108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge

This challenge will be practice intensive for those who want to apply their understanding of Bodhicitta with daily practice. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about the Bodhisattva Mind Training and how to apply it to their Buddhist path, as well as experienced students who have insights to share. This event will be in-person with an online option available.

“The Tibetan word lojong literally means ‘mind training’ but the practice really has more to do with training our attitude, training us out of the habitual ways that we respond to situation that happen to us, especially adverse circumstances.” – Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

The main book that will be used for the challenge will be The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo. The Heroic Heart Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo illuminates the heart of Mahayana Buddhism—bodhicitta—describing it as “the selfless expression of boundless compassion.” Jetsunma uses as a touchstone the famous Tibetan Buddhist text The Thirty-Seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva. Here, she reveals how to become such a compassionate hero, the bodhisattva in training, and helps us to face the uncertain tides of the world, however joyful or dangerous, with a deep wish to find meaning and uncover the ultimate heart of wisdom and compassion.

Register today!

Kick off party for the 108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge is Sunday December 31, 2023 at 10:30am and will be during the Sunday Service.

Sunday Dharma Talks beginning December 31st
Each week kicks off a new topic with a Sunday Dharma talk given by Lama Matt and the other Dharma Facilitators. Dharma Talks will be uploaded to the Rime Center’s Podcast each Monday. Participants are then encouraged to read the topic from the book.

Wednesday Online Discussions beginning January 3rd
Participants will meet either in-person or online Wednesdays at 7:45 pm to discuss the week’s topic. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion about the practice that will include actions that can be applied to daily life/practice.

Preparing for the Bodhisattva Vows

This class is for anyone who is contemplating on taking the Bodhisattva vows. Taking the Bodhisattva vows one commits to follow the path of a bodhisattva, one who works to lead all sentient beings to perfect enlightenment. The aim of this class is to provide the student with the understanding the what, why and how before making the commitment to take the vows. The Bodhisattva Vows will be given on April 23rd during the Sunday Service.

UPDATE: The class will be online only. Vows will be in-person only.

If you are interested in taking the Bodhisattva vows, please fill out this form and click submit.

Instructor: Lama Matthew Palden Gocha
Date: One Session beginning on Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Class Fee: Free
Text: None
Prerequisite: Basics of Buddhism and Refuge Vows

108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge

This challenge will be practice intensive for those who want to apply their understanding of Bodhicitta with daily practice. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about the Bodhisattva Mind Training and how to apply it to their Buddhist path, as well as experienced students who have insights to share. This event will be in-person with an online option available.

“Peace and happiness can be attained, but not by searching for something in the outside world. They start within us then extend out to the entire globe.” – Khentrul Rinpoche

The main book that will be used for the challenge will be The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk’s Guide to Finding Freedom in Every Challenge by Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé Rinpoche. The Power of Mind guides the reader through transformative practices one by one—from recognizing the value of our human life to overcoming the sources of suffering, together with meditation advice for incorporating these insights into our daily lives.

Register today!

Kick off party for the 108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge is Sunday January 1, 2023 at 10:30am and will be during the Sunday Service.

Sunday Dharma Talks beginning January 1st
Each week kicks off a new topic with a Sunday Dharma talk given by Lama Matt and the other Dharma Facilitators. Dharma Talks will be uploaded to the Rime Center’s Podcast each Monday. Participants are then encouraged to read the topic from the book.

Wednesday Online Discussions beginning January 4th
Participants will meet either in-person or online Wednesdays at 7:30 pm to discuss the week’s topic. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion about the practice that will include actions that can be applied to daily life/practice.

108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge

This challenge will be practice intensive for those who want to apply their understanding of Bodhichitta with daily practice. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about the Bodhisattva Mind Training and how to apply it to their Buddhist path, as well as experienced students who have insights to share.

The main book that will be used for the challenge will be A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives by Thupten Jinpa Ph.D.. This book shows how the meeting of contemplative insights and practices with modern science can lead to offerings that are beneficial for everyone interested in deeper personal spiritual transformation.

“Compassion is fundamental to our basic nature as human beings. Connecting with our compassionate part, nurturing it, and relating to ourselves, others, and the world around us from this place is the key to our happiness as individuals and our societal well-being. Each one of us can take steps to make compassion a central reality of our own lives and our shared world.” – Thupten Jinpa Ph.D.

