“Living in Compassion”
Workshop by Harris Breiman M. Th.
Based on Bardor Tulku Rinpoche’s Book
Tibetan Center This Month
Saturday, December 21st, 2019
10am to 12pm
This workshop is led by Harris Breiman M. Th. who has been a student of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche since 1987.
Our open, ongoing study, sharing and support group seeks to awaken the Enlightened Mind and Compassionate Heart which Aspires to Benefit All Beings. Each session includes readings, meditation, group sharing and experiential exercises. We will meet on the third Saturday morning of each month from 10am to 12 noon.
This workshop is offered free of charge but donations are welcome.
Feel Free to Call Harris With Any Questions At 845-389-2188.
Waking Buddha Live
Interactive Film Experience
with Director, John Halpern
Saturday, October 5, 7pm
Waking Buddha Live (2 hrs.) is an interactive film experience combining audience participation and meditation with an on-screen contemplative film presented by the international filmmaker and award winning artist, John Halpern. This live cinematic meditation includes interviews with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Martin Scorsese and Robert Thurman, among others, interspersed with immersive meditative exercises.
There is no charge for attending this film at the Tibetan Center.
Tibetan Medicine Workshop
Sunday, September 15, 2019
11am – 1pm
2pm – 4pm
Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo will speak on the relationship between the body and the five elements including the theory behind the five elements, the seven characteristics of personalities, and how to maintain a healthy body in our daily life.
Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo received her advanced degree from the Lhasa University School of Traditional Medicine in 1988. As a doctor of Tibetan Medicine in Eastern Tibet, she collaborated and directed the implementation of A.S.I.A. (Association for International Solidarity in Asia), the non-profit organization founded by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. She worked on behalf of A.S.I.A. setting up hospitals and trainings centers in the remote regions of Sichuan Province and Chamdo Perfecture.
In 2007 she cofounded the American Tibetan Medical Association (ATMA), a national organization representing the Tibetan medical profession within the United States. Today she is the International Director of the School of Tibetan Medicine at the Shang Shung Institute founded by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and inaugurated in 1990 by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
For more information about Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, please visit https://www.shangshung.org
Dr. Wangmo is available for private consultation. If interested, please contact Sharon @ 1.845.383.1774.
There is no charge for attending this event.
Tibetan Center Film Night
When the Iron Bird Flies (96 min.)
August 24, 7pm
When the Iron Bird Flies paints a compelling portrait of modern Tibetan Buddhism outside of Tibet. -Tricycle
Directed by Victress Hitchcock, this enlightening documentary shows contemporary teachers and practitioners, rare archival footage, and striking images of modern life that illuminate and make accessible the Buddha’s core teachings. There is no charge for attending the film.
“Living in Compassion”
Workshop by Harris Breiman M. Th.
Based on Bardor Tulku Rinpoche’s Book
“Join us for the completion of our first year of study together.”
Saturday, August 17, 2019
10am to 12pm
This workshop is led by Harris Breiman M. Th. who has been a student of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche since 1987.
Our open, ongoing study, sharing and support groups seeks to awaken the Enlightened Mind and Compassionate Heart which Aspires to Benefit All Beings. Each session includes readings, meditation, group sharing and experiential exercises. We will meet the third Saturday morning of each month from 10am to 12 noon.
This workshop is offered free of charge but donations are welcome.
Feel Free to Call Harris With Any Questions At 845-389-2188.
Near Death Experience
Jacob L. Cooper
Will speak on his near death experience and lead a meditation
Sunday, August 4, 2019
12pm to 2pm
Following in the steps of those who experienced near-death experiences such as Winston Churchill, Abe Lincoln, and Elizabeth Taylor, Jacob L. Cooper experienced his own near death experience at the age of 5. After a bout with whooping cough where he was deprived of oxygen, all his vital organs began to shut down and he was taken to a place of infinite love. Jacob Cooper is a world renowned public speaker on the afterlife. Please join us as he leads us on a brief yet powerful meditation that matches the energy fields in the space to the vibrational frequency of the information and knowledge being imparted. He will share new understandings from the other side and what awaits us when we die that will assist us in finding peace and a whole new perspective of life on the earth plain. He will share his own near death experience, lessons from life on the other side, and ways to bring the heavenly dimension back to physical reality. This lecture will empower participants to own their own spiritual transformative experiences and understand the value of sharing it when ready.
Jacob L. Cooer, LMSW, RMT, CH
Www.Jacoblcooper.com
Suggested donation: $10.00
All are welcome. No one will be turned away regardless of their ability to pay.
“Living in Compassion”
Workshop by Harris Breiman M. Th.
Based on Bardor Tulku Rinpoche’s Book
Saturday, July 20, 2019
10am to 12pm
This workshop is led by Harris Breiman M. Th. who has been a student of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche since 1987.
Our open, ongoing study, sharing and support groups seeks to awaken the Enlightened Mind and Compassionate Heart which Aspires to Benefit All Beings. Each session includes readings, meditation, group sharing and experiential exercises. We will meet the third Saturday morning of each month from 10am to 12 noon.
This workshop is offered free of charge but donations are welcome.
Feel Free to Call Harris With Any Questions At 845-389-2188.
Introduction to Yantra Yoga with Nataly Nitsche and Maxim Leschenko
July 5-7, 2019
Introduction to Yantra Yoga – Friday night free introduction
7pm to 8:15pm
Saturday and Sunday
10am – noon and 3 – 5 pm
Yantra Yoga, the Tibetan yoga of movement, is one of the oldest yoga systems in the world. This system of Yantra Yoga comes from Tibet and was brought to the West in the 70’s by the Dzogchen Master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Its unique form of movement sequences, in combination with the different phases of breathing, helps to coordinate and harmonize our energy through which we can obtain optimal health and authentic relaxation of the mind. The course will start by training the complete breathing as practiced in Yantra Yoga, using the Harmonious Breathing method. Then, we enter in the practice of Yantra Yoga, learning some of the preliminary sequences.
It is a very useful method for everyone, regardless of age or physical condition.
Facilitated by Nataly Nitsche, 2nd level Yantra Yoga Instructor, and Maxim Leschenko, 3rd level Yantra Yoga Instructor.
Wear loose clothes, eat lightly and bring a yoga mat or blanket.
With Special Guest Lecturer on Tibetan Medicine
Menpa Phuntsog Wangmo
Director of The Shang Shung Institute School of Tibetan Medicine in Conway MA
$25.00 per day suggested donation
Based on Bardor Tulku Rinpoche’s book, Harris Brieman, a student of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, will lead a study group on Rinpoche’s book, “Living in Compassion.”
Saturday, June 22, 2019
10 am to 12 noon
The ongoing book study, sharing and support group seeks to awaken the Enlightened Mind and Compassionate Heart which aspires to Benefit All Beings. Each session includes readings, meditation, group sharing and experiential exercises.
Feel free to call Harris with any questions at 845-389-2188
Phakyab Rinpoche & The Healing Power of the Mind
Inner Healing Shamatha:
Teachings and Meditation Practices for Healing and Cultivating Compassion
Saturday June 15
10am to 12 Noon
2pm to 5pm
Sunday June 16
10am to 12 Noon
2pm to 5pm
“You will teach the world how to heal.” HH the Dalai Lama
Phakyab Rinpoche sought the advice of the Dali Lama when he was told that his gangrene leg should be amputated. The Dalai Lama advised him not to amputate his leg. Instead, the Dalai Lama suggested that he utilize his meditation skills and heal himself.
Copies of Rinpoche’s Book: “Meditation Saved My Life” will be available.
$25.00 per day
We are happy to give scholarships.
Please contact the Tibetan Center.
Two Documentaries on June 8, 2019
7:00 pm
Mustang: Journey of Transformation
Short documentary on this sacred Himalayan Kingdom featuring his holiness the Dalai Lama and narrated by Richard Gere
Towards A Peaceful World
by H. H. The Dalai Lama
Healing Sound Journey with Paul Campbell
Saturday, May 25, 2019
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
~*~
SAND MANDALA
Welcome! Tashi Kyil Monks!
For The Opening Ceremony Of Their
3rd Visit To The U.S.
At Our Tibetan Center In Kingston, NY
On Wednesday November 7th, 2018 At 1pm
The monks will perform an opening blessing and ceremony for the dismantling of the existing Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala and the beginning of preparations for the new Chenrezig Sand Mandala.
One of the purposes of dismantling the existing Mandala is to bring awareness to impermanence and non attachment. The sand will be taken to the a neighboring River to spread Medicine Buddha’s blessings into the oceans and the world.
Lunch Will Be Served
~*~
Introduction to Himalayan Singing Bowls
Peter Blum
Friday November 30th, 2018 At 7 pm
Join us for an evening of experiential learning
Peter Blum has been collecting, recording and performing on Himalayan singing bowls for the past 30 years. First, there will be a brief sonic meditation, where you will experience transcendental sounds from his amazing collection of 35+ singing bowls. Following that, Peter will give a presentation on how to select the singing bowls that will enhance your private or professional use as a tool for healing and meditation. Various types of bowls will be demonstrated, as well as several ways of making bowls “sing”. Participants will get an opportunity to play bowls, and then, if interested, can find beautiful bowls to purchase from the Tibetan Center’s extensive selection.
Peter has served on the Board of the Deep Listening Foundation, been on the faculty of the Omega Institute, The Graduate Institute, and presented Sounds for Healing concerts and workshops at The Abode of the Message, Menla Retreat Center, The United Nations, and yoga studios throughout the United States. Since 1999, he has released 7 CDs featuring the Himalayan singing bowls, both solo and accompanied by drums, flutes, gongs, vocals, guitar, tamboura, didjeridoo and other instruments from around the world.
~*~
Performance RESCHEDULED:
Techung & Sisa Salgado
Tibetan Singer & Indian Classical Dancer
February 2019, Date TBD
~*~
RESCHEDULE DUE TO THANKSGIVING TRAVELING
Tibetan Center Film Series Presents:
“The Shepherdess Of The Glaciers”
By Stanzin Dorjai & Christiane Mordelet
(France, 2016, 74 min)
Production Company: Les Films de la Découverte
A film about a young woman shephardess alone in the glaciers or Northern Ladakh, as her life is documented for four seasons by her brother and Director, Stanzin Dorjai.
Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2016 Banff Mountain
Film and Book Festival.
~*~
The Tibetan Center Film Series Presents
The Nightingale of Tibet
Saturday, June 2nd, 2018, 7pm
“An important film about the future of Tibet’s cultural
and spiritual survival” – His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Namgyal Lhamo, an acclaimed classically trained Tibetan singer, plays a similar character in a film loosely based on her own life. Yiga Gyalnang is abducted and thrown into “Drapchi,” one of the most dreaded prisons in Tibet, for what the Chinese government sees as rebellion through her songs of freedom. After years of isolation and torture, she breaks free and escapes to Nepal and then to the West, taking with her an unbroken soul, tremendous strength and her voice that could never be silenced. Starring Namgyal Lhamo. Directed by Arvind Iyer. 2013 in English, 74 mins.
Tickets: $10 suggested donation
The Tibetan Center 875 Route 28 Kingston NY (845) 383-1774
Sacred Singing Metals for
Healing, Meditation & Guidance
with Peter Blum
Saturday, June 9th, 2018, 1-3 pm
Sound is an audible facet of vibration. All of creation and all human beings are vibrational. Modern science is now proving what yogis, shamans and initiates have been teaching for centuries. Understanding how to utilize the mystical dimensions of sound and rhythm allow us to access expanded states of consciousness. After a brief overview of the history of the use of sound and music for healing and spiritual guidance, participants will have the opportunity to experience a meditative concert utilizing Peter’s collection of over 35 singing bowls, gongs, tingshas, and tuning forks.
Peter has served on the Board of the Deep Listening Foundation, been on the faculty of the Omega Institute, The Graduate Institute, and presented Sounds for Healing concerts and workshops at The Abode of the Message, Menla Retreat Center, The United Nations, and yoga studios throughout the United States. He has studied music and sound healing with Dr. Karl Berger, Ustad Jamaluddin Bhartiya, Beautiful Painted Arrow, Pauline Oliveros, Fabian Mamman, Dr. John Beaulieu, and Don Conreaux. He has recorded 7 CDs featuring the Himalayan singing bowls, drums, flutes, gongs, vocals, guitar, tamboura, didjeridoo and other instruments from around the world.
$20
The Tibetan Center 875 Route 28 Kingston (845) 383-1774 www.tibetancenter.org
The 2018 Tibetan Center Film Series
Saturdays monthly at 7 pm
Journey From Zanskar
May 5th
Two monks honor their vows by bringing children from the remote Zanskar region to where they can receive a Tibetan Buddhist education befitting their heritage. The community will do whatever it takes to have their hazardous journey succeed. Directed by Frederick Marx. 2010, narrated by Richard Gere, featuring the Dalai Lama. 90 mins.
The Nightingale of Tibet
June 2nd
Starring Namgyal Lhamo, the film is the fictionalized story of a Tibetan opera singer abducted and imprisoned by government forces in retribution for her beautiful songs of freedom. She eventually escapes and travels into exile. Directed by Arvind Iyer. 2013, in English. 74 mins.
