UPCOMING EVENTS in 2023
January 4, 2023 by bhockman
Filed under Special Events
Summer Greetings to you from Ewam Choden.
We are happy to announce the following upcoming events with Ven. Lama Kunga Rinpoche. We will continue to meet in the Zoom room, and not in person.
EMAIL notices for each event will also be sent individually with details.
Please convert the Pacific time to your time as necessary.
SUNDAY MEDITATION and TEACHING by Lama Kunga Rinpoche at 10am, Pacific time will continue weekly.
For Empowerments, please LOOK AT THE SEPARATE POST UNDER EMPOWERMENTS.
CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTHDAY OF VEN. LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE
on Sunday, July 23, 2023 and the actual BIRTHDAY date on July 25, 2023.
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Completed—The annual Himalayan Fair will be held in Berkeley, California on May 20 & 21, 2023. It’s the 40th anniversary of this wonderful event that was started by Lama Kunga Rinpoche and Arlene Blum. (Arlene is a scientist and pioneer high mountain climber.) Check online for Himalayan Fair.
Completed–NEW YEAR’S EVE PRAYERS will be held on Saturday, December 31st, 2022, starting at 11:00 pm.
Completed–PRAYERS FOR THE 49th DAY of MOKE’S PASSING. January 2, 2023 at 6:00pm Pacific time. The Zoom logon is the same as for Sunday meditation.
Completed—EMPOWERMENT OF PARNASHAVARI on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at 2:00 pm.
Attendees have to register and pay in advance in order to be admitted to the Zoom room. PLEASE WAIT FOR REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT TO BE POSTED WITH A LINK.
Completed—LOSAR PRAYERS and a meeting with the Oracle on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
Completed–EMPOWERMENT OF WHITE SARASWATI on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at 2:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time, only on Zoom.
Completed –EMPOWERMENTS OF KURUKULLE AND SIMHAMUKA FROM LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE
Completed–EMPOWERMENTS OF RIG SUM GONPO AND SINGHANATA FROM visiting H.E. THARTSE KHEN RINPOCHE.
His Eminence Ngor Luding Khenchen Rinpoche (1931-2022)
December 30, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Special Events
In the early dawn of the sixth day of the 11th month of the Male Water Tiger Year of the Tibetan Calendar (Wednesday, 28 December 2022), at Bodhgaya, His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche entered into the Dharmadhatu and has since parted from his physical body.
His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche was the 75th abbot of the Ngor Ewam Choden Monastery and was head of the Ngor lineage of the Sakya tradition from 1954 to March 2000.
See https://www.ludingfoundation.org for more information.
Lama Kunga Rinpoche and the sangha of our Ewam Choden Center in California pray for His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche.
The cremation of the holy body was correctly accomplished on February 16, 2023 in Manduwala, India.
Happily Completed–BIRTHDAY PARTY PICNIC FOR VEN. LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE on SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 in the Arlington Park, El Cerrito, CA
August 17, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Completed Special Events
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A BIRTHDAY PARTY PICNIC for VEN. LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE IS GOING TO BE HELD in person this Sunday after the Compassion Meditation that is on Zoom.
We will honor and celebrate Ven. Lama Kunga Thartse Rinpoche with a picnic and prayers and wishes for his continued long healthy life of dharma activities for the benefit of all beings.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME! BRING FOOD TO SHARE.
Reminder: Lama Kunga Rinpoche doesn’t eat anything with sugar or any sugar-type sweetener.
WHEN: Sunday, August 21, 2022
TIME: from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
WHERE: Arlington Park, 1120 Arlington Blvd., El Cerrito, CA
HOW: Drive northward on Arlington Blvd. (past where you turn for Ewam Choden). The park is on the right with plenty of street parking.
See a map Here. At the park, we’ll be at Site 1, past the tennis courts.
LAMA KUNGA RINPOCHE LOOKS FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE.
NOTE: If you aren’t feeling well or test positive for Covid (or any other currently circulating illness), please stay home and recover.
Completed—H.E. NGOR THARTSE KHEN RINPOCHE came to Ewam Choden in California
July 16, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Special Events
We are grateful to H.E. Thartse Khen Rinpoche for his visit to Ewam Choden, and look forward to his future visits.
Thartse Khen Rinpoche will be at Ewam Choden on July 12 – 31, 2022.
He will attend the North American Sakya Monlam from July 15 through July 17.
This is an important visit as Lama Kunga Rinpoche also comes from the Ngor tradition of the Sakya lineage. Click here for more info on this connection
Lama Kunga Rinpoche and the members of Ewam Choden Tibetan Buddhist Center are looking forward to welcoming His Eminence Thartse Khen Rinpoche on his first visit to the United States.
