There is no need to look elsewhere for exciting Dharma events. These are the many events and programmes come April in Dorje Shugden centres around the globe.
[Editor's note: If you would like your Dharma centre's activities to be featured on DorjeShugden.com, please write in to our editors at [email protected]]
USA & CANADA
NKT Festivals, KMC New York
Empowerment of Buddha Vajrapani with Teachings on Cultivating Self-Confidence and the Power to Benefit Others
Requirement: Contact Centre
Date: 24 – 29 April 2015
Buddha Vajrapani is the embodiment of the power of all the Buddhas. He appears in a wrathful aspect, and his function is to destroy the delusions of living beings by bestowing special power upon their body and mind. The empowerment can be seen as a blissful guided meditation through which we make a deep connection with Vajrapani’s enlightened mind.
By receiving the powerful blessings of Buddha Vajrapani we can swiftly actualize our own potential for a fearless heart, and gain the confidence we need to progress successfully along the spiritual path.
Throughout the festival we will explore how to integrate this self-confidence into our life, and in particular how to use the practice of Vajrapani to bring about the deep transformative changes that we long for. By virtue of the power of our own good heart, we can help to bring enormous relief to our suffering world.
For more information, visit http://www.kadampafestivalus.org/the-festival/festival-program/
EUROPE
Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre, Derbyshire, UK
Easter Bank Holiday Weekend – Empowerment of Green Tara
Requirement: Open to all
Date: 3 – 6 April 2015
At 2015’s UKDC over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend (3rd-6th April), our National Spiritual Director Kadam Bridget Heyes will grant the special blessing empowerment of Buddha Green Tara and give a series of talks explaining simply how to make our daily life inspiring and meaningful by practising loving kindness in our daily activities.
As well as the blessing empowerment and teachings, the programme includes guided meditations, prayers and plenty of time to enjoy relaxing in the company of a good-hearted community in the beautiful, blessed surroundings of Tara KMC.
For more information, visit http://www.ukdharmacelebration.org/programme/
Tashi Rabten, Austria
Avalokiteshvara-Meditation
Requirement: Contact Centre
Date: 4 – 6 April 2015
Avalokiteshvara is the appearance of the compassion of all Buddhas. Meditations on Avalokiteshvara are therefore a most effective method for developing universal compassion. Gonsar Rinpoche will give precise explanations on these meditations.
For more information, visit http://www.rabten.eu/eventsVlbg_en.htm
Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre, Italy
Medicine Buddha’s Residential Retreat
Requirement: Contact Centre
Date: 7 – 12 April 2015
This practice teaches us to connect with the absolute power and sheer energy of the Supreme Healer Buddha Shakyamuni Tubwang Tendrelma, He who possesses the ability to heal through the arising of interdependent phenomena and who compassionately manifests the Medicine Buddha at his seven chakras.
This sadhana is of benefit to those who want to work for their own mental and physical healing, but also for those who exercise their profession in the medical and therapeutic fields.
For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/medicine-buddhas-residential-retreat/?lang=en
Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre, Italy
Initation and Practice of Kurukulle – The Lotus Dakini
Requirement: Contact Centre
Date: 18 – 19 April 2015
A Highest Yoga Tantra practice which teaches us how to fall in love with the dharma and the ultimate reality of emptiness. It was one of the practices of Mahasiddha Tilopa and his disciples, as well as many other mahasiddhis such as Indrabhuti of Oddiyana.
The name Kurukulle in Tibetan, Rig Gyema, means She Who Causes Knowledge or She Who Awakens Non-Dual Awareness.
Kurukulle helps to remove obstacles and in the relative world, improves our health and wisdom and creates good conditions for dharma practice. Ultimately she helps us to achieve Buddhahood. She is the inner dakini and performs magnetizing activities that benefit all beings. She is also the source of the fierce inner heat or tummo.
Kurukulle forms a triad with Manjusri and Sarasvati: together they increase mundane and spiritual knowledge and intelligence.
For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/initation-and-practice-of-kurukulla-the-lotus-dakini/?lang=en
Rabten Tashi Ling, Hungary
Treasury of Dharma
Requirement: Open to all
Date: 18 – 19 April 2015
A treasury is a house or a container filled with various kinds of precious materials. It is not just filled with a few jewels, but is abundantly full of precious stones, precious metals and the like which the owner can wishfully enjoy. Similarly, the book ‘Treasury of Dharma’ contains all the essential points of the practice of Dharma teachings of Buddha, which makes it more precious than a collection of hundreds of thousands of material jewels.
The book ‘Treasury of Dharma’ contains the complete meditation course that Geshe Rabten Rinpoche gave in 1974 to a group of most fortunate Western disciples in Switzerland. In this seminar we will start with explanations on this book.
For more information, visit http://www.rabten.eu/eventsHungary_en.htm
Kadampa Meditation Centre Glasgow
Scottish Dharma Celebration 2015 – Prajnaparamita Empowerment
Requirement: Open to all
Date: 24 – 26 April 2015
The Scottish Dharma Celebration is a very special annual event that draws students from across Scotland to receive teachings, engage in guided meditations, and spend time with spiritual friends.
During this year’s Celebration Kadam Bridget Heyes will grant the blessing empowerment of the female Buddha, Prajnaparamita, who is the manifestation of Buddha’s perfection of wisdom. An empowerment is a special blessing ceremony in which we make a connection with a particular Buddha so we can receive inspiration to heal our mind and awaken our pure nature.
For more information, visit http://www.meditateinscotland.org/scottish-dharma-celebration-2/
Albagnano Healing Meditation Centre, Italy
Guru Puja Commentary – 3rd Weekend
Requirement: Contact Centre
Date: 25 – 26 April 2015
The Guru Puja is a practice for Buddhist followers, a compendium of teachings of the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions that show how to integrate Lam Rim, Lojong and Mahamudra practices and help us to meditate on the three principal Yidams of the Gelugpa School.
- Tsog offering – Ghanachakra
- Renovating the commitments, eliminating the interferences
- First part of Lam Rim: the gradual path to the enlightenment
For more information, visit http://ahmc.ngalso.net/events/guru-puja-commentary-iii-week-end/?lang=en
Australia and New Zealand
Bodh Gaya Buddhist Centre, NZ
Teachings on Eight Steps to Happiness & Empowerment of Buddha Amitayus
Requirement: Open to all
Date: 3 – 6 April 2015
Open to everyone, the New Zealand Dharma Celebration is an opportunity to enjoy a spiritual holiday of teachings, meditations and empowerment, in the company of spiritual practitioners from all over New Zealand.
Eight Steps to Happiness explains eight beautiful verses that comprise one of Buddhism’s best-loved and most enduring teachings. Gen Rabten will give commentary to “Eight Verses of Training the Mind”, by the great Tibetan Bodhisattva, Langri Tangpa.
He will present clear methods for transforming all life’s difficulties into valuable spiritual insights, for improving our relationships, and for bringing greater patience, empathy and compassion into our daily life.
Gen Rabten will also grant the blessing empowerment of Buddha Amitayus, inspiring our mind with positive energy. He will teach how to strengthen our own and others’ life-span, increase our good fortune, and enrich our lives with a transformative wisdom.
By engaging in Amitayus practice we can develop these qualities – all essential for our spiritual development – and eventually attain the deathless state of enlightenment. We can also use this practice to help remove obstacles that endanger the lives of others.
Everyone is welcome to join us for this joyful, spiritual holiday.
For more information, visit http://www.nzdharmacelebration.org/
Kadampa Meditation Centre Australia
Australian Dharma Celebration – Empowerment of Dorje Shugden
Requirement: Open to all
Date: 24 – 26 April 2015
Open to everyone, the Australian Dharma Celebration is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a spiritual break with like-minded people from across our region. During the celebration Gen Kelsang Rabten will grant the empowerment of Dorje Shugden, and give teachings on how we can transform life’s difficulties through applying Buddhist wisdom to our lives.
Dorje Shugden is the Wisdom Buddha, appearing as the Dharma Protector of modern Kadampa Buddhism. He is our ultimate friend and protector; by relying on him with faith, all our spiritual needs and wishes will be fulfilled and all obstacles dispelled. Receiving the empowerment of Dorje Shugden makes a special connection between us and this holy being, so that we will always come under his loving care, never apart from a wise and powerful ally.
By relying upon Dorje Shugden we will increase our spiritual realizations, particularly our wisdom and compassion. Wisdom helps us in all situations including difficult times. It helps us see that difficult situations alone do not have the power to disturb our mind, rather it is our reaction to these situations that cause us unhappiness. Gen Rabten will explain how we can develop a special wisdom that enables us to remain calm and content no matter what challenges we have to experience in life.
