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Meeting ID: 870 8962 8981
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcuGfBC5fS
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Please join us at the center as we welcome Rinpoche's arrival. This will be followed with an auspicious offering and prayer ceremony.
We are happy to announce that Rinpoche will be joining us for Guru Puja & Tsog on this occasion. All are welcomed to attend in-person.
We will live-streaming on our Facebook page only: https://www.facebook.com/gstdl
“In this profound work of five hundred verses, we encounter a presentation of Buddhism that integrates both the worldly and the transcendent. The clear and sagacious advice laid out on every page serves as a road map to one’s highest goal—whether that goal is a better life, here called the Dharma of ascendance, or the ultimate one of spiritual freedom, the Dharma of the highest good. The verses, written for an unnamed ruler, touch on questions of statecraft, but their broader themes speak to us today because they tackle the difficulty of integrating one’s spiritual journey with the social and political demands of daily life.” - Excerpt taken from Wisdom Publications
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Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of all Buddhas' compassion. Two well-known forms of Avalokiteshvara are Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara and Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara is cultivated for the development of "Great compassion," an essential condition leading to the state of enlightenment. The practice of Avalokiteshvara promotes world peace and gives rise to loving kindness and compassion in the minds of all sentient beings. Participating in this empowerment does not involve tantric commitments.
A "Wang" is an extensive tantric empowerment that gives one permission to practice complete visualizations and recitations of a specific deity in their entirety. A "Je-Nang" is a concise empowerment that gives one permission to engage in general recitations of a specific deity and as acts more as an auspicious receiving of that deity's blessings of body, speech, and mind.
Please note the updated schedule and description as of 10/6/24. The Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara Initiation originally scheduled in the afternoon has been canceled.
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Arya Tara is the embodiment of all Buddhas’ enlightened activities. The two prominent forms of Arya Tara are Green and White. White Arya Tara is one of the longevity deities cultivated by many yogis to prolong their precious human lives to seek enlightenment. Gurus conduct White Arya Tara’s long life empowerment to promote good physical and mental health and facilitate the development of Dharma practice. Participating in this empowerment does not usually involve tantric commitments.
For further information about initiations, please read this insightful article from the Berzin Archives: https://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/tantra/buddhist-tantra/what-is-an-initiation
You are welcomed to buy the book online. Books will also be available at the center for sale at its discounted price.
Wisdom Publications: https://wisdomexperience.org/product/nagarjunas-precious-garland/
Promo Code: Enter NPG20 to receive a 20% discount on the book at checkout. This code is valid until December 31, 2024.
Although we will be using the McClintock/Dunner version of Precious Garland during the actual teachings, the following are suggested readings in addition to the text.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
Due to the limited capacity in our gompa, chair seating will be reserved for special needs students. We will try our best to accommodate seating to as many student as possible, but the remaining cushions and chair seats will be on a first come, first serve basis. A mix of chairs and cushions will be placed in different sections of the center including the bookstore, Vietnamese translation room, and the living room (alternative seating room). For those requiring chairs, we ask that you let us know early in advance. Some of you have already notified via the sign-up sheet.
Because of limited capacity in the main gompa, we are requesting students to bring their own earplugs or headset along with their smartphone/handheld FM radio, in case they find themselves in the Vietnamese room or in the alternative seating room (living room in monks' residence). You can listen to the teachings via FM (within center grounds only), you can listen by connecting to Zoom via video or calling-in (see Zoom information above).
If you are asked to be or willing to be in the living room, you will be able to watch the teachings via Zoom on a large monitor.
GSTDL is located, primarily, in a residential area with limited parking available on the streets. There is no parking lot available. We encourage students to use alternative methods of transportation such as the bus (https://ridelbt.com/), carpool, or use ride share services to our center. This will help minimize traffic and parking congestion in the residential areas.
If you do bring a vehicle and park on the streets, please make sure you read the signs carefully to avoid parking tickets.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact us at office@gstdl.org.