Tibetan Nyingma Institute Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World

SUNDAY PROGRAMS
Every Sunday at the Nyingma Institute!

Morning Meditation
9-9:45 AM
An opportunity to deepen your meditation practice and to introduce your friends or family to the benefits of Nyingma meditation. Each session includes brief meditation instruction followed by silent sitting. You are welcome to attend any Sunday session. No pre-registration or prior experience necessary.
Cost: $5. Free to currently enrolled students.

Kum Nye
10 AM to Noon
Discover the gentle movement exercises of Kum Nye: effective techniques for relaxation, healing, relieving tension, and revitalizing body and mind. Both experienced and beginning students are welcome to attend this drop-in class. Click here to view the Nyingma Institute Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) video.
Cost: $15.

Tibetan Chanting
5-6 PM
The practice of mantra enables us to restore a natural balance and harmony in our lives. When we chant a mantra, we are free to transcend habitual reflexes. The sound of mantra can still the mind and senses, relax the body, and connect us with natural healing energy. - Tarthang Tulku, Hidden Mind of Freedom.
Every Sunday we invite the public to join us for an hour of Tibetan chanting and meditation.
Free.

Sunday Talks
6-7 PM
A talk on Nyingma teachings is presented by a Nyingma Institute faculty member or visiting scholar. Topics and dates are listed below.
Free.

May Lecture Series: The Buddha and His Teachings

The Buddha taught that all beings possess the potential for enlightenment, and that, with the appropriate effort, anyone can become a fully awakened Buddha. If, however, the seed of enlightenment is to take root, the ground must be well prepared. Preparation includes study of the Buddha’s teachings and contemplation of the symbols that convey non-conceptual meaning directly to consciousness.

This May and through early June we are happy to present a series of talks and events that introduce and deepen knowledge of the Buddha and his teachings. These include the celebration of the Buddha’s birth and enlightenment and the opening of a new circumambulation path surrounding the golden Stupa that stands in the meditation garden. Other special events include evening meditation and chanting sessions held from 7-8:30 PM, Monday through Friday the week of June 3-7. All talks and events are free. Click here for details about these free events.

Sunday, May 5, 6-7 PM
Mark Henderson on “Life of the Buddha.”

Twenty-five centuries ago, Shakyamuni Buddha was born as a prince in India and gave up worldly concerns to obtain perfect and complete awakening. Nyingma Institute instructor Mark Henderson will tell the story of the life of the Buddha and lead a chant evoking the Buddha’s compassionate wisdom.

Sunday, May 12, 6-7 PM
Hugh Joswick on "Contemplations that Transform the Mind."

Like a bubble in a stream, life in all its aspects is completely unpredictable. Seeing this, we have a choice: We can devote our limited time to pursuit of desires, or we can inquire into what brings lasting satisfaction and meaning to human life. Tarthang Tulku, Path of Heroes.

Our time on earth is both fleeting and precious, yet it is pervaded by dissatisfaction and suffering.The Buddha’s teachings advise us to actively contemplate the value and rarity of our lives, to honestly see the patterns of suffering that bind us and also to see what frees us from their hold. Meditation teacher Hugh Joswick will describe how these contemplations orient the heart and mind toward goodness and help us focus on what has lasting value.

Sunday, May 19, 6-7 PM
Sylvia Gretchen on “Thirty-Seven Wings of Enlightenment.”

At the heart of Buddhist practice there is a beautiful vision of thirty-seven wings of enlightenment that bear us to full awakening. Each wing represents a stage in the living journey toward greater wisdom and compassion. Sylvia Gretchen, co-dean of the Institute, will speak about these ‘wings’ of enlightenment and show how they are symbolized in the sacred form of the Buddhist Stupa.

Sunday, May 26, 6-7 PM
Barr Rosenberg on "Lineage of Compassion."

Come now, I invite you to Buddha nature, and, along the way, to happiness. Shantideva, Bodhicharyavatara.

The heartfelt wish that one’s actions and spiritual practices contribute to the welfare of all beings informs the Buddhist path. Barr Rosenberg, co-dean of the Institute, will speak on the lineage of compassion that flows from the time of the Buddha to the present moment, basing his talk on a classic 7th century text, Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara.