Try using this one for the newsletter
May 2015 Newsletter

Tashi Delek,

 Come visit us again and again at AwamInstitute.org.

 

Meditation & Yoga Opportunities- We now have several meditation and yoga opportunities available to assist in your personal development:

(1) Sunday Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Hour continues on Sunday mornings at11:00 am,

(2) Beginning Meditation on Tuesday mornings at 11:00 am,

(3)  NEW Vajrayogini Meditation on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm, and

(4) a NEW Tibetan Yoga Class will start on Saturday mornings at 10:00 am.

Please see the details below.


 
Yogi Lama Gursam will be returning to Tucson May 7-10 (Thurs-Fri evenings and all-day Sat-Sun). He will be teaching on Lovingkindness, giving a Yeshe Tsogyal empowerment, and leading an advanced Tsalung practice retreat. Details are listed below.

 

Introduction to Tibetan Language class will be starting Sunday, May 17 at 1:00 pm. Want to know how to read Tibetan script? Pronounce mantras and other words? Please see details below. 


 
Prayer Requests - We accept Prayer Requests.  We will recite prayers for you or anyone you designate, including pets or other beings.  You may volunteer to recite practices that are requested. See details below or on our website under "Community."

 

Innate Happiness: Realizing Compassion-Emptinessmy book for householders with a simple yet complete path for Tibetan Buddhism is now available in paperback from Amazon.com and other booksellers. The eBook version is also available. Please see details below.


Calendar of Events on our website is full of new events and activities - please check it out and see details below.

Don't forget Twitter and Facebook ! This is a good way to get notices and reminders of events, special days in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar, along with dharma quotes to support your practice. Try them out! Go to our website AwamInstitute.org to connect with us.

 

In Buddhanature,

Khenpo Dean


 

 Meditation & Yoga Opportunities at Awam

Awam Tibetan Buddhist Institute, 3400 E Speedway, Suite 204, Tucson AZ

(Located just east of Whole Foods in the Rancho Center)

 

We are delighted to be able to offer additional practice sessions suitable for a wide variety of people from beginners to advanced practitioners. We welcome everyone, regardless of religious or secular beliefs, who would like to experience the benefits of meditation!
 

Sunday Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Hour - Sundays, 11:00 - noon: Khenpo Dean leads a one-hour meditation practice including chanting, a variety of deity practices, a short dharma talk, and a ritual blessing. This is an opportunity for group practice in a convenient weekly format. The benefit of group practice is multiplied by the number of participants, so please join us! Everyone is welcome to attend. FREE (donations to support our temple gratefully accepted).

 

Beginning MeditationTuesdays, 11:00 am - noon

This session led by Ruth Pancoast begins with fifteen minutes of basic meditation instruction, followed by 30 minutes of meditation, then 15 minutes of questions & answers or individual meetings with the instructor. FREE (donations to support our temple gratefully accepted).
 

NEW: Vajrayogini Meditation - Second & Fourth Thursdays, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Led by Jane Stanely, this is a "Highest Yoga Tantra" practice requires a Vajrayogini empowerment (includes Vajravarahi and other forms of Vajrayogini) or at least a highest yoga tantra empowerment. Others are welcome to come and sit during the practice to receive the blessing. Vajrayogini is a female Buddha, and is considered to be the essence of all the Buddhas. She is "a tantric goddess from the highest class of Buddhist tantras, who manifests the ultimate development of wisdom and compassion." This practice is "particularly suited to practitioners in modern times." Suggested donation: $5 per session.

 

NEW: Tibetan Yoga Class will start on Saturday mornings at 10:00 am on May 16. Patrick Flint, an experienced yoga practitioner and teacher, will lead this class. This form of yoga is particularly suitable as a preparation for meditation and is very adaptable to those with physical limitations that are a barrier to many other forms of yoga. Suggested donation: $5 per session.


