Vajrasattva ~ Dor Sem Lama Chod Pa
Daily 6:30 – 8:00 a.m.

This Vajrasattva practice is performed in its most concise manner every morning at the temple. All students are invited to attend.

Tsokye Tug Tig ~ Guru Rinpoche
10th day of the lunar calendar:
7 – 9 p.m.

Guru Rinpoche, or Padmasambhava, brought Buddhism from India to Tibet in the 8th century and is especially revered by practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. Guru Rinpoche promised, “I will come to remove the suffering of the people on the tenth day of every moon. Do not forget to pray.” Guru Rinpoche Day is one of the two main monthly rituals within Vajrayana Buddhism. The practice we engage in at Tashi Choling, the “Heart Essence of the Lake-Born Vajra,” is a mind treasure or terma of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and its primary focus is that of guru devotion. A tsog is included. All are welcome but obtaining the empowerment from a qualified lama is suggested.

Amitabha
15th day of the lunar calendar:
7 – 9 p.m. Full Moon

Amitabha is the Buddha of Limitless Light, and presides over the western Buddha realm of Great Bliss, known as Dewachen. Because of the intensity and power of the vows Amitabha made while a bodhisattva, his pure land is the easiest to be reborn in. Amitabha himself taught this practice to the Buddhist master, Migyur Dorje, and its purpose is to create the causes for rebirth in Dewachen. There, beings have the optimum circumstances for accelerating on the path to liberation. At Tashi Choling this practice is done especially for the benefit of those who have recently died, and also for the benefit of the practitioners. A tsog offering is included. All are welcome, though an empowerment from a qualified lama is suggested.

Tröma Nagmo
25th day of the lunar calendar weekdays: 7 – 9 p.m.
Weekends: 2 – 6 p.m.

The Black Dakini, Tröma Nagmo, embodies the wrathfully compassionate nature of primordial wisdom.The practice of the Black Dakini, Tröma Nagmo, is considered a pinnacle among the Vajrayana practices and, if undertaken with diligence, ensures an extremely quick path to liberation. Considered the innermost secret aspect of the dakini essence, Tröma embodies the wrathfully compassionate nature of primordial wisdom. Either the concise or extensive practice is undertaken at Tashi Chöling on Dakini Day, the other of our two main monthly rituals. A tsog offering is included, and one must have received the empowerment to attend.

Khandro Tuk Tig ~ Yeshe Tsogyal
30th day of the lunar calendar/New Moon
7 – 9 p.m.

Khandro Tuk Tig, or Heart Drop of the Dakini, is the practice of Yeshe Tsogyal, Guru Rinpoche’s primordial wisdom consort. The Khandro Tuk Tig practice is a treasure revelation or terma of H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and gives rise to the development of primordial wisdom. A tsog is included. All are welcome, though empowerment by a qualified lama is suggested.

Green Tara, one or more Sundays per month:
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 pm.

The Green Tara practice at Tashi Choling was begun as Gyatrul Rinpoche’s answer to a request from his students for a practice that would directly benefit a Sangha member in difficult circumstances. Green Tara is a female Buddha who swiftly comes to the aid of those who beseech her for protection. She has vowed to benefit those suffering from illness, mental and emotional pain, dangerous situations and all types of calamity. This practice is held each Sunday morning except when it is rescheduled during retreats and other events (check the CALENDAR for info.) Due to the power of Tara’s compassion, sessions are open to all, with or without having obtained the empowerment, and each one is performed for those in need.

Buddha Shakyamuni Festival Day pujas

Every year, the Four Festival Days commemorating events in the life of the historical Buddha are observed with pujas and large tsog offerings at Tashi Choling. Chotrul Duchen, following Losar, celebrates the Buddha’s display of fifteen days of miracles in order to aid the devotion of disciples. Saga Dawa, usually in May, is the festival of the Buddha’s enlightenment and parinirvana. Chokhor Duchen recognizes his first teaching, ‘The Four Noble Truths’, seven weeks after enlightenment. Lha Bab Duchen, in late autumn, marks Buddha Shakyamuni’s descent from heaven. The Buddha Shakyamuni practice we engage in to honor these auspicious dates is open to all. Festival Day dates and times will be recorded on our Info Line.