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol
July 21st
In the Tibet Autonomous Region in the 1990s, a journalist accompanies patrols trying to protect the Tibetan antelope from poachers. Both groups must face the harsh environment in the largest and highest plateau in the world. Directed by Lu Chuan. 2004, in Mandarin and Tibetan with English subtitles. 90 mins.
The Last Dalai Lama?
August 11th
Twenty years ago His Holiness challenged world-renowned Neuroscientists to look into the workings of the mind and prove scientifically that Tibetan Buddhist technologies for overcoming afflictive emotions are skills that can be learned by anyone. As he turns 82, how does he feel about aging and death, will he reincarnate as the Dalai Lama, or will he be the last of the lineage that has existed for a millennia? Directed by Mickey Lemle. 2016, in English. 82 mins.
Daughters of Dolma
September 15th
This illuminating documentary shows Tibetan Buddhist nuns as full individuals beyond their monastic vows and religious practices. From the use of Facebook to a love of horror films these nuns never fail to challenge preconceptions, integrating the craziness of the modern world into their ancient form of monastic lives. Directed by Adam Miklos. 2013, in English. 67 mins.
The Dhamma Brothers
October 13th
A documentary film that follows maximum security prison inmates entering an intensive, extended Vipassana retreat, what the director called the opportunity and techniques for significant introspection in a safe and supported environment. There they will journey into themselves and their misery to emerge with a sense of peace and purpose. Directed by Jenny Phillips, Andrew Kurkura, Anne Marie Stein. 2007, in English. 76 mins.
Shepherdess of the Glaciers
November 10th
At over sixteen thousand feet in the far northern mountains of Ladakh, Tsering, one of the last shepherdesses, grazes her flock of 300 sheep and pashmina goats. In the dry and desolate landscape they are under the continuous threat of wolves and snow leopards. Filmed over four seasons, we witness both her world of icy loneliness and that unbreakable bond between humans and animals. Directed by Stanzin Dorjai and Christiane Mordelet. 2015, Ladakhi with English subtitles. 74 mins.
The Tibetan Center 2017 Film Series
Saturdays monthly at 7:30 pm
Tickets by donation
The Tibetan Center 2016 Film Series
Saturdays monthly at 7:30 pm
Nine-Story Mountain April 30th Directed by Augusta Thomson. (USA, 2014, 85 mins, in English.) Documentary film.
May 21st Home to Tibet Directed by Alan Dater & Lisa Merton. (USA, 1995, 56 mins, in English.) Documentary film.
June 25th Valley of the Heroes Directed by Khashem Gyal (2013, 54 mins, in Tibetan & Chinese with English subtitles.) Documentary film.
July 23rd Old Dog Directed by Pema Tseden (China, 2011, 88 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles.) Narrative feature film.
August 20th Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet Directed by Victress Hitchcock. (USA, 2009, 104 mins, in English.) Documentary film
September 24th The Dossier Directed by Rikun Zhu. (China, 2014, 128 mins, in Chinese & Tibetan with English subtitles.) Documentary film.
The Tibetan Center 875 Route 28, Kingston, NY 12401 (845) 383-1774 & info@tibetancenter.org www.tibetancenter.org/events
Suggested donation: $8
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
The Tibetan Center 2015 Film Series
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturdays monthly at 7:30 pm
$8 suggested donation
April 11th Embrace Directed by Dan Smyer Yu and Pema Tashi. (China, Germany, USA, 2011, 55 mins, in Amdo Tibetan Dialect with English subtitles.)
May 16th Sun Beaten Path Directed by Sonthar Gyal (China, 2011, 89 mins, in Amdo Tibetan Dialect and Mandarin with English subtitles.)
June 13th Summer Pasture Directed by Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Tsering Perlo. (2010, 86 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles).
July 11th The Hunter and The Skeleton and 2 more Animated Shorts Directed by Gyatso Gentsu. (China, 2012, in Tibetan with English subtitles.)
August 8th Milarepa Directed by Neten Chokling. (USA, 2007, 95 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles.)
September 26th The Search Directed by Pema Tseden. (China, 2009, 105 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles.)
October 17th When the Iron Bird Flies Directed by Victress Hitchcock. (USA, 2012, 96 mins, in English.)
The Tibetan Center 2014 Film Series
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturdays monthly at 7:30 pm
$8 suggested donation
March 15th Wheel of Time Directed by Werner Herzog (Germany, 2003, 80 mins, in English)
April 5th Monks in the Laboratory Directed by Delphine Morel (France, 2006, 53 mins, in English)
May 3rd Digital Dharma Directed by Dafna Yachin (USA, 2012, 90 mins, in English)
June 7th The Shadow Circus (The CIA in Tibet) Directed by Tenzin Sonam & Ritu Sarin (UK, 1998, 50 mins, in English)
July 5th Bringing Tibet Home Directed by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay (South Korea, 2013, 67 mins, in English)
August 2nd Silent Holy Stones Directed by Pema Tseden (China 2005, 98 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles)
September 20th When the Bough Breaks Directed by Ji Dan (China, 2011, 147 mins, in Mandarin with English subtitles)
October 25th Lost Horizon Directed by Frank Capra (USA, 1937, 97 mins, in English)
November 15th Nicholas Roerich: Messenger of Beauty Directed by Jerry Rosser (USA, 1979, 44 mins, in English)
Buddha-nature: Introduction to the Uttaratantra, The Sublime Continuum of Maitreya
with John Whitney Pettit, PhD
Thursdays in April (5th, 12th, 19th) and May 2nd, 6-8 pm
The Uttaratantra is one of the five so-called “Dharmas of Maitreya”, quintessential Mahayana Buddhist teachings given to the fourth-century Indian Buddhist master Asanga during his studies with the future Buddha, Maitreyanatha. The meaning of Sublime Continuum refers to the Buddha-nature, or ground of the natural great perfection that contains the seed or quality of basic goodness and basic wakefulness in each sentient being-process.
The Sublime Continuum has long been one of the most important texts in the study curriculum of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. In these four two-hour classes we will study parts of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s freely downloadable commentary on the Sublime Continuum as well as portions of Prof. Pettit‘s own translated materials on the topic of Buddha-nature.
Thursdays in April, and May 2nd, 6-8 pm. $100/4 classes.
Please register by calling (845) 383-1774.
John Whitney Pettit holds three advanced degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities, and is the author of Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty (Wisdom, 1999)
The Tibetan Center Film Series Presents
Journey From Zanskar
Saturday, May 5th, 7 pm
Best Documentary, European Spiritual Film Festival 2011
Two monks honor vows they made to help a group of children from the Tibetan Buddhist community in remote Zanskar, in Kashmir, acquire a fitting education, or enter a monastery. The goal is to bring them to Manali, in India, but the journey is dangerous, long, and difficult. Should they take the 180-mile trek across the Himalayas, the shorter road where they might be attacked by religious extremists, or the third option, the longer route, where roads are frequently closed? Bringing into focus the sacrifices that must be made during these difficult times to preserve their cultural heritage, the film shows the indomitable spirit of the monks, the children’s families, and their communities. Directed by Frederick Marx. 2010, narrated by Richard Gere, featuring the Dalai Lama. 90 mins.
Tickets by donation
The Tibetan Center 875 Route 28 Kingston NY (845) 383-1774 www.tibetancenter.org info@tibetancenter.org
Connect with your Multi Dimensional Self
with Darlene Van de Grift
Saturday April 28 12:30-5:00pm
This time in history is propitious for karmic release and clearing timelines, creating a ripple of positivity and wellbeing in our society as well as in our close circles. Perhaps you experience the sensation that global chaos is increasing, feel off-center when you awaken, and need to work harder to regain your center? When we hold tight to past events and timelines they often define us and those around us. Unconscious attachment to negative patterns and behaviors can become embedded in our DNA. Darlene’s Release Karma workshop focuses on introducing you to deep cleansing protocols to remove attachment.
Darlene has worked with the Blue Crystalline Forefathers, also known as The Council of 28 Multidimensional Light Beings, for over 30 years. Their mission is to assist humanity in releasing old influences carried through our long lives. These heart-based, Council members downloaded images of themselves to Darlene to paint and share their unique history, lineage and mission, while they emanate peace, love and joy.
Cost: $65
Please call (845) 383-1774/email us at info@tibetancenter.org to register Partial scholarships are available
This workshop will be followed by Sound Immersion by Paul Campbell.
SOUND IMMERSION
with Paul Campbell
at The Tibetan Center
Saturday, April 28, 6-7:30 pm
SOUND IMMERSION, the Art of Sound Healing, invites you to experience profound creativity, relaxation and clarity (spiritual, physical, mental and emotional). Ride waves of pure Sound emanating from Gongs, RavVast, Tuning Forks, Singing Bowls, Shamanic Drum, and allow your inner therapeutic Dreamscape to come forward for “Aha!” inspiration through mindful listening.
SOUND IMMERSION begins with creating your personal Intention, and mindfully freeing yourself from the tethers of internal chatter, to align your Intention with the Field of Infinite Possibility.
For your total comfort, kindly bring a yoga mat or cushion to lay on carpeted floor, or sit in house chair.
6:00-6:55 Sound Immersion Part I
6:55-7:00 Quiet Pause for comfort
7:00-7:30 Sound Immersion Part II
$20 per person
Paul Campbell’s long life thread of talents, skills and life lessons finds fruition in Sound Immersion. Paul’s career fusion of Percussion, CranialSacral Balancing, Polarity Therapy, Tibetan Buddhism and Product Design all empower his being in the moment, to intuitively read and enhance the internal, external and eternal vibration of Sound Immersion listeners.
Paul collaborates with hand selected instruments and their Sound partnership soars when he invites, listens and allows each instrument to play him.
The Tibetan Center 875 Route 28 Kingston NY
www.tibetancenter.org (845) 383-1774
Healing Shamatha Meditation
Saturday, April 21st, 1-4 pm
at The Tibetan Center
Co-Sponsored by Pure Vision Foundation
Join us for a special teaching and practice with
Phakyab Rinpoche
“You will teach the world how to heal.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Venerable Phakyab Rinpoche, born in 1966 in Kham, Tibet, was recognized by the Dalai Lama as an incarnate Lama. In 2003, upon entering the US, Rinpoche faced a life-threatening diagnosis of gangrene. Amputation being the only course of treatment offered, he began a journey of self-healing that ended in curing himself through meditation practice and defying the “impossible.”
Rinpoche will talk about the incredible challenges he faced and the course he decided to take. He will also lead a Healing Shamatha Meditation, which takes the foundational practice of calm abiding – stabilizing ourselves in concentrated awareness and compassion – to another level, enhancing our ability to create a healing environment for our own physical, emotional, and spiritual well being.
Rinpoche’s book will also be available for signing.
Suggested Donation: $20 All are welcome.
Buddha-nature: Introduction to the Uttaratantra, The Sublime Continuum of Maitreya
with John Whitney Pettit, PhD
Thursdays in April (5th, 12th, 19th) and May 2nd, 6-8 pm
The Uttaratantra is one of the five so-called “Dharmas of Maitreya”, quintessential Mahayana Buddhist teachings given to the fourth-century Indian Buddhist master Asanga during his studies with the future Buddha, Maitreyanatha. The meaning of Sublime Continuum refers to the Buddha-nature, or ground of the natural great perfection that contains the seed or quality of basic goodness and basic wakefulness in each sentient being-process.
The Sublime Continuum has long been one of the most important texts in the study curriculum of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. In these four two-hour classes we will study parts of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s freely downloadable commentary on the Sublime Continuum as well as portions of Prof. Pettit‘s own translated materials on the topic of Buddha-nature.
Thursdays in April, and May 2nd, 6-8 pm. $100/4 classes.
Please register by calling (845) 383-1774.
John Whitney Pettit holds three advanced degrees from Harvard and Columbia Universities, and is the author of Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty (Wisdom, 1999)
The New York Lingdro Troupe
Tibetan Ritual Peace Dance Performance
at The Tibetan Center
Sunday, March 4th, 2 pm
Please join us and the Lingdro group of Western meditation students in celebrating the Year of the Earth Dog with a ritual dance performance. Lingdro Dechen Rolmo (the Music of Great Bliss, a Dance of Ling) is a powerful moving meditation in which male and female dancers, colorfully garbed in gorgeous brocade costumes and headdresses, step, stamp, hop, and whirl. They invoke King Gesar, the enlightened warrior-king, subject of the most famous Asian epic. As they stamp out negativity and stamp in bliss, the dancers’ movements bless the area and all those present, while the energy ripples out to the entire world. The dance is especially pertinent during these challenging times, because it was received as a meditative vision by the great Tibetan scholar and mystic, Mipham Rinpoche, with an intention to avert war and overcome negativity as well as to engender positive circumstances and prosperity.
Suggested donation: $10
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston NY (845) 383-1774
www.tibetancenter.org info@tibetancenter.org
Shamatha Meditation
Fridays 9:00 am
Through shamatha meditation (calm abiding), we develop concentration, inner strength, stability and confidence, in addition to fostering numerous health benefits. By practicing, you allow yourself the space to experience life fully and in the present, developing trust in your own intuitive awareness. Shamatha meditation purifies the mind and body, thus facilitating well-being, peace and vitality.
