Integration of Different Traditions
Tibetans incorporated foreign traditions from the surrounding civilizations of India, Iran, and China into their primal Buddhist orientation to maximize the positive evolutionary potential of the human race. Their intention was the attainment of liberation and enlightenment by way of the perfection of wisdom and compassion. Shaped by this intention and an altruistic way of life, Tibetan Astro Science can guide, support and enable us to understand what our human life means in its ultimate sense. The core of Tibetan Astro Sciences is based on the synthesis achieved by the Desi Sangy Gyatso (1653-1705), who served as Regent of Tibet under H.H. the Fifth Dalai Lama, (1617-1682). The Desi wrote many works in the course of his reign and codified Tibetan civilization. The White Beryl, one of many works of the Desi, provided an overview of Tibetan Astro Science, and the myths underlying it, highlighting its most profound dimensions, its relevance and assessibility.
Tibetan Book of the Dead
Until August, Khenpo Chokyi Gocha will be teaching at the Tibet Gift House while Geshe Ngawang Gedun is in Australia.
Come join us! The group starts Sunday, May 24, 2009, at 11 am, at the Tibet Gift House, 2889 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116
619-281-7888
Sundays from 11:00-12:00
followed by a Q & A period
$7.00
This summer, Khenpo Chokyi Gocha will be leading a study group based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
This group is just forming!
In this group, we will come together to study and discuss the text of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This group is for practitioners or anyone else interested in a serious study group.
Khenpo Chokyi Gocha
Khenpo was born in 1942 in Tibet. When he was nine years old he entered into the Niyngma (old translation) Monastery and began his Buddhist education. In 1959 he escaped across the Himalayas into India and continued his education with exiled Tibetan Masters. In 1980 his Master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche appointed him as a Buddhist Teacher (Khenpo). He has taught at the Kanying Shedrub Ling Monastery for five years and in Nepal, France and the United States to Tibetan, Asian and Western students. Khenpo resides in San Diego and is also available for individual teachings, ceremonies, special prayer programs for illness and the dying.
Sand Mandala at Natural History Museum
Visiting Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery commence work on Wednesday to create a Mandala sand painting, a 2500-year-old Tantric Buddhist healing practice. The ancient ritual, conducted by 10 monks over five days in the atrium of the San Diego Natural History Museum, will assume new meaning in this time of economic uncertainty. The monks will construct the iconic Green Tara Mandala, which Buddhists believe can lead to personal and planetary healing during times of uncertainty and economic crises.isiting Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery commence work on Wednesday to create a Mandala sand painting, a 2500-year-old Tantric Buddhist healing practice. The ancient ritual, conducted by 10 monks over five days in the atrium of the San Diego Natural History Museum, will assume new meaning in this time of economic uncertainty. The monks will construct the iconic Green Tara Mandala, which Buddhists believe can lead to personal and planetary healing during times of uncertainty and economic crises.
Wednesday, June 17
Opening Ceremony, Noon–1 PM in the Museum Atrium
The Drepung Loseling monks begin by consecrating the site of the Mandala Sand Painting with approximately 30 minutes of chants, music, and
mantra recitation. After the Opening Ceremony the monks start drawing the line design for the Mandala.
Thursday, June 18, 10 AM–6 PM
Friday, June 19–Saturday, June 20, 10 AM–9 PM
Mandala Construction in the Museum Atrium
Throughout their residency at the Museum, the monks will dedicate about 30 hours of team work to pour millions of grains of sand into place,
using traditional metal funnels called chak-pur. In Tibet, the art is called dul-tson-kyil-khor, which literally means “mandala of colored powders.”
Take-a-Breath Lunchtime Meditations, Noon–12:45 PM on the Museum’s El Mirador rooftop terrace
Space is limited. Email s.sidman@bw.plastination.com to reserve your spot.
Led by a senior student from the Vajrarupini Buddhist Center, lunchtime meditations will consist of a short introduction and guided meditation. The meditations are designed to relax and focus the mind and bring it to a peaceful and virtuous state.
Sunday, June 21
Closing Ceremony, 1 PM–2 PM in the Museum Atrium
During the closing ceremony, the monks will dismantle the mandala, sweeping up the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists. Half of the sand will be distributed to the audience. Join us for the inspiring and colorful ceremony.
For more information please visit www.sdnhm.org. During Brain Glow week,
BODY WORLDS is offering discounts off full price adult tickets purchased
by June 16. To purchase tickets, please call 877.946.7797.
How to Eat Well through Tibetan Medicine
Jhampa Kalsang
In this lecture, we will explore the tenets of Tibetan Medicine as they relate to diet, behavior and exercise, and learn how to eat more in alignment with our bodies.
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
6-8pm
$5.00
“WINDHORSE” (1998)
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
6pm
Windhorse is a searing political drama.that rips the veils off Western idealism about Tibet. This amazing movie, starring Tibetan exiles who are not professional actors, was shot with a documentarian’s eye for everyday details. (San Francisco Chronicle)
The story of WINDHORSE begins eighteen years ago in the mountains of western Tibet. There, on a crisp autumn morning, a tiny village awakes. And three small children play at jump-rope — a brother and sister, Dorjee and Dolkar, and their cousin, Pema. But the idyllic scene is shattered by a sudden gunshot that takes the life of the children’s grandfather. (read more here)
Cry of the Snow Lion
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
6pm
“Impeccably made… Breathtaking…
A more concise and affecting summation
of the Tibetan crisis would be hard to imagine”
David Kehr, New York Times
Ten years in the making, this award-winning feature-length documentary was filmed during nine remarkable journeys throughout Tibet, India and Nepal.
CRY OF THE SNOW LION brings audiences to the long-forbidden “rooftop of the world” with an unprecedented richness of imagery… from rarely-seen rituals in remote monasteries, to horse races with Khamba warriors; from brothels and slums in the holy city of Lhasa, to magnificent Himalayan peaks still traveled by nomadic yak caravans.
The dark secrets of Tibet’s recent past are powerfully chronicled through personal stories and interviews, and a collection of undercover and archival images never before assembled in one film. (more here)
at Tibet Gift House
suggested donation $5
Jhampa Kalsang's book "Tibetan Astro Science" explains the basic concepts of the science and shows you how to cast a Tibetan horoscope with the beautiful, high quality Astro-Wheel and two decks of 82 artistic Astro-Cards.