TGLBC had a wonderful community clean up, the entire length of Town Farm Rd, in Gray and through North Yarmouth. We rejoice in sharing these heartfelt efforts in our daily commitment to living in harmony and simply upon the earth. And in sharing the responsibility to take very good care of ourselves and all mother beings.
We covered both sides of the road and are happy to likewise draw attention and support to the COP26 Climate Change Conference happening now in Glasgow, Scotland. Everyone has a role to play. As Buddhist practitioners, we likewise care for the Earth Goddess. The Earth Goddess is present in the appearance of the Buddha in Earth touching mudra, His right hand over the right knee, middle finger touching the earth. When faced with the threat from Mara, the character who represents the fear of doubt, unworthiness and insignificance, Siddhartha called upon the earth goddess to bear witness to His attainment of enlightenment. Therefore, we who follow Buddha’s teachings of Dharma should likewise pay special attention to supporting the earth goddess and all mother beings.
We hope that you will join us Friday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 PM EST for a celebration of Losar. Losar is the first day of the lunisolar Tibetan calendar. We are leaving the Year of the Iron Rat and joyfully entering the year of the Iron Ox.
Ven. Tenzin Dasel will join us from India and lead us in a Green Tara meditation for healing and compassion as we enter this next phase.
In addition, we want to share with you this message from the Venerable Tenzin Dasel:
Heartfelt and warmest greetings to our dear Tashi Gatsel Ling Community,
We have been keeping you in our hearts and prayers throughout this past year as the whole world faced the Year of the Iron Rat, not knowing at the time what a prophetic name for the year it would turn out to be. No one is sorry to see this cycle come to a close!
Now we will enter the Year of the Iron Ox, which carries a sense of strength and diligent steady work with a determined acceptance of the task at hand. That is probably likewise a very good metaphor for the upcoming year. If we use our Dharma practice to really apply what it is teaching us about impermanence, the suffering of change, and having to truly seek refuge and renounce samsara then we can see that we are blessed, especially in these times. After all, it is why we have taken refuge, seeking safety in the wisdom of the Buddha Dharma, and are so very fortunate to have a sangha community to call upon, nurture, and practice with.
Probably one of the best things that will come out of this situation is that people will not take everyday life’s simple freedoms for granted, as we largely often did before the epidemic. Sometimes questioning whether we could really muster the energy to get to the Dharma center as it was too chilly out or we just weren’t really in the mood, yet these days might see us planning months in advance if only we knew when next we could sit together in sacred space to practice and share. At least in this day and age, we are able to maintain connection via the computer and find comfort and gratitude in being able to meet together in this way.
Wishing each and every one of you the best of health, happiness, and contentment. May your practice upholding and replenish you daily, breathing in, breathing out. Aware. Awake. Alive.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a teaching on Jangkya Rolpai Dorje’s Recognizing the Mother: A Song of Experience of the Madhyamaka View (tagur ama ngodzin) followed by a question and answer session on the morning of February 8 from 9 am to 10.30 am (Indian Standard Time) at the request of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Those interested may watch the live webcast of the teachings in Tibetan with translation in English, Chinese, Hindi, French, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mongolian, Korean, German, Portuguese and Italian on the official websites and Facebook pages of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. People are requested to please follow their local social distancing rules while viewing the live webcast.
Live Webcast Talk
February 17, 2021
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a talk on Empathy and Compassion in Policing followed by a question and answer session organized by the Indian Police Foundation from 9 am to 10 am (Indian Standard Time). Those interested may watch the live webcast in Tibetan, English, Chinese and other languages on the official websites and Facebook pages of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. People are requested to please follow their local social distancing rules while viewing the live webcast.
Live Webcast Teaching
February 27, 2021
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a short teaching from approximately 9 am to 10 am (Indian Standard Time) on the occasion of the Day of Offerings – 15th day of the 1st Tibetan month (chotrul duechen). He will also confer the Ceremony for Generating Bodhichitta (semkye) at the request of LadakhSemkye Tsokpa. Those interested may watch the live webcast in Tibetan, English, Chinese and other languages on the official websites and Facebook pages of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Viewers are requested to please follow their local social distancing rules.
