Completed—ANNUAL MEMORIAL PRAYERS on Thursday, November 21st, 2019 at 7:00 pm at Ewam Choden

October 7, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

Ven. Lama Kunga Rinpoche will conduct the annual Memorial Prayer service at Ewam Choden.

Annually, Ewam Choden holds a gathering to offer prayers for the benefit of all of our friends, relatives and countless sentient beings who have passed on in this year and in previous years. 

The event is open to everyone.
You may bring a photo of a special person or animal you wish to include.   You may bring tea candles or flowers to set up near the shrine.   The gathering begins at 7 p.m. and lasts for one and a half to two hours.


 

Completed–LOSAR (Tibetan New Year) ORACLE SOUP PARTY on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020, 7:00 pm, at Ewam Choden.

October 7, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

Welcome to the Tibetan New Year Celebrations at Ewam Choden !
༄༅།།ལོ་གསར་ལ་བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས་ཞུ།      Losar La Tashi Delek    New Year’s Greetings!   
The new year is 2147, the year of the Male Iron Rat.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME !

FRIDAY EVENING, 2/21/19 at 7:00 pm at Ewam Choden:   ORACLE SOUP POTLUCK PARTY

Everyone is welcome to a LOSAR potluck party at Ewam Choden on Friday, February 21st at 7:00 pm.  From the Oracle Soup, you will receive a special dumpling in which your unique fortune for the new year can be found.  Join Rinpoche and Sangha friends for a delicious potluck meal.


TIBETAN LOSARoracle (1)

Completed—NEW YEAR’S EVE PRAYERS on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31st, 2019 at EWAM CHODEN at 11:00 pm

October 5, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

Pray for compassion and peace, health and prosperity as you ring in the solar new year 2020.

 On Tuesday, December 31st, starting at 11:00 p.m., Lama Kunga Rinpoche will lead some meditation and the recitation of auspicious prayers.

Everyone will welcome the New Year with light refreshments, and wishes of peace and joy for all sentient beings. 

Everyone is welcome.

new years 2020

Prayer Wheel

COMPLETED—EMPOWERMENTS with HIS EMINENCE GYANA VAJRA RINPOCHE April 21-22, 2019

April 2, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

His Eminence Gyana Vajra Rinpoche has kindly agreed to bestow the following two empowerments. 

 

 VAJRAKILAYA TORMA EMPOWERMENT on Sunday, April 21, 2019.   There is no prerequisite. This event is open to everyone.  The requested donation is $55.

TIME:  2:00 pm.  Arrive earlier to check in.   LOCATION:  Gyuto Foundation,   6401 Bernhard Ave, Richmond, CA 94805   Please don’t contact Gyuto about this event !

REGISTER and PAY FOR the VAJRAKILAYA TORMA EMPOWERMENT at the door.
Online registration is now closed.
NO CREDIT CARDS OR PAYPAL CAN BE USED AT THE DOOR.  CASH OR CHECK ONLY.
Please arrive early.
 ——————————————————————————————————
 

VAJRAPANI BHUTADAMARA EMPOWERMENT on Monday, April 22, 2019.  This event is open to everyone. The requested donation is $35.  Cash or check only.

TIME:  7:00 pm.  Arrive earlier to check in.   LOCATION:  EWAM CHODEN
THERE IS NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION FOR THIS EMPOWERMENT.  Please register at the door.  Since space is limited, arriving early will assure your spot.

 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

HE Gyana Vajra R (1)

HE Gyana Vajra Rinpoche    HE Gyana Vajra.smileHE Gyana Vajra throne

ABOUT HIS EMINENCE GYANA VAJRA RINPOCHE

Khöndung Gyana Vajra Rinpoche was born in Dehradun, Northern India, on 5th July 1979, the tenth day of the fifth lunar month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, on the holy birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. Rinpoche’s birth was accompanied by auspicious signs, blessing the Sakya Dolma Phodrang with the arrival of a second lineage holder of the glorious Sakyapa Khön Tradition.
Rinpoche was given the Sanskrit name of Gyana Vajra (Tibetan: Yeshe Dorje), a practice that began with the birth of his noble father, His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin.

