Phase one of our renovation is complete. We have new lights, a new paint job, a new hardwood floor, and landscaping and prayer flags outside.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. May all beings benefit!

The Shrine room in the center is being renovated.

The renovation includes new LED lights, hardwood floor, and painting.

June 21: Here are some pictures of the installation of the floor.

And new prayer flags in front.

June 17: The material for the floor has been delivered and is acclimating. The installation is scheduled this week.

The color was selected to be compatible with the shrine.

June 10: The replacement of the floor is scheduled for June 18-22. During the work we will not be able to have our weekly Wednesday meditation. We are planning to move the shrine back into the Shrine Room on the 23rd and have our Sunday practice on the 24th.

June 3: We will resume Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Meditation while the renovation of the floor continues.

May 28: The painting is finished, but the floor will take until at least mid-June to be renovated.

Because of the condition of the floor we will need to have plywood sub-flooring under the new floor. We are leaning towards red oak with a gold finish.

With the red accents we can see how the colors will look. The colors in these pictures look different based on lighting conditions and the phone camera used.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the painting effort.

Angela Moody, our master painter and her kids did the major part of the painting.

Angela’s son Caleb

Angela’s daughter Virginia and our old friend Ken, who has also done a lot of painting over many years.

Sue is Angela’s Aunt and our Production Manger…

Lama Nancy

Joe who put in a lot of time and effort, including transforming the window seat…

Pat

Barbara and Tim

The original floor from the store needs some help.
The store was built in 1906.

May 11: Removing the carpeting that has held up well since 1989.

With this much padding we didn’t notice the bumps in the floor.

May 9: The Karmapa throne was disassembled for moving. Pictures and thankas have been removed. The fabric on the thrones and tables is 20 years old and will be updated.

The LED lights are energy-efficient and provide even lighting over the whole shrine room.

And they can be adjusted to any brightness so we can adjust the amount of light in the room.

courtesy KTD

The Abbot of KTD and the founder of Ann Arbor KTC, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche will teach on the text Chakme Démön also known as the “Aspiration Prayer of Sukhavati”

The prayer, written by Chakme Rinpoche, is a prayer aspiring to be reborn in Sukhavati, Land of Great Bliss created by the power of compassionate aspiration of Buddha Amitabha. Once born there, one will experience no suffering, and will practice the Dharma until complete enlightenment.

We will be viewing the webcast as a group at Ann Arbor KTC. There is also an opportunity to submit questions for Khenpo Rinpoche.

The webcast schedule is:
FRIDAY:
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY:
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
SUNDAY:
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Free. Donations are welcome.

Update: We had a wonderful visit, the teachings were very helpful. Here is a picture of Lama Kathy with some of the people who attended.

Lama Kathy Wesley will be visiting the Ann Arbor KTC in May and will be giving a free public talk and a weekend meditation seminar.

Free Public Talk: Cultivating an Awakened Mind in Life and Death
Friday May 4 — 7:30 p.m.
The teachings of Tibetan Buddhism remind us of the preciousness of our life, and its great promise: if we can tame our minds, we can experience peace and happiness in this life, and face adversity and even death with a sense of compassion and grace.

By familiarizing ourselves with the many examples of impermanence in our lives, we can begin to engage and perhaps even calm the fear of loss and change that can prevent us from living life to its fullest. Lama Kathy will explore how Buddhist meditation practice, contemplation on impermanence, life and death, can bring more awareness and enjoyment to life.

Free, donations welcome.

Death and Dying in the Tibetan Tradition
Saturday and Sunday May 5-6 — 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Classic Tibetan texts about death present the dying process as a journey of letting go, and of awakening the mind and heart. This meditation workshop will cover Tibetan teachings on the the phases of death, how to train one’s mind in preparation for death, and how to attend and offer comfort to those who are facing change, loss, death and grief.
Suitable for all levels of practitioner.

Suggested Donation $45/day.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Kathy Wesley (Lama Gyurme Chötsö) has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche since 1977. She participated in the first three-year retreat led by Khenpo Rinpoche at Karmé Ling Retreat Center in upstate New York, and thus earned the title of ‘retreat lama.’ Lama Kathy now serves as Resident Teacher at the Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling and travels to teach at other Buddhist centers throughout the country. Kathy is a graduate of Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She and her husband Mike live in Newark, Ohio.

You can learn more about her and access articles, talks, and other information information about the Tibetan Buddhist path at www.lamakathy.net.

During the visit Khenpo Ugyen made some torma offerings for our Mahakala practice.

The ornaments are made of butter by molding the butter in cold water. The heat of the hands softens the butter so it  can be molded. They start with small balls of different colors.

Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin received the Acharya degree from Nalanda Institute and Sapurnanand Sanskrit University, jointly, in 1991. He taught at Nimalung Monastery in Bhutan, and then at Nalanda Institute in Rumtek, where he was Senior Abbot/Principal Teacher. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa asked Khenpo Ugyen to go to Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in 2005. He has since completed a 3-year retreat at Karme Ling and continues to teach at KTD as well as at many of the KTC’s.

All events will be held at the Ann Arbor KTC

Free Public Talk: Buddha Nature
Friday,March 16 7:30 p.m.
Khenpo Ugyen will talk about the premise that we all have Buddha Nature, the seed of enlightenment, and that we can fully develop this potential through the skillful means of meditation practice.

Weekend Seminar: Green Tara Practice
Saturday – Sunday, March 17 – 18 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
We are delighted that Khenpo Ugyen will teach the practice of Green Tara, the female Buddha of enlightened activity. Green Tara embodies universal compassion–the virtuous, enlightened, and miraculous activity of all Buddhas–and provides practitioners protection and freedom from obstacles. In this seminar, participants will learn the meaning of the visualizations and meditations of Green Tara Practice.

Green Tara Empowerment
Saturday, March 17 7:30 p.m.
Khenpo Ugyen will give the Green Tara Empowerment (a ritual in Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism which initiates a student into a particular tantric deity practice). Refuge is required to receive the empowerment, and will be given before the empowerment.

Fees:
The Public Talk is free.
It is traditional to make a donation to the teacher at the end of the empowerment.
Weekend Suggested Donation: $50/Day.
All donations are welcome.
No one is turned away for lack of funds.