Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tsephel

[Nicholas Weeks]

This 2011 summer schedule is packed with powerful events. If you are near Southern California, attend one or more. See Land of Compassion Buddha website for more details. http://www.compassionbuddha.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Vajrasattva Empowerment

May 4 (Wed) 7:00 ~ 9:30 PM
Vajrasattva, the Diamond Being, offers us the power of transformation. Through receiving this empowerment and employing the practice skillfully, we gain the means to use Vajrasattva's purification power to remove our dark karma that has been accumulated from previous unwise actions. Through developing a daily practice to this adamantine deity we can, with proper motivation and skillful means, attain a state of clear light awareness purified of the stains of contaminated actions of body, speech and mind. It is one of the most important preliminary, as well as daily, practices of tantric practitioners.





Teachings on Using Bodhicitta as the Object of Calm Abiding Meditation

May 7, 8 (Sat, Sun) 9:30 ~ 11:30 AM, 2:30 ~ 4:30 PM
"In order to dispel the obscurations, I shall withdraw my mind from mistaken ways, and constantly place it in equipoise upon the perfect object." The main emphasis of this teaching will be on how to practice calm abiding on the perfect object of "Bodhicitta", as outlined in the chapter on Meditation from "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" by Shantideva.





21 Tara Empowerment and Weekend Intensive Tara Retreat

Empowerment— May 13 (Fri) 7:00 ~ 9:30 PM
Retreat— May 14, 15 (Sat, Sun) 6:00 ~ 9:00 AM, 9:30 AM ~ 12:30 PM, 2:30 ~ 5:30 PM, 6:30 ~ 9:30 PM
The deity Tara, appearing in female form, is the embodiment of enlightened activity. She has twenty-one aspects symbolic of various peaceful, extensive, powerful and wrathful activities. Therefore, this practice is especially powerful in removing obstacles and creating the positive conditions needed for high spiritual attainment. We have requested this empowerment and retreat specifically before Khensur Rinpoche's 80th birthday, so that we can accumulate millions of Tara mantras as a way to dedicate to Khensur Rinpoche's long life, as well as fulfillment of all his spiritual aspirations and wishes.





Teachings on "In Praise of Dependent Arising" by Lama Tsong Khapa

May 28, 29 (Sat, Sun) 2:30 ~ 5:00 PM
Lama Tsong Khapa composed the verses "In Praise of Dependent Arising" to praise the excellent teachings of Buddha by saying, "whatever depends on circumstance is empty of nature". Drawing from this beautiful prayer of Lama Tsong Khapa, Khensur Rinpoche will offer students insight into the concepts of emptiness, or lack of inherent existence; as well as the meaning of dependent arising or dependent origination, and the connection between these concepts.






Guhyasamaja Empowerment

Pre-requisite: None
Commitment: Daily practice of Six-session Guru Yoga, and Guhyasamaja short sadhana
Preliminary— June 5 (Sun) 2:30 ~ 5:30 PM
Empowerment— June 6 (Mon) 5:00 ~ 10:00 PM, June 7 (Tues) 5:00 ~ 10:00 PM
Guhyasamaja has been referred to as the “supreme king of all tantras”. Although it is practiced in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions, great emphasis is placed on it within the Gelug tradition. Chandrakirti states in his “Bright Lamp” that Guhyasamaja is the pinnacle because it is the source of all other tantras and the vessel of all the sutras. Studying and familiarizing oneself with it is therefore essential for anyone serious about tantric practice.



The empowerment includes a preliminary session on day one and the actual initiation on the following two days.





Commentaries on the Guhyasamaja Tantra by Lama Tsong Khapa

Pre-requisite: Guhyasamaja Empowerment
Commitment for these teachings: Daily practice of Six-session Guru Yoga, and Guhyasamaja short sadhana

Teachings: June 8 ~ June 14 (Wed ~ Tues) 7:00 ~ 9:30 PM
Sadhana Practice and Meditation Instructions: June 9 ~ June 14 (Thurs ~ Tues) 9:00 ~ 12:00 AM, 2:30 ~ 5:30 PM
Tsog for offering thanks: June 15 (Wed) 7:00 ~ 8:00 PM
There are many commentaries of Guhyasamaja according to various traditions which lay out the complete stages of the path. Khensur Rinpoche will be offering teachings on two rarely taught commentaries of Guhyasamaja, namely "Stages of Pure Yoga" and "Compendium of Wisdom Vajra", composed by Lama Tsong Khapa. Khensur Rinpoche received oral transmission of these precious texts from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. For those who have been practicing the Guhyasamaja sadhana for years, these commentaries will provide further insights into this deity yoga practice. In addition to the teachings, there will also be meditational instructions offered as we go through the sadhana session by session. Khensur Rinpoche will provide instruction and lead the morning session in person, and the afternoon session will be lead by other qualified teachers.





Thousand Offerings Ceremony on Saka Dawa (Buddha's Enlightenment and Parinirvana)

(This is a special Buddha day where positive and negative merit created will be multiplied by the millions).
Set up 1000 offerings: June 15 (Wed) 8:00 AM ~ 12:00 Noon
Take down the offerings and clean up: June 15 (Wed) 3:00 ~ 6:00 PM
Please come join us in making 1000 offerings on this special day at our gompa. We will be making extensive offerings of water, flowers, incense, candles and fruit, as well as prayers to Lord Buddha.





Heruka Empowerment - Chakrasamvara Five Deities

Pre-requisite: None

Commitment: Daily practice of Six-session Guru Yoga, plus Heruka Three Purifications practice

Preliminary— June 18 (Sat) 7:00 ~ 9:30 PM
Empowerment— June 19 (Sun) 2:30 ~ 6:30 PM
The profound nature of Tantra reaches its ultimate expression in the practice of Highest Yoga Tantra. This practice transforms the gross as well as the subtle levels of mind into the mind of enlightenment.



The practice of Heruka Chakrasamvara belongs to the Mother class of Highest Yoga Tantra and is one of the main practices within the Gelug tradition. Heruka's body mandala can emanate in different forms with corresponding varied visualizations. Khensur Rinpoche will be giving the Five-deity Heruka Chakrasamvara initiation, after which students are required to keep the life-long commitments of Six-session Guru Yoga and the Heruka Three Purifications practice.




Teaching on Buddha Nature (based on Maitreya Buddha's Uttaratantra text)

Teachings: June 23, 24 (Thurs, Fri) 7:00 ~ 9:30 PM, June 25, 26 (Sat, Sun) 2:30 ~ 5:00 PM
Tsog: June 26 (Sun) 5:00 ~ 6:00 PM
In Maitreya Buddha's Uttaratantra (Treatise on the Vast Vehicle of Mind: The Furthest Everlasting Continuum), it says "the body of all treatises, when gathered in brief, consists of these seven vajra points", namely, the Buddha, Dharma, Assembly, and the Source, Enlightenment, Qualities, and the Enlightening Influence. Here the "Source" is referring to the actual nature of the mind or buddha nature as it is often called.

As stated in the first verse of the chapter on buddha nature in the Uttaratantra text "the perfect buddhakaya is all-embracing, suchness cannot be differentiated, and all beings have the disposition. Thus they always have buddha nature". Khensur Rinpoche will offer commentary on this particular chapter dealing with buddha nature, the primordial wisdom for enlightenment.