At the age of four, Rinpoche began to read and write in Tibetan, and was remarkably proficient in his learning. Under the guidance of his noble father and of Venerable Lama Rinchen Sangpo, his early years were dedicated to the study of religious texts, reading, writing, grammar, memorization of the main Sakya prayers and the performance of rituals.
At an early age, Rinpoche joined the Sakya Centre, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin’s main monastery, where he undertook his training in the principal rituals and prayers of the Sakya Tradition. After successfully completing the course of studies at Sakya Centre, Rinpoche joined Sakya College and pursued its curriculum of Higher Philosophical Studies under the guidance of the late Venerable Khenpo Migmar Tsering.
Throughout his life, Rinpoche has received from His Holiness the Sakya Trizin most of the major initiations, empowerments, oral transmissions, blessings and pith instructions that are inherent to the Sakya Tradition, notably the profound Lamdre teachings of ‘Taking the Result as the Path’. Furthermore, Rinpoche has received numerous common and uncommon teachings from some of the preeminent teachers of Tibetan Buddhism of our age, including His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, the late H.E. Dorje Chang Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, H.E. Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, Khöndung Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, H.E. Luding Khen Rinpoche, H.E. Jetsun Chimey Luding Rinpoche, the late H.E. Deshung Rinpoche and the late H.E. Khenchen Appey Rinpoche.
Rinpoche has, for several years, assisted His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin during his noble father’s teaching tours both in India and abroad, while he himself has regularly turned the wheel of Dharma in centers across the world, giving teachings and initiations to disciples in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. Rinpoche is fluent in English, Tibetan and Hindi.
(from https://www.glorioussakya.org/history/hegvs/)

 

Completed for now. May resume again.–TIBETAN READING & WRITING LANGUAGE CLASSES WITH VEN. LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE at Ewam Choden

February 6, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

BEGINNING and CONTINUING TIBETAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

tibetan

We are very happy to announce that Ven. Lama Kunga Rinpoche has kindly offered to hold another series of two different weekly classes in Introductory Tibetan Language, Reading and Writing.
Open to everyone, the classes start at the beginner level. There is also a continuing class for people who began last Fall or anyone with prior experience.
Handouts and practice sheets of the daily studies are provided at the classes.

LOCATION:  Ewam Choden
TIME: 7:00 p.m. (to about 8:30 p.m.)
DAY:  Tuesdays for Beginning and Wednesdays for Continuing
FEE:  $20 per class, or one payment of $120.
Pre-registration isn’t required, but it’s a good idea to email your intention to attend.

THE BEGINNING CLASS will meet on the following Tuesdays:
2/19, 2/26, 3/5,  3/12, 3/19, 3/26

THE CONTINUING CLASS will meet on the following Wednesdays:
2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27

NOTE that there could be an unplanned change in a date, requiring an additional day to be set.

Email Ewam Choden if you have any questions.

COMPLETED—-LECTURE by Elisabeth Benard on the SAKYA JETSUNMAS, Saturday, March 9, 2019, 3:00 pm at Ewam Choden

January 9, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

This is a notice of an event presented by Sakya Dechen Ling, the local northern California center of Her Eminence Jetsun Kushok Chime Luding. 

Here, below, is information about the event.  You may go to the SDL website (click there) for further details and to register. 

