LOSAR Retreat & Celebration (Tibetan New Year)

Thursday, Feb. 11 to Sunday, Feb. 14

Lunch offerings by Lama Rabten Tshering

In the days leading up to Losar (Tibetan New Year), the practice of Mahakala is observed by Tibetan monasteries and most dharma centres in World. This is a Vajrayana Buddhist practice designed to welcome the new year and remove obstacles for the coming year. Nalandabodhi Vancouver is pleased to invite you to engage in this and other beneficial practices in our Losar Retreat. Feel free to attend some or part of the Retreat.

Losar itself falls on Sunday, February 14. On this day we will chant Losar liturgies from 9:30 am to 12 noon. Thereafter, we'll enjoy lunch and engage in Losar celebrations, including slide shows, songs, stories, and games!

Lama Rabten Tshering, our resident Lama, is kindly sponsoring free vegetarian lunches on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Attendees are welcome to also bring vegetarian dishes to share.

Open to all. By donation.

SCHEDULE

Thursday, Feb. 11:
7:30 pm – 9 pm: Chenrezig & Mahakala Practice (in Tibetan)

Friday, Feb. 12:
10 am – 12 noon: Tara Practice (in English)
12 noon – 2 pm: Lunch offering by Lama Rabten
2 pm – 5 pm: Calling the Guru from Afar & Mahakala Practice (in Tibetan)

Saturday, Feb. 13:
10 am – 12 noon: Tara Practice (in English)
12 noon – 2 pm: Lunch offering by Lama Rabten
2 pm – 5 pm: Calling the Guru from Afar & Mahakala Practice (in Tibetan)

LOSAR Sunday, Feb. 14:
9:30 am – 12 noon: Chants for Losar (in English)
12 noon and on: Lunch offering by Lama Rabten, plus slide shows, games, songs, party!

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Lama Rabten's teachings on "37 Practices of a Bodhisattva"

Sunday, Feb 7th and Sunday, Feb 21st, 2010

Including meditation instruction and shamatha practice
@ Maitrivana – All welcome

"The sources of benefit and happiness, the perfect buddhas,
Come from accomplishing the genuine dharma.
Since this depends on understanding their practices,
I will explain the practices of bodhisattvas."

-- Ngulchu Thogme

The bodhisattva training in compassion lies at the heart of the Mahayana Buddhist path. "37 Practices of a Bodhisattva" is Ngulchu Thogme’s renowned instructions on this vast and profound path.

On Sunday, Feb. 7, Lama Rabten Tshering resumes his teachings on this inspiring text. Thereafter, Lama will be teaching on Sundays as often as possible. Please visit our calendar for upcoming dates. The mornings begin with meditation instruction and shamatha practice. Feel free to drop in.

SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Meditation Instruction: 9:45 am -- 10 am
Shamatha: 10:00 am -- 10:30 am
Teaching: 10:30 -- 12 noon.

All welcome. By donation ($5 suggested).

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Rinpoche visits his Guru in Nepal

A Message from The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Dear Sangha Friends,

I recently had the great fortune to visit and spend time with my guru Khenpo Rinpoche at Tek Chok Ling in Kathmandu, Nepal. Rinpoche is doing very well and he is cheerful and happy to see students and give teachings. I, along with six other students arrived in Kathmandu on November 16. We had daily audiences with Rinpoche in the morning and received profound instructions in doha form. Students also had the chance to ask questions and Rinpoche answered them perfectly in doha verses, just as before. With his instructions, we also sang and danced as before. Rinpoche gave further instructions on how to dance. Rinpoche is also teaching the nuns occasionally and we were so lucky to have Rinpoche at one of the evening Tara dance practices of the nuns. As requested by the head nuns during my stay at Tek Chok Ling, and with the permission of Rinpoche, I taught the nuns on various topics, including Khenpo Rinpoche's guru yoga that was written by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. Rinpoche spends his time resting in the nature of mind retreat when he isn't seeing students or engaging with his close disciples and personal staff. I also met many of Rinpoche's disciples from the east and the west. They were also enjoying the true presence and instructions of our beloved father guru, who is the Buddha in person for us. As always, Rinpoche continues to manifest as a very spontaneous, unconventional, and uncompromising true vajra guru. His true, attachment-free love and compassion for beings is shining as brightly as ever with the sharp wisdom of his Buddha mind.

