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December 21, 2007 Vol. 2, Issue 51 |
Changing the Holiday Mantra
"Somebody, AND WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE, is responsible for making us happy! . . . It's their job! Why don't they understand that?"
In a teaching on "The Holiday Experience," Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, KPC Spiritual Director, explores the habit of mind that tends to rear its head this time of year.
Jetsunma says, "We have the habit of thinking that happiness should come to us from outside. We perceive self-nature as being inherently real, and so we perceive everything else as being other than self."
Along with the idea of "self" comes self-absorption--and it is a trap. Jetsunma points out, "Interestingly the Buddha teaches that the more we meditate and concentrate on what we need and say "Give it to me! Give it to me!'" . . . the heavier and more contracted our mind becomes. "And this is the mind that is the incubator, the nest in which unhappiness is born."
 It doesn't have to be this way! Jetsunma points out, "On the one hand, we are that very primordial wisdom state which is the kind of heaven we think we want to go to. In truth we are the Buddha." On the other hand, she says, "Our habits are atrocious. We have no control over our minds."
"Happiness," according to Jetsunma, "is nothing more than habit. And it is the habit of thinking and perceiving in a certain way."
She explains what she calls "the technology to be happy," saying, "Try this: instead of grieving that you don't have the love in your life that you want, give love to others, unselfishly, with no thought of what's going to come back to you." Jetsunma suggests, "Perhaps we can look beyond the immediacy of our own lives and ask ourselves, 'How, in what way, do we actually touch our environment and make it better?'"
Do you have to drop everything, and travel with a relief mission to distant countries to feed the hungry? Not necessarily (although that would be good)! But suppose you find yourself standing in line at a big-box store for twenty minutes with a cart full of packages. Can you still smile at the cashier?
Jetsunma advises, "Create the habit of being a supportive, unconditionally loving vehicle by which others might obtain some relief. Begin to create that habit in some small and simple way and then let it grow. According to the Buddha's teachings, these are the causes for happiness."
 "The only, uniquely only, display of the Buddha nature is the great compassion, the great Bodhichitta," Jetsunma says. "And to the degree that we embrace that, and make that part of our lives, part of our minds, part of our discipline, to that degree we move closer and closer to awakening to the natural state, and that incredible lightness of mind . . . the great bliss that we are secretly all seeking.
"Once we have a taste of that, at that moment that terrible longing, that terrible alienation, that terrible mantra of "gimme gimme gimme, I need I need I need," is finally silent.
 For a free download of a teaching on compassion as the antidote to suffering, click here.
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| Jetsunma's Retreat |
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 Welcome Home, Jetsunma!
At last! KPC in Maryland welcomes Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo home from retreat! After a three-day delay for vehicle repairs, and two days on the road, Jetsunma's entourage rolled into KPC at Poolesville, Maryland, late Friday evening.
With Jetsunma's retreat at Dakini Valley ended for now, her students look forward to whatever will unfold in this familiar setting.
When the lama returns to her seat, it is always a cause for rejoicing--and for remembering the ultimate love story that unfolds between teacher and student, lifetime after lifetime. In Jetsunma's own words (from a simple Guru Yoga meditation), "Rejoice that your lama's heart is open to you and that you may partake and enter and be at home. Rejoice that infinite love is there, that infinite Buddha is there also, and--this is important--that your lama has come back for you." In the truest sense, the lama never leaves, and a faithful student is always "at home" with the lama.
We are grateful that Jetsunma actively shared her retreat, giving Refuge Vows, teaching and practicing with students, and even composing several new songs. We wish her Happy Holidays, and, more important, that all of her aspirations for the benefit of beings be fulfilled at this very time!
You Can Support Jetsunma's Retreats
The vehicle pictured below brought the lama home to Maryland--but, more important, it's the vehicle that helps her go wherever she needs to carry out her activity. On this trip, the RV allowed Jetsunma to travel comfortably with 11 rescued dogs. Jetsunma loved it!
We are looking forward to finishing the payments on the RV, with about $20,000 still to go. And we look forward to enabling Jetsunma's next retreat, and teaching trips, and . . . whatever is necessary to benefit beings!
 If you are moved to contribute for Jetsunma's retreats, please click here. And thank you! Many Mandala Messenger readers have already done just that!
Or, if you wish to pursue other methods of donation, contact Editor: kpc@tara.org. You may also call the KPC office in Maryland: 301-349-0440. Please leave a message, and someone will be glad to call you back.
May all beings benefit from your generosity, and from the generosity of the teachers who return, lifetime after lifetime, for our sake! |
| Spiritual Programs |
 Ring in the New Year--in the Dharma!
