Coming Events And Programs
To receive periodic e-newsletters regarding our events and programs, please join our email list.
JULY and AUGUST 2024 SCHEDULE:
DETAILS BELOW
Each month, TBLC holds a prayer and meditation session in the Main Temple. Recited in English, these prayers have been translated from a Tibetan non-sectarian liturgy originally arranged for large assemblies of Tibetan monks and nuns when gathering in Bodh Gaya, India, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment.[Those who plan to attend the 2pm Dharma class are welcome to bring their lunch and eat in the TBLC School House.]
TBLC Resident Monastic Scholar and Teacher Geshe Lobsang Sopa will give his commentary on Lama Tsongkhapa’s short verse work, Concise Meaning of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. As with Lama Tsongkhapa’s Medium and Great Treatises on the Stages of the Path, this condensed poetic composition is revered for unifying the profound and extensive lineages of the path to enlightenment as handed down from the great trailblazers, Nargarjuna and Asanga. Though succinct, it is packed with meaning and conveys the entire range of the path taught by the Buddha, from the very beginnings of spiritual practice to the full embodiment of enlightenment. 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.
For a link to our livestream channel, click here:
A LEARNING INTENSIVE WITH GUY NEWLAND
The Buddha taught that freedom from suffering depends upon the development of a powerful wisdom that cuts through appearances and sees reality as it is. But how does one generate such a wisdom viewing profound emptiness without dismissing the ordinary and diverse world—a world in which distinctions, such as those between virtue and nonvirtue, are essential to ethical life? For this learning intensive, Professor of Religion at Central Michigan University and long term TBLC Guest Teacher Guy Newland will guide attendees in the study of the “two truths”—ultimate truth and conventional truth. Steeped in Tibetan Buddhist scholarship on the doctrine of emptiness, Professor Newland is uniquely suited to present the wide range of Tibetan Buddhist philosophical viewpoints on the two truths, and to help us understand the topic’s relevance to Buddhist practice.
Learning Intensive Daily Schedule:
- Saturday, July 20: 10:30am-5:00pm
- Sunday, July 21: 10:30am-12:30pm
Fees:
- Saturday full day (includes lunch): $60
- Sunday morning only: $20
- Two days, daytime only (includes lunch on Saturday): $80
- Two days plus overnight (includes dinner and breakfast): $120
How to pay: In person attendees: TBLC is not able to process
- advanced payments or reimbursements for cancellations. Please
- simply pay upon arrival, cash or check only. Livestream attendees:
- all TBLC Livestreamed events are free; however, donations are
- welcome. For details, please see our contact page.contact page
Reservations for in-person attendance: Space is limited. To sign up,
- lease email Joshua Cutler at info@labsum.org and give your name,
- intended dates of attendance, contact email, and phone.
Livestreaming: For a link to our livestream channel, click here: Live Webcasts.
Each month, TBLC holds a prayer and meditation session in the Main Temple. Recited in English, these prayers have been translated from a Tibetan non-sectarian liturgy originally arranged for large assemblies of Tibetan monks and nuns when gathering in Bodh Gaya, India, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment.
The Maitreya Festival is the biggest day of the TBLC annual calendar and will be held this year on August 18th. This event includes a procession, a taped message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, prayers from the assembled monks, a Maitreya Teaching from our Resident Monastic Scholar Ven. Geshe Yeshe Thabkhe translated into English by Joshua W.C. Cutler, and delicious Festival food. All your friends and family are welcome to attend this auspicious event.
- 12:30 pm: Festival Lunch under the tent
- 1:30 pm: Procession begins from the TBLC Main Temple
What to bring: the Maitreya Festival is primarily an outdoor event, but happens rain or shine, so please plan accordingly and bring items needed such as sunscreen, sun hats, umbrellas, and picnic blankets. Limited outdoor seating will be available. For further details, click here.
Geshe Wangyal,The Door of Liberation: Essential Teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. Available through Wisdom Publications
The Dalai Lama,From Here to Enlightenment: An Introduction to Tsong-kha-pa’s Classic Text: The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. Translated and edited by Guy Newland. Available through Shambhala Publications.
For a link to Thupten Jinpa’s free downloadable translation of Lama Tsongkhapa’s text under the name, “Songs of Spiritual Experience: Condensed Points of the Stages of the Path,” click here.
For a helpful chart showing the relationship between: 1) the three principles of the path, 2) the three types of persons, and 3) the stages of the path to enlightenment, see our Resources and Links page or click here.
For the June Compassion Learning Intensive:
Tsongkhapa. Illuminating the Intent: An Exposition of Candrakirti’s Entering the Middle Way. Translated by Thupten Jinpa. Available through Wisdom Publications.
For the July Learning Intensive on the Two Truths:
Guy Newland. Appearance and Reality: The Two Truths in the Four Buddhist Tenet Systems. Available through Shambhala Publications.
Guy Newland. The Two Truths: In the Madhyamika Philosophy of the Ge-luk-ba Order of Tibetan Buddhism. Available on Shambhala Publications.
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. For further details, click here.
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 prayer recitation in the TBLC Main Temple and a talk by Executive Director Joshua Cutler, followed by refreshments in the School House.
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).