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Happy New Year Everyone! Tibetan New Year is coming up on February 9th, we send our Best Wishes for Good Health, Happiness and Success to you all!

Please join us in 2005 for some of the following special dates and programs.

Wednesday FEBRUARY 9th
"LOSAR" Tibetan New Year
Celebration and Losar Festivities Begin at 10:00 AM
"POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING" - A Talk by Khenpo Choga, visiting lama Pot-Luck Lunch - Bring your favorite dish to share

FEBRUARY 7th to 17th
Khenpo Choga Rinpoche will be in residence at the Temple, for more information on Khenpo Choga and his work, go to: www.dzogchenlineage.org

Sat. FEB. 12th & Sun. FEB. 13th
Weekend Retreat on "REFUGE AND BODHICITTA"
with Khenpo Choga Rinpoche
Times: 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on both days

Principles, Practice and Visualization of Refuge and Bodhicitta, the Altruistic Mind of Enlightenment" These are essential foundations in Buddhist practice, for the beginner as
well as experienced practitioners. Teachings, commentaries and actual  practice and meditation will be part of the weekend retreat.

Cost: $150 includes lunch, $75 one day
Overnight accommodations and extra meals available at additional charge.

 

Aloha Temple Friends: Please join us for some of the upcoming May Sagadawa Celebration and the June programs, to be held at Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling, in Wood Valley, Ka'u, on the Island of Hawai'i. For more information,please call 808.928.8539 or email: nechung@aloha.net 

SATURDAY, MAY 21 - 10:00 am
CELEBRATION OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA

SAGADAWA - the 4th Tibetan Lunar month begins on May 9th this year.  Thefull moon on the lunar 15th day is celebrated as the time of the Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana. We will have a gathering at the Temple on Saturday, May 21st to honor Sagadawa, beginning at 10:00 am, with chanting and meditation, followed by a Pot-luck Lunch. This event is open to the public. You and your family/friends are invited!

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 to WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22
LAMA LHANANG RINPOCHE will be in residence at the temple for 12 days. Rinpoche is a spiritual teacher trained in the Nyingma tradition of  Tibetan Buddhism. He speaks English and teaches meditation, yoga, art and is a practitioner of Tibetan Medicine. Rinpoche was born, raised and studied in Amdo, Tibet. He currently lives in Los Angeles and travels and teaches extensively in North America. This is his first visit to Hawaii. For  more information on Lhanang Rinpoche, see http://www.wisdompath.org 

SATURDAY JUNE 11 & SUNDAY, JUNE 12 - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
MEDICINE BUDDHA INITIATION AND TEACHINGS - Blessings of the Body,  Speech, and Mind of the Medicine Buddha will be on Saturday morning. This "initiates" practitioners into the practice and gives the "permission"  to do the meditation and mantra practice for healing, good health and  longevity. Instructions on the meditation will be given Saturday afternoon and  Sunday. Initiation is a necessary prerequisite for the teaching.

Cost: $150.00 donation for 2 days, lunch included. Overnight lodging available at additional charge. Registration in advance recommended.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 - 10:00 am
FOUR MANDALA TARA PUJA

FRIDAY, JUNE 17 - 10:00 am
GURU PADMASAMBHAVA PUJA AND TSOK OFFERING

FRIDAY, JUNE 17 - 2:00 to 5:00 pm
"ELEMENTS OF TIBETAN WISDOM" - $25 DONATION
Sa Shad is ancient Tibetan wisdom which enables one to reveal the secrets of nature, environment and ambiance. It gives the knowledge and tools necessary to create harmony between elements and people. It has been used in Tibetan culture for centuries to determine arrangements within homes as well as for stupas, temples, businesses and communities. Sa Shad teaches thateverything is relative. If you create auspicious conditions in your 
home, the interdependence of this will bring good energy that will positively affect your family life, business and health.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18 & SUNDAY, JUNE 19 - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
ANU YOGA AND MEDITATION - Most teachings in the stages of Anu Yoga, one of the three Inner Tantras, are strictly secret, revealed only to the initiated. However, according to Lhanang Rinpoche, there are aspects such as certain Breath exercises, physical Yoga postures and Meditation techniques that may be taught more openly. It is a way to purify
obscurations of body, speech and mind; to transform the body into the Vajra form, Speech into divine sound, and the mind into a state of perfect Dharmakaya. These methods, combined with Mind Training, Compassion and Wisdom open the way to spiritual awakening and realization.

