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Upcoming Programs
Generating True Happiness
How to Use Your Mind to Transform Your Life
(Montpelier Study Group)
Led by Ven. Amy Miller
A five-week series of teachings and meditation
practice,
Thursday eves: Jan. 8, 15,
22, 29; Feb. 5. (6:00-8:00pm)
Location:
Hayes Room, Kellogg-Hubbard Library,
Main
Street, Montpelier with an overnight retreat
at Milarepa Center, Feb. 7 (9:30am) to Feb. 8
(noon)
This juicy group has been delving into many
topics of Buddhist philosophy
in a fun and informal setting. If you're
new to Buddhism or would like to
reinvigorate your practice, this is a great
program to attend.
Come to any or all
sessions. Perfect for all levels of
students. Free.
For more information please contact Donna
O'Malley at
donna.omalley@gmail.com.
*** *** ***
This weekend:
Nyung Né Purification Retreat
Jan. 16-19;
led by Ven. Amy Miller
Nyung Né Retreat is a Chenrezig (the
Buddha of Compassion) practice from the
Kriya (Action) class of Tantra. In each of
the four daily sessions we practice the
sadhana of Chenrezig, which involves
meditating on bodhicitta (the aspiration to
attain enlightenment in order to benefit all
beings), visualzing Chenrezig, reciting
prayers and mantras, and performing
prostrations.
A Nyung Né Retreat
includes periods of
fasting and strict
silence and is a powerful,
quick and
effective method to both purify
an enormous
amount of negativity while
collecting vast
merit.
You do not have to have had any
initiations prior to this retreat, but
pre-registration is required to attend.
CHENREZIG
Nyung Né Retreat
Schedule
Fri (Jan 16):
6:30pm check-in at Milarepa Center;
7:00-8:30 orientation and introduction
Sat (Jan 17): 4:00am
wake-up; 4:30-8:00 Eight Mahayana Precepts
and session one; 9:00-11:30 session two;
11:30 lunch and rest; 3:00-6:00pm session
three;
6:30-7:30 questions and answers (optional).
Sun (Jan 18): A day
of silence and no eating or drinking.
4:00am wake-up; 4:30-8:00 Eight Mahayana
Precepts
and session one; 9:00-11:30 session two;
2:00pm sutra reading (optional)
3:00-6:00 session three.
Mon (Jan 19): 4:00am
wake-up; 4:30-7:30 final session;
7:30 breakfast - End of Retreat. Clean up.
*** *** ***
Overnight Retreat:
Spend Some Quiet Time
with Your Mind
Saturday, Feb. 7 (9:30am) to Sunday, Feb 8.
(noon)
When winter activities get tiring and cabin
fever sets in,
there's no better time to
work with your mind.
Put some positive
perspective on your winter and join
this
special overnight retreat. Sample a
variety of meditations
in our tranquil cozy
setting. A component of the Montpelier
Study Group
(see above), this retreat is
open to all levels of participants,
even if
you haven't been able to attend the study group.
The overnight lends a deeper experience to
your meditation.
Schedule to be
announced.
*** *** ***
Skiing to Enlightenment
Meditation/Ski
Package
(Really . . . What Could Be Better??)
Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 8
Would you like to have a more meaningful time
skiing this winter?
Why not combine it
with some meditation practice at Milarepa
Center.
Introducing a unique
way to enjoy winter activities . . .
Arrive after dinner on Friday evening, wake
up to a
morning meditation and breakfast
before heading out
to nearby slopes for
skiing or snowboarding.
Or put on your
snowshoes or cross-country skis
and explore
the extreme beauty of Milarepa Center.
A packed lunch will be provided, and enjoy a
simple dinner
when you return in the
evening. Then enjoy some
evening
meditation and a video from our Buddhist
library.
It's morning meditation
again on Sunday followed
by brunch. We
afford you a less expensive -- and more
beneficial --
alternative to the ski
resorts. Bring your friends and family.
Meditations will be led by Ven. Amy Miller.
Food and lodging: $125 per person for
the weekend.
***
*** ***
Please register in advance for all programs,
which will enable us to plan accordingly.
We also have retreat information to send out
in advance for those registered.
To
register, contact us at (802) 633-4136
or by
e-mail at:
milarepa@milarepacenter.org
*** *** ***
Additional
Practice Days in
January and February . . .
Each
month there are days set aside in the Tibetan
calendar which are
auspicious for specific practices. It's
very helpful for Milarepa Center
and its community to do these practices
whenever possible. Group
practice leads to
a greater sense of overall harmony. These
practices lend
benefit in clearing obstacles
to different activities (Tara practice),
for healing (Medicine Buddha) and for overall
center health and prosperity
(Tsog, etc.)
We invite you to join us for the various
rituals or pujas we have scheduled.
These practice days are open to all levels of
practitioners. It's very
easy to participate, you don't need to know the
practices in advance
as we have practice booklets available.
It's nice to bring offerings that
can be set-up on the altar and shared with
others such as fruit, chips,
pretzels and any other snacks you enjoy.
Flowers are always welcome.
January/February Practice Day Schedule:
Tuesday, Jan 20; Vajrayogini
Self-Initiation and Tsog, 6:00 to 10:00pm
This unique practice is open only to those
who have completed the 100,000 mantra retreat of
Vajrayogini along with the great fire puja.
A highest yoga tantra practice,
Jan. 20 is
the special Vajrayogini Day of the year and a
particularly auspicious day to do this practice.
Tuesday, Feb. 3; Tara
Puja, 6:30 to 8:00pm
Four mandala
offerings to Cittamani Tara is a great way to
clear out obstacles to work, relationships and
general disharmony in your life.
Wednesday Feb. 4; Milarepa Tsog,
6:30 to 8:00pm
Twice each month, on the
10th and 25th of the Tibetan calendar, a tsog is
offered that represents assembling all of the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in a visualization of a
sacred dance. Those practicing highest
yoga tantra normally have a commitment to do
this practice twice each month. Lama Zopa
Rinpoche, Milarepa Center's spiritual director,
has encouraged us to do Milarepa tsog on this
occasion.
Monday, Feb. 9; Medicine Buddha Puja,
1000 to 11:00am
A tremendous healing
practice, Medicine Buddha is seen as the
King of Doctors. This practice can be
enormously helpful for
your own illness or
perfect to participate in with someone else in
mind. This is also a full moon day which
enhances all of our positive and negativities,
so these are great days to practice.
(February 9 is also a lunar eclipse which
further multiplies positive and negative
activities.)
At right, Medicine Buddha
We hope to
see you at some of these events . . . please let
us know
if you are interested in helping set-up some of
these activities.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - -
Be
on the Lookout for:
-- Coming this June: Three Nyung Né's to
celebrate Saka Dawa (Buddha's
birth, enlightenment and paranirvana).
June 1-8, 2009. Don't miss this
fantastic opportunity to practice leading up to
this full-moon holiday,
June 7. More details to come.
--
Milarepa Festival Day and Celebration of the
Anniversary of the
Buddha's First Teaching (Chokhor Duchen),
Saturday, July 25.
(Bring your family and friends to this open
house of spiritual celebration,
more information to come.)
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