For a sacred celebration that will open your heart and set your intention for the New Year, come to KPC in either Poolesville, Maryland, or Sedona, Arizona, on December 31.
Join us for a Shower of Blessings ceremony with tsog (food offering), and at midnight participate, if you wish, as we renew our Bodhisattva vows. Let your first words of the New Year be a vow to work for the enlightenment of all sentient beings. What better way to start the New Year?
Food offering preparations begin at 9:30 p.m., and the Shower of Blessings will start at 10:00 p.m. The practice concludes shortly after midnight and then the party begins. Everyone is welcome!
Food offerings should be unopened and untasted. A package of deli meat or cheese, cookies, or crackers would be perfect.
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| Tara's Babies |
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Fostering Kindness: Tara's Babies Is Growing a Foster Network
Provide a dog companionship for the holidays--maybe for a lifetime! Tara's Babies Animal Welfare is developing a network of foster homes to save adoptable dogs from euthanasia, and we invite you to join in. Many already have! The picture above shows a recent successful Adoption Day in Sedona, Arizona, at which several dogs found foster--and (who knows?) maybe "forever" homes.
With foster homes available, TBAW can receive dogs from rescue organizations, like the ones we've been working with in Arkansas and Missouri, and quickly place the dogs with families while we search for permanent homes. The information gleaned from a foster situation is invaluable in helping us place a dog with the right permanent family. The foster family gets to spend time socializing with the dog before it goes to its forever home. And they know the satisfaction and joy of having saved the life of a dog that might otherwise have been put to death.
If you are interested in becoming a foster "parent," or in providing a forever home in the Washington, D.C., area for one of these rescued dogs, please contact Ani Palmo: kpc@tara.org. In Arizona, contact Ani Alyce Louise: kpc@tara.org.
At TBAW, we are dedicated to the compassionate treatment of all animals, promoting kindness and respect towards all living beings and cultivating a sacred view toward them within our culture. Our work includes dog rescue, sanctuary, rehabilitation and adoption. And we work with humans, too, educating hearts and minds to save and improve the lives of animals.
If you would like to learn more about Tara's Babies Animal Welfare and the dogs currently available for foster or adoption, please contact us at tarasbabies@earthlink.net or by phone at 866-574-9655. And of course, we are always grateful for any financial contribution you can make. You can donate online at Tara's Babies to help with the cost of transporting, feeding, and providing veterinary care for the dogs. |
| Sunday Schedule for Poolesville KPC-MD |
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 Schedule for Sunday, December 23
10:00 a.m. Meditation Class
Teens' Class
10:30 a.m. Meditation Practice
11:30 a.m. Instruction and Practice:
Amitabha
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Children's Class
2:00 p.m. Teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon
Lhamo
4:00 p.m. Shower of Blessings Tsog
New! Streaming Video!
To participate in the 2 p.m. class from wherever you are, go to tara.org and click on "Upcoming Events." You can then click on a link to the webcast.
As always, if you would like to listen to the 2 p.m. teaching by phone, you can dial 1-712-432-2000 and press 82721 followed by the # sign. Make sure to call in just before 2 p.m. East Coast time.
It is considered auspicious to make an offering at the time of receiving teachings. If you are hearing the teaching from a distance, we invite you to go to the tara.org donations page and mark your on-line donation as "Sunday Teaching." May this teaching lead to your swift enlightenment!
 Christmas Eve Is Merry and Bright at KPC-MD
No plans for Christmas Eve? Join us in Poolesville for the annual Christmas Eve potluck dinner on Sunday, December 24, at 5:00 p.m. Enjoy the evening with friends and family--and plenty of excellent food, beautiful decorations, and, of course, laughter. Entertainment too! Including songs, games, and poetry. See the sign-up sheet on the Community Room door, or contact Sangdrol: kpc@tara.org. Walk-ins are welcome!
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| Open Mind/Open Mic KPC-MD |
Join Us for Open Mind/Open Mic in a New Location!
 Originally housed in the studio at KPC, Open Mind//Open Mic has moved! The cold chill of winter--and the lack of heating and insulation in the as-yet-unfinished studio--has driven our resident art scene to a Brazilian coffee house in Germantown. Thanks to the kindness of Carminha Simmons of Aqui Brazilian Coffee, Open Mind//Open Mic now has a warm home where attendees may enjoy Brazilian coffee and treats. You will find us there every Wednesday, holding back the darkness with the gift of gab!
