SHANTIDEVA
MEDITATION GROUP

FPMT NEW YORK CITY
  
E-NEWS: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012
IN THIS ISSUE
Take Our Survey - Help us Plan
Upcoming Events and Group Practice
The Heart Sutra with Ven. Fedor Stracke
Rejoice - Recent Dharma Events
Get Involved

Dear Dharma Friends,

 

Greetings and Happy New Year! May you have peace, good health, prosperity, and happiness and may all your virtuous aspirations be successful.
LZR Compassion  
We at Shantideva Meditation are beginning 2012 with a strategic planning process to develop programs to serve our growing Dharma community as well as an infrastructure to sustain an on-going organization. 
 
Your feedback at this stage is important and so we invite you to take a short survey 
(see directly below) and tell us what you think. 
 
Our leadership team -- Jeffrey Caspari, George Cuesta, Gus Cutz, Lyn Hayes, Jennifer Kim, Mila Wilson and me -- will review your responses as we draft our multi-year plan. Volunteers and supporters of Shantideva Meditation are also invited to participate in making our dreams a reality.  
  
With the new year, we are pleased to present several new offerings:
After Taking Refuge: Setting Up Your Practice and Meditation in Our Tradition. Both programs are suitable for those beginning on a spiritual path, especially those who recently took Refuge in the Three Jewels and Lay Vows. 
 
Venerable Fedor Stracke returns to New York in February. His extensive experience with the FPMT's intermediate level education programs is an invaluable resource as we seek to evolve this aspect of our spiritual program. In addition to a public talk on the
Heart Sutra, an essential text in all schools of Buddhism, the weekend retreat is structured in a way that gives students the option to delve more deeply into the topic.   
 
Our Discovering Buddhism study group series will begin a new cycle in March, with "The Mind and Its Potential," facilitated by Gus Cutz. Our gratitude and appreciation to Charlotte Lowson who coordinated the series since September 2010. 
 
Finally, we will come together for pujas twice monthly as a way to bind our hearts together in practice, make offerings real and imagined, and to seek the blessings of our precious gurus.  
 
Thanks to supporters and volunteers who offer service and funding to make these events possible and to Tibet House, Jewel Heart Center, and George Cuesta for providing the auspicious and conducive spaces for our gatherings. 
 
All of our success comes from the unfathomable compassion of our Spiritual Director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. We dedicate our efforts to his healthy recovery and long life with the aspiration that all of our thoughts and actions are in service of His holy wishes.  
 

With warm wishes and oceans of love,

 

Mary Esbjornson, Coordinator

Shantideva Meditation-FPMT-NYC

 

TAKE THE SHANTIDEVA MEDITATION SURVEY - 2012 


Help us plan for our future. Tell us what you think. 
 
We at Shantideva Meditation are inviting you to participate in a short survey (10-15 minutes) so that we might learn more about how to best serve our growing Dharma community in New York.

Click below and take the survey now. Please submit no later than January 20.
 
 
Participants are eligible to win a $50 gift certificate to Tsampa Restaurant in New York OR to the FPMT Store (your choice)!  
 
We look forward to your response and to sharing the results of our findings soon.

AFTER TAKING REFUGE: SETTING UP YOUR PRACTICE

Friday, January 13, 7-8:30 pm

Jewel Heart Center, 260 West Broadway, NYC 10013 

 

 

The Shantideva Meditation team is pleased to invite those who recently took Refuge in the Three Jewels to come to a gathering of students within our community.   

 

Senior students will present Lama Zopa Rinpoche and FPMT's recommendations for daily practice, show how to set up an altar, guide us in meditation, and share Dharma resources. We will also provide information about our Discovering Buddhism study groups, pujas, and other programs to support your Dharma practice.  

 

Come to learn, meet other students on the path, and find out how to get more involved in Shantideva Meditation.  Tea and refreshments will be served and admission is FREE.    

 

RSVP for AFTER TAKING REFUGE

 

If you cannot make this event, please don't hesitate to drop an e-mail and let us know how we might assist you.


MEDITATION IN OUR TRADITION

Fridays, January 20 to February 17 from 7-8 pm  

Tibet House Library

15 West 22nd Street, NYC 10011 

 
meditate

Want to know more about how to work with your mind and create more peace and happiness in daily life? If you are new to meditation or simply wish to meditate with others, begin your weekends by coming to this weekly Friday night series.

 

Suitable for students of all levels-including newcomers to Buddhism and the FPMT, this basic meditation class begins with a guided meditation to calm the mind and reduce stress and distraction. This is followed by a brief explanation of one of the Buddhist meditation techniques (calm abiding, vipassana, visualization, or analytical meditation), followed by group meditation using that technique. There will also be an opportunity to reflect on the experience and ask any questions. 

 

Facilitated by George M. Cuesta, Ph.D., who has been studying and practicing the Buddhadharma since 2005. George has been a member of Shantideva Meditation Group since 2008 and also leads our Medicine Buddha pujas.  He is a licensed psychologist in the State of New York and is the Supervisory Psychologist and Team Leader for the Manhattan Vet Center.

 

Suggested Donation: $10 per session or $40 for the series.

 

RSVP MEDITATION   

 

 
PUJAS AND PRACTICES 

   

Shantideva Mediation invites you to participate in our pujas, rituals in which prayers are offered to enlightened beings to request blessings and invoke help.

 

Pujas help clear away obstacles and allow practitioners to realize their worldly and spiritual aspirations. On a worldly level, people have experienced recovery from illness, protection from untimely death, success in career and business, the ability to find a job or partner, and an increase in wealth. On a more profound level, pujas help us complete the accumulation of both merit and wisdom and quickly attain enlightenment. We can also dedicate the positive energy generated by pujas to others in need of assistance.