Livestreaming on January 9, 2021, 10:30 pm EST/January 10, 9 am IST
A conversation not to be missed: two global leaders coming together to address one if not the most ardent topic of the day: the climate crisis. You won’t want to miss this, you can register at this link to get an email reminder of the session. A recording will be made available to those who register.
Saturday, January 2, 2021 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM EST
In addition to our monthly Medicine Buddha Puja, we are offering a New Year’s Medicine Buddha Puja. We are very blessed that Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo will be joining us during this New Year’s Celebration. Jetsunma is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher, and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. Jetsunma will answer any questions that we may have relating to our practice.
Following this auspicious time, we will gently shift to a 45-minute Medicine Buddha Puja for healing and happiness in the New Year led by Venerable Tenzin Dasel.
If you would like to join us, please email Venerable Tenzin Dasel at ventenzindasel@gmail.com with your intention to join us, along with any questions that you might have for Jetsumna Tenzin Palmo about deepening your practice.
For the Medicine Buddha Puja, please email your dedications to tglmaine@gmail.com. Here is the text we will recite.
REQUESTED DONATIONS: If you are able, TGLBC would appreciate your kind donation to help support our mission. You may donate via https://tashigatselling.org/donate/ or mail a check to TGLBC, PO Box 1883, Gray, Maine USA 04039.
Blessings to you and yours for a safe and happy holiday season from all of us at TGLBC!
Venerable Tenzin Dasel interviews with YogaBeyond on Saturday, December 12. Sign up to watch the exploration of happiness and joy by cultivating awareness through meditation. Please check YogaBeyondExercise for details.
Our friends at FCFF are hosting a workshop on Saturday, November 21st at 7 pm EST. The topic of discussion will be The Great Work of Life and Death, Dialogue with Zen Masters from the Kwam Um School of Zen.
This workshop complements films to be screened November 20-22 in week 3 of the FCFF. Film tickets are available here, workshops are free.
We are proud to partner with the Taiwan Branch of
Sakyadhita, and in gratitude would like to offer you $1 tickets for the entire
festival, normally priced at $60. You can access this discount here.
About the festival: Authentic storytelling that nourishes free dialogue across boundaries.
The 2020 Freedom Crossing Film Festival (FCFF) is hosted by the Freedom Crossing Institute. FCFF can be viewed anywhere in North America (USA, Mexico, Canada, Caribbean). Videos will be available to view in the Browse tab starting November 6th.
We’ve missed you! We are so very pleased to reach back out with some updates. COVID has forced all of us to reinvent how we do things. We are now ready to provide new Dharma programs via Zoom, we hope you are as excited as we are to stay in touch from the safety of your houses and to practice together. Our lead teacher Tsunma Tenzin Dasel will delight us by guiding teachings right from India. For this reason, the hours you were used to for our programs have slightly changed to accommodate an international audience and different time zones.
Here is the new schedule for the upcoming two months, be sure to mark your calendars!
Monthly Medicine Buddha Puja on full moons. Joins us this month on Saturday, October 31st from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, and on Monday, November 30th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. We are offering Medicine Buddha Puja at a more convenient time for our international audience when the date falls on a weekend.
Monthly meditation and Dharma Talk Maine Moment. October 17 and November 21st, 9:00 am – 10:00 am. Please send any questions you have ahead of time at tglmaine@gmail.com; Tsunma Tenzin Dasel wants to make her talks relevant to you and your practice.
Our signature Veteran’s Day annual retreat is condensed this year to a 1.5-hour session. November 11, 9:00 am to 10:30 am. Join us for Oneness of Humanity. One Breath. Unity in Dharma.
Lhabab Duchen, November 7, 9:00 am – 10:30 am. Lhabab Düchen, also known as Buddha’s Descent from Tushita, is one of the four great holy days of the Tibetan calendar. As a Buddha Multiplying Day, karmic results of actions on this day are multiplied one hundred million times. This amazing result is sourced by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic. This day is considered to be very auspicious for practice. To celebrate the occasion we will have a special program, Tsunma Tenzin Dasel will offer a guided meditation, mantra recitation, and a short clip of the Khandro Cham, or Dakini Dances, being held at Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India earlier that day.
All of the Zoom links for these events will be posted on our 2020 Schedule page.