Elisabeth Benard speaks on 
Born to Practice: The Sakya Jetsunma Phenomenon
 of Phenomenal Spiritual Adepts Who Are Women,
 Their Hidden Lives and Achievements, Past & Present 

Sakya Jetsunmas are a wonderful example of Tibetan women who are encouraged by their families and society to be religious practitioners.Their hidden world needs to be brought to light and their achievements must be recognized in any account of spiritual lives of Tibetan women, past and present.
Among Tibetan male spiritual adepts, many have the title of Jetsun or one worthy of honor, such the famous 11th century yogi–Milarepa. However, few Tibetan female spiritual practitioners are honored with this title. One of the more famous is the yogini Shugsep Jetsun (1852-1953).
In this illustrated lecture, the title of Jetsunma and who receives this title will be discussed. One significant group who are bestowed this title at birth are the Sakya Khon daughters.Among the Sakya Jetsunmas, some are known as eminent lamas who conferred the significant Lamdre teachings and who have had many disciples, including several Sakya Trizins. Two biographies will be highlighted: the contemporary Jetsun Kushok Chime Luding Rinpoche who is one of the most important female teachers of this century and the 18th century Jetsunma Chime Tenpai Nyima.She is best known for being the only woman who is included as a guru in the Naro-Vajrayogini guru transmission lineage.  Long live the Jetsunmas!

Elisabeth Benard is a professor emeritus in Asian Studies and Religion at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, USA. She has received the Faculty Global Engagement Award from her university and has lectured extensively in the U.S, Asia and Europe. Her publications include Chinnamasta: the Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric Goddess, “A Secret Affair: The Wedding of a Sakya Dagmo” in Tibetan Studies: Anthology PIATS2006 edited by S Arslan & P Schweiger,“Transformations of Wen Cheng Kongjo: Tang Princess, Tibetan Queen and Buddhist Goddess Tara,” in Goddesses Who Rule edited by Elisabeth Benard and Beverly Moon. “Born to Practice: the Sakya Jetsunma Phenomenon” in Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines issue 34, December 2015: Women as Visionaries, Healers and Agents of Social Transformation in the Himalayas, Tibet and Mongolia edited by Mona Schrempf and Nicola Schneider.  Read Issue HereE-Benard_Revue Dec 2015 

 

Event Completed—LOSAR (Tibetan New Year) CELEBRATION: ORACLE SOUP PARTY on FRIDAY FEB. 1 and MEDITATION PRAYERS on SUNDAY FEB. 3rd, 2019

January 8, 2019 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

Welcome to the Tibetan New Year Celebrations at Ewam Choden !

༄༅།།ལོ་གསར་ལ་བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས་ཞུ།      Losar La Tashi Delek    New Year’s Greetings!  
The year is 2146, the female earth pig (boar).

EVERYONE IS WELCOME !

FRIDAY EVENING, 2/1/2019 at 7:00 pm at Ewam Choden:   ORACLE SOUP POTLUCK PARTY
Everyone is welcome to a LOSAR potluck party at Ewam Choden on Friday, February 1st at 7:00 pm.  From the Oracle Soup, you will receive a special dumpling in which your unique fortune for the new year can be found.  Join Rinpoche and Sangha friends for a delicious potluck meal.

SUNDAY MORNING, 2/03/2019  10:00 am:   SPECIAL MEDITATION

Prayers for Peace, Health, and Happiness for all Beings.  Ven. Lama Kunga Thartse Rinpoche will lead the usual Chenrezig compassion meditation and, following tradition, there will be other special recitations and prayers.  Come to meditation at 10:00 a.m. as usual, receive Rinpoche’s blessing,  greet everyone for New Year,  and enjoy sweet rice, Tibetan tea, and some special Losar snacks.

LOSAR.IMAGE

Completed—–VISIT and SPECIAL TEACHING from VEN. KHENPO PEMA WANGDAK on December 21, 22, and 23, 2018, Free and Open to All

December 10, 2018 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

CLEAR & REST & STABILIZE YOUR MIND !

VISIT and SPECIAL HOLIDAY TEACHING from VEN KHENPO PEMA WANGDAK on December 21, 22, and 23, 2018
OPEN TO EVERYONE.  Free of charge.