Cost: $150.00 donation for 2 days, lunch included. Overnight lodging available at additional charges. Registration in advance recommended.

MONDAY, JUNE, 13 to THURSDAY, JUNE 16
Lhanang Rinpoche will be available for Private Consultations. By  Appointment and Donation, call the temple at 808.928.8539

TUESDAY, JUNE 21 - 10:00 am
SUMMER SOLSTICE FULL MOON CELEBRATION - Public Talk "PEACE AND POSITIVE
ACTION IN THE MODERN WORLD" given by Lhanang Rinpoche and LHA-SANG FIRE
PUJA. Please bring Offerings, a Pot-Luck lunch dish, musical instruments and your favorite songs! Your family and friends are welcome...join us!

 

LAND FUND

 

There is an ongoing need for donations for Nechung Dorje Drayang Lingšs land fund. The 25 acres in Wood Valley, Kašu was purchased in 1989 for $235,000. We are currently down to a balance of $47,600. The merit of raising these funds is credited to the generous donations of many Temple Friends, the retreat center, catering service and other projects.Monetary offerings of any size are very much appreciated, however some large contributions are very much needed to quickly pay off the land debt. This will allow Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling to move ahead with itsš vision to build retreat cabins for practitioners to reflect and meditate on its beautiful grounds amidst the towering trees.

 

SATURDAY CLASSES
 
Continuing on Saturday, July 2nd, 2005, there will be afternoon Dharma classes at Wood Valley Temple from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Subjects will cover Basic Buddhist Philosophy & Meditation.  Guideline for the classes will be based   upon "Words of my Perfect Teacher" Kunzang Lamai Shelung by Patrul Rinpoche.This beautifully
written  classic text is an excellent Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and offers the Preliminaries Practices to Dzogchen. We are now in Part Two, the Extraordinary Inner Preliminary Practices, and will begin the section on Vajrasattva Meditation and Mantra Recitation on July 2nd.

Part Two outlines the extraordinary or internal prelinaries: 

1.  Refuge  2. Bodhicitta  3. Purification Practice of Vajrasattva  4.  Offering the Mandala  5.  Kusali Accumulation  6.  Guru Yoga 

Part Three is the Swift Path of Transference or Phowa.
 
Since this text is very complete, the Saturday afternoon classes will be ongoing as we move through the subject matters.   There will be natural breaks in this course during the year at times when the temple hosts visiting lamas' programs, etc.
 
The sessions will include periods of discussion, meditation and Q&A.  A suggested donation of $20 to $25 per class is requested to help support the temple.  Marya will be leading these sessions.  We hope that some of you will be able to join us!

Part One of "Words of My Perfect Teacher" details the ordinary or external  preliminary practices:  1.   the Difficulty of Finding Freedom and Endowment  2.  the Transitory Nature of Life  3.  the Faults of Cyclic Existence  4. Action - Principles of Cause and Effect  5.  Benefits of Liberation  6. Relying on a Spiritual Friend. The subject covered in the remaining classes this year will be Action - Principles of Cause and Effect, Benefits of Liberation, Relying on a Spiritual Friend."  

A LETTER TO A FRIEND...

Aloha Temple Friends: We're thinking of you all on this quiet evening,listening to the gentle rain drops. We're finally getting a little break from the activities associated with Nechung Rinpoche's visit between 12/9/03 until 2/26/04, along with a couple of group bookings at the retreat center.

On March 20th, the temple will be begin having classes each Saturday from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, using "Words of My Perfect Lama" (Kunzang Lamai Shelung) by Paltrul Rinpoche as a guideline. We have been fortunate to receive this teaching three times - twice from the previous Nechung Rinpoche in 1979 and 1982, and once from Khamtrul Rinpoche in 1989. We decided to do classes on a more regular basis, as there are often requests for basic meditation &
Buddhist instruction. Since lamas' programs take place only occasionally each year, these Saturday classes will fill the gap between visits. Marya will be leading the sessions.