 

Yogi Lama Gursam

May 7 - 8, Thursday-Friday, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

May 9 - 10, Saturday-Sunday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Awam Tibetan Buddhist Institute, 3400 E Speedway, Suite 204, Tucson AZ

(Located just east of Whole Foods in the Rancho Center)

 

Yogi Lama Gursam has been a very popular teacher with our sangha for many years and we are glad to welcome him back to Tucson!


 

Thursday, May 7, 7:00 pm - Loving-kindness in Everyday Life (Suggested donation - $20)

Lovingkindness in Tibetan Buddhism refers to the wish that all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. This happiness can be in any form - relative or ultimate, the latter being the ultimate happiness of enlightenment. Lama will share with us how to integrate these into our experience of everyday life for the benefit of us, and all other beings.


Friday, May 8, 7:00-9:00 pm - Yeshe Tsogyal Empowerment (Suggested donation - $25)

Yeshe Tsogyal was the consort of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) when he came to Tibet (late 8th century) to assist in overcoming difficult spirits that were interfering with the construction of Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Importantly, he advised Yeshe Tsogyal that contrary to custom, "the woman's body is better" than that of a man "if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment". She became one of his most important students and is noted for having written down numerous teachings from him, many of which are said to have been hidden away as "treasures" (termas) to be found in the future by tertons when times would be more appropriate for those teachings. She is also said to be an emanation of Vajravarahi, Sarasvati, and sometimes Tara. Padmasambhava is said to have predicted her rebirth as Machig Labdron (11th century), the originator of several Chod practice lineages.

Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm - Tsa Lung Practice Retreat (Suggested donation - $40 each)

Lama requests that participants in the weekend Tsa Lung practice retreat be prepared to sit on the floor (unless unable to due to a health condition, in which case one may sit in a chair) and be prepared for hard work every day. He recommends only a very light breakfast or none. You will also need to bring your own yoga mat and water bottle.

Tsa Lung practice involves visualization and yoga practice involving the channels, winds, and drops within the psychic channels of the body. These are associated with the advanced completion-stage practices of Highest Yoga Tantra and are most suitable for those with a solid background in the preliminary practices, outer tantra practice, and generation-stage practice of Highest Yoga Tantra.

The meaning of Tsa Lung is tsa, which are the subtle channels of the physical body, and lung, meaning wind. Inside each of these physical channels wind must flow. Tsa Lung works with both the body and the breath. It is a technique that combines movements with holding the breath. Because you are holding the breath, the movements can penetrate deeper into the body and open more of the smaller channels, the very subtle chakras. It is only possible to open these small chakras with the breath. Movement alone is not sufficient. Something more subtle, such as the breath, must be used to reach these subtle places.

For the purpose of Tsa Lung practice there are two types of wind: the wisdom wind and the karmic wind. The karmic wind is what blocks the chakras. When the wind is flowing in the channels we call it the wisdom wind. Actually it is the same wind, but if it is blocked it is the karmic wind and if it flows it is the wisdom wind. When you hold the wind and use special techniques to move it to various chakras in the body, you are able to open all of your subtle chakras. This means that all of your karmic winds are transformed into wisdom winds. We also have both coarse and subtle breath. All speech is coarse breath and the breath itself is the subtle breath.

Yogi Lama Gursam went to monastery at a very young age, received teachings as a monastic, and studied and practiced as a monastic. Then Lama Gursam went to study in Tibetan University Sarnath, Varanasi, India to get both bachelors and masters degrees in Buddhist Philosophy, History, and languages. Upon graduation he received a special award for scholastic achievement from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After the university, Lama Gursam was requested to assist His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche. Lama volunteered for five years as an assistant, as a teacher, and helped with many other duties. Lama Gursam then completed the traditional three year retreat. Since then, every year Lama has gone on retreat in various mountains, including some of Milarepa's caves. He then returns for six months each year to provide teachings in the West. He also leads pilgrimages to holy places in India and Nepal. Lama teaches in English, and always tries to focus on the practical application of the Dharma in everyday life.

