 Happy New Year of the Water Rabbit to you all! We are looking forward to a schedule full of online and in-person visiting teachers, as well as other events and activities. We extend our good wishes to you all as we celebrate the New Year. May it bring prosperity, good fortune, and happiness to all. We look forward to seeing you at our events—wishing you a blessed and prosperous time ahead.  New Years Intentions with Lama Karma Jan 5 As the new year approaches, it’s a great time to reflect on our intentions and goals for the coming year and think about what we want to accomplish to turn those intentions into action.  Joyful Wisdom by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a Book Study with Lama Kathy Jan 26, Feb 23, Mar 23, and Apr 27 Lama Kathy will teach on Joyful Wisdom, which addresses the timeless problem of anxiety in our everyday lives. “From the 2,500-year-old perspective of Buddhism,” Rinpoche writes, “every chapter in human history could be described as an ‘age of anxiety.’ The anxiety we feel now has been part of the human condition for centuries.” So what do we do? Escape or succumb? Both routes inevitably lead to more complications and problems in our lives. “Buddhism,” he says, “offers a third option. We can look directly at the disturbing emotions and other problems we experience as stepping stones to freedom. Instead of rejecting or surrendering to them, we can befriend them, working through them to reach an enduring authentic experience of our inherent Wisdom, confidence, clarity, and joy.”  Compassionate Communication with Lama Adam Jan 19, Feb 16, and Mar 16 The Buddha established the equality of all beings through our common need to be happy and to avoid suffering. If that’s true, why does it seem like we have so much to argue about? With the cultivation of mindfulness and patient inquisitiveness, we can reveal the universal needs underneath our words—and those of others—developing a practical means for compassionate communication and common ground. Weekly meetings are on Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:15 PM PST via Zoom. Invites will be sent on the day of each event. January 5 | Lama Karma | New Years Intentions January 12 | Chenrezig Practice January 19 | Lama Adam | Compassionate Communication January 26 | Lama Kathy | Joy of Living Book Study Looking forward to seeing you all. Karmapa Khyenno! Your Dharma Family at Santa Monica KTC |
| ZOOM credentials for our regular sessions will remain the same: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87204694084 Phone +1 669 900 6833 Meeting ID: 872 0469 4084 |
| Inspirational Quote: “Compassion is a far greater and nobler thing than pity. Pity has its roots in fear and carries a sense of arrogance and condescension, sometimes even a smug feeling of “I’m glad it’s not me.” As Stephen Levine says: “When your fear touches someone’s pain, it becomes pity; when your love touches someone’s pain, it becomes compassion.” To train in compassion is to know that all beings are the same and suffer in similar ways, to honor all those who suffer, and to know that you are neither separate from nor superior to anyone.” Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Teaching Link: How Do I Say No? – with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche |