In commemoration of the “First Turning of the Wheel” (1st Teaching by the Buddha), prayer & practice will be held at the temple on August 4th.
Please join us for a prayer service with chants, plus recitations of Refuge & Bodhicitta (altruistic mind), visualization and meditation. Vegetarian pot-luck lunch.
Please park at the visitor parking area to your left as you come in the driveway and walk up to the temple. Handicap attendees may drive up to the temple.
Lama Chopa consists of devotion in honor of one’s teachers.
This particular practice was written by the first Panchen Lama. As with other Tibetan meditations, this practice begins with refuge, generating the altruistic mind, presentation of offering, visualization, contemplating the stages of the spiritual path, and closes with a dedication of merit to benefit all beings
This text is beautifully translated into English, there are also Tibetan phonetics to follow the chant.
On Sundays when there are no teaching programs, the standard practice is Green Tara with recitations of the 21 Tara praises. Tara represents enlightened activity, her practice brings fulfillment of wishes, and elimination of obstacles which hinder one’s life and spiritual practice. She has 21 manifestations, each form symbolizes a different aspect and may appear in various colors & appearances — such as the Red Tara (energy/power), Yellow Tara (increase), etc. — offering a different energy or virtue to help on our spiritual paths. Green Tara is the embodiment of all the aspects of Tara & is most commonly practiced..
The process of the practice begins with taking Refuge and engendering the altruistic mind (bodhicitta), invocation of Tara & enlightened beings, presentation of offerings, visualization of Tara, mantra recitation, dissolution and dedication.
Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava was one of the Indian masters responsible for bringing Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. He helped establish the first monastery, Samye, and it was during his tenure that the first monks were ordained. Padmasambhava also tamed many of the negative forces that obstructed the teachings & practice of Buddhism, converting powerful entities into protective guardians of the Dharma. Nechung Monastery’s roots are associated with this preeminent master.
Riwo Sangchö is a mountain incense offering to enlightened beings and local spirits for purification and removal of interferences.
