Heart Sutra Teaching and Practice with Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche

| Venerable Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche will offer a precious teaching on the Heart Sutra at Pema Ling Retreat Center on Saturday, March 14th at 10:00am EST.

The Heart Sutra is one of the most important and widely recited texts in Mahayana Buddhism. Its title means "The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom", where "prajna" means wisdom and "paramita" means perfected or transcendent. Connected to the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Chenrezig in Tibetan), the text offers a direct path to liberation from suffering, and is best known for the phrase "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

| Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche will follow the teaching by offering transmissions on Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, Tara, and Heart Sutra practices.

Afterwards, Rinpoche will be offering ngakpa/ngakma lay Vajrayana vows to several students who have met the prerequisites. Ideally, someone taking ngakpa vows will already have completed a ngondro practice, previously taken pratimoksha and bodhisattva vows, and firmly commit oneself to the continuous practice of some form of secret mantra practice for one's lifetimes, following the instruction of the lama. The ngakpa/ngakma samaya (tantric commitment), while often interwoven with mundane lay life, is fundamentally oriented towards the swift path to enlightenment. It includes enthusiastically following essential Foundational Buddhism guidelines, bodhisattva vows, and Vajrayana samayas.

| (If you have not yet completed your ngöndro practice, but have already completed a good amount of it and will pledge to Ven. Khenpo Rinpoche that you will complete it within a maximum of 2-3 years, call Lama Jomo Lorraine at 917-536-3929 to request whether you might receive the ngakpa/ngakma vows on this date, as well as learn about the required ceremonial objects and clothing for the event. Learn more about ngakpa vows here.) |
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| Finally, prior to Potluck Lunch together, we will join with Rinpoche as a sangha to install the new and beautiful, hand-carved Chenrezig statue at the pond at Pema Ling! |
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