E-News: July/August 2015

Dear Dharma Friends,

We hope that those who attended Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche's teachings benefited greatly. We are still a bit stunned that he manifested in town and, with great kindness, offered a series of teachings on the stages of the path to enlightenment, the importance of purification and accumulation of merit, the power of our prayers, the preciousness of this human rebirth, how to practice patience, and the greatest enemy: the self-existent I, which creates all problems in life.

We are in the process of gathering and sharing details about the transmissions and will also share details about the advice he specifically offered to students of Shantideva Meditation Center. A recording of the audio and video will also be released in the near future. Please stay tuned.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Guru Puja with Tsog - August 25, 2015

Photo by: Edward Sczudlo

Huge thanks to all those who generously offered their time and resources to enable these most beneficial teachings to occur. Many sincere thanks also to those who became members for the first time.

With this momentum, we look forward to the future. On Thursday, September 10, Professor Andrew Quintman from Yale University will lead a talk on the evolving life story of Milarepa, one of Tibet's most renowned saints, who achieved enlightenment in one lifetime. Steeped in a Western scholastic background, Professor Quintman will offer a different and fresh perspective on the multifaceted Dharma Jewel and share insights into Milarepa's life from the literary and cultural perspectives.

In October, Geshe Thubten Sherab, whose teachings students have been raving about for a while, will come to New York to teach on emptiness. This will be a great follow-up to Rinpoche's teachings about emptiness. Our Basic Program Study Group, which is taught by Don Handrick and starts this Monday, will go even deeper and review the Vaibhashika and Sautantrika schools' views on emptiness.

We hope you will join us for this and our other events to study and practice the Buddhist path to peace and happiness.

Oceans of Love,

Jennifer

Director

Shantideva Meditation Center - FPMT NYC

Public Talk & Visiting Teachers

Thursday, September 10 from 7pm to 9pm

at Tibet House

The Making of Milarepa:

Reading the Life of Tibet's Great Poet and Saint

Please note: 100% of net proceeds will go towards earthquake relief in Nepal.

In this lecture, Professor Andrew Quintman, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, explores the extraordinary life story of Yogin Milarepa, drawing on his new book, The Yogin and the Madman: Reading the Biographical Corpus of Tibet's Great Saint Milarepa. He presents a new way of reading The Life of Milarepa by foregrounding the unique relationship between Yogin and Madman together with the processes through which the narrative took shape.

For more information and to register, please click here.

October 9 - 11

at Tibet House

The Wisdom of Emptiness: The Path to Real Peace

with Geshe Thubten Sherab

Geshe Sherab will guide us into what emptiness means, how it differs from the way we perceive reality, and how to reflect and meditate on emptiness. He will also connect emptiness with the other Buddhist teachings, especially compassion.

Information on the public talk and weekend retreat will be available soon!

October 27 - November 8

Teachings with Ven. Robina Courtin

Ven. Robina will spend two full weeks in New York and give several teachings, as well as Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows. She will also be our special guest at Shantideva Meditation's first-ever auction on Thursday, October 29.

Information will be available soon!

Other Upcoming Events

Mondays, August 31 - November 2 from 7pm to 9pm

at National Opera Center

Don Handrick

Basic Program, Second Module:

Presentation of Tenets

Views of the Vaibhashika and Sautantrika Schools

We will study the Presentation of Tenets, composed by the renowned scholar and yogi, Jets�n Ch�kyi Gyaltsen. This module will be taught by Don Handrick through videoconferencing. The module will be divided into two parts:

Part 1: August 2015 - November 2015: Hinayana Schools (Vaibhashika and Sautantrika)

Part 2: January 2016 - March 2016: Mahayana Schools (Cittamatra and Madhyamika)

For more information, full schedule, and to register for the first part of the module, please click here. Space is limited to 20 participants.

Tuesdays from 7pm to 8pm

at Jewel Heart Center

Becoming Your Own Therapist:

A Weekly Opportunity to Practice Meditation

Whether you aspire to take a break from the hectic pace of urban life, want to learn simple meditation techniques, or wish to benefit from the collective energy of practicing with a group, please join us every Tuesday for Becoming Your Own Therapist - Shantideva Meditation's weekly meditation offering.

Wednesday, September 2 from 7pm to 9pm

at private residence

Discovering Buddhism Study Group:

Photo by: Ven. Thubten Kunsang

The Spiritual Teacher

Please note: Review Session for Discovering Buddhism Study Group: The Spiritual Teacher will be held in a private residence.

The Discovering Buddhism Study Group series is geared for beginning students who wish to deepen their understanding of fundamental Buddhist concepts.

In this module, we investigated the role of the teacher on the spiritual path: the need for a teacher, the qualities of teacher and student, and how to relate to a teacher for greatest benefit.

To find out more, please click here.

Wednesdays: September 16 - October 28

from 7pm to 9pm

Discovering Buddhism Study Group:

Death and Rebirth

In this module, we will explore the process of death and rebirth and its impact on how we live our lives. We are thrilled to announce that Ven. Robina Courtin will be personally teaching on How to Help Your Loved Ones Enjoy Death and answering questions about Death and Rebirth on October 28.

