers at this time.
There is no Yoga & Meditation this week. It resumes Tuesday, January 4.
Wednesday, December 29
Prayers for Geshe Tsulga-la's Passing 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and The King of Prayers, prayers requested of us both by our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la, as well as by his teachers at this time. There is no 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva this week. It resumes Wednesday, January 5.
Thursday, December 30
Prayers for Geshe Tsulga-la's Passing 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and The King of Prayers, prayers requested of us both by our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la, as well as by his teachers at this time.
Guru Puja (Lama Chopa) 7:00 pm - 9:00 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.
To create merit, positive connection, it is traditional to bring offerings for the altar, which then becomes the basis for the visualized offerings made during the puja; cookies, fruit, flowers, tea lights (unscented), or saffron are suggested. All are welcome.
Friday, December 31 Prayers for Geshe Tsulga-la's Passing 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Join us for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and The King of Prayers, prayers requested of us both by our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la, as well as by his teachers at this time. There is no Morning Meditation this Friday. It returns for both Tuesday and Friday sessions next week.
Saturday, January 1
Prayer Recitations - Recognition of the 6th "Seventh Day" after Geshe-la's Passing
Join us today for recitations of Chanting the Names of Manjushri and The King of Prayers, prayers requested of us both by our precious teacher Geshe Tsulga-la, as well as by his teachers at this time.
Sunday, January 2 Confession and Prostration to the Thirty-five Buddhas with a senior student This powerful purification practice contains the elements of "the four opponent powers" and includes prostration, recitation and visualization. This practice is highly recommended by our teachers. For development along the path it's very important to "weed our garden" or purify the negative seeds on our mindstream. This session is a great opportunity to learn through doing.
Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand Day 2 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. Today Geshe-la continues his commentary on Day 2 or Chapter 2. If you are unable to join us at our center, you can listen on-line to the live broadcast. |
 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! |
Ring in the New Year in a most meaningful way by joining this deeply purifying retreat. This retreat is appropriate for all levels of practitioners and a great way to gain familiarity with how to do effective retreat. Videos of Lama Yeshe will be shown throughout the retreat and there will be sessions of guided visualization, mantra recitation, and silent meditation.
ends in Washington DC, Rinpoche will be giving a one-day teaching on the Kalachakra Six Session Guru Yoga at nearby Guhyasamaja Center, in Virginia. There are no additional details available yet on their website, 
Vajra TV
