Dear Sangha,

Welcome to the September edition of Santa Monica KTC’s online and in-person programs!

On September 23 -24, Santa Monica KTC will host a special in-person Bardo Teaching & Transmissions by Lopön Lama Tobden at  Karma Mahasiddha Ling in Idyllwild.

Of course, we will continue with our regular events with our esteemed teachers: Lama Kathy, Lama Karma, and Lama Adam.

We hope you can join us in the profound teachings, guided meditations, and practical sessions to enhance your meditation practice and connect with fellow seekers on the path of awakening.

Your Dharma Family at Santa Monica KTC

Karmapa Khyenno!

• September 7 | Lama Karma – Guided Meditation
• September 14 | Chenrezig Practice
• September 21 | Lama Adam – Resilience and Resourcing on the Buddhist Path
• September 23-24 | Lopön Lama Tobden – Bardo Teaching & Transmissions
• September 28 | Lama Kathy – Joy of Living Book Study

September 7Guided Practice with Lama Karma

Lama Karma’s guidance carries a profound wisdom that touches the heart and calms the mind. This guided meditation will delve into inner stillness, cultivating mindfulness and self-awareness. Lama Karma will lead a reflective session, offering insights and answering questions. No matter your experience level, everyone is welcome to participate in this transformative gathering. Whether you are a longtime practitioner or new to meditation, we encourage you to embrace this opportunity to deepen your practice and connect with our compassionate community. Please join us tonight and be part of this enriching experience with Lama Karma. Let us come together, creating a space of tranquility, wisdom, and compassion as we embark on this guided meditation and reflection journey.

September 14Chenrezig Practice

Chenrezig’s practice is a profound meditation that cultivates compassion and loving-kindness. This practice is open to all, it will be in English and Tibetan, and we encourage everyone to participate and experience its transformative effects. Chenrezig, also known as Avalokiteshvara, embodies compassion in Tibetan Buddhism. Through this practice, we tap into the limitless wellspring of compassion within ourselves and extend it to all sentient beings. It is a beautiful opportunity to nurture our hearts, deepen our connection with others, and bring positive change into the world. No matter your experience or familiarity with the practice, we welcome you to join us. As a compassionate community, we will create a collective space of love, kindness, and healing energy. Let us unite in our dedication to cultivating compassion and making a positive difference in the world.

September 21Resilience and Resourcing on the Buddhist Path with Lama Adam

Cultivating the ability to skillfully lean into discomfort is an undeniably vital factor in our progress on the Buddhist path. But bare ambition for awakening may mask counterproductive tendencies when we neglect to develop the balancing factor of a keen awareness of our resources and vulnerabilities. In this series, Lama Adam will share practical means to increase resilience on the path through discernment and compassion in our formal and post-meditation practice.

September 23 – 24Bardo Teaching & Transmissions with Lopön Lama Tobden

Please join us in welcoming Thrangu Vajra Master Lama Tobden for his first visit to California! In this historic visit, Lama Tobden will present a three-part teaching on the “Bardo” with sessions on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23, and Sunday, Sept. 24, morning and afternoon. Khenpo Sangye Trinley of KTD Monastery in Woodstock, NY, will assist and translate for Lama Tobden. On Saturday morning, Sept. 23, Lama Tobden will bestow the Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows to those wishing to start the Buddhist path, followed by the empowerment of the Buddha Amitabha, considered a powerful blessing for the removal of obstacles and obscurations in our minds and lives. This event is a precious and extraordinary opportunity to meet and receive teachings from a meditation master born and trained in Tibet and blessed by many years of dharma practice.

September 28Joyful Wisdom Book study with Lama Kathy

Lama Kathy will teach Rinpoche’s illuminating perspective 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.”

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

Please be mindful, mute yourself, and keep questions to a maximum of two, concise and to the point. We can arrange an interview with the teacher if you have more in-depth questions.

Inspirational Quote:

If you find that meditation does not come easily in your city room, be inventive and go out into nature. Nature is always an unfailing fountain of inspiration. To calm your mind, go for a walk at dawn in the park, or watch the dew on a rose in a garden. Lie on the ground and gaze up into the sky, and let your mind expand into its spaciousness. Let the sky outside awaken a sky inside your mind. Stand by a stream and mingle your mind with its rushing; become one with its ceaseless sound. Sit by a waterfall and let its healing laughter purify your spirit. Walk on a beach and take the sea wind full and sweet against your face. Celebrate and use the beauty of moonlight to poise your mind. Sit by a lake or in a garden and, breathing quietly, let your mind fall silent as the moon comes up majestically and slowly in the cloudless night.

Teaching Link:
Obstacles Become Opportunities with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche