Refuge & Lay Pratimoksha Vows Ceremony

April 2, 2022 @12:30pm

On Sat April 2nd at 12:30 pm Lama Matt will be offering the Refuge and Lay Pratimoksha vows to those who have attended the Preparing for the Refuge Vows class. The refuge ceremony is when one “officially” becomes Buddhist. The act of taking refuge is a declaration of one’s intention to follow the Buddhist path. If you are interested in taking the vows, please sign up for the Preparing for the Refuge Vows class by March 30th.

Happy Tibetan New Year – Year of the Water Tiger

Artist: Michele Cavin

Losar Tashi Delek! Happy Tibetan New Year!

Losar means New Year in Tibetan. It is the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar. For Tibetans, Losar celebration is one the most festive periods of the year observed with a lot of religious, cultural and merrymaking events.

The first fifteen days of the year commemorate the special time when Guru Shakyamuni Buddha showed miraculous powers in order to subdue the Six Founders, who lacked faith in him, and to inspire more faith in his followers. It culminates on the full moon, the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, which is called Chotrul Duchen.

The Fifteen Days of Miracles are also a time for intensive Dharma practice. All fifteen days are merit-multiplying days, when the merit of virtuous actions performed on these days is multiplied by 100 million, as cited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche from the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.

Recommended practices include: Continue reading