October 2024 – Precious Delivery from Tibet
A collection of the Kangyur, inscribed in gold, arrived with a beautiful bookcase designed to hold these sacred scriptures. The furniture we ordered for the Lama’s room has arrived from Tibet. We have also received a precious thangka image crafted from copper.
September 2024 – Dzambhala Wealth God Group Practice, White Tara Practice, and Feast Offering
Our Dharma center hosted a special event featuring a Dzambhala Wealth God Group Practice, White Tara Practice, and a Feast Offering (Tsok). The Dzambhala practice focused on invoking the blessings of the five Dzambhala wealth gods to cultivate wealth and generosity. The White Tara practice centered on long life and wisdom. The event concluded with a traditional Feast Offering.
June/July 2024 Lama Tashi Tsering’s Retreat
Our Dharma center had the honor of hosting Lama Tashi Tsering, who visited from Tibet for an intensive personal retreat. His presence was a deeply auspicious occasion, increasing the blessings of our center and leaving a lasting spiritual imprint. Throughout the retreat, our resident Lama Sonam Gyatso attended to him, ensuring a conducive environment for Lama Tashi Tsering’s practice.
May 2024 – Lama Chopa Program
H.E. Garchen Rinpoche’s sister visited from India to join us for a 2-day Lama Chopa practice. Lama Chopa, meaning “Offering to the Guru,” is a form of Guru Yoga that honors the spiritual masters of the lineage through offerings. The practice aimed to purify negativities, accumulate merit, and deepen the connection with the spiritual teacher.
March 2024 – Vajrakilaya Program
Vajrakilaya is a powerful deity associated with removing obstacles and clearing negativities. His wrathful appearance embodies fierce compassion, a direct and determined approach to destroying ignorance and suffering. Lopon Thubten Nima led a group of practitioners in this practice, invoking Vajrakilaya’s protective power to overcome both internal and external obstacles.
February 2024 – Tibetan New Year Puja
Our Dharma center held a Tibetan New Year Puja, an important ceremony marking the beginning of the Tibetan New Year to purify negativities accumulated over the past year and create auspicious conditions for the new year ahead. The event included a Smoke Offering (sang) led Lama Sonam Gyatso, to cleanse the environment and remove obstacles, and practices dedicated to Dzambhala, the wealth deity, and White Tara, the deity of long life and wisdom.
January 2024 – Arrival and Ceremony for Kangyur Volume Collection and Statue
The Arrival and Ceremony for the Kangyur Volume Collection and Statue marked the reception and veneration of sacred texts and statues that are central to Buddhist practice. The Kangyur, which contains the Buddha’s teachings, symbolizes a connection to the Dharma for the community. These texts serve as a source of wisdom and guidance for spiritual practice. The Buddha Shakyamuni statue provides practitioners with a tangible connection to the enlightened qualities it represents. Lopon Thubten Nima led the prayers and rituals, invoking blessings on the texts and statue. These rituals ensure that the Buddha’s teachings are treated with respect and provide a space for future study and practice.
December 2023 – Achi Program with visiting Lamas
See above for a description of Achi. During this event, the visiting Lamas performed special blessing ceremonies, where participants received blessings for health and protection from obstacles. This was a unique opportunity for practitioners to receive direct blessings from experienced Lamas while deepening their connection to the practice of Achi Chokyi Drolma and strengthening their spiritual path.
July 2023 – 1-Month Personal White Tara Retreat (student)
White Tara is a Buddhist deity of long life, protection from dangers, wisdom, and merit. This White Tara retreat offered practitioners an opportunity to deepen their practice and develop love and compassion. Through meditation and mantra recitation participants strengthened their connection to White Tara’s qualities.
May 2023 -Mounting and Consecration of Thangkas of the Succession of Lineage Masters
Our Dharma center hosted a special ceremony, led by Lopon Thubten Nima, for the mounting and consecration of thangkas (Tibetan Buddhist paintings). This sacred event symbolized the invocation of blessings from the lineage masters, with each thangka serving as a visual representation of enlightened beings. The consecration ritual invited the presence and blessings of these enlightened beings into our space. During the ceremony, we honored the lineage of Buddhist, ensuring their teachings continue to be passed down in an unbroken succession. The consecrated thangkas now stand as a source of protection and harmony for the environment, generating blessings for practitioners and the broader community. This event was an important milestone for our center.
April 2023 – 1-week Nyungne Retreat
Lopon Thubten Nima led a Nyungne Retreat, a Buddhist fasting practice centered on Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. This purification practice involved periods of fasting, prayer, prostrations, and meditation. Over the course of the event, participants engaged in these activities to purify physical and mental impurities, deepen their connection to compassion, and accumulate merit.
February 2023 – Lama Chopa and Achi Program
Lopon Thubten Nima led a group of practitioners in a two-day-long Lama Chopa and Achi Chokyi Drolma practice.
October 2022 – Local Tibetan Dharma students gathered for Lama Chopa Puja
Lama Chopa, meaning “Offering to the Guru,” is a form of Guru Yoga that honors the spiritual masters of the lineage through offerings. Lopon Thubten Nima led a two-day group practice on Lama Chopa, which involved making offerings, reciting prayers and mantras, and engaging in meditation. The practice aimed to purify negativities, accumulate merit, and deepen the connection with the spiritual teacher.
August 2022 – Achi Program with Tritsab Rinpoche and other Lamas
Tritsab Rinpoche led a special practice dedicated to Achi Chokyi Drolma, the female Dharma protector of the Drikung Kagyu lineage. The session included rituals, prayers, and meditations to invoke her blessings for protection, remove obstacles, and enhance spiritual progress. Tritsab Rinpoche and other Lamas also offered participants the chance to ask questions.
June 2022 – White Tara Program
White Tara is a Buddhist deity of long life, protection from dangers, wisdom, and merit. Lopon Thubten Nima led a group of practitioners to recite White Tara’s mantra, aiming to remove the causes of illness and strengthen vitality. The group practice helped accumulate merit collectively, which was dedicated to the well-being of all beings, with a special focus on bringing peace and protection to the world.
April 2022 – Inauguration and Opening Ceremony
The Inauguration and Opening Ceremony of our Dharma Center was an auspicious event marking the official start of our center’s journey. The ceremony included rituals and blessings, with monastics and the lay community participating to ensure everything began on an auspicious note. After the formalities, we shared a celebratory meal, where everyone came together to celebrate the inauguration.
