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SHANTIDEVA
MEDITATION GROUP
FPMT NEW YORK CITY
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E-NEWS: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010
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Dear Shantideva Friends,
Shantideva Meditation Group is pleased to
be back from the summer break and eager to continue our program of
study and practice, serving the Foundation for the
Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) and fulfilling the wishes
of our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
With this e-newsletter we invite you to take note of our upcoming Discovering Buddhism study group on "Samsara and Nirvana" beginning on October 1st. Also significant this month is Rinpoche's Light of the Path retreat in Black Mountain, NC. See below how to access streaming videos and listen to these precious teachings on-line. We also announce changes in volunteer roles at Shantideva
Meditation Group and gratefully recognize those who have kindly helped to strengthen our sangha in New York City.
As our plans for upcoming programs unfold, we welcome your feedback and participation and look forward to serving all sentient beings and particularly the sentient beings in this community.
With warm wishes and oceans of love,
Mary Esbjornson, Coordinator
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DISCOVERING BUDDHISM
SAMSARA AND NIRVANA
Fridays, October 1-29, 7-9 pm
Jewel Heart Center
260 West Broadway
New York, New York 10013
Join Shantideva Mediation Group for a five-week exploration of "Samsara and Nirvana." Investigate
what "samsara" is and how we are stuck in it. Find out what "nirvana"
is and how to achieve it. Develop the determination to be free from
suffering and empower yourself with practical tools to deal with and
eliminate disturbing emotions forever.
"Samsara and Nirvana" is one in a series of topics in Discovering Buddhism,
an FPMT program designed to give students a solid footing in the
teaching and practice of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Includes studying the Buddha's teachings, discussions among peers, and guided meditations. The course is open to new and
continuing students. Facilitated by Charlotte Lowson.
Suggested Donation: $10 per session or $40 for the five weeks.Donations
cover the cost of the space rental and materials, which will be
provided at the first session. No one will be turned away for lack of
funds. Among the materials to be studied are the following required texts: * Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, by Pabongka Rinpoche
* The Wish-Fulfilling Golden Sun, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
* Articles by Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and others
* The Meaning of Life, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama For more information or to register in advance (which is required),
please send an e-mail to shantideva@yahoo.com
with Samsara/Nirvana in the subject line.
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LIGHT OF THE PATH RETREAT 2010
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is once again offering the Light of the Path retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina, September 12 to 26.
Hosted by FPMT's Kadampa Center, the retreat is Lama Zopa Rinpoche's modern day commentary on Light of the Path to Enlightenment, the profound 11th century text written by Lama Atisha (Shri Dipamkara) in Tibet.
The text became the source for the Gelug lam-rim tradition, presenting a step-by-step set of instructions for how to practice the path to enlightenment, and is also a source of teachings in all the Tibetan Buddhist lineages. Lama Atisha's text provides a foundation for understanding and realizing the Buddha's teachings that continues to flourish in modern Buddhist practice around the world.
FPMT considers this event to be an important teaching and practice lineage transmission available for FPMT teachers and students. Those who cannot attend can watch or listen to these precious teachings on-line. To do so, go to the FPMT Online Learning Center: www.onlinelearning.fpmt.org.
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CHANGES IN ROLES AT SHANTIDEVA
Mary Esbjornson has recently assumed the position of Shantideva Meditation Group Coordinator. Mary has been active with FPMT since 2006 when she met Lama Zopa Rinpoche in New York; she later attended the Kopan course in Nepal, the CPMT meeting for center leaders at Institut Vajra Yogini in France, and the Light of the Path at Black Mountain. She has volunteered with Shantideva Meditation during the past two years and comes with over 20 years of experience in not-for-profit organizations.
Working closely with Mary, is Charlotte Lowson, who will be responsible for organizing and facilitating the 13-part Discovering Buddhism study group series that we began in 2008. Charlotte has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism since 1994. In 2000-2002, she attended the FPMT Masters Program at Istituto Lama Tsong Khapa, Italy, and completed the Philosophy of the Middle Way, or Madhyamaka Section. Charlotte has been a volunteer with Shantideva Meditation for three years.
Venerable Yangchen Weill recently stepped down as Coordinator, a position she held since December 2008. For years Venerable Yangchen worked diligently and carefully to fulfill LZR's wishes and to share her experience and understanding of the dharma and spiritual practices. She opened her home to students, hosted visiting Sangha, and helped create an atmosphere conducive for meditation, pujas, and other group practice. We are grateful for the time and generous resources she has contributed and look forward to her future participation.
We also bid farewell to Aliki Nicolaides, Coordinator from 2007-2008, who moved to take the position of Assistant Professor of Education at The University of Georgia, Athens. We thank Aliki for her contribution and anticipate her visits to New York.
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NEXT STEPS FOR SHANTIDEVA MEDITATION
Shantideva
Meditiaton Group is taking the next 4-6 months to consider carefully how to best sustain our spiritual education activities while
transitioning from a study group to an incorporated FPMT center serving the New York City area.
Since the study group was founded in 2004, we have hosted teachings
with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Geshe Thubten Soepa, Geshe Thubten Sherab,
Venerable Robina Courtin, Venerable Fedor Stracke, Venerable Amy
Miller, and Jon Landaw. We have also offered a series of Discovering
Buddhism study groups, pujas and group practices, and other events.
These activities were accomplished because of
the kindness of many people, especially our precious and qualified teachers, members of the ordained Sangha, and our colleagues within FPMT who support the centers and provide excellent educational resources.
We also thank our former Coordinators, founder Jane Chou and Kelima Fukumi, Aliki Nicolaides,
and Venerable Yangchen Weill as well as those who hosted teachers in their homes, helped organize events, and sponsored activities.
Our
current volunteer team members -- Jeffrey Caspari, George Cuesta, Gus Cutz, Peter
Davis, Mary Esbjornson, Charlotte Lowson, Lana Popovic, Jasmilhe
Uchitsubo, and Mila Wilson -- remain devoted to serving Shantideva Meditation during this exciting phase of development. Many others have offered their assistance and advice during this exciting time of transition and development.
Please join us and share
your ideas, skills, and resources in the months and years to come for the benefit of Shantideva Meditation Group and all sentient beings everywhere.
Volunteers at a recent planning meeting from back row, left to right: Gus,
Peter, Lana, Jeffrey; front row: Charlotte, George, Mary. Photographer: Mila.
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Shantideva Meditation Group is dedicated to developing the good
heart by cultivating wisdom and compassion through the study and
practice of Tibetan Buddhism for the New York City area community. We are a
study group affiliated with The Foundation for the Preservation of the
Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), which is based on the Gelugpa tradition of
Lama Tsongkhapa of Tibet as taught by Founder, Lama Thubten Yeshe and Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
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