Celebrating 40 years of the Prayer Vigil, KPC has been a place of refuge and prayer for all who come, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. With the blessing of Her Eminence Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo, all are welcome here. 

The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler. The seasons are changing and our efforts to continue to be a place of peace and calm in the storm remain unceasing. Come; rest your mind and heart; rebuild your strength. The world needs you now, more than ever before. 

Dakini Day

Yumka Tsog

Tuesday, September 16, 7-9 pm

Prayer Room, Zoom

Dakini Day is celebrated once a month in Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, honoring the feminine energy of wisdom. Dakinis are elusive, playful and often fierce with their compassion for sentient beings. They are often depicted to symbolically convey the raw or naked qualities of the wisdom of emptiness.

You can generate extra merit, purify karmic obscurations and repair samaya by sponsoring the puja. 

Drum Circles – Now Twice a Week!

Sundays, 1:00 pm / Tuesdays, 6:00 pm

Guru Rinpoche Statue, Peace Park

In response to the dry weather, we’re stepping up our drumming to help bring rain! Join us Sundays at 1 pm and Tuesdays at 6 pm at the Guru Rinpoche Statue in the Peace Park for sacred mantras and joyful music dedicated to ending drought conditions locally and worldwide. Drums provided, or bring your own!

Anniversary of the Enthronement of Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

Rigdzen Dupa Tsog with Long Life Accumulations

Wednesday, September 24, 7-9pm

Prayer Room, Zoom

This year marks 37 years since Her Eminence Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo was enthroned as a Palyul lineage throneholder by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. There are many ways to honor this miracle and generate merit for her long life and good health. Here are some suggestions:

• Join in the group accumulation of Jetsunma’s Long Life Prayer, the Seven Line Prayer, and stupa circumambulations. Use this form to submit your accumulations. The total accumulations will be offered to Jetsunma on September 24th.
• Visit Jetsunma’s Long Life Stupa Park to circumambulate the stupas, make offerings, and dedicate your practice to Jetsunma’s long life.
• Receive the blessings of the Ahkon Lhamo kapala relic, enshrined on the Three Kaya altar in KPC’s Prayer Room.
• Practice tsethar (life release), taking care to ensure no harm is caused to native habitats, and dedicate the merit to Jetsunma’s long life.
• Support KPC Buddhist Relief and its work to feed communities in need.
• Make a donation to KPC’s General Fund or an offering directly to Jetsunma.
• Share Jetsunma’s teachings with others by posting podcasts or videos on social media, or sending them to friends and loved ones. 
• You may also wish to enjoy and share these special videos of Jetsunma’s enthronement: the full 71-minute recording, a shorter 8-minute highlight reel, or Khenpo Norgay’s story about the first Ahkön Lhamo from her 30th anniversary celebration.

Volunteer Day at the Koi Ponds

Sunday, September 28

10am–12pm & 2pm–4pm

Koi Ponds at the KPC Temple Grounds

Join us for a special day of service at the koi ponds! We’ll be working together on projects such as weeding, clearing and evening paths, mulching, setting up furniture and lights, burying cords, and moving unused construction materials. There will be plenty of ways to help, and all are welcome. 

Sign up to volunteer at tara.org/volunteer-maryland/.

Fall Soirée at the Koi Ponds

Friday, October 3, 6:30 pm

Koi Ponds at the KPC Temple Grounds

Join us for an evening of music, delicious hors d’oeuvres, drinks (including beer and wine), and conversation – proceeds benefit the tremendous activities of KPC Buddhist Temple. 

Cocktail attire is encouraged, but leave the stilettos at home! This is an outdoor event on uneven ground. 

Purchase tickets at bit.ly/KoiSoiree or scan the QR code. Funds raised ensure our doors are always open to the community. 

Ice Cream Fundraiser with Sunshine Creamery

Saturday, October 4, 11-5 pm

Germantown Oktoberfest 

Black Rock Art Center, Germantown, MD

We’ve got a really sweet way to support KPC – ICE CREAM! Come to Oktoberfest at Black Rock Center for the Arts on October 4 and buy some of Sunshine Creamery’s finest all-natural ice cream. Members of our community will be scooping ice cream, with 25% of all proceeds supporting KPC. 

Bring new or gently used coats to donate to our humanitarian arm, KPC Buddhist Relief, which distributes to Montgomery County families in need. 

Come get a cup of Sunshine for charity!

Every day at KPC, there are prayers and practices taking place, in person and online. Everyone is welcome to attend them, for the full practice or any portion, Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike. Visit the KPC Calendar for a complete list of our practices and events. Please note, times are subject to change. 

One such practice is Condensed Medicine Buddha.

Condensed Medicine Buddha Practice

Daily, 5:30 pm

Online Only: Facebook Live, YouTube Live

Medicine Buddha is known specifically to help eliminate pain and sickness, purify disease, and restore health for both yourself and those whom you are practicing for.

This is a great way to center yourself in compassion and pray for the wellbeing of others. Just 15 minutes long and online only, we open with the Seven Line Prayer, then visualize Medicine Buddha, recite his mantra and dedicate the merit of the practice to all beings.

There are many, many opportunities to participate at KPC every single day, from volunteering to joining the Prayer Vigil, to requesting our nuns and monks to give house and business blessings. To learn more about all the ways there are to get involved at KPC, visit our website at www.tara.org. 

One opportunity is sponsoring a Buddha statue in the KPC Prayer Room.

Sponsor a Buddha

In the Buddhist tradition, it is believed that seeing the Buddha’s image plants the seed for awakening in one’s mind and starts one on the path to true happiness. You can sponsor statues on the Buddha Shakyamuni altar and help to ensure that KPC continues to provide a place of peace, refuge, and 24-hour prayer. Learn how to sponsor a buddha here.

Prayer Room: 8 am – 8 pm 

Temple Grounds and Peace Park: Dawn to Dusk 

We warmly welcome you to visit during our open hours! The sun is starting to set earlier at this time of year, so be sure to check the time and plan your visit to the Peace Park and temple grounds accordingly. For everyone’s safety, the property is monitored by cameras, and access is not permitted outside these times. Thank you for understanding!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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