For more information, visit http://www.adc.kadampa.org.au/
English
Indonesia
Tibetan
Dalai Lama should set things right
August 12, 2018
Dear Dalai Lama,
Since you started the cruel ban against the 350 year Dorje Shugden practice, how has it benefit your Tibetan society and Buddhism in the world? Things have become worse and most educated Tibetans can see this. They don’t speak out not because they don’t see your ban as wrong, but you instill fear in them and not respect. It is like fear of a dictator. I am sorry to say so. Everyone is divided. There is no harmony. Before your ban there was more harmony and unity.
By enacting the ban, you split the monasteries, split so many families, split regions in Tibet apart, split your disciples from you, split your own gurus from you, split Tibetan Buddhism apart. You have created so much disharmony.
It is not democratic what you have done to ban a religion within your community. You always talk of tolerance and acceptance and democracy and yet you do not accept and tolerate something different from your beliefs. When people practice Dorje Shugden you ostracize them, ban them from seeing you, ban them from using Tibetan facilities. You know you have done that. There are videos that capture your speech and prove this point. You even had people expelled from monasteries just because they practice Dorje Shugden. Some of the monks you expelled have been in the monastery for over 40 years. Many older monks shed tears because of this.
Many young educated Tibetans lost confidence in you as they saw the damage the Dorje Shugden ban created and they lose hope. Many have become free thinkers. They reject what you have done. So many people in the west left Buddhism because of the confusion you created with this ban against Dorje Shugden which is immoral.
You could of had millions of people who practice Dorje Shugden to support, love and follow you, but you scared them away. They are hurt and very disappointed. They loved you and respected you deeply before the ban. It has been 60 years and you have failed to get Tibet back. Your biggest failure is not getting Tibet back after 57 years in exile. Now you are begging China to allow you to return to Tibet to the disappointment of thousands of people who fought for a free Tibet believing in you. So many self-immolated for a free Tibet and now you want Tibet to be a part of China with no referendum from Tibetans. Just like a dictator, you decide on your own. It was your government and you that lost Tibet in the first place. Your policies and style of doing things do not benefit Tibet and Buddhism. You have been the sole ruler of Tibet your whole life and you still have not gotten our country of Tibet back for us. Our families and us are separated. Yet you create more pain by creating a ban to further divide people. Please have compassion.
No other Buddhist leader has banned or condemned any religion except for you. It looks very bad. You are a Nobel laureate and this is not fitting of a laureate. You should unite people and not separate them by religious differences.
You said Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi did not do right to the Rohingya people in Myanmar due to religious differences, but you are doing the same thing to the Shugden Buddhists within your own society. There is a parallel in this. You separate the Shugden Buddhists from the others in Tibetan society.
You have lost so many people who would have loved and supported you. You have lost so much support around the world. The Shugden Buddhists who love you number in the millions. When you are fast losing support from governments and private people, it will not do you well to lose more.
After you are passed away in the future, the rift you created between the Dorje Shugden and non-Dorje Shugden people will remain for a while and that will be your legacy. Disharmony. You will be remembered for this. Not as a hero but a disharmony creator.
Dorje Shugden will spread and further grow, but you will be no more as you are a human. No one wishes you bad and in fact we hope you have a long and healthy life, but we have lost so much hope and have so much despair because of you. All the hundreds of Dorje Shugden lamas, tulkus and geshes are maturing and there are hundreds of Dorje Shugden monasteries in Tibet who will not give up Dorje Shugden. You have made a mistake. These hundreds of teachers and teachers to be will spread Dorje Shugden further in the future.
The gurus that gave us Dorje Shugden as a spiritual practice and you have called these holy gurus wrong and they are mistaken in giving us Dorje Shugden. How can you insult our gurus whom we respect so much? If they can be wrong, then you can be wrong. Then all gurus can be wrong. So no one needs to listen to any guru? You have created this trend. It is not healthy. Your own gurus practiced Dorje Shugden their whole lives. Your own gurus were exemplary and highly learned.
Dalai Lama you have created so much pain with this ban against so many people due to religion. You are ageing fast. Are you going to do anything about it or stay stubborn, hard and un-moving. You show a smile and preach peace and harmony wherever you go. But will you do the same to your own people? Please rectify the wrong you have done. Please before it is too late. You can create harmony again or you can pass away in the future with this legacy of peace. May you live long and think carefully and admit what was a mistake in having this unethical ban against Dorje Shugden religion.