We let our mind become spacious
and our heart soft and kind.
Lama Angelina Birney completed a 3-year meditation retreat in the Karma Kaygu Tradition and has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for over 30 years. Angelina is also the president of Pure Vision Foundation, a non-profit charity that promotes peaceful conflict resolution.
Free and open to all.
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston NY
(845) 453-6077
Saturday, February 10th, 7:30 pm
A Gesar Bard’s Tale
Dawa, a nomad in Kham, a historical region of Tibet, was 13 when a series of visions led to his remarkable gift for telling the epic tale of King Gesar, enlightened warrior-king. Known throughout much of Asia, the tale is special to Tibetans because of the Tibetan cultural tradition and history it holds. At 35, Dawa is on a mission to save Gesar’s heritage for future generations and record the entire epic. In 2009 the Gesar epic tradition was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. Dawa receives a salary from China’s government as a guardian of national cultural heritage.
Directed by Donagh Coleman and Lharigtso. 2013. Tibetan with English subtitles. 81 minutes.
The film screening is timed to acknowledge the Tibetan custom of telling the epic tale leading up to Losar, the Tibetan New Year. Later, in March, the New York Lingdro Dance Troupe will perform traditional dances invoking King Gesar.
Tickets: $8 suggested donation
SOUND IMMERSION
with Paul Campbell
Saturday, January 20th, 2-3:30 pm
SOUND IMMERSION, the Art of Sound Healing will guide you to experience profound spiritual, physical, mental and emotional clarity. Mindfully ride waves of pure Sound emanating from Gongs, RavVast, Tuning Forks, Singing Bowls, Shamanic Drum and allow your inner Dreamscape to come forward.
SOUND IMMERSION invites you to bring an Intention to spark your dreams and open yourself to the Field of Infinite Possibility. Join the vibration of sound to mindfully free yourself from the tethers of internal chatter.
2:00-2:50 Sound Immersion Part I 3:00-3:30 Sound Immersion Part II $20 per person
Paul Campbell’s long life thread of career talents, skills and lessons finds fruition in Sound Immersion. His career fusion of Percussion, Cranial Sacral Balancing, Polarity Therapy, Tibetan Buddhism and Product Design all empower being in the moment to intuitively read and enhance the vibrations of Sound Immersion guests. Paul collaborates with his hand selected instruments. The Gong is his alpha instrument and friend. Their Sound relationship soars when he listens, invites and allows the Gong to play him.
Presented by The Tibetan Center Music Series
Echoes from the Himalayas
Saturday, December 16th, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
An intimate evening of Tibetan music with Techung
& Indian classical dance with Sisa Salgado
Techung is a Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter who grew up in Dharamsala, India, the seat of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, where his family and thousands of other Tibetans resettled from their native Tibet. At the age of 9 he was enrolled in the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), where he studied all aspects of the Tibetan performing arts- folk, court, and opera – through the oral teaching tradition used by venerated Tibetan elders. He has recorded over fifteen musical albums and also provided original scores for films and collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Phillip Glass, blues master KebMo, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop at the stages of Carnegie Hall in New York City. Techung’s main instrument is his voice; he also plays long neck lute (Dranyen), Tibetan fiddle (Piwang) and bamboo flute (Lingbu).
Ecuadorian actress/anthropologist Sisa Salgado fell in love with Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, one of the world’s most sophisticated and graceful dance-arts. She has studied with Indian masters and performed in Asia, South America, Europe and the US, with the goal of promoting and preserving these traditional dances.
Through their music and dance Techung and Sisa will bring centuries-old cultural and historical connections between Tibet and India to life.
Tickets: $15 suggested donation
Sponsored by DLMWeb.
The Tibetan Center presents
A Benefit Concert for Matagiri
Saturday, November 4th at 7:30
Keshava Kaarthikeyan, a child prodigy, has studied with many great tabla masters and is now a student of local tabla maestro Ray Spiegel. Ray regularly produces and performs Indian Classical Music with leading Indian and American artists.
Matagiri is a nonprofit organization building a new straw bale super insulated building at its compound in Mount Tremper and welcomes your donation. Matagiri’s inspiration is the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the international community, Auroville, which is dedicated to human unity. Auroville features a Pavilion of Tibetan Culture. Kalon Tashi Wangdi, Minister for Religion and Culture of the Tibetan government-in-exile, wrote,”There is a deep connection between Tibetans and Auroville since 1971.”
Suggested donation: $15 at the door
at The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston
Singing Bowl Sound Bath
with Richard Melendez
Sunday, October 22nd, 2-3 pm
Ideal as a meditation aid, an immersive sound bath can allow you to disconnect from your thoughts and check in on your physical and emotional being.
Admission $25
Richard is a Clinician at New Choices Recovery Center and specializes in treating patients who suffer with mental health diagnoses. He has been working with singing bowls for mindfulness and meditation over the past 8 years.
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28 Kingston, NY (845) 383-1774
The Tibetan Center 2017 Film Series
Never Give Up:
The Heart of Compassion
Saturday, October 14th, 7:30 pm
In 2011, the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, led the Kagyu Monlam, the annual prayer festival in Bodhgaya, India, during that year’s special Anniversary Celebration of 900 years of the Karmapa’s continual rebirths. Tragically, Bodhgaya is one of the poorest areas of India, as well as the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Never Give Up – The Heart of Compassion is about the young Karmapa and three women inspired to put his teachings into action there in Bodhgaya. James Gritz, co-director, states: “We feel this movie will inspire its audience with the urgent message that genuine spiritual practice does not end in the shrine room but needs to be put in action to benefit a planet and all beings on that planet who are experiencing great suffering.” (Directed by James Gritz and Maria Fernanda Rivero. 2011, in English, 60 min.)
Tickets by donation
The Tibetan Center 2017 Film Series
The 5 Powers
Saturday, September 9th, 7:30 pm
Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1957 comic book The Montgomery Story, which informed and influenced a civil rights movement, the animated film The 5 Powers tells the story of three inspiring individuals who used the power of mindfulness for peace during the turbulent Vietnam War. (Directed by Stuart Jolley and Gregory Kennedy-Salemi. 2016, English, 58 min.)
Tickets by donation
Himalayan Singing Bowl Workshop
with Richard Melendez
• History, types, and their role in modern sound healing
• How to use them as a meditation aid
• How to play them
• Individual sound healing sessions
$25
Richard is a Clinician at New Choices Recovery Center and specializes in treating patients who also suffer with mental health diagnoses. He has been working with singing bowls for mindfulness and meditation over the past 8 years.
Sunday, July 16th, 10:00-11:00am
White Tara Practice
White Tara practice from the Drikung Kagyu tradition will be held in Tibetan and English. The text is named “The Flowing Stream of Ambrosia.” The practice is led by Angela Suescun-Henao, a long time practitioner who recently completed a 3-year retreat in the Karma Kagyu tradition.
Free and open to everyone
Saturday, July 8th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series presents
Paths of the Soul
Photo Courtesy of Icarus Films
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yang blurs the border between documentary and fiction to follow a group of Tibetan villagers who leave their families and homes in the small village of Nyima to make a Buddhist “bowing pilgrimage” along the 1,200 mile road to Lhasa, the holy capital of Tibet. Stunningly photographed over the course of an entire year, with non-professional actors and no script, PATHS OF THE SOUL is a mesmerizing study of faith that will inspire viewers to reflect on their own journey through life. China, 2015, in Tibetan with English subtitles, 116 min.
Tickets by donation
Thursday, June 1st, 7:30 pm
Tenzin Choegyal
Critically-Acclaimed Tibetan Singer-Instrumentalist
Mustang
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston
In 2014, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation went with Tibetan exile Tenzin Choegyal to re-visit Mustang, the land he loves. There, in Nepal, he was close to his real homeland, Tibet. He will share the short, spectacular documentary of his trip and experiences. Later, after a Q&A, he will perform the music he has become acclaimed for – roots from traditional folk music and a unique musical style that is pure beauty, alongside concerns both spiritual and hopeful. Expect Vocals, Dranyen (Tibetan lute), & Lingbu (bamboo flute).
Tickets: $15 at door, or purchase here.
Saturday, June 3rd, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series presents
What Remains Of Us
Forced to seek refuge in India, and still viewed by China as a threat to national security, the Dalai Lama had never returned to Lhasa. For 50 years, he had been prevented from crossing the mountains separating him from his homeland; for 50 years, he had not spoken directly to Tibetans inside the country.
Kalsang Dolma, a young Tibetan refugee, travels from Quebec across the Himalayas into Tibet, carrying with her a video message recorded by the spiritual and political leader of Tibetans. Families gather around the tiny screen, transfixed, and for one of the first times, voices of the people under the yoke of suffering reach us across the distance.
Shot without the knowledge of the Chinese authorities, using small digital cameras, the film required about a dozen secret forays into Tibet between 1996 and 2004. Directed by Hugo Latulippe and Francois Prevost. 2004, narrated in English, 77 min.
Tickets by donation
Thursday, May 11th, 11:00 am
Venerable Pema Rigtsal Rinpoche
Talk & Book Signing
The Great Secret of Mind:
Special Instructions on the Nonduality of Dzogchen
The Great Secret of Mind Dzogchen (Great Perfection) goes to the heart of our experience by investigating the relationship between mind and world and uncovering the great secret of mind’s luminous nature. Weaving in personal stories and everyday examples, Pema Rigtsal leads the reader to see that all phenomena are the spontaneous display of mind, a magical illusion, and yet there is something shining in the midst of experience that is naturally pure and spacious. Not recognizing this natural great perfection is the root cause of suffering and self-centered clinging. After introducing us to this liberating view, Pema Rigtsal explains how it is stabilized and sustained in effortless meditation: without modifying anything, whatever thoughts of happiness or sorrow arise simply dissolve by themselves into the spaciousness of pure presence.
Saturday, May 13th, 7:30 pm
Himalaya
“Breathtaking.” – The New York Times
Filmed over seven months in the forbidden Dolpo region of Nepal, HIMALAYA tells the story of a generational struggle for the leadership of a tiny mountain village between its proud old chief and a headstrong young caravanner. The balance of power shifts uneasily as they make their annual salt trek across the Himalayas.
A visually striking and spiritually captivating portrait of life in one of the world’s most extraordinary places, HIMALAYA is both intense drama and a gorgeous tapestry of the fast disappearing traditions of Tibetan life. Starring Thinlen Lhondup. Directed by Eric Valli. 2000, in Tibetan with English subtitles, 108 min.
Tickets by donation
May 5th – May 7th, 2017
Venerable Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche
Friday, May 5th, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Public Talk: Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism
This short introduction will briefly touch on areas to be covered in depth in the 2-day course, such as Compassion and “Bodhicitta”, relative and absolute Bodhicitta and White Tara as an expression of Compassion. Q&A to follow.
Saturday, May 6th, 10:00 am – noon
White Tara as the Expression of Compassion
Saturday, May 6th, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
White Tara Empowerment & Instruction on the White Tara Practice
Sunday, May 7th, 10:00 am – noon & 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
What is Necessary for Retreat, What Occurs During Retreat, & The Benefits of Retreat
Drupon Rinchen Dorjee is a highly accomplished yogi and meditation master, the Spiritual Director of Ratna Shri in Chicago and Three-Year Retreat Master at Garchen Buddhist Institute. In 1995 Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche received full ordination vows from His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, and in the same year accomplished the ngondro practices to mahamudra and the grand mantra recitation of Chakrasamvara. In 1996, Drupon received initiation into the Profound Path of the Six Yogas of Naropa. Drupon has completed two (2) three-year retreat courses, one at Almora and one at Labchi, the holy retreat place of the great yogi, Milarepa. Drupon has received profound instructions too numerous to mention during these retreats.
In 2005, Drupon received the five-deities Hevajra according to Marpa’s tradition of empowerment, transmission and instructions from His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, and in 2006 Drupon completed the grand mantra recitation of glorious Hevajra’s fire puja at the Almora retreat center. Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is known for his great wisdom and compassion.
Friday Public Talk: Free
Suggested donations, Saturday & Sunday Programs: $35 each day.
Advance reservation requested. Scholarships available.
Saturday, April 8th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series presents
The Lion’s Roar
“compelling…an important lasting monument.”- Hollywood Reporter
Photograph by Sarah Sadowski
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, was born in Tibet in 1924. He is recognized as the embodiment of the teachings of the Kagyu lineage, which traces its source through Tibet’s greatest teachers Milarepa and Marpa, Naropa and Tilopa, all the way back to the Shakyamuni Buddha himself.During the 1959 invasion by the People’s Republic of China, the Karmapa left Tibet and settled in Rumtek, Sikkim, India. In 1974, the Karmapa set out on his first world tour; he undertook a second tour in 1977. The film journeys with him in North America where he visited the Hopi Nation, offered teachings and performed the Black Crown Ceremony, and initiated the construction of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York, the seat of his lineage in North America. While traveling in 1981, he died in Zion, Illinois. His cremation in Rumtek is vividly documented.Features rare interviews with renowned Tibetan Buddhist lamas Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. The narration script was written by the late Rick Fields, well-known founding editor of Tricycle. Directed by Mark Elliott. 1985, in English, 50 min. Tickets by donation
Sunday, December 11th
with Lama Tenzin
White Tara Practice 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Lama Tenzin is an advanced scholar and a Tibetan monk in the Drikung Kagyu lineage.