FRIDAY, December 21, 2018—–7:00 pm– public talk: “Exploring Patience and Its Strength”

 SATURDAY and SUNDAY, December 22 and 23, 2018
Mind Training: Sojong and Lojong Weekend Sessions with Khenpo Pema Wangdak (over two separate days). Come anytime.
This will be group practice sessions for beginners and ongoing students alike. The schedule will consist of alternating periods of teachings, practice, and guided meditations, as well as question and answer times.

SCHEDULE BELOW—-You may drop by at any time.

Saturday, 12/23—Lojong teaching  Morning (10:00 am to 12:30pm)
and Afternoon sessions (2:00 pm to 4:30 pm)
Sunday, 12/24—Sojong teachings and practice. Afternoon only, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
 Khenpo Pema is an esteemed Sakya lama who speaks fluent English and has many mind tricks up the sleeve of his robe. (See brief bio below.)

HERE ARE THE TOPICS of the teachings. They are open to everyone.

THIS INFORMATION IS DIRECTLY FROM KHENPO PEMA.

FRIDAY, December 21, 2018—–Friday evening public talk: “Exploring Patience and Its Strength”: Part II

The enduring positive effects of peace, loving-kindness, and compassion, and everything else that is good in human nature—its
values and ethics, its aspirations and goals—are possible only when combined with the strength of the power of patience. Without
that strength, these values, profound and noble though they may be, are often seen to be fragile and frail, and thus are neglected,
ignored, and misunderstood even by those who aspire to live by them.

Drawing on the teachings of Buddha, the virtues of patience, in the length and depth of its meaning, will be presented as an
indispensable component of and the very key to a successful life, spiritual or mundane, and every meaningful thing we do: at home,
at work, in social life, education, health, and all else that is conceivable. Our measure of accomplishment is fundamentally based on
a solid foundation of patience.

The talk includes discussion, meditation on the subject of patience, and question-and-answer session.

SATURDAY and SUNDAY, December 22 and 23, 2018

Sojong and Lojong Weekend Retreat with the Venerable Khenpo Pema Wangdak (over two separate days)

The three most influential Lojong texts, “Parting From the 4 Attachment,” “Eight Verse Lojong,” and the “Seven Point Mind Training,”
that sustained the spirit and purpose of life of millions over the centuries, will re-read, reviewed, and reflected accompanied by a
step by step alternating meditation throughout the day. We will do this as a reminder and as well as a introduction for those who
are new the Lojong teachings that every worth in this world and our life is rooted in the spirit of compassion and kindness that is
nurtured by joy of life and equanimity of the mind.

This will be a group practice sessions for the beginners and regular students alike. The schedule will consist of alternating
periods of teachings, practice, and guided meditations.

Sojong will be observed Sunday, with participants taking the eight precepts at the beginning of the day. The Sojong is
a introduction to a deliberate act in keeping with the disciplines of the humanity as taught by Buddha. It also is the very foundation
for everything possible from the very basic qualities of life to the highest of the esoteric spiritual ventures and everything we aspires
for in this and beyond this life. Dedicated practitioners, believers, non-believers alike, curious, as well as beginners, all are welcome
to attend this weekend meeting.

 

ABOUT KHENPO PEMA WANGDAK


In 1982, he was sent to the West by His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin, as the first of the younger generation of Tibetan teachers in America from the Sakya School. In 1989 Khenpo Pema founded the Vikramasila Foundation. The Foundation encompasses the Palden Sakya Centers in New York City, Woodstock, NY, Philmont, NY, Englewood, NJ, Springfield, VT, Portland, ME, and Dayton OH. The Palden Sakya Centers offer courses in Tibetan Buddhist studies and meditation. Khenpo Pema is the creator of “Bur Yig”–Tibetan Braille, and the founder of Pema Ts’al (English for Lotus Grove) Schools in Mundgod, India (for Tibetan lay children); Pokhara, Nepal (monastic schools for boys); and Pema Ts’al School in New York City, with a curriculum modeled on that of Sakya College, India. Khenpo Pema was recognized with the title of “Khenpo” by His Holinessthe 41st Sakya Trizin in 2007. He received the distinguished “Ellis Island Medal of Honor” award by the National Ethical Coalition of Organizations in May, 2009 at Ellis Island for his humanitarian work around the world. Khenpo Pema is the first Tibetan ever to have received such an award. Khenpo Pema has been guiding Western students for 35 years, and he continues to travel and teach extensively to Dharma centers around the world.

