Hello friend,

We are currently taking a break from regular programming. There will be NO teaching Sunday Oct. 9 and NO meditation/prayer on Tuesday Oct. 11. Events will resume Sunday Oct. 16, which will be a Full Moon Tara prayer instead of a Dharma teaching.

Geshe la’s teaching schedule from October through December has been added to our calendar, and is presented below.

Eight Verses for Training the Mind is a highly revered text from the Mahayana Lojong (mind training) tradition. These instructions offer essential practices for cultivating the awakening mind of compassion, wisdom, and love. This eight-verse (Mind Training or Lojong) enshrines the very heart of Dharma, revealing the true essence of the Mahayana path to liberation.

Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016
Verse I – How to cherish and care for others which is the source of all happiness.

Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016
Verse 2 – How to train the mind in proper humility, eliminating our habitual arrogance and pride and taming our exaggerated sense of self importance and for cultivating true humility and respect for others.

Sunday, Nov 6, 2016
Verse 3 – This verse calls for the sincere practice of mindfulness, closely examining our state of mind throughout all our actions and encourage us to firmly face and avert any disturbing emotions or negative attitudes the very moment they arise.

Sunday, Nov 13, 2016
Verse 4 – This verse suggests reversing our usual self-cherishing attitude by learning to cherish and care for others less fortunate and to overcome the delusion and egoism of our self-cherishing mental state

Sunday, Nov 20, 2016
Verse 5 – Learning to accept loss and defeat which is the very foundation of the bodhisattva practice.

Sunday, Nov 27, 2016
Verse 6 – How to transform difficult experiences (such as when people repay our kindness and trust by harming us or treating us in hurtful ways) into the actual path to enlightenment.

Sunday, Dec 4, 2016
Verse 7 – This verse refers to the essence of Tong-len practice (Giving and Taking).

Sunday, Dec 11, 2016
Verse 8 – Training on how to our spiritual practice should not be defiled or stained by the eight worldly concerns and to act exclusively and compassionately for the benefit of other beings. This training practice also include direct perception of ultimate truth—emptiness.

Thank you,