Coming Events And Programs
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JULY TO AUGUST 2022 SCHEDULE:
*SAVE THE DATE: ANNUAL MAITREYA FESTIVAL AUGUST 14TH*
We are planning to have an outdoor Maitreya Festival this year on August 14th. Details will be posted later this summer. Please check back.
JULY 3, 2022: 2pm-3:30pm
Livestreamed only: Sunday Teachings
TBLC Resident Monastic-Scholar Geshe Thupwang will give his commentary on Gyelsay Togmay Sangpo’s Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas. Translation will be provided by TBLC Co-Director, Joshua W.C. Cutler.
JULY 16 and 17, 2022:
In Person Outdoors/Livestreamed: Two-Day Learning Intensive
CULTIVATING THE SPIRIT OF ENLIGHTENMENT: LEARNING INTENSIVE WITH VENERABLE GESHE YESHE THABKHE
Progressing from happiness to happiness
What thinking person would despair?
After mounting the horse—the spirit of enlightenment—
That carries away all weariness and effort.
–Shantideva
TBLC is pleased to offer a summer learning intensive on the topic of cultivating bodhicitta, the altruistic spirit of enlightenment. This two-day event will be daytime only and held outdoors under a festival tent, rain or shine. It will also be available livestreamed (For access instructions, see below). Resident monastic scholar and long-term TBLC teacher Venerable Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe will give teachings on 8th century Indian Buddhist master Shantideva’s classic work, Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds. Translation will be provided by TBLC Co-Director, Joshua W.C. Cutler. TBLC dharma classes are appropriate for both beginning and advanced students of Buddhism and all are welcome. Students are not required to sign up for both days and may attend any or all sessions they are able to attend.
Learning Intensive Daily Schedule:
Saturday, July 16: 10:30am-4:00pm
Sunday, July 17: 10:30am-4:00pm
Fees:
One day, daytime only (includes lunch): $60
Two days, daytime only (includes lunch for each day): $120
Facilities: Please note that, due to COVID concerns, this is an outdoor-only, daytime event. No overnight accommodations will be available for this program. Lunch will be provided outdoors and public bathrooms will be available in the Main Temple. The TBLC School House will remain closed to visitors.
Reservations: Space is limited. Call 908-689-6080 between 9am-6pm and leave your name, intended dates of attendance, and contact email.
AUGUST 7, 2022: 2pm-3:30pm
Livestreamed only: Sunday Teachings
TBLC Resident monastic scholar and long-term TBLC teacher Venerable Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe will give his commentary on Gyelsay Togmay Sangpo’s Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas. Translation will be provided by TBLC Co-Director, Joshua W.C. Cutler.
AUGUST 14, 2022: ANNUAL MAITREYA FESTIVAL
We plan to hold our annual Maitreya Festival this year on August 14th. Please check back on this page as the date approaches for further information.
SUGGESTED TEXTS
Both Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds and the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas are beloved texts with many translations and commentaries. Here are some possible resources:
For the Learning Intensive:
Santideva. A Guide to a Bodhisattva Way of Life. Translated and Edited by Vesna A. Wallace and B. Wallace. Available through Shambhala Publications.
For the First Sunday Classes:
Geshe Sonam Rinchen and Ruth Sonam, trans. and eds. The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: An Oral Teaching. Available through Amazon.
Geshe Jampa Thegchog, Transforming Adversity into Joy and Courage: An Explanation of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. Edited by Thubten Chodron. Available through Amazon.
LIVE STREAM AND VIDEO
ANNUAL EVENTS AND PROGRAMS
ANNUAL LEARNING INTENSIVES
TBLC annual learning intensives take place over a two or three-day weekend and are an opportunity for an in-depth exploration of different Buddhist topics. Each day is usually divided into four one-hour sessions, but this sometimes varies to accord with the main teacher’s preference. Plenty of time is set aside for questions and answers. Besides intellectual inquiry, there is often guided meditation, depending on the subject matter. The classes are appropriate for both beginning and advanced students of Buddhism.
MAITREYA FESTIVAL
The Maitreya Festival is the biggest day of the TBLC annual calendar. This event includes a procession, a taped message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, prayers from the assembled monks, a Talk given on the Teachings of Maitreya, and delicious Festival food. All your friends and family are welcome to attend this auspicious event.
FOUNDER’S DAY
Founder’s Day is a celebration of Geshe Wangyal’s arrival in the United States on February 5, 1955, and was started by Geshe-la a few years before his death on January 30, 1983. As Geshe-la died on a date nearby his arrival date, Founder’s Day is also a remembrance of his passing away. This event includes a luncheon, prayer recitation in the TBLC Temple, and a talk by Executive Director Joshua Cutler.
Click here to download a biographical sketch of Geshe Wangyal.
Joshua W. C. Cutler gave the following talk on Founder’s Day February 5, 2007.
Joshua W. C. Cutler gave the following talk on Founder’s Day February 3, 2008.
Joshua W. C. Cutler gave the following talk on Founder’s Day February 7, 2010.
RECOMMENDED READINGS:
In general: Geshe Wangyal’s Door of Liberation, The Prince who Became a Cuckoo: A Tale of Liberation, and The Jeweled Staircase, Je Tsong-kha-pa’s Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment(Lam Rim Chen Mo).