No charge.
Saturday, September 24th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center 2016 Film Series presents
The Dossier
“A powerful document of a Tibetan woman finding her voice and insisting on her freedom to use it.” Beijing Independent Film Festival
Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser’s efforts to document and present the reality of Tibet were considered a “political problem” by the Chinese Party-state and she was fired from her job. Since then, she has continued to speak out for the sufferings of Tibetan people as an independent writer. Through the dossier and interviews, this is the story of her transition from an exemplary Chinese citizen to a supposedly subversive Tibetan writer under house detention. (2014, directed by Zhu Rikun. In Chinese and Tibetan with English subtitles, 129 min.)
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, August 20th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center 2016 Film Series presents
Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet
“A rare and privileged insight into the rich spiritual tradition upheld by the Tsoknyi nuns of Nanchen.” Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
In 2005, renowned Buddhist teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche III and some western students traveled to the Nangchen region in Eastern Tibet. Their purpose was to meet the 3000 Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns, remarkable women who live and practice an ancient yogic tradition in nunneries and hermitages scattered across this remote, mountainous region. Compelling interviews with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and Tsultrim Allione place the Nangchen nuns and their practice tradition within the context of the largely male dominated history of Buddhism in Tibet. Narrated by Richard Gere. (Directed by Victress Hitchcock, 104 min.)
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, July 23rd, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center 2016 Film Series presents
Old Dog
A Film by Pema Tseden
“Spectacular!” –VARIETY
By renowned Tibetan director Pema Tseden, Old Dog deals with the erosion of Tibetan culture under the pressures of contemporary society. “Part neorealistic parable and part Jarmusch-like deadpan riff, Pema Tseden’s sublime Tibetan drama focuses on a slackerish young man who decides to sell the family canine for some quick cash.” —TimeOut New York. Cinematography by Sonthar Gyal. (2011, 88 mins, in Tibetan with English and Chinese subtitles.) An Icarus Films release.
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, June 25th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center 2016 Film Series presents
Valley of the Heroes
Award Winning Film
Valley of the Heroes is an inside account of language and cultural loss in Hualong County, a Tibetan and Muslim community in Amdo, north-eastern Tibet (Qinghai Province, China). Over the past several decades, Tibetans living in Hualong have experienced rapid cultural shifts and accelerated language loss. Today more than a third of the population are unable to speak their native language. The film spends time with an assortment of village residents and elders who reflect on the changes taking place in their community, and also documents a unique Tibetan language program that is attempting to address the situation. Valley of the Heroes offers a rare and thought-provoking glimpse into a Tibetan society caught in the midst of a difficult and complex cultural transition. Directed by Khashem Gyal (2013, 54 mins, in Tibetan & Chinese with English subtitles.)
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Sunday, June 5th, 2-5 pm
Richard Melendez
Singing Bowls for Meditation and Healing
The history of Himalayan Singing Bowls, the various types, and as an aid for meditation
Singing Bowl Meditation
Instructions on playing the Singing Bowls
Individual sessions
Tickets: $30
Richard is a Behavioral Health Counselor III, providing outpatient addiction treatment services at St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center in Rotterdam, New York and specializes in treating patients who also suffer with mental health diagnoses. He has been working with singing bowls for mindfulness and meditation over the past 8 years.
Saturday, May 21st, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series presents
Home To Tibet
“The real story of what has happened since the Chinese occupied Tibet has rarely been told so well as in HOME TO TIBET…I recommend it to anyone who cares about the Tibetan people, about justice and human rights, and about the human heart.” -Daniel Goleman Ph.D., Author of Emotional Intelligence
Home to Tibet documents the return of the Tibetan stone mason, Sonam Lama, to his homeland for the first time since his escape 12 years ago. It illustrates the struggles of the Tibetan people to preserve their culture and way of life while living under Chinese occupation and is also about the inseparability of spirituality, family, culture and politics. Home to Tibet is Sonam’s story, but it is also the story of thousands of other Tibetans. Directed by Alan Dater and Lisa Merton (1996, 56 mins, in English.)
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, April 30th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center 2016 Film Series presents
Nine-Story Mountain
Winner – 2014 International Art and Tourism Film Festival, Porto
Q&A with Associate Producer Lara Yeo
Nine-Story Mountain was filmed in Tibet by a Western crew in 2012, a year when tragically there was a series of self-immolations. Despite the political situation, initial travel bans, and heavy police presence in some areas, it did continue to far western Tibet to film Mount Kailash and its pilgrims. Known as both “precious jewel of the snow” and “navel of the world,” Kailash is sacred to four major religions and has drawn uncountable pilgrims over thousands of years. An exploration of pilgrimage practices, the film investigates the secrets of a mountain that continues to fascinate us and calls us to spiritual awakening. (USA, 2014, 57 mins, in English.)
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Sunday, March 20th, 10 to 11 am
Smoke Offering & White Tara Practice
with Lama Tenzin
Lama Tenzin, a Tibetan monk in the Drikung Kagyu lineage and an advanced scholar, will perform a clearing and purifying ceremony, followed by a text practice on the deity White Tara, with explanation of text in English. No charge.
Thursday, March 31st, 7 pm
Screening of Tibet in Song
Q&A with Director Ngawang Choephel at Bard College
Bard College (Olin 102) Annandale NY
Admission: Not charged
Event sponsored by the Music Program, the Asian Studies Program, the Human Rights Program & the Chaplaincy
Contact: Tatjana Myoko von Prittwitz und Gaffron,
Buddhist Chaplain at Bard College
&
Friday, April 1st, 8 pm
Ngawang Choephel
Songs From Tibet
The Tibetan Center
Tibetan ethnomusicologist and filmmaker Ngawang Choephel will perform the songs he learned as a Fulbright scholar conducting fieldwork in occupied Tibet. There to research Tibetan music, Ngawang was unjustly imprisoned for espionage and served six years of an eighteen year sentence, before he was released through the work of determined campaigners around the world (this included Vermont senator, Patrick Leahy, and Amnesty International). His experiences became the subject of his acclaimed film, Tibet In Song. Ngawang’s presentation will include translations of the songs and accompaniment with the dranyen, a traditional string instrument.
The Tibetan Center
Admission: $15 at the door (reservations appreciated)
Event sponsored by DLMWeb
contact: Patterson Schackne
December 10th to 17th
The Tashi Kyil Monks Visit The Tibetan Center
In partnership with the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana, seven monks from Labrang Tashikyil Monastery in Dehra Dun, India are touring the United States to teach the Dharma, educate the public about the culture and religion of Tibet, and raise much needed funds for their monastery. This is the monastery’s third USA Tour and second visit to The Tibetan Center.
Friday 12/11 6:00 Meeting and preparing a meal to enjoy together. 6:30 Tashi Sholpa Dance. A traditional welcoming dance performed for the dinner guests 7:00 PowerPoint presentation about the Labrang Tasi Kyil Monastery in Dehra Dun, India; Life Stories of individual monks on the Tashi Kyil 2015 Tour Saturday 12/12 1:00 – 2:00 Welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Mandala Offering. His Holiness is the guest at each Buddhist ceremony; the monks will chant prayers and blow long horns, and make an offering to dedicate to all of their virtuous actions to benefit sentient beings 2:00 – 3:30 Dismantling of the Sand Mandala, a Chenrezig mandala created by the same monks in 2013. The sand will be conveyed to a waterway for dispersal, as a blessing for the world and sentient beings 3:30 – 4:00 Opening Ceremony for Medicine Buddha Mandala 4:00 – 6:00 Monks will begin to create the mandala. All are welcome to watch Sunday 12/13 10:00 – 11:00 Meditation Instructions (Medicine Buddha). How to set up a Buddhist Altar 11:00 – 12:00 Tibetan Language & Alphabet (for High School age students & older) 1:00 – 4:00 Selected Art Workshops, including Butter Sculpture (using playdoh), Sand Painting, Tibetan Prayer Flags, and Mani Stones 4:00 – 6:00 Tibetan Cooking Monday 12/14 10:00 – 12:00 Meditation Instructions (Chenrezig) & How to set up a Buddhist Altar 6:00 – 7:00 Tibetan Language. All Day: Continuing the Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala; House & Business Blessings; Mo Readings; The Monks’ Store Tuesday 12/15 10:00 – 12:00 Meditation Instructions (Tara) & How to set up a Buddhist Altar. 6:00 – 8:00 Tibetan Cooking All Day: Continuing the Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala; House & Business Blessings;
Mo Readings; The Monks’ Store Wednesday 12/16 10:00 – 12:00 Meditation Instructions (Medicine Buddha). How to set up a Buddhist Altar 6:00 – 8:00 Ceremony to Conclude Creation of the Mandala. All Day:
House & Business Blessings
; Mo Readings
; The Monks’ Store *Funds are raised through donations by those attending the programs. Please pay only what you can afford, or do not donate at all (but DO participate).
Friday, October 30th, 8:00 pm
For Tibet with Love
Presenting Critically-Acclaimed Tibetan Singer-Instrumentalist
Tenzin Choegyal
with Jesse Paris Smith, Rubin Kohdeli, Rick Patrick & Shyam Nepali
“Composer and musician Tenzin Choegyal is well known for his haunting melodies, soaring vocals and an addiction to experimentation. So…I expected to be surprised. But nothing could have prepared me for what was to come: [a]…journey into the great unknown, filled with visualizations of death, rebirth and the great mystery of awakening.” Tibetan Art Council
TENZIN CHOEGYAL feels a particular connection to the music of the nomads of his homeland. With his extraordinary, soaring vocal ability, and skill on the Dranyen (Tibetan lute) and Lingbu (bamboo flute), Tenzin creates original compositions that uniquely reflect his cultural lineage. He is Creative Director of the acclaimed Festival of Tibet in Brisbane and the plight of his country and his people is the motivation for this and other musical fundraising ventures (visit www.festivaloftibet.com.au). His much anticipated new album, Heart Strings, was released in January 2015.
Tenzin Choegyal: Vocals, Dranyen (Tibetan lute), Lingbu (bamboo flute); Jesse Paris Smith: Keyboard; Rubin Kohdeli: Cello; Rick Patrick: Guzheng (Chinese zither); Shyam Nepali: Sarangi (Nepali Stringed Instrument) & Percussion.
Tickets: $20 at the door
Saturday, October 17th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series Presents
When the Iron Bird Flies
“…a riveting, poignant and beautiful window into the flowering of Tibetan Buddhism in the West…it touches the place in us that longs to realize the truth and live from our awakened heart.” –Tara Brach, Buddhist teacher and author of Radical Acceptance
In 1959, the Chinese invasion of Tibet threw open the doors to the mysterious realm of Tibetan Buddhism and suddenly this rich, ancient tradition was propelled into the modern world. Half a century later, Padmasambhava’s prophecy has come true and the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism are found in every corner of the earth. When the Iron Bird Flies takes us on a journey following the path of one of the world’s great spiritual traditions. Through interviews with contemporary teachers and practitioners, rare archival footage, and striking images of modern life that illuminate the Buddha’s core teachings, the film creates a vivid portrait of the world of Tibetan Buddhism as it is manifesting in the West. Featuring Tsoknyi Rinpoche III, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Anam Thubten, Thrangu Rinpoche, HH Dalai Lama, HH 17th Karmapa, Khandro Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, and others. Western teachers and scholars include Tsultrim Allione, Sharon Salzberg, Matthieu Ricard, Dr. Rita Gross, E. Gene Smith and Dr. Richard Davidson. (Directed by Victress Hitchcock. USA, 2012, 96 mins, in English.)
Tickets: $8 suggested donation
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston 845-383-1774 info@tibetancenter.org
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, September 26th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series Presents
The Search
“A masterpiece of understated emotional longing set against an urgent desire to preserve a disappearing culture.” —Cinema Scope
A director, his assistant, and a businessman drive through the Amdo region of Tibet, scouring small villages to find actors for their adaptation of Drime Kunden, an opera traditionally performed for the Tibetan New Year, a parable that tells the story of a prince who gives away all his possessions, his wife and children, and even his own eyes. But in modern Tibet, the film crew struggles to find anyone who can remember – or perform – the story. The Search is literally a journey through new Tibet, filmed in the same area where the award-winning director was born, and uses non-professional actors speaking only the Amdo dialect. Pema Tseden is the leading filmmaker of a newly emerging Tibetan cinema and the first director in China to film his movies entirely in the Tibetan language. (China, 2013, 105 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles.)
Tickets: $8 suggested donation
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston 845-383-1774 info@tibetancenter.org
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, August 8th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series Presents
Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint
“A must-see for anyone concerned about the patterns of violence and retribution consuming today’s world.” –The Guardian (UK) “Compelling…thoughtful…gorgeous” –Monday Magazine (CA)
Starring Jamyang Lodro as Thopaga/Milarepa, Milarepa is the vividly told and captivating story of the man who would become Tibet’s greatest yogi and saint. In the dramatic setting of 11th century Tibet, the young Milarepa falls into a world of betrayal and hardships. The greed of others upturns his privileged life, dropping him into a void of despair, humiliation, pain and anger, and he sets out to exact revenge. Filmed on location near the breathtakingly scenic Indo-Tibetan border. Directed by Neten Chokling. (2006, 90 mins. In Tibetan with English subtitles.)
