Our Activities
Our activities include regular meditation and study sessions, teachings and empowerments by visiting Tibetan lamas, lectures and talks by Tibetan scholars, Tibetan language classes, performances by Tibetan artists, travelogues by visitors to Buddhist lands, and the occasional potluck dinner. Join us! We are located at 11 South Goodman Street, Rochester, New York.
Calendar Events
For The Benefit of All Beings
A trailer of the film being made on H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's life
watch it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcUqhifbD3o
Calendar Notes for May
In the White Lotus of Compassion Sutra, the Buddha said that in the future a monk
named Jivaka would ensure that the practice of meditation survived in an unbroken
and unstained way. In accordance with that prediction, it came to pass that a boy
named Jivaka was born in Tibet. He became known as Gampopa, and he gathered around
him many students and gave these central teachings. Since that time the lineage has
continued with gurus transmitting it from one generation to the next. Students have
continued to meditate and achieve realization, and so the teachings of the mahamudra
has not declined or degenerated.
With great exertion, great devotion, and great confidence, we can achieve the
same realization that Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa achieved.
- Thrangu Rinpoche in Essentials of Mahamudra. P. 84
Wednesday morning Silent Meditation
With the advent of spring, the Dharma Center will once again be open for
silent meditation from 6:00 - 9:00 am every Wednesday. Come anytime for
as long or short as you like. Start your day in the peace and profound
silence of the White Lotus shrine room. Coffee and tea will be available.
Thanks to Janet Mlinar for opening the Center on these mornings.
Sangha Workday: Saturday, May 17, 9 am - 3 pm
Spring Clean-up - lots of help is needed to clean up the yard and garden, put
screens on and wash windows, and do a thorough cleaning of the inside of
your Dharma Center.
Please come and help! Many hands make light work!
Pizza lunch served around 12:30. Come for an hour or two or stay the whole day.
This is an act of generosity and a chance to gain much merit!
Annual Sangha Meeting: Sunday, May 18, 11 am - 12:30 pm
Come and find out what's going on with your Dharma Center.
Look at the financial report for 2007 and the budget for 2008,
meet the Board of Directors if you don't already know them.
Get your questions answered.
Milarepa Tsok Offering: Friday, May 30, 7-9 PM
Join your Dharma brothers and sisters for this festive feast offering
to Jetsun Milarepa - Tibet's greatest saint.
Bring a food (that can be easily handled with fingers) or drink offering to share.
Other Upcoming Events
Announcement - A program of interest May 24 in Amherst!
Find out about it on www.dharmasite.org
Take a look at www.dharmasite.org. This
is the official website for the Dharma Information Network, an information
service and resource on all aspects of Buddhism. It is not tied to any
particular lineage or tradition but seeks to provide information about all
Buddhist lineages and traditions for the benefit of anyone who seeks.
Guru Rinpoche Drubchen: July 3 - 6 On the Retreat Land
Beginning at 7:00 PM on July 3 and ending mid-day on Sunday, July 6.
During this retreat, the Vajra Guru mantra will be recited continuously
throughout the day. People are free to come and go as their schedule
permits. Registration will be required for those wishing to stay on the
retreat land and eat their meals there. More details coming.
Calm and Clear: A Course on Meditation
Last year, Frank Howard taught a brief course on meditation over four Sundays from the text,
Wheel of Analytic Meditation by Lama Mipham, a great 19th Century Tibetan teacher. People requested
a meditation retreat based on the text. That retreat will be held over three separate weekends
listed below - beginning each weekend on Thursday evening at 7:00 pm and ending mid-day on the
following Sunday. Each retreat will involve some teaching and discussion plus ample time for meditation.
The Wheel of Analytic Meditation along with a commentary by Tarthang Tulku can be found in the
book, Calm and Clear - for sale in the White Lotus Society’s bookstore. The text employs traditional
Buddhist analysis of body and mind to dissolve conditioned concepts and unexamined assumptions
which inhibit deep understanding. This type of meditation is specific and disciplined.
The cause of our frustrations, failings, misfortune and anxieties is not external. It is to be
found within. The confusion of emotional conflict dependent upon distorting vagaries of the mind
is the primary obstacle to an understanding of Samsara as Nirvana.
Like "love", the word "meditation" is imprecise and has greatly divergent meanings. Invalid meditation can
worsen our situation. But correct meditation is a powerful tool - the primary method for cutting through
our blinding emotionality and primitive beliefs about reality. Proper meditation uproots our distorting,
obscuring and scattering habits of mind. Like an opening lotus bud, penetrating insight into the true
nature of our mind will bloom.
Hear - Analyze - Meditate is the model for Buddhist practice. Unfortunately, many people jump to
meditation without having first learned and then thoroughly analyzed the teachings. Consequently and
because faith is weak, the obstacles that arise in meditation may appear overpowering. With doubts and
uncertainly the mind is scattered and progress hard. Sadly, some then blame themselves thinking that
realization is beyond their capability or judge the Dharma to be lacking.
Additionally, many omit analytical meditation to their loss. The Calm and Clear meditation course is
especially beneficial because it emphasizes analytical meditation. Through it you will establish a sound
foundation that will support your future efforts.
The course is progressive but if you cannot attend every session please come to as much as you can.
(Thanks to Herbert Guenther)
Registration for Calm and Clear is appreciated but not required. Please contact the office to let us know
you plan to attend. Thank you!
Part I: May 8 - 11
Part II: June 12 - 15
Part III: July 24 - 27
(Thursdays 7 - 9 pm, Friday and Saturdays 9 am - Noon and 2 - 5 pm, Sundays 10 am - noon)
Each Part: $85 ($60 WLS members) OR per session: $20 (WLS members $15)
Lunch included on Fridays and Saturdays
Ongoing Events
Our regularly scheduled activities are set aside during lama visits.
It is always wise to check our monthly calendar for specific dates and times.
Sundays at White Lotus Society, 11 South Goodman St., Rochester, NY
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM Dharma Talk
Featuring a Dharma talk, meditation instruction and questions
and answers.
Suitable for beginners as well as experienced practitioners.
11:00 AM - Noon Prayers and Meditation
Practice of various Sadhanas (Buddhist meditation practices) or
reciting of aspirational prayers, no formal instruction or talk. We focus on
practices we have received from visiting lamas. They include:
Buddha Amitabha Practice
Vajrasattva Practice
Amitabha Monlam
Tara Practice
To see which practice we will do this Sunday, check our monthly calendar
Other Practices
Phowa Practice
Phowa is the practice for the time of death. Practice, generally on the full moon and the
new moon, is limited to those who have received the empowerment from a qualified lama. See
the monthly calendar for upcoming Phowa practice dates.
Milarepa Tsok Offering
A feast offering to Milarepa, Tibet's greatest saint, this is held on the 25th day of the Tibetan lunar month - check our calendar to see when it takes place each month. Bring a food or drink offering that can be shared with others (and passed out by hands easily). This is a practice with ritual, musical instruments and meditation. All are welcome.
Special Events
Lama Visits
Several times a year, we host visiting Tibetan lamas. The schedule generally involves teaching
on Buddhist texts and empowerments and instruction for specific Buddhist practices. Usually,
we are able to offer personal interviews with the lama. We strongly recommend attending a
lama visit. These highly realized teachers are able to make the dharma come alive in unique
and powerful ways. Check our upcoming events for the next lama visit.
For more information about meditation and Buddhist practice:
Call the White Lotus Society at (585) 442-5853 or e-mail us at info@whitelotusdharma.org
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