For more information and to register, please click here.

September 19 from 9am to 12pm & 1pm to 2pm

at Plumb Beach, Brooklyn

Compassion in Action, Go Green, and Animal Liberation

Compassion in Action offers opportunities to volunteer for social service organizations as a group, Go Green extends these activities to benefit nature and the planet, and the mindstreams of animals receive positive imprints through Animal Liberation. Join us for a beach cleanup and brown bag lunch followed by blessing all the creatures in the sea.

For more information and to register, please click here.

October 29

at Fig. 19

Fundraising Auction

Shantideva Meditation will host our first-ever auction on October 29 at the beautiful venue of Fig. 19. In addition to the auction raising funds for our activities, it will be a way to involve businesses and the wider community in sharing compassion and wisdom in our world.

Upcoming Pujas

Pujas are offered twice monthly beginning at 7pm

at Jewel Heart Center

260 West Broadway

New York, NY 10013

Shantideva Meditation students gather regularly for pujas,

a practice 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. Come as an observer or participant in this highly beneficial practice! There is now no need to register in advance.

Medicine Buddha Puja purifies and heals on all levels - physical, mental, spiritual, and environmental. This puja is considered particularly powerful for people who are sick or have recently died.

Friday, September 4 from 7pm to 8:30pm

Guru Puja with Tsog lays the whole path to enlightenment on our mindstream, connects us more strongly to our teachers, and allows us to quickly and effectively accumulate merit and purify negative karma.

Friday, September 11 and October 2 from 7pm to 9:00pm

Green Tara Puja is known to quickly remove the many inner and external obstacles to our worldly success and spiritual development, helping us to accomplish our goals and bringing us closer to enlightenment

Friday, September 25 from 7pm to 8:30pm

Rejoice- Recent Dharma Activities

Opening the Door to Liberation: Teachings and Events with Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

We were honored to host Lama Zopa Rinpoche's teachings on August 21,27 & 28 and Guru Puja with Tsog on August 25. Photos, audio, and videos will be available soon on our website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

Opening the Door to Liberation with Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche on August 21, 2015

Photo by: Edward Sczudlo

Lam-Rim retreat with Venerable Amy Miller

On July 24-26, Ven. Amy Miller presented an overview of the Tibetan Buddhist path to enlightenment (lam-rim). Through the peaceful setting of the Garrison Institute and the kind and wise guidance of Ven. Amy Miller, we deepened our meditation experience of the different topics of the lam-rim. The retreat was a rare and precious opportunity to experience a very conducive environment to calm our minds and develop our understanding of the Buddhist path.

Please view photos from the retreat on our Facebook album. Click here for the audio recording. The video of the retreat will be available on our YouTube channel soon.

Lam-Rim retreat with Venerable Amy Miller

Tuesday, July 7

from 7pm to 9:30pm

at Jewel Heart Center

Celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Birthday!

July 6 was His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday. To honor His Holiness we hosted a special event on Tuesday, July 7, which included a guided meditation on developing compassion, a

meditation on four-arm Chenrezig practice, which included recitation of the mantra, birthday cake, and tea!

July 7 - August 31

The 100,000 Chenrezig mantras pledge to His Holiness

We've reached our goal of pledging 1,000,000 Chenrezig mantras to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

The 100,000 Chenrezig mantras pledge was organized as an 80th birthday offering to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. From July 7 to August 31, our goal was to recite 100,000 Chenrezig mantras. Thank you to all who participated.

To participate, please submit your mantra count here by August 31.

For more information on the benefits of reciting this mantra, please click here.

Wednesday June 3 - July 8 from 7pm to 9pm

at Jewel Heart Center

Discovering Buddhism Study Group: Presenting the Path

Group Photo of Presenting the Path

The Discovering Buddhism Study Group series is geared for beginning students who wish to deepen their understanding of fundamental Buddhist concepts. In this module, we studied an overview of the path, including basics, such as the

Three Principal Aspects of the Path, and seminal texts, such as

The Foundation of all Good Qualities. We would like to thank Ven. Amy Miller for teaching the last session of the module.

For more information, please click here.

Basic Program:

A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life

We ended our first Basic Program module in July. Eight people met to review the first seven chapters of the

Bodhisattvacharyāvatāra to prepare for the evaluation. There is much to rejoice in for all the energy our group has put into studying, discussing, and meditating on this amazing text. May all the wisdom and merits developed turn into realizations and benefit many, many beings!

Another module will start on August 31 and will cover the Tenets, including views of the Two Truths in the different Buddhist schools. It will be taught from a distance by Don Handrick through Google Hangouts.

For more information and to register for the Basic Program Second Module: Presentation of Tenets, please click here.