Tickets: $8 suggested donation
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston 845-383-1774 info@tibetancenter.org
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, July 11th, 7:30 pm
The Tibetan Center Film Series presents
The Hunter and the Skeleton
Award Winner, Beijing Independent Film Festival 2012
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Teachings with Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, June 19th to 21st
Friday, June 19th, 7-9 – Public Talk on Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and Meditation
Saturday and Sunday, June 20th and 21st, 10 am-noon, 2pm-4:30pm – Meditation training and Meditation in Retreat.
Calm abiding, vipassana and mahamudra meditation; obstacles, potential errors, and the experiences that may arise during meditation practice. How we can identify genuine meditation. A rare opportunity to receive pith instructions from an extraordinary and profoundly accomplished meditation master. Drupon Rinchen Dorje is a highly accomplished yogi and meditation master, the Spiritual Director of Ratna Shri in Chicago and Three-Year Retreat Master at Garchen Buddhist Institute. He is known for his great wisdom and compassion. For more information, please visit http://www.chicagoratnashri.com/our-teacher.html
Saturday, June 13th, 7:30 pm Summer Pasture
Film Screening and Directors Q&A
Summer Pasture is a documentary film that chronicles one summer with a young nomad family living in the high grasslands of eastern Tibet. As Locho and Yama’s traditional lifestyle is threatened by modernization, the couple must make a decision about their daughter’s future. Called “enthralling” by the New York Times. Winner of the 2011 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Visual Achievement Award and 2012 PBS Peabody Award. Directed by Lynn True, Nelson Walker & Tsering Perlo. A Kham Film Project production. (China 2010, 85 mins, in Tibetan with English subtitles.) Q&A with directors Lynn True and Nelson Walker $8 suggested donation Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Sunday, May 24th: 2:00pm-5:00pm
An Afternoon with Tibetan Singing Bowls and the Shunyata Resonance
Presented by Philippe Pascal Garnier, Director of Sage Academy Of Sound Energy
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE FUND RAISER 
Photo by Matthieu Ricard. INTRODUCTORY TALK ON THE SOUND CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HIMALAYAN VESSELS “In the words of great Tibetan master Bodhisattva, Gwalwa Karmapa, the Singing Bowls of Tibet emit the “Sound of the Void”, the sound of the universe manifesting. They are a symbol of the unknowable and as an alloy date back to the Buddha, Shakyamuni (560-480 BC). For centuries they have been utilized for healing and consciousness transformation. Modern medicine can now measure and thus confirm the practice of sound as a means to heal.” -Diane Mandle. HEALING WITH THE RESONANCE OF SHUNYATA: Philippe will offer a Himalayan Healing Concert with the Bowls and the Sacred Gongs (both are from the same family of conscious sound, with the bowls also being known as “standing gongs”). The calming harmonizing sounds and the gentle vibrations of the bowls allow oneself to reside in a state of well-being, creating a very effective deep relaxation which promotes healing & well being. 2 pm-3:30 pm: Consciousness of Sound & Sound Meditation – $25 Suggested donation 4 pm-5:00 pm: Sound Healing,”Sound Bath” Concert – $18 Suggested donation 2 pm-5:00pm: Both afternoon program – $40 Suggested donation
Saturday, May 16th, 7:30 pm The Sun-Beaten Path
Winner of the 2011 Dragons & Tigers award at the Vancouver International Film Festival. The debut feature of Sonthar Gyal, the cinematographer of Pema Tseden’s films and Embrace, presents the story of a young man making a pilgrimage to Lhasa to overcome the guilt of causing a family member’s death. The film festival jury “admired its remarkable cinematic qualities and its ability to tell a moving story with complex emotions through one face and one landscape…and by its persuasive evocation of Tibetan culture.” Starring Yeshe Lhadruk and Lo Kyi. (China, 2011, 89 minutes, in Amdo Tibetan dialect with English subtitles.)
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, April 11th, 7:30 pm
Embrace
Beautifully shot, part of the 2014 Museum of Modern Art Contemporary Asian Film series, Embrace documents the ritualized relationship with the environment of a community engaged in tantric, rarely-seen practices.
Engaging the deities of local mountains and the spirits of water and weather, a father and son share their yogic understanding of their environment as a reflection of consciousness-in-place. Directed by Dan Smyer Yu and Pema Tashi. (China, 2011, 55 minutes, in Amdo with English subtitles.) Suggested donation: $8. Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, March 14th, 8:00 pm
For Tibet with Love
A concert featuring Tenzin Choegyal, Jesse Paris Smith, Nhuchhe Narayan & Friends
at The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston
Tenzin Choegyal’s international award-winning music has been described as “beautifully evocative,” “healing,” and “transcendent.”
Table seating & refreshments.
Tickets: $20
Made possible in part through the generous support of DLMWeb.
Or call 845-383-1774 TENZIN CHOEGYAL feels a particular connection to the music of the nomads of his homeland and recalls his father’s mastery of the Lingbu (bamboo flute) and his mother’s beautiful singing voice. He attributes much of his musical passion to those early influences. Although poor and separated from family, his memories of living at the Tibetan Children’s Village school in Dharamsala are happy ones full of music. After moving to Australia in 1997, Tenzin found his musical wings and quickly became popular on the festival circuit, playing regularly at WOMAD and Woodford Folk Festivals. Tenzin has collaborated with many notable musicians both in Australia and abroad, has released five albums, and is Creative Director of the acclaimed Festival of Tibet in Brisbane, Australia. With his extraordinary soaring vocal ability and skill on the Dranyen (Tibetan lute) and Lingbu, Tenzin creates original compositions which uniquely reflect his cultural lineage. Through the Festival of Tibet, the Women with Wisdom concert series, and home concerts throughout Australia, Tenzin Choegyal raises much needed funds for the Tibetan Children’s Village schools in India which care for and educate thousands of children living in exile. The plight of his country and his people is Tenzin’s prime motivation for his artistic and fundraising ventures. Heart Strings, Tenzin Choegyal’s much anticipated new album, was released in January 2015. www.tenzinchoegyal.com www.festivaloftibet.com.au 
JESSE PARIS SMITH is a composer, pianist, and multi instrumentalist. Fascinated by patterns and elements found in nature and their relationship to sound, she has a meticulous approach to voicing and arrangement, and has become proficient on an obscure collection of natural instruments. She performs in many configurations, including Tree Laboratory, which is her music production company with Eric Hoegemeyer, specializing in sound and music for film. In addition to performing live and composing for films, her music has been commissioned for art installations, book soundtracks, and live film score performances. She has collaborated and performed with many musicians, singers, and poets, and has performed her compositions on stages around the world. She is a graduate of the Sound and Music Institute, a professional training in psychoacoustics and integrative practices of music and sound therapy. Jesse is on the Associate Board at Tibet House US, where she curates a weekly event called Mindful Music and Sound Series. She also has participated for many years in the Tibet House US Annual Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall, where she met Tenzin Choegyal. She also co-curates and produces a monthly true storytelling and music event at the Rubin Museum of Art called Talkingstick. In September 2014, with cellist, Rebecca Foon, she also launched Pathway to Paris, a year long event series and online portal, focused on innovative solutions for climate change.
Saturday, November 15th, 8:00 pm
Nicholas Roerich: Messenger of Beauty
Messenger of Beauty is a short documentary that features stunning Himalayan landscapes, opens the door to the mystical world of Nicholas Roerich, and invites us to witness his far-reaching vision. Artist, writer, educator, archaeologist, explorer, mystic, and peacemaker, Roerich (1874-1947) left a rich legacy of some 7,000 paintings, drawings, and set and costume designs; 30 books on the mystic East; and countless articles and lectures. The Roerich Peace Pact–a remarkable treaty signed by President Roosevelt and 26 other heads of state that sought to preserve cultural monuments during times of war–earned the artist a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. (1979, 44 mins.)
$8 suggested donation.
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, October 25th, 2:00 pm
Shambala, Textural Interpretations and Ideas
Tibetan Studies scholars Hortsang Jigme and John Pettit will present and consider the textural sources of knowledge about the mystical land of Shambhala, the inspiration for the “Shangri-la” of James Hilton’s novel, Lost Horizon. The 1937 film, restored to its original intended length in 1986, will be shown in the evening. Hortsang Jigme is a writer, researcher, historian, editor, and lecturer, with a degree from the Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies, Beijing. John Whitney Pettit holds three advanced degrees from Harvard and Columbia universities and is the author of Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty (Wisdom, 1999).
Saturday, October 25th, 8:00 pm
Lost Horizon
A lavishly-produced classic in which British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash land in the Himalayas, and are rescued by the people of the mysterious, Eden-like valley of Shangri-la. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-la provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway. Based on the best-selling novel by James Hilton. Widely circulated among the armed services during World War II, the film was cut 22 minutes after its initial release in 1937 to reflect the wartime perception of the Chinese and to tone down the film’s pacifism. After nearly 50 years, Frank Capra’s timeless masterpiece was restored to its original length of 132 minutes in 1986. $8 suggested donation Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, September 20th, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Khenpo Pema Wangdak Loving Kindness and Compassion: How to Learn to Develop the Awakening Mind
Khenpo Pema will review and guide participants on selected chapters and stanzas from “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life”, Shantideva’s step-by-step outline on how to achieve the way of the Buddha — which will motivate us to engage in a particular life that leads us to this eventual goal. The program will begin with a short guided meditation and conclude with a question and answer session. Co-sponsored by Palden Sakya Center of Woodstock. Biography of Khenpo Pema Wangdak In 1982, he was sent to the West by His Holiness Sakya Trizin, as the first of the younger generation of Tibetan teachers in America from the Sakya School. In 1989 Lama Pema founded the Vikramasila Foundation. The Foundation encompasses the Palden Sakya Centers in New York City, Woodstock, NY, Philmont, NY, Englewood, NJ, Springfield, VT, and Dayton OH. The Palden Sakya Centers offer courses in Tibetan Buddhist studies and meditation. Lama Pema is the creator of “Bur Yig”–Tibetan Braille, and the founder of Pema Ts’al (English for Lotus Grove) Schools in Mundgod, India (for Tibetan lay children); Pokara, Nepal (monastic schools for boys); and Pema Ts’al School in New York City, with a curriculum modeled on that of Sakya College, India. The Pema Ts’al School in New York City provides a traditional Buddhist education of monastic training and study, in the format of Western university teaching. Lama Pema was recognized with the title of “Khenpo” by His Holiness Sakya Trizin in 2007. He received the distinguished “Ellis Island Medal of Honor” award by the National Ethical Coalition of Organizations in May, 2009 at Ellis Island for his humanitarian work around the world. Lama Pema is the first Tibetan ever to have received such an award. Lama Pema, who has been guiding Western students for the past 29 years, continues to travel and teach extensively to Dharma centers around the world. His command of the English language and familiarity with Western culture, along with his wisdom and compassion make him an outstanding role model and teacher in today’s world.
Saturday, September 20th, 8:00 pm
When the Bough Breaks
Dubbed “one of the most important female filmmakers in China” by the Rotterdam Film Festival, Ji Dan spent three years following a migrant worker family living in the outskirts of Beijing, as the family’s three children fight against all odds – including their own parents – to continue their education and pursue a better future. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (China, 2011, 147 mins.) $8 suggested donation.
Saturday, August 2nd, 8 pm
The Silent Holy Stones
A seven-year-old Living Buddha (tulku), coming home from his monastery for the holidays, becomes enraptured with TV serials of Buddhist stories, and tries to bring them back to his fellow monks. Director Pema Tseden delivers a compelling and intimate insider’s view of everyday life in his home town. Tseden wrote and directed The Silent Holy Stones as his dramatic feature debut and is widely recognized as the leading filmmaker of a newly emerging Tibetan cinema. Made on location in a village in the Amdo region. (Released China 2005, USA 2013, 98 mins. In Tibetan and Mandarin with English subtitles.) “His ability to speak eloquently of individual despair and the emergency of cultural obliteration is masterful; his ability to do this in films of such eloquent, quiet beauty is nothing short of astonishing.”—Cinema Scope $8 suggested donation Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, August 16th
The Five Tibetan Rites – Tibetan Yoga with Robin Tosky
The Five Tibetan Rites is a series of daily exercises believed to be a traditional practice for Tibetan monks. Slow deliberate breathing is coordinated with movement, stimulating the energy centers and the entire endocrine system while enhancing strength and good health. Robin Tosky is a certified Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. After learning the Five Tibetan Rites in 2011, Robin realized her Reiki work with the Universal Energy Field, the chakra system, and the Five Tibetan Rites were entwined. She developed what she learned from the ancient exercises into a spiritual practice that moves biodynamic energy up and down the chakras, and grounds, opens and connects to higher forces. 10:00 am – noon An Introduction (background and demonstration) 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm The Rites (the complete exercise practice) Morning or afternoon session: $25/Morning plus afternoon session: $40 Please call 845-383-1774 or email info@tibetancenter.org to register.
