By Lama Migmar
Dates: Monday through Friday, November 4th through 8th, from 1:00-2:00 pm.
Location: Library
Free, donations accepted

This event will take place over five days in November, 2019. The Library will be open for viewing during the above times.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “cosmogram,” or “world in harmony.”

Sand painting is one of the oldest artistic traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In Tibetan, sand mandala is called Dhultson Kyilkhor, which means “mandala of colored sand powder.”

In Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism, it is said that wherever a Sand Mandala is created, all sentient beings and the surrounding environment are blessed. It is said that for children in particular, upon seeing the Sand Mandala, one is left with very positive imprints which will germinate as sprouts of peace as they grow older.

Join us as Lama Migmar shows us how this amazing process is done, talks to us about what Sand Mandalas represent, and how they are used as a meditational aid.

Venerable Lama Migmar was born in Kham (eastern Tibet) and studied Dharma at Kyegu Monastery, the largest and oldest Sakya monastery in the Kham region. He became a monk in 1983. He trained extensively in both sculpture and painting, and went on deity retreats. He was the primary disciple of his master Lobsang Thugje from 1987 to 1993; his master created the statues in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala. In 1996, Lama Migmar went to Nepal and worked Thrangu Monastery for several years. After that, he worked in Malaysia in both the H.H. the Karmapa’s center and in Thrangu Rinpoche’s center. Lama Migmar’s work is featured in Kagyu, Nyingma, Gelug, and Sakya monasteries throughout Kham; one monastery contains over 100 of his Shitro deity statues. He has lived in India, Nepal and Malaysia, and created extensive artwork in those locations. He came to Sakya Monastery in 2006, and is Sakya Monastery’s resident artist. He has completed many works, including a large thangka of the Sakya Lamdre lineage on the Southwest wall of the Sakya Monastery Shrine Room. In 2018, he unveiled a thangka of Chenrezi. Currently he is working on other Buddhist paintings and can be commissioned to create thangkas, statues, sand mandalas, and deity masks for Buddhist practitioners.

By Lama Kelsang
Date: Saturday, November 16, 2019
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: Sakya Monastery Shrine Room
Suggested Donation: $20 Members, $30 Non-Members

A shrine is a place that holds the symbols of enlightened body speech and mind. A home shrine creates a sacred space for you to focus your spiritual practice. By making offerings, we purify our obscurations and generate positive merit, which moves us further along the path to enlightenment.

Lama Kelsang teaches us about the significance of making offerings and demonstrate how to make offerings of body, speech and mind to the Three Jewels. He also shows us how to set up the offering bowls, placement of statues and holy pictures, and other offering items on the shrine.

Ven. Lama Kelsang was born in 1980. In his early twenties, he entered Sakya College in Dehradhun, India, where he took monastic vows. There, he studied Buddhist philosophy for five years. During those years, he also received empowerments and teachings from H.H Dalai Lama, H.H Sakya Trichen Rinpoche, H.E Luding Khen Rinpoche, H.E Thartse Khenpo, and Khenchen Kunga Wangchok. He next went to Nepal’s Tharlam Monastery and completed a Manjushri retreat for three months. He received the Lamdre from H.H. Jidgal Dachen Dorje Chang in 2007. He was appointed as a tutor to H.E Asanga Rinpoche, a position he held from 2008 until 2012. After 2012, he was on a three year retreat. He has completed five times the requisite one-hundred thousand accumulations for the preliminary practices (ngondro) and has also completed the preliminary and main practice of Luminous Great Perfection, and the ritual practices of the Longchen Nyingtik tradition. He has lived at Sakya Monastery since 2017.

By H.E. Dagmo Kusho Sakya
Date: Sunday, November 17, 2019
Time: 11:15 am
Location: Sakya Monastery Shrine Room
Free, donations accepted.
Live Stream available at http://dagmokusho.sakya.org

H.E. Dagmo Kusho Sakya (aka Dagmola) will give a brief teaching about Buddhism for Beginners.

Her Eminence Dagyum Kusho Sakya, also known as H.E. Dagmo Kusho, was born in Kham, Eastern Tibet. As the niece of one of the most highly realized Sakya Masters of the twentieth century, H.E. Dezhung Rinpoche III, her training in Buddhist practice began at an early age. She has received extensive teachings and empowerments from many great lamas of all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism throughout her lifetime. Dagyum Kusho is the wife of H.H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Dorje Chang of the Khön lineage, a Head Lama of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism. She is currently the Acting Head Lama of the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle, Washingon. Dagyum Kusho specializes in Tara empowerments, practices, and teachings, and has many students throughout the world.