Ngor Thartse Khen Rinpoche is the 77th abbot of Ngor, a main branch of the Sakyapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The visit fulfills Lama Kunga Rinpoche’s wish to establish a lasting connectionwith the Ewam Choden Tibetan Buddhist Center, which derives from the Ngor Thartse tradition.
Born in 1968 into a royal family in Mustang, Nepal, Rinpoche was ordained as a monk at the age of eight by His Eminence Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. At the age of thirteen, he was recognized as Ngor Thartse Shabdrung Rinpoche by His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin.
Rinpoche then completed extensive studies of ritual and rites of the Ngor tradition, with close instruction from His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, who ordained him as a bhiksu at the age of 19. After completing his formal monastic education and training, Rinpoche attended Sakya Institute to study Higher Buddhist Philosophical studies and Art. He later joined Sakya College to further study Tantra.
Thartse Khen Rinpoche travels extensively in Asia where he founded and supervises numerous monasteries and Sakya centers.
We are very grateful for his first visit to the United States.
H.E. Thartse Khen Rinpoche will kindly offer the following events.
Two-Day HEVAJRA EMPOWERMENT in person, CLICK HERE.
SIX EMPOWERMENTS and A DHARMA TALK, LIVE-STREAMED ON ZOOM, CLICK HERE
DONATION REQUEST FOR LING GESAR SCHOOL
July 7, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Special Events
Lama Kunga Rinpoche received an appeal from Ngor Thartse Khen Rinpoche at Ngor monastery in India.
And we need your help.
As you know, Lama Kunga comes from Ngor monastery and has kept strong ties with his successor, Ngor Thartse Khen Rinpoche who, along with Luding Khen Rinpoche and other Sakya lamas of the Ngor tradition, have kept the Ngor-pa tradition strong in India and Tibet.
Aside from his responsibilities at Ngor Manduwala (the main monastery in India), he needs to help his Jomsom monastery in Nepal which has 35 monks and there is also the Ling Gesar School, where he sponsors 90 young students from villages bordering Ngor Manduwala monastery.
This school is managed by Khen Rinpoche’s brother Gonpo. It has been very helpful to the surrounding community, which is poor. Not only does it provide education but also basic needs to the children.
The school had to close due to the pandemic but parents come and pick up homework once a week for their kids and return it to be corrected. This maintains the minimal continuity of education. (These families don’t have computers at home.)
Because the pandemic has restricted Thartse Khen Rinpoche’s travel, he can’t raise the necessary funds for the school. The well being of the students at Ling Gesar school is now seriously in jeopardy.
Lama Kunga has made a personal pledge to help and we hope you can too.
You can give your tax-deductible donations by PayPal (here on the EC website) or by check to Ewam Choden. Please earmark it “School Project”.
All funds will be sent to Ngor and any donation is appreciated.
COMPLETED-SAKYA NORTH AMERICAN MONLAM JULY 15-17, 2022
June 30, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Completed Special Events
NOTICE of the Fifth Annual Sakya North American Monlam for World Peace with H.H. Sakya Trichen (41) and H.H. Sakya Trizin (42) .
The term Monlam means the path of aspiration and is a form of prayer. During a Monlam, the participants recite prayers with the aspiration to liberate all sentient beings from suffering and for all to achieve enlightenment.
PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES FOR INFORMATION.
https://www.facebook.com/NorthAmericanSakyaMonlam/
SAKA DAWA—SACRED and CELEBRATORY MONTH from May 31 thru June 29,2022 – Special Day is June 14, full moon day
May 31, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Completed Special Events
During this period, we commemorate the Birth, the Enlightenment, and the Parinirvana (passing on) of the Buddha.
OM MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNI SHAKYAMUNI SVAHA
The most holy day is the day of the full moon (the 15th Tibetan day), which is on Tuesday, June 14.
During this entire period, the merit of all good that you think or do is multiplied many times, from 100 to 100,000 times to as many as one hundred million times. On the other hand, your negative deeds and thoughts are also multiplied.
Therefore, this is a perfect time to be focused on and dedicated to spiritually and ethically positive thinking and behavior.
WHAT TO DO
Here are some suggestions of what we might do during Saka Dawa.
*Respectfully clean your shrine and make offerings to the Three Jewels and your shrine space.
*Practice generosity to all beings. This includes the generosity of forgiving the people and situations that upset and enrage you. Forgive yourself, too, in order to awaken your own Buddha-nature.
*Practice meditation, especially with compassion and without grasping. Do any of your Buddhist practices with focus and sincerity.
