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Jhado Rinpoche explores a tablet computer with Andy Wistreich and Geshe Kelsang Wangmo ready to assit, Dharamsala, India, July 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, India, shares its news and access to downloadable teachings recorded at the busy center with Mandala readers:
Tushita continues to keep the Wheel of Dharma spinning with packed course after packed course and waiting lists of prospective students thirsty for spiritual knowledge. By the time of closing for our annual winter break, we’ll have had 16 introductory courses, six Intermediate-level courses and five group tantric retreats in 2014, as well as our popular daily drop-in sessions, regular pujas and special events attended by thousands.
In the second half of the year we hosted special guest teachings by Geshe Lhakdor, Jhado Rinpoche and Gen Gyatso.
Geshe Lhakdor teaching at Tushita on Choekor Duchen, Dharamsala, India, July 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
We celebrated the festival day of Choekhor Duchen on July 31, 2014 in the company of Geshe Lhakdor, who gave a wonderful teaching on the meaning of Buddhism. Audio of this teaching can be streamed or downloaded.
Geshe Lhakdor has been the director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala since 2005, after serving as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s official translator for 16 years. (He still occasionally travels with His Holiness as a translator.) We felt so fortunate we are to have him come to teach here!
To wrap up the day, we had an inspiring Medicine Buddha puja led by Ven. Kabir Saxena and a light offering at our stupa. It was an amazing day and photos of our Choekhor Duchen events can be seen on our Facebook page.
Tushita took an unusual break this monsoon as most of our staff and students attended the Kalachakra initiation conferred by His Holiness in Leh, Ladakh, from July 3-14. During this period, Tushita was closed and there were no courses or drop-in events between these dates.
After the initiation in Leh, in order to support practitioners new and old, Tushita held two special Kalachakra related courses and retreats led by Kalachakra expert Andy Wistreich. On July 29, students on the “Harmony in Kalachakra” course were particularly fortunate in receiving special instruction from Jhado Rinpoche in the Vajrasattva gompa.
Jhado Rinpoche was unbelievably kind in also finding time to give a short talk to the “Introduction to Buddhism” students, and also checked in on the progress of our gompa painters to whom Rinpoche has given extensive advice on the painting of our four ceiling mandalas in recent months.
Gen Gyatso teaching at Tushita, Dharamsala, India, September 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
We also struck it lucky – once again – by having our very dear friend Geshe Kelsang Wangmo act as translator during all these events, as she also did at the teachings of Gen Gyatso, who led a three-day non-residential introductory lojong teaching entitled “Healing the Aching Heart” in September. Audio from these three-day teachings are available as are photos from this event.
We held an interfaith event by marking the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur on October 4. We were happy to grant the request of 17 Israeli students to allow them to observe Yom Kippur and to prepare for and break their fast with special meals. This post-fast feast was made possible by the kindness of Ven. Namgyel and Ven. Rita Riniker, who sponsored the meal. Ani Rita was in Israel at the time, and wrote:
I just wanted to thank Tushita for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and also for supporting the Israeli and Jewish students in their fast by giving them proper food on Friday. They will appreciate it very much and I am sure they will never forget how an institution of another religion supported the Jewish fast. This will be something new for them and maybe it will put the idea in their minds that different religions can not only live peacefully together, but also support each other. This is what has to happen in this area. Tushita started with being a great example of this.
Israeli guests celebrating Yom Kippur, Dharamsala, India, October 2014. Photo courtesy of Tushita Meditation Centre.
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