If you would like to voice your view, share your songs, or read your rhymes, please join us! Open Mind//Open Mic will be held every Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m. at Aqui Brazilian Coffee in the Germantown Square Shopping Center, 12615-E Wisteria Drive, Germantown, Maryland, 20874. For more information, please contact Atira: kpc@tara.org. |
| Weekly Schedule for Sedona KPC-AZ |
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 Saturday, December 22
4:00 p.m. Amitabha and Chenrezig
Practice at the
Amitabha Stupa
Sunday, December 23
10:30 a.m. Stabilizing the Mind
Meditation Class
Children's Dharma Class
Noon Teaching by Jetsunma
Ahkon Lhamo
1:00 p.m. Teen Dharma Class 3:00 p.m. Shower of Blessings
Tsog at the
Amitabha Stupa and
(simultaneously) at the Prayer Center
To call in for the Teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, dial 1-712-432-2000 and press 82721 followed by the # sign. It is considered auspicious to make an offering at the time of receiving teaching. Please go to tara.org and note in the memo space "Sunday Teaching."
Wednesday: 4 p.m. Amitabha and Chenrezig practice at the Amitabha Stupa
The Amitabha Stupa is located at the corner of Andante and Pueblo and open from dawn to dusk. Visit Google Maps for directions.
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| Moving the Fire Pit KPC-AZ |
 Fired Up and Ready to Go!
When they encountered obstacles, they knew what to do! Several ordained and lay KPC students traveled to Sedona to help drive the vehicles that would move Jetsunma and her family of rescued dogs back to Maryland. Finding themselves waiting while repairs were done to the RV, they joined the students in Sedona in organizing a tsog and fire puja, both traditional spiritual practices dedicated to removing obstacles.
Because of restrictions on fires in Sedona, the students there had a special fire pit built. Local artist Ed Tupaj fitted a 55 gallon barrel with legs and an interior mesh to support the fuel, then used a laser tool to make precise cuts in the metal shell. The results are seen above and in the story at the top of the page: Dharma imagery, including mantra. The work, hard to even notice in daylight, is magical at night with a fire inside the barrel. (To see a video of the live effects, click here.)
Yes, they had a permit! And because of the lack of water at the Amitabha Stupa, the fire puja was performed at a private home, where the practitioners saturated the ground with water, and kept a hose on hand at all times.
The restrictions on fires in the dry Southwest are, of course,necessary--and expected to continue for the foreseeable future. KPC-Arizona has been able to use their beautiful fire barrel only twice in two years. So the Sedona students have offered this beautiful object to KPC in Maryland, where conditions are moister, and fire pujas are a regular item on the Spiritual Calendar. The fire pit will have to be shipped; if you are interested in contributing, please click here, and mark the memo "Fire Pit." For more information, contact Ani Sonam: kpc@tara.org.
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| KPC Monk's Speaking Tour KPC-Aus |
 Schedule for Konchog Norbu in Australia
KPC Australia is happy to report the schedule for Konchog Norbu's visit to Australia. KPC's resident Monk in Mongolia and Director of the Mongolian Buddhism Revival Project, Konchog Norbu, is leaving behind the bone-shattering cold of the Mongolian winter and migrating to summer in Australia. (No, it's not about sun and surf! But we do expect the bird-watching monk to bring along his binoculars.)
Konchog is a senior student of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, under whose direction he is helping to restore the Nyingma School of Vajrayana Buddhism in Mongolia, where it once flourished. On his Australian tour, he'll be speaking about the MBRP, giving Dharma teachings, and connecting with anyone who is interested. That includes Australian readers of the Mandala Messenger, Konchog's blog, Dreaming of Danzan Ravjaa, or anyone wanting to know more about Jetsunma or the Palyul lineage. The schedule is as follows:
Brisbane, Queensland
Saturday, 12 January, 3 p.m.
Brisbane Square Library
Community Meeting Room
266 George Street, Brisbane
Maleny, Queensland
Wednesday, 16 January, 7:30 p.m.
The Masonic Hall, 31 Tamarind Street
Maroochydore, Queensland
Saturday, 19 January, 7:30 p.m.
Millwell Road Community Hall, 11 Millwell Road East
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Wednesday, 30 January, 12:30 p.m.
Mabo Room, AIATSIS
Lawson Crescent, Acton ACT
Sydney, Thursday, 7 February, 6:30 p.m.
Venue to be confirmed
Melbourne
Monday, 11 February, 7 p.m.
Edinburgh Gardens Community Room
Off Brunswick Street, North Fitzroy
Melway Ref 2C 1C
GPS: N 322288 E 5815758
 KPC staff in Australia would particularly like to hear from from anyone who can help with Konchog's visit to Sydney--or who would simply like to make contact with Konchog while he is there.
For more information contact Ani Tenzin Wangmo at kpcinaus@gmail.com.
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