Ongoing programs are listed first followed by the latest teachings
Ongoing
Prayerthon: Prayers in Accordance with the Times
*The IMI is the International Mahayana Institute comprised of monks and nuns of the FPMT.
All Programs in The Netherlands are In-Person and Online
The Netherlands (Amsterdam – Maitreya Instituut)
Choosing Kindness
Thursdays, 7 – 9pm (Amsterdam time)
September 21, 28, October 5, 12, 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and December 7
How can we use our vulnerability to generate a strong wish to emerge from our confusion and separation and spark a deep experience of compassion for others and ourselves? This program explores a path of personal transformation by being present with our pain, fear, and aversion and incorporates mindfulness exercises to help us move through these less than comfortable states and act differently.
Ven. Amy will offer this weekly class on Thursdays, combining teachings with guided meditation, interactive exercises and dialogue. Open to all levels.
Dealing with Difficult People
Sunday, September 24, 10am – 2:30pm (with lunch break)
Aren’t you tired of having challenging people turn up in your life? Why are they there and how can we make them go away? This lively Theme Sunday presents an alternative view on the presence of these people and how we can best transform a negative experience into a more positive one. Meditation and practical exercises included. All levels welcome.
Guided Meditation (Related to Discovering Buddhism Modules below)
Mondays, 7 – 7:45pm (September 25 – December 4, except October 30)
Discovering Buddhism: Awakening the Limitless Potential of Your Mind
Module 7: Refuge in the Three Jewels
Five Mondays, 8 – 9:30pm, September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 23
Practice Session, October 21, 10am – 1pm
When problems arise for us, our coping mechanisms do not truly get to the root of the issue. Therefore, we find some temporary comfort while the problem and suffering continue to surface in the future. Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, is a uniquely inner journey, that not only protects us from future suffering, but helps reveal the true cause of the problem so we can journey through a path to dismantle it. Refuge is an inner commitment to a clear mind, an open heart, and a way of engaging with life that is pervaded with integrity, respect, and compassion.
This module’s focus is on finding out what it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels (and what it means for you), the essential practices of refuge and learning about the advantages of taking lay vows and their role in enhancing your spiritual growth. Open to all levels.
The Bodhisattva Vows: Making Bodhicitta Work in Daily Life
Tuesdays, 7 – 9:00pm, every two weeks, September 26, October 10 and 24, November 7 and 21, and December 5
The bodhisattva vows are a formal commitment to free others from suffering and bring them to enlightenment. While it might seem easy to wish all beings could be happy, free from suffering, and find enlightenment, it’s another thing to formally make a commitment to work towards that goal.
At these bi-weekly evenings, Ven. Amy will give a traditional and contemporary commentary on the Bodhisattva Vows. She will explain how we can work with them in our daily practice both on our cushion and in our daily lives. These evenings will offer a platform to explore the vows together, for those who have already taken the vows before, as well as for those who consider taking them.
Discovering Buddhism: Awakening the Limitless Potential of Your Mind
Module 8: Establishing a Daily Practice
Five Mondays, 8 – 9:30pm, November 6, 13, 20, 27, and December 4
A daily Buddhist practice refers to the routine activities and rituals that Buddhists engage in on a regular basis to cultivate spiritual development. Common elements of a daily practice are meditation, study and reflection, engaging in pujas or rituals, practicing virtuous conduct, and reciting a variety of prayers and mantras. These elements can be combined and adapted to suit individual preferences and circumstances. The primary purpose of a daily Buddhist practice is to develop wisdom, compassion, and mindfulness, leading to the transformation of one’s mind and the cultivation of inner peace and liberation.
This module’s focus is on assembling the tools you need to develop a successful daily Buddhist practice and to learn the elements necessary to generate realizations. You will also get tips for how to make many activities you do in your daily life meaningful. Open to all levels.
Making Friends with Death: Finding Peace and Perspective in this Ultimate Transition
Sunday, October 8, 10am – 2:30pm (with lunch break)
For most of our culture, death often presents an anxious situation ridden with fear, loss, hopelessness and grief. Explore a more expansive view of this natural transition and how it is possible to face death with peace, dignity and no regrets. Discussion and meditation included along with practical applications for caregivers. Open to all levels of students with a particular interest in death and dying, hospice work, and all caregivers.
Overcoming Obstacles: Green Tara Practice and the Path to Awakening
Sunday, October 22, 10am – 2:30pm
The “Lam Rim” or “Stages of the Path” is a practical step-by-step exposition in which an ordinary person can engage to transform their consciousness into that of a fully awakened being. This Theme Sunday will guide participants in these steps, providing an overview of how to meditate on each topic in a way that not only fulfills our spiritual aspirations, yet improves the quality of our daily lives. A meditation practice of Green Tara will also be included. Tara is one of the most widely venerated deities in Tibetan Buddhism and is the embodiment of enlightened energy. In doing this practice, inner and outer obstacles can be eliminated to help us develop our minds and accumulate the positive conditions needed to attain enlightenment. Open to all levels.
