Whether you think you may want to follow the Buddhist path, or simply want to learn to meditate to gain the benefits of increased mindfulness, stability and awareness, this session will give you the tools to develop a regular sitting meditation practice of your own.
Free, donations are accepted.
Send ‘Em Back for Regrooving — How to Change the Mental Habits that Imprison Us
Lama Nancy will give this free public talk.
Our minds are often cluttered with negative, unhelpful thoughts that are so habitual we don’t even notice them. Buddhist practice offers simple but profound techniques for observing these thought patterns and then transforming them into positive and compassionate intentions that benefit both ourselves and those around us.
Free, donations are accepted.
Love the One You’re With, Even If It’s Yourself! — How Meditation Can Help You Accept Yourself and Others
Lama Nancy will give this free public talk.
By seeing ourselves as separate from others, we set the stage for comparison and judgment of those on both sides of the “self/other” divide. Then, when things go wrong, we look for someone to blame–and if we can’t find someone else, it must be our own fault! Buddhist practice helps us relax our boundaries so we can experience the innate goodness underneath all our stories and judgments.
Lama Tsultrim Yeshe (John Samuelson) has been a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Woodstock, NY, since 1989 and completed the traditional Tibetan three-year retreat in 1996 led by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. He is especially known for workshops in which participants use Tibetan Buddhist practices to explore the nature of forgiveness and to learn how to heal old wounds and guides participants with an approachable and open style.
Public Talk: Using Life’s Manure for Spiritual Growth
Sept. 29; 7:30 p.m.
When faced with circumstances we don’t like, our first reaction is to try to push them away, without thoroughly examining the source of these circumstances and what we might be able to learn from them. Lama Yeshe will explain how to use these unwanted experiences as a way to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our choices, like manure brings nourishment and growth to a garden. Though we can’t prevent unhappiness from occurring in our lives, we can learn to transform it into compassion and wisdom.
Loving Kindness and Compassion: Start with Yourself
Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 30 – Oct. 1, 10:00 a.m.-12:00p.m., 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
We often find it easier to be loving and compassionate toward others than to extend the same consideration toward ourselves. Our negative feelings toward ourselves, such as regret, guilt, shame, anger, and even hatred, are often deep-rooted. In this seminar Lama Yeshe will help participants examine the roots of these feelings and learn a variety of meditative techniques for addressing and transforming them. The seminar will include a combination of explanation, practice and individual interviews to help participants learn and practice some new ways of transforming our own negative feelings about ourselves into compassion for ourselves as well as others.
Lama Tsultrim Gyaltsen took refuge with Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche in 1984 at the Ann Arbor KTC, where he was a member for eight years. He entered the the traditional Tibetan three-year retreat in 1992, and has been in residence at Karme Ling, retreat center for Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Woodstock, NY. since then. He is currently a retreat master in the men’s retreat at Karme Ling.
Public Talk — Interconnected: Connecting With Spiritual Life in the 21st Century
Sept. 22; 7:30 p.m.
Lama Tsultrim based his talk (seminar) on the book Interconnected by The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. The book is not strictly about Buddhism, but incorporates Buddhist principles to explore how we can go beyond a mere intellectual understanding of our connections to one another and to the earth. By first seeing, then feeling, and finally living these connections, we can become more effective agents of social change.
Interconnected Weekend Seminar at Karma Thegsum Choling
Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 23-24, 10:00 a.m.-12:00, 2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m.
Lama Tsultrim further explored of the book Interconnected by The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje with talks and meditation exercises to explore our experience of our connections to others and the earth by gaining emotional awareness.