Register today!

Kick off party for the 108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge is Sunday January 2, 2022 at 10:30am and will be during the Sunday Service.

Sunday Dharma Talks beginning January 2nd
Each week kicks off a new topic with a Sunday Dharma talk given by Lama Matt and the other Dharma Facilitators. Dharma Talks will be uploaded to the Rime Center’s Podcast each Monday. Participants are then encouraged to read the topic from the book.

Wednesday Online Discussions beginning January 5th
Participants will meet online Wednesdays at 7:45 pm to discuss the week’s topic. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion about the practice that will include actions that can be applied to daily life/practice.

108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge

This challenge will be practice intensive for those who want to apply their understanding of Bodhicitta with daily practice. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about the Bodhisattva Mind Training and how to apply it to their Buddhist path, as well as experienced students who have insights to share.

The main topic for the challenge will be The Seven Points of Mind Training by Geshe Chekawa Yeshe Dorje. The Seven Points of Mind Training belong to the category of teachings known in Tibetan as lojong, or in English ‘mind training or transforming the mind’.

“The essential message of the lojong teaching is that if we want to see a better world, we should begin by improving our own mind. For me, the lojong tradition stands as the heart of the Buddha’s message of peace. It teaches us how to regard others with the dignity and care that they deserve, and also how to transcend the limitations of conventional ego-grasping. In brief, it is a guideline for our own enlightenment, leading to enlightened conduct in our own dealings with others.” – H.H. Dalai Lama XIV

Register today!

Kick off party for the 108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge is Friday January 1, 2020 at 7:45 and will be online.

Sunday Dharma Talks beginning January 3rd
Each week kicks off a new topic with a Sunday Dharma talk given by Lama Matt and the other Dharma Facilitators. Dharma Talks will be uploaded to the Rime Center’s Podcast each Monday. Participants are then encouraged to read the topic from the book.

Wednesday Online Discussions beginning January 6th
Participants will meet online Wednesdays at 7:45 pm to discuss the week’s topic. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion about the practice that will include actions that can be applied to daily life/practice.

108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge

This challenge will be practice intensive for those who want to apply their understanding of Bodhicitta with daily practice. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about environmentalism and how to apply it to their Buddhist path, as well as experienced students who have insights to share.

The main topic for the challenge will be Buddhist environmentalism. The Bodhisattva vows to help all sentient beings end suffering and reach enlightenment. In order to truly help sentient beings it is through skilful means that a Bodhisattva includes the environment as part of the equation.

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, “The entire cosmos is a cooperative. The sun, the moon, and the stars live together as a cooperative. The same is true for humans and animals, trees, and the earth. When we realize that the world is a mutual, interdependent, cooperative enterprise . . . then we can build a noble environment. If our lives are not based on this truth, then we shall perish.”

We will have weekly readings, group discussions and Dharma Facilitator led Sunday Dharma talks. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about environmentalism how to apply it to their Buddhist path, and experienced students who have insights to share. Weekly topics will come from the book Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism.

  • Reverence for Life
  • Nature as Teacher or Refuge
  • The Nature of Nature
  • Contemporary Interpretations of the Teachings
  • Globalization, Population, and Development
  • Buddhist Countries in Environmental Trouble
  • Foundations of Activism
  • Defending Sentient Beings
  • Home Practice, Wild Practice
  • Choosing What to Eat
  • Challenges in Buddhist Thought and Action

Sunday Dharma Talks beginning January 5th
Kick off party for the 108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge is January 5, 2020 during the Sunday Service. Each week kicks off a new topic with a Sunday Dharma talk given by Lama Matt and the other Dharma Facilitators. Dharma Talks will be uploaded to the Rime Center’s Podcast each Monday. Participants are then encouraged to read the topic from the book.

Thursday Online Discussions beginning March 19th
Participants will meet on Wednesdays at 7:45 pm to discuss the week’s topic. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion about the practice that will include actions that can be applied to daily life/practice. Discussions will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube each Friday.

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Meeting ID: 532 552 458
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+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 532 552 458