Welcome to Maitrivana
Maitrivana (Sanskrit: "Garden of Loving Kindness"), home of Nalandabodhi Vancouver, is a meditation and study centre offering an extensive, graduated curriculum of Buddhist theoretical study and meditation practice under the direction of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a leading scholar and meditation master in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche is fully fluent in English and is known for his penetrating intellect, warm humour, and lucid teaching style.
Maitrivana is located at 4610 Earles Street in east Vancouver.
Events, Programs & News
- Losar, the Tibetan New Year, falls on Wed., Feb. 22
- Mitra Lee Worley to teach in Vancouver (March 2 - 4)
- Monday Night DVD dharma series ("Vast Heart, Profound Mind")
- Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) Practice on Thursdays except Feb. 2 (suspended)
- Shamatha Meditation Practice on Wednesdays except Feb. 22 (suspended)
- Sunday Shamatha Meditation Practice, Sundays Feb. 5 and Feb. 19
- Tara Practice on Sunday, Feb. 12
- Sangha Day is suspended for Feburary
- "37 Cleaning Practices of a Bodhisattva" on Sun., Feb. 12
- New Study Group (Introduction to Buddhism 100) begins Sat., March 10
- "Mahayana 350: Mahayana Path and Fruition" study group continues Saturdays Feb. 4 and Feb. 18
Rebel Buddha
There's a rebel within you. It's the part of you that already knows how to break free of fear and unhappiness. This rebel is the voice of your own awakened mind. Dzogchen Ponlop guides you through the inner revolution that comes from unleashing your rebel buddha. For more information on Rebel Buddha, please visit www.rebelbuddha.com.
Rebel Buddha is available for sale at Lotus Books at Maitrivana.
Mitra Lee Worley to teach in Vancouver
March 2 - 4
@ Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
Lee Worley, the dean of Nalandabodhi's Mitra Council, will offer dharma teachings at Maitrivana on the weekend of March 2 - 4, 2012. Please mark the dates on your calendar.
Mitra Lee's program will be experiential and exploratory, as befits her longstanding work with Mudra Space Awareness. As she writes:
"The core principle of Mudra Space Awareness is to use the laboratory of the body to explore our potential to operate beyond the confines of conceptual mind, opening up channels for awareness to flow more freely. This development of direct experience strengthens "presence" and body/mind synchronization, uncovering fundamental confidence that goes beyond reference points and letting us return to a playful space of spontaneity."
Stay tuned for details of the weekend program.
ABOUT MITRA LEE WORLEY
Lee Worley is dean of the Mitra Council, a group of Western teachers appointed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche to provide leadership for the Practice and Study Paths of Nalandabodhi. The title "Mitra" is a Sanskrit word derived from kalyanamitra, spiritual friend.
Lee has been a student of Buddhism for over 30 years. In 1973, she began training in Mudra Space Awareness with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the Mudra Theater Group. Today, Lee is a Professor of Theater and Performance at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She is on the faculty team that develops pedagogy for Contemplative Education at the master's level.
THE PROGRAM (all times tentative)
Fri., Mar. 2: 7 pm - 9 pm
Sat., Mar. 3: 10 am - 12 noon; 2 pm 4 pm
Sun., Mar. 4: 10 am - 12 noon
Where: Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver.
Cost: TBA
To Pre-Register: TBA
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LOSAR, THE TIBETAN NEW YEAR
Wednesday, Feb. 22.
@ Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
Losar, the Tibetan New Year, falls on Wed., Feb. 22. Please join us at Maitrivana for a practice of renewal (10 am to 12 noon), then celebrate together at our complimentary Water Dragon lunch (12 til 1:30 pm). With luck, we will watch a Losar video message from Rinpoche.
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SUNDAY SHAMATHA PRACTICE
Sundays Feb. 5 and Feb. 19
@ Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
Sunday Morning Shamatha Practice (10 am til 12 noon). The morning will include both sitting and walking meditation. All welcome, by donation.
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TARA PRACTICE
Sunday Feb 12th
@ Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
Tara Practice (in English) is a powerful healing practice to dispel fears and remove obstacles. Our liturgy includes beautiful verses composed by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, the root teacher of Ponlop Rinpoche. ALL WELCOME, especially newcomers. By donation.
ABOUT TARA PRACTICE:
According to tradition, Arya Tara was first incarnated as a royal princess who gave rise to the enlightened intention to benefit all sentient beings (bodhicitta). She pledged to do so by attaining Buddhahood in the form and body of a woman. Arya Tara is said to have taken successive incarnations and displayed numerous emanations, always maintaining the way of a female bodhisattva.
SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
10 am - 10:30 am: Brief explanation of Tara Practice.
10:30 am - 12 noon: Tara Practice.
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DVD Dharma Teachings on Monday evenings
Teachings by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Every Monday except Feb. 27 (suspended)
@ Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
ABOUT THE TEACHINGS
"Vast Heart, Profound Mind" is an excellent series for beginners and established dharma students alike. In these teaching Ponlop Rinpoche provides profound and practical instructions for bringing both suffering and happiness to the Mahayana path.
In the series, Rinpoche teaches methods for changing our relationship with suffering and for learning to appreciate suffering's role in developing our heart of renunciation. This in turn helps us to overcome pride, purify karma, and generate compassion. Rinpoche also teaches methods for bringing happiness onto the path.
MONDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE
Doors open: 6:30 pm
Shamatha meditation: 6:45 pm - 7:15 pm
DVD teaching: 7:30 pm - approx. 8:15 pm, followed by informal discussion til 8:45 pm
Suggested donation: $5 or what you can afford - no one turned away
Open to all - drop-ins and newcomers are welcome, even if you have missed previous sessions!
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Shamatha (calm-abiding) Meditation Practice
Every Wednesday evening except Feb. 22 (suspended)
7 pm - 8:30
@ Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
Basic resting meditation is known as calm-abiding or shamatha meditation. Shamatha meditation is designed to help calm the mind and bring forth its natural qualities of spaciousness, clarity, and attentiveness.
The Wednesday evening practice includes sitting and walking meditation, with basic instruction if required.
OPEN TO ALL, NEWCOMERS WELCOME. By donation (no one turned away).
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Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) & Mahakala Practice
Thursdays except Feb. 2 (suspended)
Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
By donation - Newcomers welcome
Nalandabodhi Vancouver invites you to join us in practicing Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) and Mahakala practice every Thursday evening.
These are traditional practices chanted in Tibetan, led by our resident Lama, Lama Rabten Tshering.*
CHENREZIG (Avalokiteshvara) is the Buddha of Compassion. Practicing Chenrezig helps one to develop bodhicitta (loving kindness) towards all sentient beings.
MAHAKALA is a protector deity for the Karma Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Practicing Mahakala helps to pacify obstacles for oneself and others.
SCHEDULE
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm: Chenrezig
8:30 pm - 9:00 pm: Mahakala
By donation ($5 suggested donation, or what you can afford; no one turned away for lack of funds). For more information, contact vancouver@nalandabodhi.ca or phone 604 675 9282.
Open to everyone - newcomers are most welcome.
*If Lama Rabten is away, then this practice is led by senior Chenrezig & Mahakala practitioners.
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"37 Cleaning Practices of a Bodhisattva"
Sunday, Feb. 12
Maitrivana, 4610 Earles Street, Vancouver
"37 Cleaning Practices of a Bodhisattva" on Sun., Feb. 12 (12 to 12:37 pm). In which the Nalandabodhi sangha spends 37 mindful minutes tidying the centre - vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, washing, etc. - on the second Sunday of each month. Come for Tara Practice, then roll up your sleeves and buff the wheel of dharma.