Celebration of Lha Bab Duchen (Major Festival and Merit-Multiplying Day Commemorating Buddha’s Descent from Heaven)
Saturday, November 4, 4pm
Why is Life Such a Hassle?: Coping with Anxiety and Depression
Sunday, November 5, 10am – 2:30pm (with lunch break)
The desire for happiness serves as a major motivation in our lives, yet we often experience numerous obstacles to achieving it. Despite our material comforts and beneficial circumstances, frustration, fear, anxiety, depression, along with other less than generous mind states, cloud our view.
This workshop identifies afflictive states of mind (anger, attachment, pride, jealousy, depression, anxiety, fear, etc.) and explores a variety of healthy coping mechanisms that can help transform everyday challenges into a more realistic and peaceful experience. Open to all levels.
Get Real: The Wisdom Realizing Emptiness and How It Creates a Happier, More Peaceful Life
Sunday, November 19, 10am – 2:30pm (with lunch break)
Our experiences of holding ourselves as solid, unchanging, and independent are inevitably threatened by daily life. Explore the profound Buddhist topic of emptiness, a lack of this inherent nature, and begin to dismantle the web of mistaken perception that keeps us suffering. Some background in Buddhism helpful.
Weekend Retreat: Bodhicitta and Emptiness (in Loenen)
December 1 – 3
Ven. Amy will offer this weekend meditation retreat, based on the profound perspectives of Emptiness and Bodhicitta, realizing our intimate interconnectedness with all living beings.
Cultivating these insights, we will learn to act in the world with empathy, self-compassion and a sense of empowerment and agency in dealing with life’s challenges. The retreat is suitable for both beginners and practitioners who would like to deepen their insights and practice.
Philadelphia Area (In-Person only)
Springfield (Delaware County) Township Library – The Path to Joy
Tuesday, August 22, 6:30pm (Eastern Time)
Register: springfieldtwplib.com/events
This evening talk offers participants a practical roadmap of how to cultivate happiness and overcome suffering in the midst of life’s challenges. Interweaving the foundational philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism with The Book of Joy (discussions with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu), this course explores the eight pillars of joy (perspective, humility, humor, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity) along with the realistic tools necessary to undertake that journey.
Santa Cruz, California (In-Person Only) hosted by the Wisdom Center
Why is Life Such a Hassle?: Transforming Negative Emotions
Starting Monday, July 17, 7 – 9pm (through August 14) (drop-ins welcome)
The desire for happiness serves as a major motivation in our lives, yet we often experience numerous obstacles to achieving it. Despite our material comforts and beneficial circumstances, frustration, fear, anxiety, depression, along with other less than generous mind states, cloud our view.
This workshop identifies afflictive states of mind (anger, attachment, pride, jealousy, depression, anxiety, fear, etc.) and explores a variety of healthy coping mechanisms that can help transform everyday challenges into a more realistic and peaceful experience.
Open to all levels. Suggested donation: $20
Chotrul Duchen (Day of Miracles)
Hosted by Shantideva Center, Brooklyn, NY Via Zoom only
Tuesday, March 7 from 7:30 – 9pm EST (4:30 – 6:00pm PST)
Chotrul Duchen (Day of Miracles) marks the end of the 15-day festival of Monlam, a period of Dharma practice and joyous celebration of the Buddha’s power. Karmic results (both positive and negative) are multiplied by one hundred million during this period, making it an especially auspicious time for practice.
During this time, the Buddha performed a series of miracles: he manifested trees, mountains, and lakes, and he emanated light and clairvoyance. Most significantly, these miraculous acts inspired faith and swift spiritual progress in his followers.
For more information, please click Here.
Online Only
Exploring Buddhism: Exploring Common Prayers and Practices
New FPMT Program
Self-study course with live online Q&A and teaching sessions
Live Online Q&A on Thursdays, March 2 and April 6
7:00 – 8:30pm EST/EDT (4:00 – 5:30pm PST/PDT)
Exploring Common Prayers and Practices
In order to make progress on the spiritual path, we must support our practice of study, contemplation, and meditation with the practices of accumulation of merit and purification of negative karma.
In this module of Exploring Buddhism, we will examine the need for prayers, dedications, as well as various other practices and pujas, and investigate how they are meant to affect the mind and bring about the realizations of the path to enlightenment. Teachings will be given on how to do the main prayers, practices, and pujas that are commonly performed by FPMT students on their own and also conducted in our centers.
Please note that, while this module does contain general instruction on some tantric pujas, students are not expected to have received a highest yoga tantra initiation, nor will they be taught the meaning of the pujas in terms of tantric practice.
NOTE:
This module on Common Prayers and Practices will be offered as a self-study course interspersed with live online Q&A sessions with Ven. Amy Miller on the dates above.
Register Here.
Celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 88th Birthday
Hosted Via Zoom only by Shantideva Center, New York
July 6, 4:30 – 6pm Pacific Time
Ten Million Tara Mantra Recitations
New York (Shantideva Center, Brooklyn via Zoom)
Choosing Kindness, Empathy, Emptiness, and Empowerment in Challenging Times
Tuesdays 7 – 8:30pm EST (6 sessions) (4 – 5:30pm PST)
January 31, February 7 and 21, March 14 and 28, April 4
In our daily lives, we are often bombarded by external experiences that show cruelty and heartlessness. We are influenced by these situations and begin to believe that in order to be happy we need to follow a particular behavior, obtain an array of material items and/or attain a certain status. Little by little, the natural authentic dynamic flow of who we really are gets blocked and instead manifests as something more constrictive, negative, hostile or fearful. So we escape, blame or numb ourselves to what is really happening. Then the ruminating mind takes over deepening a false veil on our perceptions. This is the perfect time for practice!
How can we use our vulnerability to generate a strong wish to emerge from our confusion and separation and spark a deep experience of compassion for others? This program explores a practical path of transformation by being present with our pain, fear, and aversion. Mindfulness exercises and emptiness meditation are included along with reminders of how the Buddha practiced to help us move through these less than comfortable states.
Open to all levels.
Register Here
California (Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel and Tse Chen Ling Center, San Francisco)
Discovering Buddhism Module 12: The Wisdom of Emptiness
Co-Hosted by Land of Medicine Buddha, Tse Chen Ling and Vajrapani Institute: a Unique Hybrid Program!
Tse Chen Ling: January 25, February 8 and 22
Land of Medicine Buddha: February 1, 15 and March 1
6:00 – 7:30pm Pacific Time
Practice Period: Land of Medicine Buddha
March 11, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. PT
In-Person & Via Zoom
All the 84,000 teachings the Buddha gave were ultimately to help us attain a direct perception of emptiness. That’s how important the profound experience of emptiness is on the path to enlightenment.
In this module of Discovering Buddhism, we will delve into the methods for bringing about the realization of emptiness, which is crucial for the attainment of liberation and enlightenment.
We will explore such questions as:
What is emptiness?
What is the relationship between emptiness, liberation, and enlightenment?
What is the relationship between emptiness and dependent arising?
What are the different ways to meditate on emptiness?
How can we realize emptiness?
We will also learn how to develop calm abiding (shamata), the ability to remain focused in meditation for long periods of time without distraction, and understand how best to use that to meditate on emptiness. We will also discuss the accumulation of merit and purification of obstacles, which are indispensable for generating realizations.
This is the 12th in a series of 14 modules covering the complete Buddhist path to enlightenment. Students may join at any point in the cycle yet for this module it is helpful to have some background in Buddhism. Discovering Buddhism is designed for students who wish too deepen their understanding of fundamental Buddhist concepts. Each module includes teachings, meditations, readings, assessment questions, and a short half-day retreat.
While there will be an online Zoom presence for this class, consider joining us in person to reconnect with your local Dharma community. We will be hosting three sessions at Tse Chen Ling Center and three sessions at Land of Medicine Buddha with the final 1:00 -4:00 p.m. practice period at Land of Medicine Buddha.
California (Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel)
Meditation, Mindfulness and Making Life Meaningful: How to Live a Balanced Path through Love and Attachment
Six Mondays, 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month.
January 23, February 13 and 27,
March 13 and 27, April 10
6:30 – 8:00pm Pacific Time
In-Person & Via Zoom
“Love” and “attachment” are often confused creating conflict in our relationships, particularly intimate ones. If we can lessen our craving and grasping to mindfully balance our life’s activities, experiences of genuine love and freedom organically arise. Explore methods to develop bodhicitta, the enlightened attitude, and the crux of the Tibetan Buddhist path. Discover resources within you that lend to more mindful approaches to everyday living. Meditation guidance and practice will be offered along with insightful techniques for de-stressing and inviting more gratitude and compassion into your life.
Open to all levels.
You must register for each class individually via the Land of Medicine Buddha Website. Click on Events Calendar and go to the desired date to register.
Explore January 2023 Teachings via Zoom from the UK
All About Karma
January 6, 7 – 9pm GMT (2 – 4pm Eastern US time) and January 7, 10am – 12noon and 1 – 3pm GMT
Hosted by Jamyang Leeds
Learn the essential facts about the law of cause and effect in relation to actions and their results. Generate a clear understanding about how karma works. Discover effective tools to accumulate merit—the cause of happiness and success—and purify mistaken actions done in the past—the cause of suffering. Explore ways to become more adept at dealing with life’s challenges and thereby cultivate a realistic path for a happier and more meaningful life. Open to all levels. Register in advance.
The Wisdom Realizing Emptiness
and How It Creates a Happier, More Peaceful Life
January 4 and 5, 7 – 8:30pm GMT (2 – 3:30pm Eastern US time and 11am – 12:30pm Pacific time
Hosted by Jamyang Salisbury – for zoom link, please email in advance to salisburyjamyangbuddhistgroup@outlook.com
Our experiences of holding ourselves as solid, unchanging, and independent are inevitably threatened by daily life. Explore the profound Buddhist topic of emptiness, a lack of this inherent nature, and begin to dismantle the web of mistaken perception that keeps us suffering.