April 1, 2010

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!

Spring is in the air as the winter proved to be something very uncharacteristically Vermont. We didn't mind and managed to pack in a lot of fun activity. This year's program is looking to be quite extraordinary with the hosting of the Kalachakra Initiation with Ven. Choden Rinpoche, along with other special programs with Vens. Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa, Dagri Rinpoche, and Geshe Gelek, to name a few. 

Our printed newsletter should be in your hands later this month so you can read all of the details of these wonderful events. You will be able to find more details on our website as most of our program updates will soon be ready. We are so looking forward to seeing you.

Please see below for information on the following:

   Date Change for Ven. Choden
  Rinpoche's Program and the
  Kalachakra Initiation

   The dates of the program with
   Ven. Choden Rinpoche this summer
   have been changed due to
   Rinpoche's busy schedule.

  Please note the new dates of the program:
 
  August 15; (2:00-4:00pm):  Teaching on In Praise of
                                                   Dependent Arising

  August 20-22:   Kalachakra Initiation
   :: Aug. 20 (7:00pm),  Aug. 21 (2:00pm),  Aug. 22 (2:00pm)
 
  More details and registration information can be found on
  our website in the next 1-2 weeks.

Seeking Seasonal Cook

 
Here's a great way to join our family. We are currently looking for an experienced vegetarian cook for our upcoming season. Providing the nourishing food for retreat participants is a wonderful way to serve sentient beings and Milarepa Center.

The position offers a monthly stipend, room, board, and a great opportunity to offer service and work with your mind.

For more information and to apply, contact Rosanne Hebert, Administrative Manager, at (802) 633-4136 or by e-mail to milarepa@milarepacenter.org.

 

Work Study Positions Available

We are now accepting applications for our Residential Work Study Program. This program is dynamically suited for people who are interested in exploring life, work and practice at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center.

We offer simple accommodation in our dormitory or camping with your own tent, food, as well as access to programs and retreats in exchange for 30 hours of service per week.

Tasks range from cleaning and assisting in the kitchen to gardening and maintenance or a wide variety of other tasks depending on an applicant's particular skill or the need at the center.

Participants are asked for a minimum three-month commitment (however shorter options may be available).

If you are interested in being part of our Work Study Program, please complete an application which can be downloaded from our website and return to us at milarepa@milarepacenter.org or by mail to us at Milarepa Center, PO Box 51, Barnet, VT 05821 USA.

For further information, contact Rosanne Hebert at (802) 633-4136 or by email to:  milarepa@milarepacenter.org.
 

Overview of 2010
Program Highlights
 
Milarepa Center Director and Buddhist nun, Amy Miller, begins our yearly
 program with weekly teachings Tuesday and Wednesday evenings starting
 in May. She will also be leading a Daylong Meditation on Sunday, May 16
and a Nyung Né Retreat from May 25-28 over the Sakadawa holiday.




We are also hosting an Open House on Sunday, May 2 so please feel free
to drop by for some snacks, to have a look around and to get any questions
you may have about Buddhism and the Center answered.
 
Amy will continue classes at the Montpelier Library in June focusing on
Death and Dying and Mary Sturtevant returns to lead a Qigong Daylong
in June. Don't miss our Work Parties, one in the spring and one in
the autumn, for a great chance to get our garden going, our wood
chopped, and a great deal of other helpful tasks completed at the Center.
 
July has us hosting Ven. Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa, the ex-abbot
of Gyumed Tantric College on an Introduction to Tantra weekend
while Ven. Dagri Rinpoche (you may have seen Rinpoche in the exquisite documentary Unmistaken Child) will join us to give a Manjushri
Jenang and Commentary on the Heart Sutra.
 
Our Family Camp continues July 29-August 1 and then we rejoice at hosting
 Ven. Choden Rinpoche for teachings and the Kalachakra Initiation.
 
Our beloved Geshe Gelek returns this October to lead a Green Tara retreat
 while we are excited about Jan Willis coming back in November.
 
There are a great many more events this year so please have a look at our upcoming newsletter and website for details on all of our activities.

Geshe Thubten Sherab visited Milarepa in February of this year
and brought a great warming to our winter.

Geshe-la taught on the Three Principal Aspects of the Path
and enjoyed the traditional Tibetan tukpa (noodle soup)
cooked up by Rosanne. We showed Geshe-la the spectacular
 scenery of Vermont in the winter which he greatly enjoyed.

It was a wonderful treat to have this precious being visit
and bring us a lovely connection to Kopan Monastery in Nepal.

Jeff Garnette on
Geshe Gelek's
December Visit

Angie Gittleman, our all-around helper extrordinaire, has asked me to
write a brief personal account of Geshe Gelek Chodha's visit this
past December.
 
We were so blessed to have Geshe Gelek at Milarepa Center from
December 3-14. Geshe-la is the resident teacher at the Kadampa Center,
one of our sister centers in North Carolina. This was Geshe-la's first visit
to Vermont and as of that date we had no snow, something Geshe-la
very much wanted to experience. A few days into Geshe-la's program,
he got his wish. With great joy, the staff and retreatants watched as
Geshe-la threw some snowballs and enjoyed the snow.
 
Geshe Gelek's teachings on Cultivating the Good Heart and Lojong,
along with the fresh snow made for a truly amazing experience.
It was interesting to talk to some of the older students over the course
of the two weeks. Those who knew Lama Yeshe said they saw so much
of Lama in Geshe Gelek's teaching style. I myself saw much of my teacher,
 Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
 
We had a wonderful time with a momo party (Tibetan dumplings)
and a day trip with Geshe-la to Canada where we visited St. Benoit du Lac,
a Benedictine Monastery. These experiences were just icing on the cake
because the whole reason Milarepa Center exists is to give people the opportunity to meet and experience the Dharma.

When teachers like Geshe Gelek Chodha visit, you can't help but realize
while the Dharma is the teaching, there is a great deal more on how to
put the teaching into practice. When we are able to do that, an amazingly compassionate heart can be achieved.
 
Geshe Gelek returns to give a Tara Blessing and lead a one week Tara
retreat this October so I hope are able to join.
 
Much love and prayers,  Jeff

Connect with FPMT at 
www.fpmt.org/enews/2010/fpmt/March.htm

 

For interesting information about our headquarters organization (FPMT) and all of the activities of our Spiritual Director, Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche, you can subscribe to a monthly eletter.

Please click on the link above for a sample of the wonderful
events and news taking place all over the world in our family of centers and projects.

www.milarepacenter.org

(802) 633-4136