Milarepa Center hosts the 2018 FPMT Foundation Services Seminar!
Milarepa Center proudly hosted the 2018 USA Foundation Services Seminar. FPMT service seminars provide support and training to those offering service, and those wishing to offer service within FPMT centers, services, and projects. The seminars help develop a shared understanding of the FPMT mission set out by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and a firm basis to serve effectively and joyfully within the organization.
Center directors, spiritual program coordinators, board members, study group coordinators, and many more offering service to FPMT centers, study groups, or projects from all over the United States came together for a week long retreat and training.
It was truly wonderful to connect with other centers and share information and stories! The "family feeling" (or "pamily peeling" as Lama Yeshe used to say!) was truly present the whole week long! Thank you to all of you who put the effort into coming out here and working hard all week and dedicating yourselves to your centers! We rejoice in your efforts!!
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Celebration of His Holiness the Dalai lama's 83rd birthday!
Milarepa Center held a special celebration for the 83rd birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama! Each center received a message from Lama Zopa Rinpoche with special practice advice on how best to celebrate this very special day! With the help of many hands we were able to put together a wonderful celebration following Rinpoche's advice! To make it even more special, the celebration happened to fall on the last day of 2 guests' private retreats! What a way to end a private retreat!
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Altar for the celebration of His Holiness The Dalai Lama's 83rd birthday.
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Group photo of the participants and facilitators from the 2018 FPMT Foundation Services Seminar hosted at Milarepa Center.
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The seminar in action! Lots of days filled with rejoicing and connecting with our family!!
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday celebration!
Thank you to Hannah, Alan, Martha, Fred, Jackie, and Larry for making the day extra special!!
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What's Coming Up?
“Meditation Practice Day” w/Martha Tack
Saturday, August 25, 2018;
9 am – 4 pm
Meditation practice is an antidote to calm the mind, clear the brain, sharpen the senses, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and to help keep focus of everything we do in these interesting times. No experience needed. We will sample several kinds of meditations while balancing our mental work with gentle Hatha Yoga stretches (optional). Wear loose, layered clothing. All are welcome to attend!
Suggested sliding scale donation: $35-50; includes full program and a delicious vegetarian lunch!
*Medicine Buddha Sadhana
August 26, 2018 - 6 pm
Join us on the full moon, August 26th, for a special Medicine Buddha practice. We will begin at 6 pm and the practice typically lasts about 40 minutes. Offerings for the altar are both welcome and encouraged. We hope to see you there, all are welcome!
*A special message from Rinpoche:
"I would like to request all the students for the next two months (August and September) to please do the practice of
Medicine Buddha
and
Vajrasattva
: dedicated to Elea Redel to immediately recover and to have a most meaningful life and to achieve enlightenment quickly for sentient beings.
With much love and prayers,
Lama Zopa"
FYI - August 11, 2018 there will be a solar eclipse! Lama Zopa Rinpoche recently offered new advice for practice on these auspicious days!
Read Rinpoche's advice here:
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Martha is a longtime student of Tibetan Buddhism and a former director of Milarepa Center, now living in Sutton, VT.
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Autumn at Milarepa - Save The Dates!
"Take The First Step - A Labyrinth Workshop" w/Susie Leiper
Saturday, September 22: 10 am - 4 pm
Celebrate the first day of Autumn by joining us at Milarepa Center to learn about and experience the magic of Labyrinth. NH based Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator and Friend of Milarepa Center, Susie Leiper, will lead the workshop which will include a brief history of labyrinths and an overview of the various styles. Participants will learn the basics of drawing a labyrinth. Weather permitting, the group will construct and walk a temporary outdoor labyrinth.
"Four Arm Chenrezig Jenang"
w/ Geshe Tenley of KuruKulla Center
October 5 - 7, 2018
We are very grateful that Geshe Tenley has accepted our request to confer the Four Arm Chenrezig jenang. We are so fortunate and grateful for Geshela, a fully qualified Geshe who can lead us all in our path to enlightenment, to be conferring this jenang!
A "jenang" means "subsequent permission" that empowers one to do the practice of the deity and establishes a special connection with the conferring Lama or Geshe. The jenang can be taken as either an
initiation*
or simply as a blessing. Chenrezig represents the compassion of the Buddha. This Jenang gives blessing to say the mantra of Chenrezig and to develop love and compassion.
*
If you will be taking it as an initiation please note the following:
- It is required that you have taken refuge, not necessarily with Geshe Tenley.
- You will be receiving the Bodhisattva vows as part of the jenang. A description of these vows can be read here.
- You will be establishing a special teacher, student relationship with Geshe Tenley.
- The commitment will be to daily recite more than 300 recitations (three malas) of Chenrezig's mantra, "Om Mani Padme Hum".
On-site program cost $150
– includes lodging in co-ed dorm and all meals. 14 bed occupancy, reserved on first-come-first serve basis.
On-site private rustic cabin $175
– Cabins have heat and electricity, no plumbing. Reserved on first-come-first serve basis. Includes all meals.
Offsite program cost $125
– includes all meals. We can help with local offsite room rentals, just ask for details if you need them.
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Suggested sliding scale donation: $35-50; includes full day program and a delicious vegetarian lunch!
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A Special Thank You!
A very very big and very special thank you to Jacquelyn Verley, Rosanne Hebert, and Debra Thornburg for your incredible efforts in the kitchen and so much more during the week of the Foundation Services Seminar! Milarepa Center would not have been able to host the week long event without you! Your kindness and care kept us all nourished, healthy, and happy!!
Lama Zopa Rinpoche wrote to a cook at another center, "The essence of the Mahayana teaching is to let go of the I and to cherish others who are numberless. Even by cherishing one sentient being, that brings enlightenment to you. That means you are able to free all sentient beings from the oceans of suffering and bring them to the peerless happiness, buddhahood—the total cessation of obscurations and completion of realizations".
More on the benefits of cooking for others from Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
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Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ven. Lobsang Konchok, and Ven. Thubten Tendar cooking dinner for a few students from Buddha House, Adelaide, Australia, May 2018. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab
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Volunteer Kitchen Dakinis: Rosanne Hebert and Jacquelyn Verley
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Board Member and Volunteer Kitchen Dakini: Debra Thornburg
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Thank you so much to all those who have made donations, became members, volunteered, and sent gifts to the center; we couldn't do it without you. We rejoice in your kindness and bodhichitta!!
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Becoming a "Friend of Milarepa" or offering general donations to Milarepa Center helps ensure the continuation of our programs/retreats and helps to cover our operating costs. See our website for more information or to make a donation.
Thank you!!
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