Your Words or Action In Life

1 March Event at Gyuto Vajrayana Center

Dear Friends,

May Calendar 2006

Tara Puja for Long Life
Friday May 5            7 pm - 8 pm

Guru Puja (Tsog Offering)
Sunday May 7            7 pm - 8 pm

Medicine Buddha Puja for Healing
Saturday May 13            7 pm - 8 pm

Six-Armed Mahakala Puja
Friday May 19            9 am - 12 pm

Guru Puja (Tsog Offering)
Monday May 22            7 pm - 8 pm

Nyung-Ne Introduction
Friday May 26            7 pm - 8 pm

Nyung-Ne (Fasting Retreat)
Saturday May 27            5.30 am - 6 pm

15 Day water bowl offerings during the month of Saka Dawa (Buddha's Birth)
Sunday May 28 - Sunday June 11            6 pm - 7 pm

Nyung-Ne (Fasting Retreat)
Sunday May 28            5.30 am - 6 pm

Nyung-Ne (Fasting Retreat)
Monday May 29            8 am -10 am

SAKA DAWA (The Holy Month of Buddha's Birth)

Nyung-Ne (Fasting Retreat)

A Nyung-Ne retreat consists of taking the Eight Mahayana

precepts and is based on Chenrezig, (Avalokiteshva) who is the Buddha of Compassion. It involves fasting and multiple daily sessions of prostration and recitation of the Chenrezig sadhana. This is an intensive spiritual practice to purify obscurations and negativities and to accumulate merits. It will take place over the Memorial Day weekend.

The schedule for Saturday and Sunday begins with the Mahayana precepts (24-hour vows) at 5:30 am and the final session of the day will end around 6 pm. On Saturday only one pre-noon meal is to be taken. Sunday is a day of silence; no food or liquids are to be taken. In this way, the body is purified by abiding in a fast, the speech is purified through the recitation of mantra and prayers, and the mind is purified by our compassionate motivation.

The schedule for Monday begins with a beautiful breakfast at 7 am. The retreat’s final session begins at 8 am and ends at around 10 am with an abbreviated practice session and a dedication of merits. All the participants must have had received a Chenrezig empowerment as a prerequisite or at least have received an empowerment of Action Tantra such as Tara, Amitayus, Medicine Buddha, Namgyalma, or the Kalachakra initiation to take part in this retreat. Each night all the participants will leave the Center and return in the morning. Please register either by phone or email and there will be a $60 per person donation to cover the cost of hosting the retreat.

SAKA DAWA (Holy Month of Buddha’s Enlightenment, Birth and Parinirvana)

8 Eight Mahayana Precepts:

The month of Saka Dawa is the time of Lord Buddha's enlightenment, the anniversary of his passing into Maha Parinirvana and the commemoration of his birth. The full moon of Saka Dawa is the most important day according to the lunar calendar. It is the day that all the positive deeds will multiply hundreds and thousands of times. On this day Buddha Shakyamuni himself prayed for all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment. Therefore, if we practice Dharma or make positive effort on this day for the benefit of others we will accumulate millions of merits within a single day. Therefore, we begin with taking the 8 Mahayana precepts before sunrise (5:30 am). The 8 precepts are: refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, taking all intoxicants, eating no more than one meal a day, not sitting on a high seat with pride or wearing jewelry, perfume or makeup. Keeping the 8 Mahayana precepts for one day protects our mind from disturbing negative thoughts and becomes a contribution to peace for all sentient beings. Everyone is welcome to take the 8 Mahayana precepts and keep the vows for 24 hours. No prerequisites are required.

15 Days of Water Bowl Offerings:

The Buddhist holy month of Saka Dawa is the best time to accumulate millions of merits within a very short period of time. Therefore, we will be offering thousands of water bowls and candle lights to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We will be doing this practice everyday for fifteen days at 6 pm and all members are invited to join these offerings with the resident monks. It is taught that the merit of any activity done at this time is multiplied ten thousand times, so the community is encouraged to practice Dharma as much as we can in this holy month. Participants can bring filtered pure water, candles, fresh flowers and fruits for offerings. Everyone is most welcome.

Thank You!

Ven. Thupten Donyo

*********************************************************

May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and its causes.
May all sentient beings never be separated from sorrowless bliss.
May all sentient beings abide in equanimity free of bias, attachment and anger.

Gyuto Vajrayana Center
1439 Old Piedmont Rd.
San Jose, CA 95132
Tel: (408) 926 9430
Fax: (408) 272 1275
Email: gyutovc@aol.com
Website: http://www.gyutocenter.org

For all past events, please Click Here to read them.

*********************************************************

Note: All the above events are published are for information basis. It is not in any way related or affiliated with our website. If you are interested in attending or finding out more, please contact the above website or email to the above email address.