The Tang Museum at Skidmore College is presenting an exhibit of Tibetan art entitled The Second Buddha: Master of Time, related to Padmasambhava, the Tantric Master who established Buddhism in Tibet, from Feb 9 to May 19.The museum is open noon to 5 PM most days, closed on Mondays, and open till 9 PM Thursdays. More information at tang.skidmore.edu.
Special Notice: Due to an anticipated snowstorm, the Chenrezig practice scheduled for Tuesday Jan 29 is cancelled.
After our break December 19 to January 7, we are resuming our regular schedule. After his return from India and the Kagyu Monlam, Lama Zopa will be teaching on January 27 on the Nature of Mantra,
Special Teaching November 9-11: Webcast teaching by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche on Devi Mahashri Lhamo Palchen. 5 sessions: Friday 7pm, Sat. 10:30am & 3:30pm, Sun. 10:30am & 2:30pm. Webcasting exclusively to KTC centers. More details at KTD calendar.
November 13th: Guru Rinpoche Tsok (bring a snack food offering – setup starts at 6:30 pm)
Special Event October 22-26:
Sand Mandala at College of St. Rose –Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary – 959 Madison Ave, Albany, NY– Open to all 10 am to 9 pm daily, all week – Opening Ceremony 10/22 at 9:00 am. Artist: Lama Karma Chopal. Come visit and help to create the Mandala. More details to follow.
Special Guest Teaching September 21-22: Treasury of Abhidharma with Khenpo Karma Choephel: Friday Sept. 21 at 7 pm and Saturday 10am – 12 and 2pm – 4pm. Suggested donation $20 per session (members $15), but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. More details will follow.
Albany KTC will have a booth at the Vegfest, held on Saturday June 2 from 10AM to 5PM at the Polish Community Center on Washington Ave extension. Check it out!
On the weekend of April 27-30 Albany KTC will air a live webcast from KTD in which Khenpo Karthar Rinoche will teach on the Aspiration Prayer of Sukhavati. The schedule is: Friday 4/27 at 7:00 pm, Saturday 4/28 at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm, Sunday 4/29 at 10:30 & 2:30 pm. It will be shown on our big screen TV. Questions for Rinpoche can be submitted via email. This is a wonderful opportunity to receive teachings from our beloved master without leaving Albany!
On the weekend of May 12-13, Albany KTC will have a booth at the Tulip Fest in Washington Park.
Albany KTC will be closed on Sunday January 28 because many of us will be attending a Long Life Empowerment by the 17th Karmapa in Queens.
Sorry, this teaching is calcelled
*** Please Note *** Special Guest Teaching January 6-7: Lama Lodro Lhamo will be teaching on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. This text gives the most concise presentation of the bodhisattva path.
Save the date! On Saturday December 2 we will have a holiday party! Details will follow shortly.
On the Sunday after Thanksgiving we will present a video of Karmapa teaching on How to apply Ancient Wisdom in Modern Times. Continued on December,ber 10.
Our book study has begun on Karmapa’s latest book, Interonnected, Embracing Life in our Global Society, which is available now at the KTC book store. The format of the book study is that we take turns reading through the chosen section and then discuss it, so while prior reading is recommended,it is not required. We have covered Chapter 1 and it is very inspiring. Next session December 3.
On Sunday, August 6th, Clare Lowery gave a review of the 8 Brocades, Chi Gong exercises. Simple to do and most beneficial.
On Sunday, August 13th, we held our summer picnic at the Colonie Town Park, along the Mohawk River. The weather was beautiful and all enjoyed the food and company.
On Sunday, Sept. 10th, Khenpo David Karma Choephel returned to Albany KTC. He gave a one day program on Abhidharma, Buddhist Insights into Reality. We all enjoyed and benefitted from his clear introduction to this vast analysis of physical and mental phenomena.
We are having a silent auction of Dharma objects at Albany KTC! Come and see the display of objects large and small in the Shrine room and make a bid on anything you like. Finale is at the Members meeting on July 23.
On the weekend of April 8-9th, we hosted Khenpo Ugyen Tenzin who gave a wonderful talk and teaching on Mind Training, translated by Tenzin Choenyi.
On Sunday, April 23rd, after a short meditation, we traveled to KTD for lunch and Earth Dayactivities. The vegan snacks were amazing!
On Sunday, March 12th, we continued our introductory series of teachings with The Importance of Having a Spiritual Friend.
On Sunday, March 19th, we held a members’ meeting followed by a potluck lunch. Some items had to be deferred due to light attendance. We’ll follow-up with another members’ meeting soon.
On the weekend of Feb. 10 to 12, we enjoyed the webcast of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s teaching at KTD, Karme Chakme’s Prayer for Offering Prostrations. This teaching was especially pertinent and helpful for those doing Ngondro, the foundation practice.
On Tuesday, Feb. 28th we held our celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New Year of the Fire Bird with prayers and delicious refreshments. It was a happy and enjoyable event.
On Sunday, Jan. 8th, our new shrine was blessed by Lama Karma Drodul and Lama Zopa.
The blessing was followed by a celebratory reception.
On Saturday, Jan. 14th, we held the first long-term planning meeting to reflect on our history
and purpose as a center and to plan further ahead. This was open to all. Another meeting of this
type will be scheduled in the summer.
January Program **SAVE THE DATE**
On Saturday and Sunday, January 7-8, 2017, we will have the pleasure of hosting Lama Karma Drodul, who will give a Medicine Buddha teaching and empowerment on Saturday and a public talk, From Doubt to Faith and Devotion, on Sunday AM. On Sunday afternoon, Lama Karma will join us in a special blessing for our new shrine.
November Programs
Saturday, Nov. 5th, was the last day of the powerful Long Life Thrangu Drupchod and Amitayus empowerment led by Lodro Nyima Rinpoche at KTD. The following weekend, this special teacher gave a wonderful teaching on Bodhicitta.
From Friday through Sunday, Nov. 18-20, we enjoyed Khenpo Rinpoche’s webcast teaching, Blessings of Mani Pills.
We have been delighted with the visit of Chamgon Tai Situ Rinpoche to Kagyu centers in the Northeast, including Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, where we greeted Rinpoche on Friday, September 30, and enjoyed a teaching on meditation based on the Mahamudra Lineage Prayer on Saturday October 1. Rinpoche last came 18 years ago, and a lot has changed since then, but his buoyant presence and his use of English seemed just the same.
This month Albany KTC will begin offering a series of eight introductory teachings based on Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche’s recent book Excellent at the Beginning; Discovering the Buddhist Way. The series will be taught by senior students. This is very important information for people new to our center and a good review for more experienced practitioners as well. The book is available for sale at the center.
The first two talks will be
Oct. 23: Connecting with the Buddhist teachings, taught by Laura Roth.
Oct. 30: The Practice of Meditation, taught by Laura Roth.
On Saturday, August 13th, we had the honor of hosting David Karma Choephel, who gave an excellent day-long teaching on the Heart Sutra.
On Sunday August 7th, and again on Sunday August 21st, Lama Zopa gave wonderful teachings on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind to Dharma. He covered the first 2 of the thoughts and included meditations relevant to the teachings covered. This important series will continue in September with the 3rd thought, Karmic Cause and Effect.
On Saturday, August 13 David Karma Choephel will give a one-day teaching on The Heart Sutra, an important Mayayana text. Times are 10-12 AM and 2:30-4:30 PM. This is a return visit by popular demand from a well-received talk last fall.