I was extremely happy to see the completion of the new nunnery, Tek Chok Ling and the Dhondrup Guesthouse. It was beautifully designed by an American architect named Lama Tenzin. The construction was directed by Chime Dorje, the son of Rinpoche's late general secretary, Karma Dargye. The nunnery is maintained and overseen beautifully by the Ani Lopon, Jampa Chozom. Rinpoche is served and cared for deeply by the nuns and his personal attendant and secretary Tsepak Dorje, another son of Rinpoche's late general secretary. Rinpoche is enjoying his presence there and is in good hands.

I wanted to share this cheerful news with all my dharma brothers and sisters of the lineage. Here are some pictures and A Dreamlike Song of Appearance-Emptiness which I had the fortune to write down. Please enjoy and continue to serve our lineage and our guru, Vajradhara Dechen Rangdrol.

With love,

dpr

Download A Dreamlike Song of Appearance-Emptiness (PDF)

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Shantideva's "The Bodhicharyavatara" (The Way of the Bodhisattva)

DVD series resumes Monday, January 4, 2010

Monday Night DVD dharma teachings by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
@ Maitrivana, the Garden of Loving Kindness

All are welcome to Nalandabodhi's DVD teaching series, "Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness," by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. This multi-part teaching runs Monday nights beginning September 14. Drop-ins are welcome.

ABOUT THE TEACHINGS

In The Bodhicharyavatara, the great Indian scholar Shantideva presents teachings on the Bodhisattva path in beautifully written verses. In this DVD series, The Dzochen Ponlop Rinpoche provides profound and engaging commentary on this classic text. He explains the physical and mental support that is the basis for bodhicitta (the awakened heart), the benefits and causes of bodhicitta, and the characteristics of relative and ultimate bodhicitta.

"Rinpoche intersperses his teachings with Kadampa methods for reducing negative actions and working with afflicted emotions. He concludes with practical methods for maintaining bodhicitta through heedfulness, mindfulness, and awareness. Throughout, Rinpoche teaches with humour and profound clarity. Translation assistance by Tyler Dewar." -- from the liner notes

Monday Night SCHEDULE

Doors open: 6:30 pm
Meditation: 6:45 pm - 7:15 pm
DVD teaching: 7:30 pm - approx. 8:15 pm, followed by informal discussion til around 8:45 pm
Drop-ins welcome.
Suggested donation: $5 or what you can afford. No one turned away.

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MAITRIVANA IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Nalandabodhi Vancouver's new Dharma Centre, Maitrivana (Sanskrit: "Garden of Loving Kindness"; pronounced my-tree-vana), is open to the public. All are welcome. Having completed our renovations (started in March 2007) and successfully acquiring a Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Vancouver (November 2007), we are fully permitted and equipped to host public programs.

Please visit our Calendar to see what kind of teaching, meditation, and study programs Nalandabodhi has to offer in the coming months.

Lhabab Duchen 2007: First group photo taken in Maitrivana's new and completed shrineroom.

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HELP NALANDABODHI HELP THE COMMUNITY

Artwork by His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Orgyen Drudul Trinley Dorje

Nalandabodhi, as a registered non-profit organization in Canada, provides high calibre Dharma study and practice opportunities to the greater community, at very nominal or no cost. We fundamentally believe that the teachings of the Buddha should be free!

However, being part of the material world, we must also meet our financial obligations, just like any other householder, including the mortgage for our new Dharma centre, Matirivana (The Garden of Loving Kindness).

Help us help others! If you happen to like what we do and what we have to offer the community, we have a very special way of enabling you to support us. To our great fortune, His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gifted Nalandabodhi with original artwork to aid our financial sustainability projects. We have made the highest quality fine art reproductions of this artwork and we're "selling" these limited edition reproductions to the public as way of generating financial support for our activities.

Note: watermarks do not appear on the originals

In the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, The Karmapa is regarded as a very high spiritual figure, much like His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

One of the best ways you can help Nalandabodhi is to purchase one of these Limited edition reproductions. All the funds generated by these art sales will go towards supporting Nalandabodhi with its Maitrivana project costs (i.e. renovation and ongoing mortgage costs). By purchasing one of His Holiness' artwork reproductions you not only support Nalandbodhi's activities, but you also take home a beautiful piece of spiritual artwork. To view samples and for more details click here.

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