 

photo KP (2)

 

Completed for now–TIBETAN READING AND WRITING LANGUAGE COURSE with VEN. LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE In Session

August 22, 2018 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

THIS CLASS MAY RESUME IN 2019. STAY TUNED.

We are very happy to announce that Ven. Lama Kunga Rinpoche has kindly offered to hold a series of weekly classes in Introductory Tibetan Language Reading and Writing.
Open to everyone, the classes start at the beginner level.  This session has six classes.

LOCATION:  Ewam Choden
TIME: 7:00 p.m. (to about 8:30 p.m.)
DAY:  Wednesdays, as follows
9/19, (no class 9/26), 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31
FEE:  $20 per class, or one payment of $120.
Pre-registration isn’t required, but it’s a good idea to email EC with your intention to attend.  info@ewamchoden.org

LEARN TO READ (Tibetan)   tibetan                                                                                                 WITH LAMA KUNGA                                                                                          WITH COMPASSIONcomassionlama    

Completed – TEACHING from KHENPO MIGMAR TSETEN, Monday, October 29, 2018 on Wisdom Gone Beyond

August 22, 2018 by  
Filed under Completed Special Events

We are glad to welcome Khenpo Migmar Tseten, who will teach on PRAJNAPARAMITA  and TANTRA.

Lama Migmar will kindly discuss how the Heart Sutra is complementary to the four foundations of mindfulness meditation and how it is also indispensable in establishing the perfect view of emptiness to practice the creation and completion stages of Deity Yoga in Tantric sadhana practices.     Lama Migmar teaches in clear, fluent English with an empathy and understanding of the needs of students, and he is patient with all questions.

The teaching is on Monday, October 29, 2018 at 7:00 pm at Ewam Choden.     OPEN to EVERYONE.  Requested donation of $20.  (Offering to the lama is separate.)

ABOUT KHENPO MIGMAR TSETEN
Lama Migmar has been serving Harvard University as a Buddhist Chaplain since 1997. He received both a traditional and a contemporary education in India. He graduated with an Acharya degree in 1979 from Tibetan Institute of Sanskrit University, Varanasi, India, and with first position every nine years among four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was awarded a medal for academic excellence by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He was also recognized as Khenpo for his scholarship and service to the Dharma by His Holiness Sakya Trizin. Lama Migmar served as the head of Sakya Center in Rajpur, India, and the Sakya Monastery in Puruwalla, India, from 1981 to 1989, taking care of the well being of several hundred monastic residents. During this time he reintroduced the original form of the geshe educational system of Tibet, with degrees from kazhipa up to the rabjampa degree, with a curriculum that included all of the eighteen major texts, which are known as the Dragchen Chogyed. Additionally, Lama Migmar supervised the editing and publication of over 50 rare volumes of Sakya literature including the 31 volumes of Sakya Lamdre and the rare Golden Manuscripts of the Five Founding Masters of Sakya. He founded Sakya Institute for Buddhist Studies in Cambridge, MA in 1990. He leads retreats at Buddhist centers throughout North America and Europe. He has created online teaching programs, and he is the author, editor and translator of a number of books.

For more information about Khenpo Lama Migmar’s background, teaching programs,  and activities, please visit www.lamamigmar.net and www.mangalamstudio.com and 21tara.net
He is also a recent visiting teacher at 1440.org in California.

 

migmar book2

KHENPO MIGMAR Tara

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