*Recite long-life prayers for your gurus.
*Light incense and candles, place water bowls, and dedicate them to the Three Jewels.
*Read biographies of the Mahasiddhas and of great Lamas.
*Save and assist animals and insects.
*Be kind and patient with all people.
*Eat vegetarian or vegan. <–This is recommended by Lama Kunga RInpoche, especially on June 14th.
*You can also make mental offerings of all kinds.
*Some people take the Eight Mahayana Precepts for a day or more, especially on the full moon day, June 14th.
*Do purification practices, such as, Vajrasattva or Prostrations to the 35 Confession Buddhas.
*Spend a couple of days eating like an ordained person, which means, don’t eat after 1:00 pm.
*Recite food offering prayers before you take food, and visualize the offering to the Three Jewels.
*With a view of emptiness, dedicate the merit of everything you do to all sentient beings.
For a copy of the Food Prayer used at Ewam Choden click HERE.
SPIRITUAL ARTS and BOOKS
January 21, 2022 by bhockman
Filed under Special Events
NEW BOOK ABOUT LAMA KUNGA’S FATHER
In the Presence of My Enemies, the fascinating autobiography of Tsipon Shuguba, the father of Lama Kunga Rinpoche, who was a minister in the Tibetan government, was published in English in 1995.
Now, the book is available in Tibetan. Contact Ewam Choden for purchase information. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Ewam Choden Tibetan Relief Fund Project.
CALLIGRAPHY and PAINTINGS
Ven. Lama Kunga Thartse Rinpoche has demonstrated his skills in arts and crafts for many years. He has made traditional cloth mountings for thangkas, shaped sculptures of Tibetan kings, painted memories of Ngor monastery, created Wealth and Earth Treasure Vases, and much more.
CALLIGRAPHY
Recently, Rinpoche has been making traditional Tibetan calligraphy.
Here is a sample piece that is the mantra of Bodhisattva goddess Parnashavari, the subduer of pandemics. This is written on Tibetan rice paper, and it is 15″ x 7″, unmounted. It is signed with Rinpoche’s signature as well as stamp. (Note that the brown on the top and bottom here is the table surface.)
Because of the pandemic, Lama Kunga has done the Parnashavari mantra. He is open to accepting orders for some other mantras, as well as other size presentations.
You may receive one of Lama Kunga Rinpoche’s calligraphy pieces with a donation of $108.
The payment is for the maintenance and support of the Ewam Choden Center.
To order, send an email to Ewam Choden. You may also pay directly on the Ewam Choden website, using the “Donate” link. Be sure to give your correct mailing address and a message about the Calligraphy.
PAINTINGS
Lama Kunga RInpoche’s paintings are also available. The donation amount varies depending on the painting. These donations are tax deductible. Send an email if you’re interested.
Ewam Choden Tibetan Buddhist Center is a 501 (c) (3) status nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
BIRTHDAY WISHES and LONG LIFE PRAYERS For HIS HOLINESS the 41st SAKYA TRICHEN
September 6, 2021 by bhockman
Filed under Completed Special Events
Ven. Lama Kunga Thartse Rinpoche with the Sangha and friends of Ewam Choden Tibetan Buddhist Center send prayers and wishes for the long life and good health of His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin.
May you continue to benefit countless beings in many ways.
Here is a link to His Holiness’ long life prayer.
Activity Completed–Have a rich, resourceful, and righteous New Year! LOSAR MEDITATION, TEACHING, and ACTIVITIES on ZOOM with Ven. Lama Kunga Rinpoche on Sunday, February 14, 2021
February 4, 2021 by bhockman
Filed under Completed Special Events
༄༅།།ལོ་གསར་ལ་བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས་ཞུ།
It’s time to welcome a new year according to the Tibetan lunar calendar. This is the year of the METAL OX, 2148.
It is said that the OX represents stability, loyalty, and trustworthiness. In some Buddhist paintings, an ox and its herder show the path to realize our Buddha nature.
After a unique year of challenging difficulty for people throughout the world, we can look for an improvement.
Although the Ewam Choden Center has to remain closed. we are all very fortunate for Lama Kunga Rinpoche’s presence at Ewam Choden and we are grateful for his kind and inspiring Sunday morning compassion meditation sessions.
We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to maintain your membership in the Center and to please be generous with your donations. The Center is in need particularly because of the lack of large events with visiting teachers during the past year. TO DONATE: Select the DONATE button on the front page of this website.
TO LOGIN TO THE LOSAR ZOOM MEDITATION ON SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 14, 2021 AT 10:00 am Pacific Time (US),
Please go to the page for ZOOM MEDITATION on the front page of this website.