Saturday, July 5th, 8:00 pm
Film: Bringing Tibet Home
Bringing Tibet Home (2013) is a documentary film about the creation of a site specific art installation in Dharamsala, India. Directed by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, it tells the story of Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol’s realization that his father’s dream of returning to Tibet is shared by all exiles and his mission to reunite the Tibetan land with its people, literally, through an art project that involves smuggling 20,000 kilograms of native Tibetan soil to India. Choklay has called the collaborative film “an important documentation…of the Tibetan exile experience”. (South Korea, 82 minutes.) Tenzin Tsetan Choklay is a Tibetan filmmaker currently working out of Brooklyn, New York. Tenzin graduated from the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts in 2008. Tenzin has made a number of short films in South Korea and has worked as an Associate Producer at White Crane Films In India for the award winning film, The Sun Behind the Clouds by directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. Tenzing Rigdol is one of the most well-known Tibetan contemporary artists based in the US. His work ranges from painting, sculpture, drawing, digital media to video installations and site-specific performance pieces. He has exhibited extensively throughout the United States as well as in many different cities around the world. His artworks are held in major museums and collections worldwide and is represented by the Rossi & Rossi Gallery, London. $8 suggested donation Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Sundays at 10:00 am (1 to 1-1/2 hr) Will resume in Fall
White Tara Sadhana Practice
with Venerable Ngawang Chog Sum Drolma (Ani Jane)
White Tara is a practice to help dispel obstacles to long life, to promote longevity (its main purpose), to promote healing (the body and mind), as well as to develop compassion. During this practice there will be a group reading of the text with explanation, followed by time for questions and discussion. There will be an opportunity to learn the mudras associated with the recitation of the text. The text we will be using is from the Drikung Kagyu lineage of His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche. Free and open to beginners and practitioners at all levels. Ani Jane took refuge in the Sakya tradition in 1996. She has studied extensively in the Sakya, Gelupa and Kagyu traditions. In 2004 she moved to India and Nepal where she lived until 2012. In 2006 Ani Jane received her vows of ordination from His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche, the leader of the Ngor school of the Sakya tradition. She has studied many of the great treatises of Buddhism with His Holiness Sakya Trizin, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, and many others including Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. In addition Ani La has received empowerments and transmissions of all major lower and highest yoga tantras, including 4 Kalachakras and is a practitioner of the Hevajra and Vajrayogini tantras. Ani Jane received the full transmission of the Sakya Lamdre Lob Shey in 2011 with His Holiness Sakya Trizin, His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche and His Eminence Gyana Vajra Rinpoche. Ani La lives in upstate New York where she regularly volunteers, teaches meditation and leads dharma practitioners, and continues to study and practice the dharma.
Saturday, June 7th, 8:00 pm
Film: The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet
With an Introduction and Talk by Hortsang Jigme
- Lhamo Tsering Collection/White Crane Films
1998. Written and directed by Tenzing Sonam and Ritu Sarin. 50 minutes. When Tibet was invaded by forces from Communist China, thousands of Tibetans took up arms and waged a bitter and bloody guerrilla war. From the mid-1950s until 1969 they were aided in their efforts by an unlikely ally, the CIA. The project, code named ST CIRCUS, was one of the CIA’s longest running covert operations. The withdrawal of the CIA’s support in 1969 was as abrupt as its initial involvement was unexpected: the Tibetans had simply fitted into America’s larger policy of destabilizing or overthrowing Communist regimes, and were abandoned when that no longer applied. Tenzing Sonam’s father, Lhamo Tsering, was a senior resistance leader and the CIA’s chief coordinator for the Tibet operation. He said of that period: “We should look at it as one chapter in our continuing struggle for freedom, one that still has some meaning.” The screening of this documentary presents the occasion to learn about other facets of the history of Tibet, beyond the scope of the film. United States involvement in Tibet during this period is not well known, nor is the invasion and war of resistance, but some knowledge is crucial for understanding Tibet’s history and Tibet today. Following the film, Hortsang Jigme, former Member of Parliament in the Tibetan Government in Exile, poet, and author of The Greater History of Amdo, will speak about the persistent mark left by these events on Tibetan communities and on the demographics of the Tibetan population.
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
May 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st 10:00 am – noon
Introduction to Tibetan Language, with instructor John Whitney Pettit, PhD
Students will learn fundamentals: how to write the Tibetan alphabet, spelling, and basic grammar. Writing materials will be available to purchase; study texts provided.
Registration requested. $15 per class/$60 full course. To pay/register online, use button below, call 845-383-1774, or email info@tibetancenter.org.
Saturday, May 3rd, 8 pm
Digital Dharma
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Digital Dharma, subtitled “one man’s mission to save a culture,” is a documentary by filmmaker Dafna Yachin (2012). When ancient writings of Sanskrit and Tibetan texts vanish during the 1950’s and 1960’s, the history of a whole society – it’s beliefs, customs and sense of enlightenment – is in danger of disappearing. Enter destiny in the form of an American pacifist E. Gene Smith, a Mormon from Utah, and the unlikely leader of an effort to rescue, preserve and share these early insights of mankind’s consciousness, from the medical to the mystical. Crossing multiple borders – geographic, political and philosophical – Digital Dharma is an epic story of a cultural rescue and how one man’s mission became the catalyst for an international movement to provide free access to the story of a people. In English. 82 minutes.
Suggested donation: $8
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Saturday, April 5th, 8 pm
Monks in the Laboratory
Why are Western researchers turning to Eastern spiritual practitioners for illumination on the workings of the mind? Buddhists have studied the nature of the mind for 2,500 years. Now scientists at Princeton, University of California, and University of Wisconsin are investigating what happens to the brain during the different stages of meditation. They want to learn how meditation affects attention and consciousness, how it controls the emotions, and how compassion develops. The Tibetan Buddhists involved in this project were pleased to participate in these studies.
In the early 1990s the Mind and Life project was started at the University of California, Davis. With the support of the Dalai Lama, scientists began performing field research in India on yogis to discover ways of reducing stress. At the University of Wisconsin, scientists explore how to cultivate compassion. They have located the emotion in the networking between the pre-frontal and the parietal cortex. The hope is that the cooperation of the spiritual and scientific community can add to the understanding of human nature and the cultivation of positive life skills. Directed by Delphine Morel, ARTE Films, 2006. In English, 52 minutes.
$8 suggested donation
Made possible in part through the generous support of ALS Consulting
Sunday, March 30th, 2-4pm
Lingdro Dance for Peace
The New York Lingdro Dance Troupe
- Lingdro Group
The Lingdro dance for peace is performed annually by the dance troupe during Losar (Tibetan New Year). The dances are the Lingdro Dechen Rolmo, a cycle of Ati Yoga dances
invoking Gesar of Ling, Tibet’s most famous epic hero. As a powerful moving meditation, the text, music, and movements are a revealed treasure of the great 19th century Tibetan mystic and scholar Mipham Rinpoche. The dance cycle, comprised of 13 dances, is a rite of peace that focuses on engendering positive circumstances, averting war, and bringing harmony to the world. The colorfully dressed male and female dancers bless the area and all those present while the energy ripples out into the entire world. As they step, hop, and whirl, their movements stamp out negativity and stamp in bliss. Lin Lerner will introduce the background of the dances and tell a story of one of King Gesar’s exploits. The group of Western meditation students will be dancing to celebrate the lunar New Year of the Wood Horse. The event will also focus on creating peace in the world, and harmonizing, cleansing, and blessing the space, those attending, and the world. $10 suggested donation (under 10 free). Reservations not required.
Tibetan Music Series 2014
Made possible in part through the generous support of DLMWeb
Saturday, March 8th, 8 pm
Techung – Tibetan World Music Concert
Techung is a renowned Tibetan folk and freedom singer/songwriter living in exile in the U.S. Together with band members Michel Tyabji, Kito Rodriguez, Sherap Wangmo and Rinzing Wangyal, Techung creates a unique and captivating international sound, rooted in the band members’ Tibetan, Indian, African, North American and Caribbean heritage. The band’s New York tour culminates on March 11 at Carnegie Hall, where they will be performing alongside Philip Glass, Iggy Pop and others. Visit http://www.techung.com/ Throughout the world many other events to celebrate Tibetan culture are being organized to coincide with March 10th, the anniversary of an uprising in 1959 that was violently suppressed. 1959 was the year that the Dalai Lama and 80,000 others fled into exile. A unique opportunity to hear traditional and contemporary Tibetan music.
Presented by The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston, NY 12401
Saturday, March 15th, 8pm
Film: Wheel of Time
Directed by Werner Herzog (Germany, 2003, 80 mins, in English) Documentary film about the largest Buddhist ritual to promote peace and tolerance, held by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya, India and Graz, Austria in 2002, including exclusive interviews with the Dalai Lama, access to secret rituals for the first time on film as well as footage of a pilgrimage to the Holy Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Suggested donation $8
Saturday, November 9th, 2013
The Five Tibetan Rites with Robin Tosky
The Five Tibetan Rites is the name for a series of daily exercises thought to be practiced by Tibetan monks. Historically, very little exists in written form about the “Five Tibetan Rites”. Some legends relate that it influenced the development of yoga. Others describe it as an exercise practice for Tibetan monks. Its inherent benefits are said to maximize youthfulness and vibrancy. Slow deliberate breathing is coordinated with movement, to stimulate the energy centers (chakras). This is thought to stimulate the entire endocrine system enhancing strength and good health.
Robin Tosky is a certified Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. She was introduced to the Five Tibetan Rites in 2011. The exercises stimulate the chakras that keep the endocrine system vibrant, energetic,and healthy, which leads to increased vitality and long life. Robin realized her Reiki work with the Universal Energy Field, the chakra system, and the Five Tibetan Rites were entwined. She developed what she learned from the ancient exercises into a spiritual practice that moves biodynamic energy up and down the chakras, and grounds, opens, and connects to higher forces.
As with any new exercise, obtaining a medical release from your doctor is recommended.
10:00 am to noon
An Introduction (background and practical demonstration)
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
The Rites (the complete exercise practice, for those with prior experience)
Registration Fee: $25 for one session, or $40 for both sessions. To register, please call The Tibetan Center at 845-383-1774.
Friday, October 18th, thru Sunday, October 20th, 2013
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Teachings Livestreamed
We invite you to join us at any point. You may also stream the teachings on your home computer. 
Friday, October 18 9:30 am to 11:30 am & 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm The Heart Sutra, The Sutra of Truly Remembering the Sublime Three Jewels Saturday, October 19 9:30 am to 11:30 am & 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm The Wisdom Chapter of A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Sunday, October 20 9:30 am to 11:30 am His Holiness will bestow an initiation into The Buddha Establishing the Three Pledges 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm Public talk on The Virtue of Nonviolence. For more details, please go to http://www.dalailamany.org Please note: On Saturday we’ll be playing the morning session, but will delay the afternoon session during Meg Ferrigno’s Pureland Project presentation, which is from 2:00 to 4:00.
Saturday, October 19th, 2013
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
One Woman’s Quest to Save Tibet
Pureland Project director Meg Ferrigno will discuss the nonprofit she founded in 2005. The project supports educational programs to empower communities in the achievement of long-term environmental sustainability and wellness.
The 2-hour program will feature a talk with PowerPoint, Q&A, and discussion, and is intended for nonprofit professionals, grass roots organizers, and those who simply want to become engaged where there is a need.
Complimentary tea and refreshments.
$15 suggested donation. Proceeds after program costs to benefit The Pureland Project (thepurelandproject.org). Please register by calling 845-383-1774.
August 21st – August 26th ~Programs with the Labrang Tashi Kyil Monks
The Tibetan Center is pleased to be hosting the Tashi Kyil Monks. Following an era of widespread destruction of monasteries in Tibet, when the original Labrang Tashikyil Monastery, was also destroyed, Venerable Gunthang Tsultrim and other exiled monks rebuilt their monastery in Dehra Dun, India in 1967. Seven monks are touring the United States to teach Dharma, educate the public about the culture and religion of Tibet and to raise funds for their monastery. The monks will be constructing a sacred sand mandala, offering children’s art workshops, giving Dharma teachings, and hosting a Tibetan Dinner to benefit their monastery in northern India. Work on the sand mandala will take place daily, and take 5 days to complete. Visitors are invited to view it in progress as they pass the center. All events are by donation, 100% going to support the Tashi Kyil Monastery.
Chenrezig Sand Mandala
Wednesday, August 21st 5:30 pm Reception. 6:00 pm Talk: Significance of the Sand Mandala. 6:30-7:00 pm Mandala Opening: The monks begin by consecrating the site of the mandala sand painting with approximately 30 minutes of chants, music, and mantra recitation. 7:00 pm-8:00 pm Beginning the Mandala: Following the Opening Ceremony the monks will start drawing the line design for the mandala. Thursday, August 22nd – Monday, August 26th (daily) 10:00 am-6:00 pm Mandala Construction: In ongoing work that will take five days to complete, the monks will pour millions of grains of sand from traditional metal funnels called chakpur. The finished mandala is approximately four feet square. Monday, August 26th 6:00 pm Mandala Closing Ceremony. In a departure from custom, the finished mandala will be preserved for a duration before it is swept up and used for offering and blessing. This will give other visitors, over the next year, the opportunity to view the powerful and beautiful image the monks created, and which is itself a blessing for the viewer. Visitors returning to the Center next year will be able to view the final closing ceremony and receive a pouch of sand.
