Sutra Resounding

Thanks to all the youth and other participants who joined us in reading aloud the sutra “The Good Eon”/བསྐལ་པ་བཟང་པོ།. Reading the words of the Buddha aloud is said to benefit oneself and all those who can hear them.

What are the benefits of a Resounding? (From 84000 website)

- It allows one the time and space to really engage and familiarize oneself with a new text, and similarly, holds the potential to pique one’s interest in reading further.

- It may also provide more understanding and insight into the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings.

- Strengthening the imprint of Dharma in one’s mind while avoiding less wholesome forms of distraction.

- Planting the seeds of Dharma in all those who hear your voice resounding these wisdom words.

- Accumulation of merit attained by participating in a group Dharma activity and in reading the words of the Buddha with the right motivation.

Mind and Wakefulness Talk

A fact we can’t deny, we all have minds. It is possible that by investing time and energy, we will be able to cultivate our minds. The Mind is undeniably powerful and the most important entity to pay attention to.

Here, we are joined by Lopon Pema Longdrol of Chokyi Gyatso Institute - Dewathang to talk about how to cultivate our minds with the local community people of Dewathang.

In collaboration with Chokyi Gyatso Institute

Seven-Line Prayer! New Year Resolution with Local People

Chotrul Duchen (Great day of Miraculous Manifestations) is an auspicious period for us to engage ourselves in various positive actions.

Thus, to join our teacher, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s New Year resolution and to garner a multi-merit and devotion, some 100 local people from Dewathang gathered virtually to receive oral transmission (lung) and instruction from Khenchen Sonam Tashi to begin chanting the seven-line prayer. We will maintain a record of chants.

If anyone wishes to join us, you are welcome!

Excerpt from Rinpoche’s New Year Resolution

“My new year’s resolution is to chant the seven-line prayer 1,000 times every day. I should add that I may not necessarily chant all 1,000 in one sitting or in a formal session (sitting with a straight back and so on). I may, for example, chant during conversations I have with other people, or as I browse the shelves in shopping malls, or as I surf the internet, watch YouTube videos, or catch the latest episode of an intriguing television series. To some of you, I know, this approach will sound a little scandalous — it is not the perfect way of accumulating prayers. But in this day and age, if someone like me can isolate my mouth for long enough to chant just one seven-line prayer, it can only be considered a very worthwhile activity. And it’s definitely better than doing nothing. So if any of you feel you would like to make a similar resolution, please join me.” – DJK Rinpoche

Celebrating the Losar!

Thank you to all the participants, particularly the youth, who joined us today in celebrating the Losar. While there was no feast, we had time for meaningful discussion to reflect on the qualities of Tiger–Water Tiger Year (courageous, assertive, generous, resilient, etc.).

As a part of the celebration, we recited the heart sutra and seven-line prayer to invoke blessings and to create auspiciousness as the New Year begins!

You know, we are born really to be kind, generous, elegant, and beautiful not just outwardly, but inwardly. We must pay close attention to these innate human qualities.

Last but not least, we wanted to thank Phelden Yoezer, all the way from Paro, who talked to us about his discovery of the Buddha in his comprehensive presentation.

Losar Tashi Delek! 

Mind

"Children have mind... it might be good to simply ask: do you have min
d?" - DJKR

Garden

It’s very healthy to consume food that has the shortest journey. Real nutritious and organic food originates from our own garden. Here are our winter vegetables - broccoli, spinach, and potatoes.

We are very happy to witness the truth of the changes happening in our garden!

The Kisa Gotami

We are able to bring 15 local youth, community people, monks and Monastic Institute together to work on a short film project - the Kisa Gotami.

The objectives of the project are: to connect our youth to Buddhadharma, create a platform for them to experience the reality of interdependence, build relationships with their community, help them learn skills and of course to engage them during their vacations.

Thank you, to all the people involved in the project!

Here is the short film... Check this out!

Don't forget to subscribe to the channel: https://youtube.com/user/khyentseprojects

A virtual première!

Finally, we are able to organize a virtual première of our short film titled "Kisa Gotami" today. The film is about a woman named Kisa Gotami, who comes to seek help from the Buddha. The Buddha taught her in a special way, with a single mustard seed.

The virtual première saw more than 80 people including lamas, monks, elders, parents, and youth. We are happy to have meme Lata Wangdi (89) and abi Pelden Dema (79) as our eldest audience. The film was acted by our local youth, monks, and community members as a part of our youth outreach program.

We will upload the film soon.

Martang Youth Engagement

Two of our students are engaging a group of youth in learning embroidery skills at Martang village. Tashi Dhendup and Tshering Tenzin are originally from this village and are currently on their winter vacation. Through this training, they wanted to share their ideas and skills to youth friends in the community.

All the best to both of you!