Vajrakilaya ~ Pudri Reg Phung & Tibetan New Year / Losar Practices

Tibetan New Year, or Losar, is one of the major religious and secular festivals of the Tibetan lunar calendar. At Tashi Chöling, Losar day itself is preceded by three days of Vajrakilaya practice (see Vajrakilaya Drup Chöd below), a traditional way to approach the new year. This ritual purifies the negativities and obscurations accumulated during the previous year, and removes obstacles for the one ahead. The day before Losar that falls on the new moon is set aside for house and temple cleaning in preparation for the festivities. On Losar day, an abundant Vajrasattva puja and tsog (food offering) ceremony is performed by our community. All are invited to attend this puja and/or assist in the merit of temple preparation. This event is typically celebrated in February or March.

Vajrasattva Drup Chöd ~ Dor Sem Lama Chöd Pa

Vajrasattva is the main deity practice for purification in the Vajrayana tradition and is practiced in various forms. This buddha is white in color, symbolizing purity, and holds a dorje (vajra) at his heart and a bell at his hip, signifying the union of skillful means and wisdom. This practice engages in the method of offering, through which one gains the merit to purify obscurations and negativities. Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche explains, “This retreat itself is a Vajrasattva lama offering, a lama accomplishment practice. We are essentially meditating on our own lama in the pure, enlightened form of Vajrasattva, Dorje Sem Pa, and we accomplish or realize the true nature of the lama in the form of Vajrasattva through this practice.” This retreat is open to all, with or without the empowerment, and is undertaken in the spring, usually in mid to late May.

Vajrakilaya Drup Chöd

Vajrakilaya is the primary meditational deity of the Nyingmapa tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism, and the practice undertaken and accomplished by the majority of its great realized masters. A compassionate expression of the Buddha nature, Vajrakilaya is the wrathful manifestation of Vajrasattva, arising to purify the source of all suffering, which is ignorance. Particularly known for its reversal of obstacles, this powerful ritual is performed to transform negativity, sickness, and obscurations, bringing about well being and ultimate enlightenment. Both the higher and lower activities are engaged in, first concentrating on recognizing the mandala of Vajrakilaya by way of mantra recitation and visualization. The lower activity then invokes the deity’s liberating energy in a very wrathful aspect in order to bring about the transformation of negativity for ourselves and the community at large. This retreat and practice requires an empowerment and/or permission from the Lama and takes place in the fall, generally in October – November.

Tröma Nagmo ~ Chöd

The Black Dakini, Troma Nagmo, embodies the wrathfully compassionate nature of primordial wisdom.The practice of chod is considered a most profound method for cutting through the ego, and subsequently ignorance. The cycle of practices from Dudjom Lingpa’s lineage of mind treasures that engages the black dakini, Troma Nagmo, is vast and many of its aspects are practiced at Tashi Choling. This includes the Troma ngondro, the Four Feasts, both concise and intermediate sadhanas and the phowa. Cutting through attachment in an extremely wrathful manner, this practice is preceded by many preliminary practices and requires an empowerment. Sangye Khandro leads this retreat in late winter, during February and/or March.

The Six Bardos Retreat

Our experience from day to day is considered one of the bardos discussed in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The term bardo refers to a transitional stage of consciousness, and in fact all our activities, or bardo experiences, are opportunities for realization. Daytime life, meditative states of awareness, the dream state, the moment of death, the transition between death and rebirth - all are dealt with by way of various methods during this practice intensive, ultimately providing a profound state of freedom in every aspect of life. As directed and authorized by Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, senior student Les Collins leads this retreat every summer. An empowerment is not necessary to attend, though one needs to obtain permission from the Lama.