July 1, 2009  

Milarepa
Center

1344 U.S. Route 5 South
Barnet, Vermont  05821
(802) 633-4136

www.milarepacenter.org
milarepa@milarepacenter.org

Affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT)

   
   Greetings from Milarepa Center!
    
    We just wanted to send a quick message with some updated program
    information and some other brief news. Please see below for information
    on the following activities:
 

    ::  New Discovering Buddhism series starting tonight! (Wed., July 1)
    ::  Celebrate your "Interdependence" with our July 4th Emptiness Weekend
             Animal Liberation scheduled during July 4th weekend program
    :: Gold leafing Bakula Arhat statue update

    :: Event Tent needed!

    :: Classes with Amy Miller: Tuesday evenings at Milarepa and Thursday
             evenings in Montpelier

    :: Rejoice!

 
   We had a wonderful daylong meditation last Saturday. Participants spent
   sessions exploring the nature of mind in various sessions and enjoyed an
   informal discussion outside on the grass in our luscious setting. Our guests
   were treated to superb organic food prepared by divine cook, Rosanne
   Hebert, who is spending the summer at Milarepa with her partner, Elisa
   Lucozzi.  (Photo: Daylong participants.)

 
   If you are interested in attending any of our programs, please don't forget to
   register in advance by calling us at (802) 633-4136 or by e-mailing
   milarepa@milarepacenter.org.  It's very helpful for planning purposes and to
   prepare enough food for your visit so please include the number of people
   attending, full name, address with zip, phone and email. If you need
   accommodation, please mail a check in advance in the amount of $50 per
   person to reserve your space and we will be happy to register you.
 
   Most of our courses are offered on a donation basis unless otherwise
   specified with guidelines of a sliding scale for a full weekend program of
   $250-$100 per person. No one, however, will be turned away for lack of
   funds.
 
   We so hope to see you soon.
 
   Best wishes,
   Amy Miller, Director

   Starting tonight!

Mind and Its Potential:
New Discovering Buddhism Series

Four Wednesday evenings begining July 1; 6-8pm.  Free.


This wonderful introductory level program contains 14 modules
 and is designed to give participants a solid footing
 in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism.

By engaging in this program, participants will
gain an experiential taste of the Buddha's teachings,
meditation retreat experience, and the skills needed
to make their lives most meaningful.
 
The modules contain subjects such as the mind, meditation,
death and rebirth, karma, establishing a daily practice,
samsara and nirvana, just to name a few.
 
As this was a request from some students, we thought
we would offer this first course on a more intermediate level
since we are offering other introductory level courses
at the same time to complement our program.

We will meet for four Wednesday evenings at Milarepa Center,
from 6-8pm, July 1, 8, 22 and 29.  No class July 15.
 
So feel free to explore a deeper look at the mind in the
Tibetan Buddhist tradition, understand the nature of mind,
how various delusions arise and techniques through which
to subdue negative patterns and enhance healthier behavior.

 Celebrate your "Interdependence"
 during our July 4th Emptiness Weekend
 with Amy Miller
 
Benefit from a thorough exploration of the profound view of emptiness as we celebrate our "interdependence" during this insightful weekend workshop at Milarepa Center, July 3-5.

Guided meditations are included, as is a special animal liberation in celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 74th birthday.
 
        Please register in advance for this weekend by calling
        (802) 633-4136 or send us an e-mail.  Partial attendance welcome.
 
The revised schedule below now includes an animal liberation for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Geshe Tsulga:

Waking Up to Emptiness with Ven. Amy Miller; July 3-5

Friday:
6:30pm                Arrival, Dinner
7:15pm                Orientation
7:30-9:00pm         Introduction

Saturday:
8:00am                 Breakfast
9:30-11:00am        Session
11:00-11:30am      Break
11:30-12:30pm      Session
12:30-2:00pm        Lunch and Break
2:00-3:00pm         Q&A and Discussion
3:15-4:15pm         Session
4:15-4:30pm         Break
4:30-6:00pm         Animal Liberation
6:00-7:00pm         Dinner
7:00-8:30pm         Short Video and Meditation

Sunday:
8:00am                Breakfast
9:30-11:00am       Session
11:00-11:30am     Break
11:30-12:30pm     Concluding Session
12:30pm              Lunch

Animal Liberation scheduled during July 4th weekend program
 
Releasing animals who would otherwise be killed is a powerful practice that can help those who are ill. We have decided to include this wonderful practice during our July 4th weekend program for the perfect health and long lives of our precious teachers, in particular His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche, and Geshe Tsulga.
 
Feel free to join us from 4:30-6pm on Saturday, July 4 at our stupa (you can see the stupa on your left as you drive into the Center) and bring bait worms, crickets, etc. to release and we will lead you through this precious practice.
 
It's also great for your pets, such as dogs and cats to bring them to circumambulate this stupa, so feel free to bring them along so they may hear the mantras we will be reciting.

 Gold leafing Bakula Arhat statue

In response to our last email regarding raising money for the gold leading of the Bakula Arhat statue, we quickly received nearly $200 in donations from two anonymous donors and Larry Howe and Martha Tack.

Thank you kindly to these wonderful individuals for this precious support. We still have more than $2,000 left to raise, so please consider making a tax-deductible donation at this time.
 
How to donate: checks can be made payable to Milarepa Center and mailed to us at PO Box 51, Barnet, VT 05821. Please indicate on your check how best to direct your donation. You can also donate online via PayPal at www.milarepacenter.org.

 

 
Event Tent Needed!
 
If you are more inclined to donate to something you feel is more practical in nature, please consider a contribution to help us purchase an event tent. We will need a tent such as this for our Open House and Free Concert with Nawang Khechog on July 25 and our Family Camp, and will use it for some larger programs we will be holding next year.
 
The Center rented these tents over the past five years at a cost of $9,000. The tent we have researched has been discounted to us for a total including shipping of $2,500. So please consider making a donation at this time to help us with this purchase. Please see the information above as to how to make a donation.
 
We greatly appreciate your help. Thank you.
 

Classes with Amy Miller:
Tuesday evenings at Milarepa and
Thursday evenings in Montpelier
 
We're developing a nice class on Tuesday evenings with
 "Exploring the Path to Enlightenment," 6:30-8pm at
Milarepa Center.  Feel free to check it out.
 
Also, please join the last two classes on
"Living Well: Karma and Spiritual Practice
on the Path to Happiness" Thursday evenings, 6-8pm
at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in downtown Montpelier.
 
Amy will be back in Montpelier at the
Shambala Center in downtown Montpelier
on Wednesday, August 26.

 
  Rejoice!
 
    Welcome to new members:
     Angie and Joe Gittleman
 
    Thank you to:
     Dick Herbert for the delicious fresh bread
         for our programs;
     Ross Lasley for updating our website in
         fine style;
     Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project for fantastic e-letter
         production;
     Martha Tack for all of the incredible gardening work;
     Larry Howe for leading various pujas and programs;
     Mike Scanlon for recent help transforming the barn loft;
     Karme Choling for delicious organic vegetables from their garden,
         and to all program participants for their enthusiastic participation.

Please forgive us if we mistakenly omitted your name.

www.milarepacenter.org

(802) 633-4136