July's Book of the Month Giveaway Contest:

The Compassionate Life by H.H. the Dalai Lama

In honor of H.H. the Dalai Lama's birthday, July's giveaway book contest was The Compassionate Life by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Touching and transformative, The Compassionate Life is a personal invitation from one of the world's most gifted teachers to live a life of happiness, joy, and true prosperity.

Congratulations to Tara for winning The Compassionate Life by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

August's Book of the Month Giveaway Contest:

The Fulfillment of All Hopes: Guru Devotion in Tibetan Buddhism

by Lama Tsongkhapa

Devoting oneself to a spiritual teacher is a practice much misunderstood in the West, yet fundamental to the tantric Buddhism of Tibet. The Fulfillment of All Hopes is an explanation of this core practice by Lama Tsongkhapa, one of Tibet's most revered scholar-practitioners.

Presented here is a complete translation of Lama Tsongkhapa's commentary on the well-known Fifty Stanzas on the Guru accompanied by the original Tibetan text.

Congratulations to Janna Weiss for winning The Fulfillment of All Hopes: Guru Devotion in Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Tsongkhapa

Acknowledging Our Contributors

Thanks to those who enable Shantideva Meditation Center to exist and offer benefit.

VISITING TEACHERS: July - August 2015

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Venerable Amy Miller

VOLUNTEER STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS: July - August 2015

Treasurer: Ven. Lhundub Chodron

Ricardo Aragon, Damion Badalamenti, Meg Sweetland Baker, Tara Baltazar,
Arnaud Berger, Jane Bosveld, Josh Builder, Tricia Clark, Bonnie Costa,
George Michael Cuesta, Gustavo Cutz, Marc Freed, Snehy Gupta, Desmond Hosford, Jennifer Kim, Mary LaRosa, Michael Pafford, Gail Pickett, Lana Popovic, Leilani-Kali Rivers, Gigi Salomon, Edward Sczudlo, Steve Utzig, Janna Weiss, Laura Mitchell-Woolson, Kurukulla Center- FPMT, Massachusetts, Milarepa Center- FPMT, Vermont

ADDITIONAL EVENT VOLUNTEERS: July - August 2015

Tricia Clark - An Event Manager for Lama Zopa's Teachings

MEMBERS: July - August 2015

Jed Aicher, Hailey Aldren, Ricardo Aragon, Rachana Bhatia, Robyn Brentano, EmmaCobb,

Mary Cotta, Catherine De Long, Meg Sweetland Baker, Tara Baltazar, Arnaud Berger,

Joel Bernard, Josh Builder, Jeff Caspari, Keetin Cheung, Tricia Clark, Lauren Coleman, Bonnie Costa, Patricia Crane, George Cuesta, Jaleh Farahani, Thomas Kyle Fisher, Marc Freed, Charlie Freehof, Augusto Giacoman, Snehy Gupta, Pattie Hansen, Jeff Holloway,

Desmond Hosford, Marianna Janicelli, Marcus Keyzer, Sheila Odessey, Georges Piette,

Leilani-Kali Rivers, Mary La Rosa, Laura Mithell-Woolson, Aniko Muriglan,

Charlotte Lowson, Eleanor Nettleton, Michael Pafford, Orlando Pellot, Sheila Richardson,

Marianne Richter, Victoria Samosvatova, Jay Sautter, Pamela Sherrid, Rebecca Smith,

Carol Sussal, Sean Tanaka, Jan Tilley, Janna Weiss, Johan Wiberg, Michael Wick

ADDITIONAL DONORS & SPONSORS: July - August 2015

Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi, Wendy Vanden Heuvel, Tricia Clark, Jennifer Kim,
Lauren Coleman, Pamela Sherrod, Snehy Gupta, Michael Pafford,
Victoria Samosvatova, Tara Baltazar,

Miles Neale, Olga Dobroskok, Bonnie Costa

Huge thanks to those who also made offerings for Lama Zopa Rinpoche's
teachings on the days of the events.

Please enjoy teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche about
the immense benefits of generosity!

Open Volunteer Positions

We are looking to expand our volunteer positions. If you are interested in being part of the

Social Media Team, Manager for the Bodhi Shop, Manager/assist for the video/audio and/or assist with our graphic design please contact us.

Practice Generosity

Shantideva Meditation Center relies entirely on the generosity of individual donors to support our activities. Every gift at any level is needed and deeply appreciated. To create positive potential to collectively keep the wheel of Dharma turning, please consider offering your support. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!

DONATE NOW OR BECOME A MEMBER

2014 Annual Review

Please enjoy Shantideva Meditation Center's 2014 Annual Review! It is an opportunity to rejoice in the progress we have collectively made to generate peace, loving kindness, and realizations on the path to enlightenment. Thank you to each person who participated and concontributed to these merits generated!

Please also enjoy FPMT's 2014 Annual Review and the activities from our teachers and from students around the world, including numerous charitable projects.

About Us

Shantideva Meditation Center is dedicated to cultivating wisdom and compassion through the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism within the New York community.

We are 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 more information, please email Shantideva Meditation or visit our website!