 
Suggested donation for all 4 days - $100 . You are invited to make whatever donation is reasonable given your financial ability.


Introduction to The Tibetan Language
 

Tibetan Language Course - This course will include (1) the Tibetan alphabet, (2) syllable modifications, (3) pronunciation, and (4) some vocabulary. We will use the Introduction to Tibetan Language (Level 1) Workbook from the Tibetan Language Institute (www.tibetanlanguage.org). Students should purchase the manual in advance of starting the course. The initial part of the course will be for 4 weeks. We may extend that 2 additional weeks after a short break. Tuition will be $40 for the first part and $20 for the extension (if offered). 


(On their website go under 'Beginning Language Materials' - then you should see where the Level 1 work book is offered.)


Prayer Requests

 

 

We are now accepting Prayer Requests. We will recite prayers for you or anyone you designate, including pets or other beings. It is customary to make a donation to help support the Sangha when making prayer requests base on your circumstances. Below are examples with suggested donations:

  • White Tara or Medicine Buddha - for sickness, injury or surgery  ($20)
  • Vajrasattva - prayer for purification  ($20)
  • White Tara or Amitayus - long life prayers  ($20)
  • Chenrezig or Green Tara - stressful or negative situations  ($20)
  • For a person or an animal who has recently died. *
    1. Phowa - ($20)
    2. Nei Dren - guiding the deceased to higher realms  ($40)
    3. Tibetan Book of the Dead - seven day version ($100) or full forty-nine day version.  ($250)
  • Special Tsok offerings  ($40)
  • Puja Smoke offerings  ($40

Please email your request to info@AwamInstitute.org. To make donations, please go to our website under the "Donate" tab. For any other requests, please send an email to info@AwamInstitute.org


Volunteer to recite practices requested by others. Let Jane Stanley know if you would like to be on our list of volunteers. Just email us at info@AwamInstitute.org.

 

 

Innate Happiness: Realizing Compassion-Emptiness

Khenpo Drimed Dawa's book on the complete path of Tibetan Buddhism for householders

Paperback version now available


 

Khenpo Dean is known for his concise, clear explanations of the dharma.

Innate Happiness provides background and a series of concise, incremental steps toward compassion-emptiness - enlightenment - for Western householders in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It is largely adapted from the teachings of Padmasambhava, the second Buddha. The book guides the reader through a brief history of Buddhism in India and Tibet, as well as its major principles. This is followed by 52 concise daily practices on the Path of Individual Liberation, the Path of Altruism, the Path of Tantra, and the Path of Great Perfection. Each path takes the reader through the Three Teachings: ethics, meditation, and wisdom. These are then summarized into an explanation of the innate happiness we know as enlightenment, the realization of compassion-emptiness. Thus, it covers a complete cycle for study, contemplation, meditation and realization. Each practice is highly suitable for the busy lives of Westerners with little time for formal meditation. This is also the core text for our Natural Liberation classes.

 

The eBook is available from Amazon.com for only $9.99. Free readers are available for most computers and other devices. The paperback version is available for $16.16. May ALL beings be happy!



Calendar of Events
We have a Calendar of Events on our Website and if you will click on it you will see that we are offering several events in May - such as: 
  • May 17th Tibetan Yoga Class Starts May 16.
  • Tibetan Language Class starts May 17
  • Vajrayogini Practice May 21
  • Friday night at the Movies starts and pot luck, Rent Party starts May 22.

          We will be showing movies on Tibet and related subjects- the first movie will be Cry of the Snow Lion, at 6:00pm.  This is to raise funds for our rent.


 

On our bulletin board at the Gompa you will find a listing of up coming events through the summer and beyond.



Bodhicitta the excellent and precious mind,
Where it is unborn, may it arise
Where it is born, may it never decline
But ever increase, higher and higher.
| info@awaminstitute.org | AwamInstitute.org
Mailing Address 301 N. Longfellow
Tucson, AZ 85711
520-622-8460