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Rinpoche visits his Guru in Nepal
A Message from The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Dear Sangha Friends,
I recently had the great fortune to visit and spend time with my guru Khenpo Rinpoche at Tek Chok Ling in Kathmandu, Nepal. Rinpoche is doing very well and he is cheerful and happy to see students and give teachings. I, along with six other students arrived in Kathmandu on November 16. We had daily audiences with Rinpoche in the morning and received profound instructions in doha form. Students also had the chance to ask questions and Rinpoche answered them perfectly in doha verses, just as before. With his instructions, we also sang and danced as before. Rinpoche gave further instructions on how to dance. Rinpoche is also teaching the nuns occasionally and we were so lucky to have Rinpoche at one of the evening Tara dance practices of the nuns. As requested by the head nuns during my stay at Tek Chok Ling, and with the permission of Rinpoche, I taught the nuns on various topics, including Khenpo Rinpoche's guru yoga that was written by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. Rinpoche spends his time resting in the nature of mind retreat when he isn't seeing students or engaging with his close disciples and personal staff. I also met many of Rinpoche's disciples from the east and the west. They were also enjoying the true presence and instructions of our beloved father guru, who is the Buddha in person for us. As always, Rinpoche continues to manifest as a very spontaneous, unconventional, and uncompromising true vajra guru. His true, attachment-free love and compassion for beings is shining as brightly as ever with the sharp wisdom of his Buddha mind.
I was extremely happy to see the completion of the new nunnery, Tek Chok Ling and the Dhondrup Guesthouse. It was beautifully designed by an American architect named Lama Tenzin. The construction was directed by Chime Dorje, the son of Rinpoche's late general secretary, Karma Dargye. The nunnery is maintained and overseen beautifully by the Ani Lopon, Jampa Chozom. Rinpoche is served and cared for deeply by the nuns and his personal attendant and secretary Tsepak Dorje, another son of Rinpoche's late general secretary. Rinpoche is enjoying his presence there and is in good hands.
I wanted to share this cheerful news with all my dharma brothers and sisters of the lineage. Here are some pictures and A Dreamlike Song of Appearance-Emptiness which I had the fortune to write down. Please enjoy and continue to serve our lineage and our guru, Vajradhara Dechen Rangdrol.
With love,
dpr
Download A Dreamlike Song of Appearance-Emptiness (PDF)
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MAITRIVANA IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Nalandabodhi Vancouver's new Dharma Centre, Maitrivana (Sanskrit: "Garden of Loving Kindness"; pronounced my-tree-vana), is open to the public. All are welcome. Having completed our renovations (started in March 2007) and successfully acquiring a Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Vancouver (November 2007), we are fully permitted and equipped to host public programs.
Please visit our Calendar to see what kind of teaching, meditation, and study programs Nalandabodhi has to offer in the coming months.
Lhabab Duchen 2007: First group photo taken in Maitrivana's new and completed shrineroom.
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HELP NALANDABODHI HELP THE COMMUNITY
Artwork by His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Orgyen Drudul Trinley Dorje
Nalandabodhi, as a registered non-profit organization in Canada, provides high calibre Dharma study and practice opportunities to the greater community, at very nominal or no cost. We fundamentally believe that the teachings of the Buddha should be free!
However, being part of the material world, we must also meet our financial obligations, just like any other householder, including the mortgage for our new Dharma centre, Matirivana (The Garden of Loving Kindness).
Help us help others! If you happen to like what we do and what we have to offer the community, we have a very special way of enabling you to support us. To our great fortune, His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gifted Nalandabodhi with original artwork to aid our financial sustainability projects. We have made the highest quality fine art reproductions of this artwork and we're "selling" these limited edition reproductions to the public as way of generating financial support for our activities.
Note: watermarks do not appear on the originals
In the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, The Karmapa is regarded as a very high spiritual figure, much like His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
One of the best ways you can help Nalandabodhi is to purchase one of these Limited edition reproductions. All the funds generated by these art sales will go towards supporting Nalandabodhi with its Maitrivana project costs (i.e. renovation and ongoing mortgage costs). By purchasing one of His Holiness' artwork reproductions you not only support Nalandbodhi's activities, but you also take home a beautiful piece of spiritual artwork. To view samples and for more details click here.