  

Come as an observer or participant in this highly beneficial practice within a supportive community. Beginners will benefit from others' experience, while advanced practitioners will benefit from the strong positive energy generated by group practice.

 

Pujas are now typically Tuesdays or Thursdays at 7 pm in Manhattan on 44th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues) at a private residence generously offered by one of our members.  Reminder notices will be sent prior to each puja; you may RSVP at that time or click below to register in advance. * indicates puja is held on auspicious date according to the Tibetan calendar. 

     

January 9, Medicine Buddha Puja, led by George Cuesta   

January 19Guru Puja (Lama Ch�pa), led by Gus Cutz

February 7, Green Tara Puja, led by Jennifer Kim    

February 16, Guru Puja (Lama Ch�pa), led by Gus Cutz     

 

There is no charge to participate, but you may bring a small offering of food or flowers to create merit - positive energy. You can also request a dedication to yourself or someone else to be recited during the puja and make a donation at the door or via the link below.     

 Make a Donation

    

Please e-mail Jennifer Kim at Shantideva Meditation if you cannot attend but wish to make a donation and/or request a dedication. Thank you!   

 

Merit Field

THE HEART SUTRA

WITH VEN. FEDOR STRACKE   

Friday, February 24, 7-9pm  

Saturday and Sunday, February 25-26

10am-6pm

Tibet House, 22 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011

  

"Form is empty, emptiness is form; form is not other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form..."     -- Shakyamuni Buddha

 

Among the most famous of all the Buddhist scriptures, the Heart Sutra reveals the truth of emptiness through a short exchange between two of the Buddha's most illustrious disciples, Avalokiteshvara and Shariputra. The brevity and profound nature of the Heart Sutra have made its recitation popular as an effective means for dispelling obstacles to spiritual endeavor.  

 

Ven. Fedor explains why the Heart Sutra is so fundamental to philosophy and practice within all schools of Buddhism. He explores the cryptic style of the sutra to clarify the exact nature of the wisdom realizing emptiness and the practices that are its essential complement. Come to the public talk on Friday night for an overview of the topic. The Saturday/Sunday retreat is most appropriate for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of this essential Buddhist text. Students attending the retreat will receive a reading list in advance and have the option to take an exam.   


 

About the Teacher 

 

Ven. Fedor Stracke has been a Buddhist monk since 1988 and spent over fifteen years studying at Sera Je Monastic University and attending public teachings given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  

Ven Fedor

 

Since 1996, Ven. Fedor has been teaching in FPMT centers and has served as Tibetan interpreter for various geshes. He currently teaches the Basic Program at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, Aryatara Institute in Germany, and Nalanda Monastery in France. He is translating Gyaltsab Je's commentary to Engaging in the Bodhisattva's Deeds and Losang Ch�kyi Gy�ltsen's Wisdom Debating Ignorance.

  

Registration Information

Public Talk Only:
Suggested Donation $20

Retreat (including talk): $150 ($135 for Tibet House members) Fee includes lunch both days, advanced reading list and materials.

  

Register Here for VEN FEDOR: HEART SUTRA

 

You may pay at the door, but please register in advance by February 20

   

 

SAVE THE DATE

DISCOVERING BUDDHISM STUDY GROUP

MIND AND ITS POTENTIAL  

 

Six Fridays: March 9, 16, 23, 30 and April 6, 13   

7-9pm   

Tibet House, 22 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011

 

Examine the mind and how it creates happiness and suffering. Learn to transform destructive thoughts and attitudes to create a positive and joyous mind!  

REJOICE - RECENT DHARMA EVENTS

  

Ven. Robina Courtin's visit to New York City in December was an enormous success. It was exciting to meet so many students new to Shantideva Meditation and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming dharma events in the New Year.   

 

A special thank you to Joe Loizzo and Miles Neale, of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, as well as Kimberly Brown, of Interdependence Project for collaborating with us and assisting with outreach.  Thanks also to our fabulous volunteers, especially Sandra Benedict, George Cuesta, Lyn Hayes, Stephen Redenti, Allan Tarantino, Mila Wilson, and Ann Marie Witzel for their exceptional service during this week with Ven. Robina.

 

AUDIO RECORDINGS ON INTERNET ARCHIVE

To listen to the audio recordings of the Venerable Robina's teachings, please follow the following link to the Internet Archive. Special thanks to Allan Tarantino for sound recording and editing.


 

Photo: Jane Wechsler

Students Taking Refuge with VRC 2011 Students Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels with Ven. Robina Courtin, December 11, 2011.  


JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER TEAM 

 

Shantideva Meditation needs help in the areas of administration, bookkeeping, social media/communications, fundraising, governance, and events.

 

It is the positive intention and generosity of our supporters and volunteers that helps to create the causes for FPMT teachers to bring the Dharma to New York. If you are interested in sharing your ideas, skills, and resources for the benefit of our community and all sentient beings please email us at Shantideva Meditation. Thank you!

 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 

 

Shantideva Meditation Group welcomes sponsorships to make public talks and retreats with FPMT teachers possible. Funds are needed to support offerings, transportation, space rental, accommodations, and materials for each program as well as for general operating expenses, including website development fees. 

  

If you wish to use this opportunity to create positive potential and serve the Dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings, please make a donation via the link below or contact Mary Esbjornson at Shantideva Meditation for more information on sponsorship opportunities.   

 

Make a Donation   

Thank you for you consideration.


Shantideva Meditation is dedicated to developing the good heart by cultivating wisdom and compassion through the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism within 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.

For information about Shantideva Meditation please e-mail to Shantideva Meditation.

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"For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide, to dispel the misery of the world. "     

-- Shantideva