Tibetan Cooking Class
Friday, August 23rd 4:00-6:00 pm Participants will learn how to prepare and cook Tibetan food such as Mo-mos and Thugpa. The lessons end with a feast of delicious food.
Children’s Programs
Saturday, August 24th & Sunday, August 25th 2:00-5:00 pm Butter sculpture, sand painting, prayer flags. Ages 3 to 12 (adults also welcomed).
Benefit Dinner for the Tashi Kyil Monastery
Saturday, August 24th 6:00 pm Brief Talk on the Tashi Kyil Labrang Monastery 6:30 pm Benefit Dinner: Monks prepare a meal of Tibetan food for invited guests who make a donation to support Tashi Kyil Monastery.
Dharma Teachings
Sunday, August 25th & Monday, August 26th 1:00-2:00 pm Teachings on the Four Noble Truths, the components of a virtuous life, compassion, taming the mind, and explanation of ritual activities and mantras.
August 4th, 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Artist’s Reception: Erika deVries
The Tibetan Center, 875 Route 28, Kingston, NY
A reception to welcome the neon work OUR INFINITE CAPACITY FOR LOVE. For the reception only, other recent works will be exhibited, including photographs from Ladakh, a region of India bordering Tibet.
For directions or information, please call 845-383-1774.
Saturday, July 13th, 8:00 pm
Prana’s Only Summer Concert
Baird Hersey & Prana perform at
The Tibetan Center 875 Route 28 Kingston NY 12401
The age old sacred music of Tibetan Buddhist multiphonic chant and Tuvan throat singing are the roots from which PRANA’s sound has grown. The technique of these ancient vocalizations is to shape the mouth and throat into a sympathetic resonating chamber for the voice. This produces a second beautiful high whistling harmonic or overtone. Many of the songs composed by Hersey for the choir are inspired by Indian and Tibetan chants or concepts of yoga philosophy and are sung a cappella. Join us for a unique evening of healing meditative music with these eleven singers: Baird Hersey, Peter Buettner, Bruce Milner, Joe Veillette, Julian Lines, Bill Ylitalo, Kirsti Gholson, Amy Fradon, Julie Last, Julie Parisi- Kirby and Renee Finkelstein.
Tickets: $20 in advance or at the door. 845-383-1774 or info@tibetancenter.org.
Saturday, June 8th, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Renowned Tibetan Spiritual Teacher, Sangyum Kamala
Sangyum Kamala will give teachings from Sera Khandro’s cycle of teaching (Sera Khandro was understood to be the reincarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal, one of the most important of female figures of Vajarayana Buddhism, and herself an historic Buddha). Included will be a special talk on practice advice for women. Though centering on female figures, this teaching is intended for both male and female practitioners. She will also speak, with Lama Rangbar, on the Great Mandala for World Peace.
Registration Fee: $55. Scholarships available. To register, please call 845-383-1774 or email info@tibetancenter.org.
Saturday, May 18th, 6:30 pm
For the Benefit of All Beings: The Extraordinary Life of His Eminence Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche
Film screening, Reception and Q&A with award-winning film maker Christina Lundberg
Tickets $20
Just released, this biographical film is “an opportunity to come face to face with one of the most radiant teachers of our time, and experience his wisdom and blessings”. Light fare, including Tibetan Momos (savory dumplings) and assorted beverages will be served at a reception prior to the screening. Please purchase tickets in advance to ensure seating (845-383-1774 or info@tibetancenter.org).
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is a lama (teacher) of the Tibetan Buddhism Drikung Kagyu lineage. As a child, Garchen Rinpoche, recognized as the reincarnation of the Siddha Gar Chodingpa, heart disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon and thirteenth century founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, was enthroned in eastern Tibet. At seven, he was brought to Lho Miyal Monastery, which he administered from the age of eleven. He studied, practiced and received vast and profound instructions on the preliminary practices (ngondro), the fivefold practice of Mahamudra and the six yogas of Naropa. At the age of 22, after completing a two and a half year retreat, and during the political turmoil of China’s Cultural Revolution, he was imprisoned for 20 years. While in the labor camp, he received meditation instruction from his root lama, the Nyingma master Khenpo Munsel. Enduring hardship and practicing secretly, Garchen Rinpoche attained realization of the lama’s wisdom mind. Since his release from prison in 1979, Garchen Rinpoche has worked intently to rebuild the Drikung Kagyu monasteries, reestablish the Buddhist teachings, and build two boarding schools for local children in eastern Tibet. He is the founder and spiritual director of the Garchen Buddhist Institute in Chino Valley, Arizona, and he is known for his vast realization, as well as for his great kindness.
Christina Lundberg
Christina Lundberg has made award winning films on Buddhism (Mystic Tibet: An Outer, Inner and Secret Pilgrimage, 2007; Maitreya Project, 2006; Discovering Buddhism, 2003) for over 20 years. She is a Dharma practitioner and resides in Colorado, USA.
Tuesdays in March-April
March 12, 19, 26 and April 2
6:30-8:00 pm
Tulku Sherdor
The Four Dharmas of Gampopa & Longchenpa—Timeless Instructions for the 21st Century
Four consecutive Tuesday evenings in March-April, Tulku Sherdor of Blazing Wisdom Institute in Andes, New York, a frequent guest teacher at The Tibetan Center, will offer a complete course of practical instruction on The Four Dharmas of Gampopa & Longchenpa. Registrants should commit to attend the entire series, for which a donation of $75 (for all four sessions) is recommended. Please feel free to offer more or less according to your means and interest. Please pre-register by calling the Tibetan Center at (845) 383-1774, or by email to info@tibetancenter.org by March 8th. For more information about Tulku Sherdor and Blazing Wisdom Institute, please visit www.blazingwisdom.org
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
4 pm to 5:30 pm
Lama Rangbar Nyima Ozer
Dharma Talk: Arts as Compassionate Method
Saturday, March 2, 2013
7 pm to 9 pm
Ritual Dance for Peace at Losar (Tibetan New Year)
Performance by The New York Lingdro Dance Troupe
Suggested donation: $10
Please join the Lingdro group of Western meditation students in welcoming the Year of the Water Snake with a ritual dance performance for peace. Lingdro Dechen Rolmo (the music of great bliss which is a dance of Ling) is a powerful moving meditation in which colorfully garbed male and female dancers step, stamp, hop, and whirl. They invoke Ling Gesar, the enlightened warrior-king, subject of the most famous Asian epic story, much like that of King Arthur. As they stamp out negativity and stamp in bliss, the dancers’ movements bless the area and all those present, while the energy ripples out to the entire world.The dance was received as a meditative vision by the great Tibetan scholar and mystic, Mipham Rinpoche, with the intention of averting war. Lin Lerner, PhD, director of the troupe, learned this dance in 1974-1975 while working on her doctorate in a Tibetan refugee camp in Orissa, India.
Saturday, February 23, 2-4 pm
The Future of Tibet, a Panel Discussion Co-sponsored by The Tibetan Center and the Human Rights Project, Bard College.
Multipurpose Room, Bertelsmann Campus Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
An intensification of protests and a sharp increase in the number of self-immolations by Tibetans, a response to the continued occupation of their homeland by the Communist Chinese, was seen last year, in 2012. For six decades, beginning with the illegal Chinese invasion, Tibetans have suffered from religious persecution, forced assimilation, violence, repression, displacement, torture and imprisonment. A convening of experts on Tibet, the panel will address vital issues such as Human Rights and the possibility for Tibetan autonomy or independence, and discuss how we, the world community, can help Tibet and help to shape its future.
The Honorable Lobsang Nyandak, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas Tendor, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet Robert Thurman, PhD, influential Tibetan Studies scholar and President of Tibet House US Robert Barnett, Director, Weatherhead East Asia Institute, Modern Tibet Studies Program, Columbia University Ming Xia, Professor of Political Science, City University of New York
The panel discussion will be held in the Multipurpose Room at the Bertelsmann Campus Center, Bard College, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, on Saturday, February 23rd, with a reception to follow. This event is free and open to the public, however there is a suggested donation of $20 to support the Tibetan Center’s public programming. Reservations are strongly encouraged. For information please email info@tibetancenter.org or call (845) 383-1774. Audience members are invited to submit questions for the panel in advance, via email to info@tibetancenter.org.
Wednesdays in October
October 3, 10, 17, 24
6:30-8:00 pm
Tulku Sherdor
Shakyamuni Buddha Meditation Practice
Mipham, the great Rimay (non-sectarian) Buddhist master and scholar, more than 100 years ago composed a meditation practice based on Buddha Shakyamuni. The practice incorporates all of the core elements of the three vehicles of Buddhism and includes ample notes and instructions from Mipham himself. It has become perhaps the most universally known and practiced sadhanas (methods of accomplishment) in all schools and lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. Four consecutive Wednesday evenings in October, Tulku Sherdor of Blazing Wisdom Institute in Andes, New York, a frequent guest teacher at The Tibetan Center, will offer a complete course of practical instruction on this Shakyamuni sadhana. It is particularly suited to those seeking, or seeking to deepen a basic understanding of the core teachings of Buddhadharma, and it is an accessible and effective meditation practice for incorporating into our lives. Registrants should commit to attend the entire series, for which a donation of $75 (for all four sessions) is recommended. Please feel free to offer more or less according to your means and interest. Please pre-register by calling the Tibetan Center at (845) 383-1774, or by email to info@tibetancenter.org by September 30th. For more information about Tulku Sherdor and Blazing Wisdom Institute, please visit www.blazingwisdom.org
Saturday, September 22
The Five Tibetan Rites, with Robin Tosky
10:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m.
Registration Fee: $40
The Five Tibetan Rites is a series of exercises some consider the forerunner of modern yoga. Traditionally a daily exercise, it is still practiced by Tibetan monks to stay young, vibrant and healthy. Slow deliberate breathing is coordinated with movement to stimulate the energy centers (chakras), promoting good health throughout the endocrine system. 
Robin Tosky is a certified “Karuna® Reiki Master Teacher. She was introduced to the Five Tibetan Rites at the beginning of 2011. The exercises stimulate the chakras that keep the endocrine system vibrant, energetic and healthy, which leads to efficient
organs and increased vitality and long life. Robin realized her Reiki work with the Universal Energy Field, the chakra system and the rites were entwined. She developed what she learned from the ancient exercises into a spiritual practice that moves biodynamic energy up and down the chakras, grounds, opens, and connects to higher forces. Chakras are dynamic forces; Robin recommends that those intending to participate obtain a medical release from their doctor. Please pre-register by contacting Patterson Schackne at the Tibetan Center by calling (845) 383-1774, or email her at info@tibetancenter.org.
Sundays, 10:00 to 11:00 am White Tara Practice Led by Lama Karma Rinchen
Practice text provided. Please call 845-383-1774, or email us at info@tibetancenter.org for more information.
Saturday, June 16th, 6 pm Screening of TIBET IN SONG Reception, Talk and Q&A with Director NGAWANG CHOEPHEL Release of TIBET IN SONG CD $25 per ticket. To purchase tickets or
for more information, please call 845-383-1774.
Ngawang Choephel has had a lifelong passion for Tibetan music and has devoted his life to its preservation and dissemination. He discovered his talent at an early age and received a degree in Tibetan Music from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, India. Upon arriving in the West, in 1994, as a Fulbright Fellow at Middlebury College, Vermont, he studied video production and international music in preparation for the production of TIBET IN SONG. He was arrested by Chinese authorities in Tibet during filming and spent the next 6 1/2 years in prison in Tibet. His resilience in the face of adversity earned him the Courage of Conscience Award from Peace Abbey, received in 2002. After his release from prison in 2002, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from Middlebury College, and a ‘Best Act in Exile’ award from Lobsang Wangyal Productions for his musical talent. TIBET IN SONG is his first feature-length documentary.
June 10, 11 & 12, 2012 LHO ONTUL RINPOCHE and KARMA RATNA RINPOCHE
Sunday, June 10, 7:00 pm
Public Talk on Bodhicitta: The Mind of Enlightenment $10 suggested donation
Monday, June 11 Jamgon Kongtruls Essence Lojong Teachings: Training the Mind in Absolute and Relative Bodhicitta Morning Session 9:30-12:15 Afternoon Session 2:15-5:00 $35 suggested donation
Tuesday, June 12 Morning Session 9:30-12:15 $17 suggested donation Healing Chod 2:30 $20 suggested donation
For the Monday and Tuesday Teachings, please call (845)383-1774 or email info@tibetancenter.org to register.
