Sunday, April 4 at 1:30 pm
Instructor: Khenpo Jampa Tenphel
Translator: Rigdzin Tingkhye
Suggested Contribution: $25 Public, $20 Members
Instructor: Khenpo Jampa Tenphel
Translator: Rigdzin Tingkhye
Suggested Contribution: $25 Public, $20 Members
Bodhicitta (the mind of enlightenment) is one of the three vehicles. The Bodhisattvacharyavatara is one of the main sutras, which addresses the path of the person desiring perfection of bodhicitta. Khenpo-la, who joined Sakya Monastery in late 2009, will give a lecture on a different aspect of this sutra on the first Sunday afternoon of each month (unless a conflict arises, such as July 4).
Teaching 1 – The Preliminary: the Importance of Guru Yoga
The preliminary teaching is guru yoga. To understand a teaching, you must understand the importance of your Gawamen – your spiritual teacher — first. This topic is so important that it is covered in both the sutras and the tantras; it is part of all studies of Buddhism, not just Tibetan Buddhism. How should you consider your guru? How approach and interact with a spiritual teacher?
Khenpo Jampa Tenphel comes to us from Dzongsar Institute in India, where he was the library director as well as a tutor for many years. He received a Degree of Acharya (equivalent to an M.A.) in Buddhist Philosophy in 2002 and was ordained as an Abbott in 2004. He has received many teachings and initiations from all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism (Sakya, Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma). Many of those teachings and initiations were from H.H. the Dalai Lama and H.H. Sakya Trizin. He has also received the Lamdre teaching from H.H. Dagchen Rinpoche. His root lamas are H.H. Sakya Trizin, H.H. Luding Khen Rinpoche, and H.H. Dagchen Rinpoche. At Sakya Monastery, Khenpo Jampa teaches intermediate and advanced level curriculum on Buddhist philosophy and also serves as the librarian for the growing collection of Tibetan Buddhist scriptures.