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Geshe Ngawang Dakpa checking the torma for Padmasambhava incense puja, Land of Medicine Buddha, California, August 13, 2013. Photo by Dionne Wilson; courtesy of LMB’s Facebook page.
Land of Medicine Buddha (LMB) in Soquel, California, has had a busy summer. In June, they celebrated their Eleventh Medicine Buddha Festival Day, which also included a visit from the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour. Hundreds of people attended the festival. Lama Zopa Rinpoche attended in 2008 and gave much encouragement and advice, which LMB each year reviews and works to fulfill.
Denice Macy, LMB’s director, wrote, “The accomplishment this year was following Rinpoche’s advice to ‘have many performers, not just one or two.’ By following Rinpoche’s advice, we found that people stayed longer; it was Rinpoche’s observation that people left after the puja, and he wanted them to stay longer, so by adding more musical offerings, people did stay! It was a very moving and joyful day. We had music and dance offerings from India, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia and Tibet!” A YouTube video was made of the performances.
Large Medicine Buddha thangka painted by Peter Iseli at LMB’s Medicine Buddha Festival, June 2013. Photo courtesy of LMB’s Facebook page.
The festival has become a significant community event, even being written up in the local newspaper, and attracting community involvement. “This year, as in the previous year, we offered a free lunch to at least seven hundred people,” Denice wrote. “The Santa Cruz Tibetan community made nearly three thousand momos. Also this year we received food offerings of green curry donated by Star of Siam Thai restaurant as well as Indian food that was donated by an Indian family. We also sold more than 50 sweet pies that were made by a team of volunteers and nearly 300 fresh coconuts!”
Then, LMB welcomed Choden Rinpoche, who gave lam-rim teachings at the center and who was offered a long life puja. On July 6, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday and FPMT North America’s Compassion Day were celebrated with an incense puja and prayers followed by a picnic. Later in the afternoon, LMB community members performed the Blessing for the Sentient Beings in the Ocean (and who touch the ocean or have anything to do with the ocean) out on a pier in the Pacific Ocean. They placed their Namgyälma mantra board into the water and did a short meditation with mantra recitation, following the instructions of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Hanging prayer flags at Land of Medicine Buddha, August 21, 2013. Photo courtesy of LMB’s Facebook page.
The center celebrated Chokhor Duchen with a Shakyamuni Buddha puja and the liberation of 1,400 worms, the merit of which was dedicated to Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s good health, and quick and full recovery. Many more teachings and pujas took place over July and August.
On August 21, which was a full moon day, the day His Holiness the Dalai Lama finished his three-week retreat in Ladakh, India, and a Wednesday, which is a special day for His Holiness astrologically, LMB’s community of students, staff and local Tibetans gathered to perform the sang (incense) offering and made prayers advised by His Holiness for the Tibet cause and offered prayers for the long lives and good health of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and for all their holy wishes to be fulfilled.
Then they hung many Tendrel Nyesel prayer flags as advised by Khandro-la for Rinpoche’s health and long life. These prayer flags were designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
LMB community members after hanging new prayer flags, August 21, 2013. Photo courtesy of LMB’s Facebook page.
You can see more photos and learn more about the activities of Land of Medicine Buddha by visiting them on Facebook.
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