 

We are also pleased to announce the winners of the Raffle Fundraiser, the winners were drawn by Nechung Rinpoche on Losar, the Tibetan New Year's Day party on Saturday 2/21/04. There were 111 prizes for a total of 374 tickets! The names of the winners will be sent in a separate email and the prizes for all the folks who were not at the party will be sent out via priority mail (soon!). Mahalo once again to all of you that support the temple!!

 

Losar was really a fun day, with traditional Tibetan chanting in the temple for an auspicious year, with good health and long life. We had tea and sweet rice in the main hall, followed by a pot luck lunch on the upper grounds. A group of Hilo ladies gave a hula performance - a special thanks to Maile Canario for organizing this.

 

It was a really wonderful for us to have Nechung Rinpoche here for such an extended stay. Shortly after his arrival, he gave his first public talk at the temple. It was very touching, since he is very shy, but gave a very eloquent talk on the basics of Buddhist practice, as well as a brief history of Nechung Monastery's importance in the Tibetan Culture, and a glimpse into his own lineage and personal background.

During the 3 week tour to the mainland (12/23/03 to 1/13/04), Rinpoche spoke to the Tibetan community at the Northwest Tibetan Association in Portland, Oregon. At the request of the Nechung Buddhist Center in SF, he gave two talks in Berkeley to the Tibetans, as well as to a Western audience. In New York, the Nechung Foundation organized a well attended event at the Tibet House. Our gratitude to Wangchuk & Sonam Dorje; and our Nechung brothers  Phelgye, Pedor, Gyaltsen, Rinchen, Gyume for their hospitality and hard work in organizing the events in these places.

On the East Coast, we also visited our good friend Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, the head of International Campaign for Tibet in Washington DC, who hosted a dinner party at his home. Our thanks to Gyari Rinpoche and his wife Dawala; as well as to Namgyal and Tenzin for hosting our stay in DC.

Back home, Rinpoche gave a weekend retreat at the temple on the "Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind" (towards the Spiritual Path) and the "Seven Point Cause & Effect Method to Generate Bodhicitta" on January 31st and February 1st. The teachings were clear and concise, and well attended with participants coming from off-island, and as far away as Alaska.

At the request of the Maui Dharma Center in Paia, Rinpoche visited Maui for several days (2/14/04 to 2/17/04) again speaking on essential points of practice. It was a very special time for Miguel and myself, since we saw many old friends from the '70's who were students of the previous Rinpoche and who were involved in the early temple days. We wish to thank everyone that made the Maui visit such a memorable event, particularly Lama Gyaltsen & Georgiana Cook from the center; Starr, Henry and Yugan with whom we stayed; Joss & Tom for the use of their car; Kushog Dhontrub, and Theresa & Steve for hosting several lovely meals.

 

Please join us for these following programs at Wood Valley Temple. For moreinf ormation, call 808-928-8539 or email: nechung@aloha.net  We thank you for your continuing support and wish you all the Best in the New Year!!

Sunday, November 20, 2005 - 2:00 PM
Thanksgiving Interfaith Service with religious groups in Ka'u. Snacks will be served afterwards, please bring something to share.

Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2005 - 10 AM to 5 PM  daily A Retreat on "PARTING FROM THE 4 ATTACHMENTS" with Khenpo Lodro Thaye Rinpoche. $150 for the weekend, includes lunch on both days. Limited accommodations are available, please inquire.

"If you have attachment to this life,
You are not a spiritual person.
If you have attachment to the world of existence,
You do not have renunciation.
If you have attachment to your own purpose,
You do not have the enlightenment thought.
If grasping arises,
You do not have the view."


These 4 verses were transmitted from Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of  Wisdom directly to the great Sakya Lama, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo while he was in a meditation retreat on Manjusri. Within these 4 verses are the entire foundation of Buddhist teachings, including:

*4 Thoughts - Precious Human Birth, Transitory Nature of Life, Suffering of Cyclic Existence, Cause and Effect.
*The 4 Limitless Thoughts - Equanimity, Loving Kindness, Compassion, Joy.
*Samatha - Calm Abiding Meditation and Vipassana - Insight Wisdom

Sunday, January 1, 2006 - 10 AM
New Year's Celebration - Auspicious Prayers, Potluck Lunch


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Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling is a 501(c)3 non-profit religious organization.

Post Office Box 250 Pahala, Hawaii 96777
Voice: (808) 928-8539
Facsimile: (808) 928-6271

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