These special Lojong teachings come from a text written by the Great Jamgon Kongtrul and include both Mahayana and Vajrayana Mind Training. They contain both the pith instructions on Relative Bodhicitta which show how to transform ordinary daily life into Dharma practice, teachings on absolute Bodhicitta which include pointing out instructions to the Nature of Mind, and profound instruction on how to train in realizing all experience as the four Kayas. Lho Ontul Rinpoche enjoys giving these teachings because they contain the complete path of Dharma and are very practical for Westerners. The text Rinpoche will be teaching on was composed by the great Jamgon Kontrul who was one of the great teachers of 19th century Tibet and one of the founders of the Tibetan Rime (non- sectarian) movement. This is a rare opportunity to receive these precious teachings from Lho Ontul Rinpoche, a great Rime Master of our time with a deep understanding of Westerners. Lho Ontul Rinpoche is a master of both the Drikung Kagyu and Nyingma lineages. The Drikung Kyabgon H. H. Chetsang Rinpoche recognized Ontul Rinpoche to be the emanation of Drog Ban Khiu Chung Lotsawa, one of the twenty-five main disciples of Guru Rinpoche. Rinpoche is known for his warmth, humor, penetrating wisdom, and vast bodhicitta. Ogyen Rangjung Drodul Dechen Dorje Rinpoche (Karma Ratna Rinpoche) was recognized by H.H. Dalai Lama and H.H. Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang as the Quality Emanation of the great Drikung Treasure revealer Lho Nuden Dorje. Rinpoche is setting up the Drikung Lotus Mount Academy of Buddhist Studies (Drikung Pe-Tsek Nang-Cho Lob-Ling), a project initiated by Venerable Ontul Rinpoche and the Venerable Ogyen Drodul Dorje Rinpoche.
Friday, May 18th, 2012
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
Public Talk: Karma, Cause and Effect
Suggested donation $10
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is a Drikung Kagyu lama who was known in the thirteenth century as the Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon, founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In ancient India, he had incarnated as Mahasiddha Aryadeva, the lotus-born disciple of the great Nagarjuna. In the seventh century, he was known as Lonpo Gar, the minister of the Tibetan Dharma King Songsten Gampo. Garchen Rinpoche was recognized and enthroned in eastern Tibet by the former Drikung Kyabgon Zhiwe Lodro. When he was seven, he was brought to Lho Miyal Monastery, which he administered from the age of eleven. Studying and practicing under the direction of the Siddha Chime Dorje, Garchen Rinpoche received vast and profound instructions on the preliminary practices (ngondro), the fivefold practice of Mahamudra and the six yogas of Naropa. Then, at the age of 22, after completing a two and a half year retreat, he was imprisoned for 20 years during the political turmoil of China’s Cultural Revolution. While in the labor camp, he received meditation instruction from his root lama, the Nyingma master Khenpo Munsel. Enduring hardship and practicing secretly, Garchen Rinpoche attained realization of the lama’s wisdom mind. Since his release from prison in 1979, Garchen Rinpoche has made great effort to rebuild the Drikung Kagyu monasteries, reestablish the Buddhist teachings, and build two boarding schools for local children in eastern Tibet. Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual director of the Garchen Buddhist Institute in Chino Valley, Arizona. Garchen Rinpoche is known for his vast realization, as well as for his great kindness.
(April 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th), 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Tulku Sherdor
Vajrasattva: The Embodiment of Pure Awareness
Vajrasattva practice is common to all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and applies at every stage of the path according to secret mantra (Vajrayana). Vajrasattva represents our own perfected being, and as a meditation deity serves to purify obscurations and aid us in continuing to make genuine progress in our spiritual development. This program will introduce the many layers of profound meaning of Vajrasattva and his six and hundred syllable mantras, so that each participant will have a foundation for further and effectively applying this practice in his or her own life. This practice is indispensable for those wishing to learn about and train in secret mantra meditation in general. Registrants should commit to attend the whole series, for which a donation of $75 (for all for sessions) is recommended. Please feel free to offer more or less according to your means and interest. Please register (by calling 845-383-1774, or emailing info@tibetancenter.org) by March 30th. For more information about Tulku Sherdor and the Blazing Wisdom Institute, please visit www.blazingwisdom.org.
Tuesdays in November: November 8th, 15th, and 22nd, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Tibetan Center
Tulku Sherdor The Three Principal Features of the Buddhist Path
Tulku Sherdor, director of Blazing Wisdom Institute in Delancey NY, will teach on The Three Principal Features of The Buddhist Path. According to Mahayana (including Vajrayana) Buddhism, anyone wishing to fully awaken, with wisdom, compassion and the skill to benefit others, must integrate the three main components of the path: renunciation (or the determination to become free from suffering); bodhicitta (or the determination to free others from suffering), and the correct view of reality (the true nature of suffering and what is beyond suffering). Join us for three sessions of discussion and applied meditation on these most fundamental topics. Advance reading of Tsong Khapa’s ‘Three Principal Aspects of The Path,’ found, among other places, in The Book of Common Tibetan Buddhist Prayers, is recommended. Please pre-register, and be able to commit to coming to all of the sessions. To pre-register, please contact the Tibetan Center by calling (845) 383-1774, or email info@tibetancenter.org, by November 3rd. There is a suggested donation of $10 to defray travel costs. For more information about Tulku Sherdor and Blazing Wisdom Institute, please visit www.blazingwisdom.org.
Thursday, September 22, 2011 7:00pm- 8:30pm
Khenpo Sonam Topgyal Rinpoche: Why Spiritual Practice Matters
$10 Recommended Donation at the door. For registration and inquiries please contact Patterson Schackne at the Tibetan Center by calling (845) 383-1774, or email info@tibetancenter.org Presented by Blazing Wisdom Institute and The Tibetan Center
September 19 and 20, 2011
Thought Transformation: training the mind
Monday – Morning Session
The Basis of Transformation
- Lojong: transforming the mind
- How our thoughts and emotions cause suffering
- The antidotes to our afflictive emotions
- The tool for training the mind: meditation
Monday – Afternoon Session
Transformation through Altruism and through Insight
- Bodhichitta and compassion
- How to cultivate compassion
- Insight into the nature and causes of suffering and happiness
- Insight into the ultimate nature of reality
Tuesday – Morning and Afternoon Sessions
The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation
These last two sessions will be devoted to an analysis of eight short verses written in the eleventh century by the Tibetan master, Geshe Langri Thangpa Dorjee Senge. 
Geshe Pema Dorjee was born into a nomadic family in Tibet. After completing degrees in both Prajnaparamita Philosophy (The Perfection of Wisdom) and in Madhyamika Philosophy (The Middle Way) from Drepung Loseling monastery in India, he attained his Geshe degree. Amongst his many academic appointments since then, he was the first Principal of the College for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarah. At the request of His Holiness, he founded and continues to direct both the Bodong Research and Publication Center in Dharamsala and the Bodong Monastery and school in Kathmandu. He devotes the rest of his time to humanitarian projects in Himalayan India and Nepal and to teaching and lecturing in countries around the world, including Sweden, England, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Norway, France, Estonia, Israel,
and now the United States. For more information, see www.buddhistcharity.org. Sessions will include a period for practicing the techniques taught and each session will end with a Q & A period. For registration and inquiries please contact Patterson Schackne at the Tibetan Center by calling (845) 383-1774, or email info@tibetancenter.org The source of all misery in the world Lies in thinking of oneself. The source of happiness Lies in thinking of others. —Shantideva
Wednesdays July 6, July 20, August 3, August 17, August 31, 6:30 pm to 8 pm at the Tibetan Center
Tibetan Buddhism: An Ongoing Discovery of the Buddhist View of Reality and Meditation Practice
A series led by Tulku Sherdor, Executive Director of Blazing Wisdom Institute in the Catskills. These meetings offer a continuing opportunity to learn more about the philosophy and practice of Buddhism. No previous background is required and those with all levels of experience are welcome. Participants engage in directed study and guided meditations, and enjoy lectures and discussion on topics of study and practice, all conducted in English. Prominent guest speakers will also be invited to join us from time to time. For more information about Tulku Sherdor and Blazing Wisdom Institute, please visit www.blazingwisdom.org. 
Tuesday, July 12th, 7 pm
Project Happiness Films in association with Spring Communications and Grace Creek Media present a special screening of
Project Happiness
Directed by John C. Sorenson Created by Randy Taran For more information, please call the Tibetan Center at 845-383-1774 This film, a 62 minute documentary, follows students from three continents on a journey to discover the true nature of happiness. The screening will be followed by a Q&A discussion with PROJECT HAPPINESS creator and nonprofit founder, Randy Taran. Suggested donation $10. All proceeds to benefit the Tibetan Center.
May 18th and 19th, 2011
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is a Drikung Kagyu lama who was known in the thirteenth century as the Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon, founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In ancient India, he had incarnated as Mahasiddha Aryadeva, the lotus-born disciple of the great Nagarjuna. In the seventh century, he was known as Lonpo Gar, the minister of the Tibetan Dharma King Songsten Gampo. Garchen Rinpoche was recognized and enthroned in eastern Tibet by the former Drikung Kyabgon Zhiwe Lodro. When he was seven, he was brought to Lho Miyal Monastery, which he administered from the age of eleven. Studying and practicing under the direction of the Siddha Chime Dorje, Garchen Rinpoche received vast and profound instructions on the preliminary practices (ngondro), the fivefold practice of Mahamudra and the six yogas of Naropa. Then, at the age of 22, after completing a two and a half year retreat, he was imprisoned for 20 years during the political turmoil of China’s Cultural Revolution. While in the labor camp, he received meditation instruction from his root lama, the Nyingma master Khenpo Munsel. Enduring hardship and practicing secretly, Garchen Rinpoche attained realization of the lama’s wisdom mind. Since his release from prison in 1979, Garchen Rinpoche has made great effort to rebuild the Drikung Kagyu monasteries, reestablish the Buddhist teachings, and build two boarding schools for local children in eastern Tibet. Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual director of the Garchen Buddhist Institute in Chino Valley, Arizona. Garchen Rinpoche is known for his vast realization, as well as for his great kindness.
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011, 7pm His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche Public Talk on Karma: Cause and Effect Suggested donation $10
Saturday May 7th, 2011
BENEFIT FOR TIBET
Hosted by the Tibetan Center in collaboration with Tibetan Home of Hope, at the Tibetan Center at 875 Route 28, Kingston, NY, this festive celebration will include dinner, a silent auction, a concert by Tenzin Cheogyal, a performance of singing bowls by Lumena Atherton, and remarks by guest speaker and distinguished Tibetan Studies scholar Robert Thurman. Proceeds from this benefit will support continuing earthquake relief in eastern Tibet, the development of our new Tibetan Center, as well as the building projects at Tibetan Home of Hope orphanage. Tickets are $55. Space is limited. Please call (845) 383-1774 to purchase and reserve tickets.
BENEFIT CONCERT WITH TENZIN CHOEGYAL
Tenzin Choegyal
Celebrated Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal returns from Australia to give a concert at the Tibetan Center in Kingston, New York. This performance, on Saturday, May 7th, will benefit both the Tibetan Center’s programs and charitable projects, as well as its support of an orphanage for Tibetan children. Tenzin Choegyal is an exciting and inspiring performer who sings and plays dranyen (traditional Tibetan 3-string lute) and lingbu (flutes). He will be joined and accompanied by very special guest musicians. More information about this wonderful event will be announced soon. You can learn more about this amazing performer and hear his music by going to his website: tenzinchoegyal.com.
Wednesday, April 20th 7pm Lama Surya Das.
Lama Surya Das
Lama Surya Das, one of the foremost American Lamas in the Buddhist tradition, has been an integral part of Buddhism’s surge in popularity in recent years. From his first bestselling book, Awakening the Buddha Within (Broadway Books; 1997) to his newest release The Mind Is Mightier Than the Sword (Doubleday Religion; August, 2009), he has made Buddhism accessible and inspiring to serious practitioners and neophytes alike. Surya Das combines his extensive background and intensive training in Buddhist practices with his remarkable knowledge of other religions, philosophies, and psychology. Surya Das travels, teaches and leads meditation retreats throughout the world.
Saturday, March 26th, 7:30 pm
The New York Lingdro Troupe Tibetan Ritual Dance Performance for Peace
Suggested donation: $10
Lingdro Group
Please join the Lingdro group of Western meditation students in celebrating the Year of the Iron Rabbit with a ritual dance performance for peace. Lingdro Dechen Rolmo (the music of great bliss which is a dance of Ling) is a powerful moving meditation in which colorfully garbed male and female dancers step, stamp, hop, and whirl. They invoke Ling Gesar, the enlightened warrior-king, subject of the most famous Asian epic story, much like that of King Arthur. As they stamp out negativity and stamp in bliss, the dancers’ movements bless the area and all those present, while the energy ripples out to the entire world.The dance was received as a meditative vision by the great Tibetan scholar and mystic, Mipham Rinpoche, with the intention of averting war. Lin Lerner, PhD, director of the troupe, learned this dance in 1974-1975 while working on her doctorate in a Tibetan refugee camp in Orissa, India.
Saturday, February 26 2 pm and 7 pm
Film Day Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
This film is a documentary about life in Tibet under the occupation. For more information about the film, please visit www.cryofthesnowlion.com. Suggested donation $5. Tea and refreshments.
The Tibetan Center Channels
Featured Products
Green Tara Thangka
Price: $340.00
Guru Rinpoche Statue
Price: $1,500.00
