Karmapa Center 16 Shrine Room panorama. The shrine to the left is the Tara Shrine. Photo by Lama Zopa.
The Karmapa Center 16 is pleased to be joining Nalandabodhi International (NBI) and Nalanda West for NBI’s fifth annual Tara Drupchen to be held online from September 24 to 27.
Most of you know the Tara Sadana is a daily practice at KC16, but did you know that it was the main daily practice of the 16th Karmapa? According to his personal secretary, Zhanag Dzogpa Tenzin Namgyal, His Holiness practiced Tara every morning. (This and other stories about His Holiness can be found here.)
Since the beginning of the pandemic, KC16 has performed the Tara Sadhana more extensively than usual to call upon Tara to help alleviate the associated suffering as well as other specific and general fears and obstacles.
This September, we have the opportunity to join NBI in virtually sharing this powerful practice. We invite you to participate with us in the Drupchen to help spread much needed peace and joy for ourselves, our loved ones and every being around the globe.
Our world continues to suffer in a multitude of ways from the coronavirus. Reported cases surpassed three million and deaths are over three hundred thousand. People are struggling with anxiety, fear and isolation.
WHAT CAN WE DO? As dharma practitioners, we have the tools to take inspiration from the vast loving-kindness of His Holiness The Sixteenth Karmapa, and be in touch with our own soft hearts. By doing that, we can radiate love and peace within ourselves, outwardly to specific beings we know are suffering and boundlessly throughout the globe to dissolve the energy of despair and unease.
In accordance with the One Million Positive Actions campaign, we invite you to touch in with your kind heart and participate in The Kindness Rocks Project which encourages painting an uplifting message on a rock and leaving it somewhere visible to others – such as under a tree, by a sidewalk or in a park, while taking note of Leave No Trace guidelines in consideration of our environment. The project is rooted in the belief that: “One message at just the right moment can change someone’s day, outlook, life!”
HOW Step one: Practice Meditate on the presence of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa. Acknowledge any fear, anxiety or pain you have. Take some time for the blessings to flow throughout you and dissolve your own suffering. When you have an experience of His Holiness’s enlightened presence, connect with the suffering of someone you know personally. Inhale their suffering and exhale the loving-kindness inside of you to alleviate the suffering of that being. Practice for a while to gain an experience of that being filled with the radiance of genuine love and peace. Then, finally, open your awareness to include all beings’ suffering as far as you can imagine. Inhale all that tension and unease, connect with your blessing-full, loving heart. Exhale all your positivity to dissolve all beings fear and suffering. Relax.
Step Two: Paint In your state of connection to loving kindness and compassion, on a stone paint or draw your message of love, hope and kindness, such as the rock below:
Step Three: Connect with One Million Positive Actions Take a photo of your message rock and share it with the KC16 bot via m.me/karmapacenter16 or social media and use the hashtags #KindnessRocks and #GoKind.
Step Four: Share your practice imbued message rock Place your message rock in any place of your choosing.
Step Five: Dedicate the merit Take a moment to dedicate the merit in your favorite way. Karmapa Khyenno!
Furthermore, please help us create more widespread kindness by:
Sharing our posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Encouraging family, friends, neighbors and community leaders to participate.
Asking any artists you know to create and post their own message stones (don’t forget to ask them to use #KindnessRocks and #GoKind in their posts!).
A deeply heartfelt thank you to all who continue to support The Karmapa Center 16 with all your capacity. May you be healthy, safe, and at peace.
This week, KC16 is inviting Dharma practitioners worldwide to find refuge in, to reflect upon, and to receive direct inspiration from His Holiness the 16th Karmapa through his declaration, “A Reminder to Myself” translated into English by Tyler Dewar.
“With your supreme intelligence, you realized the intention of the unsurpassable vehicle, the tradition of Padmakara. Guru of unequalled kindness, I remember you from my heart. I supplicate you—bless me with your compassion. I, Pema Trinley Palzang, a performer of three activities, From now on, will take control of my own discipline in thought and deed.”Read more…
May his vow be of benefit to one’s self and others and serve as a reminder that His Holiness is always with us in thought and action. There is no better time than the present to put the words of His Holiness into action in our own practice.
Many thanks to all of you — our dedicated global network — who continue to support, share, and contribute to The Karmapa Center 16 Stupa Project!
This week we’re fortunate to share Prayers for the Pandemic to Subside, the seven days of live-streamed prayers and teachings given by His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje’s, one week of prayers to help us and everyone struggling with the coronavirus.
He kindly reminds us to consider our holistic health: “So when we are confronted by such great impermanence as now, we must do what we can not to panic and instead look inside ourselves.”
His Holiness the 17th Karmapa also shared “A Prayer for Pacifying the Fear of the Disease” by Thangtong Gyalpo, which is said to have stopped an epidemic at the great monastery of the Glorious Sakya tradition. It became renowned as the vajra speech radiating cloud-like blessings. Please join us in reciting this prayer. May its abundant blessings be with us always!
We welcome you to continue to share your photos and videos of kind actions with the KC16 Messenger Bot here: m.me/karmapacenter16 or using the #GoKind hashtag on social media platforms. Now more than ever is the time to radiate kindness!
Thank you to everyone who continues to follow, share and contribute to The Karmapa Center 16 Stupa Project in any capacity. Please don’t be hesitant to reach out to us if we may be of any assistance.
His Holiness the 17th Karmapa conducting puja at The Karmapa Center 16 in May 2015. Photo by Scott Pownall.
Join us on Friday, July 22 for a very special occasion—a visit to The Karmapa Center 16 by the Venerable Master Hai Tao!
About the Venerable Master Hai Tao
“Vowing to save the sentient beings from suffering rather than seeking personal happiness” is the code of conduct for the Venerable Master Hai Tao. The Venerable Master Hai Tao is the founder of Compassion for Life Organization. He first became a monk in 1993 after visiting Huei-Rhi Lecture Hall in Taipei; an experience in which he was touched by the Buddha statue’s low brows and gracious eyes”; as well as the relaxing manner of the monks. Upon deeper studying of Buddha Dharma he really appreciated the profound Buddhist philosophy on life. The ideals of the humanistic school of Buddhism of Master Yin-Shun is also a source of great inspiration and the reason for Venerable Hai Tao turning monk. More about the Venerable Master Hai Tao here: www.lifetv.org.tw/master_E.htm.
Please see the tentative schedule of events below. Further information and details about how to register/attend will be announced soon.
DAY
TIME
ACTIVITY
DETAILS
Thursday, July 21
15:42 Flight Arrives
Arrival
Friday, July 22
Morning
Tea & Rice Welcome for Venerable Master Hai Tao
Fire Puja with Smoke Offering at The Karmapa Center 16
Fire Puja Offering to the Three Jewels, Dieties and Protectors. Giving to the lower realms and hungry ghosts.
