Midwest Dharma

Tibetan Chanting before and during the visit of Dalai Lama's sister to Minneapolis

Jetsun Pema, sister of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, will be in Minneapolis at the end of May.  The following details appeared in an article on www.edgelife.net:

Year of Tibet in Minnesota
In celebration and honor of the Tibetan community in the Twin Cities, the second largest such group in the United States, a festival entitled "2007: A Year of Tibet in Minnesota" will take place in May, featuring the Gyoto Monks of Tibet, the personal assistant to the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan Film Festival and a visit from Mrs. Jetsun Pema, sister of the Dalai Lama.

The Gyoto Monks of Tibet will be in the Cities May 11-21 to demonstrate their worship rituals, performing with flutes, horns, drums and unique multiphonic singing and chanting. The monks also are known for their intricate sand mandalas and butter sculptures, which will be created in front of live audiences at the Minnesota Institute of Art.

The keynote speaker will be the personal assistant to the Dalai Lama, Mrs. Jetsun Pema, sister of the Dalai Lama. She will be speaking at St. Catherine's on two occasions, and a local Tibetan dance group will perform a series of traditional folk dances in costume. Like her famous brother, the 14th Dalai Lama, Mrs. Pema is known for her personal warmth and wisdom. She has taken on the task of caring for the welfare of the thousands of orphaned and destitute children who continue to flee from oppression still imposed by the Chinese government.

THE CHOIR'S PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Next Saturday: 8 p.m., Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis; tickets $15 ($10 for seniors and students); 612-333-1381 or www.mary.org.

May 13: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Minneapolis Institute of Art's Family Day; free.

May 20: 6:30 p.m., Center for Religious Inquiry at St. Mark's Cathedral, Minneapolis; tickets $15 ($10 for seniors and students); 612-870-7800 or www.religiousinquiry.com.

May 24: 7:30 p.m., Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis; tickets $15 in advance, $20 at door ($10 for students); 612-338-2674 or www.thecedar.com.

May 27: 7 p.m., St. Joan of Arc Church, Minneapolis; tickets $15 ($10 for seniors and students); 612-823-8205 or www.stjoan.com.

Pema will be keynote speaker at the following venues, which will also feature the choir:

May 29: 7 p.m., Children's Theatre, Minneapolis; tickets $22-$28 ($15 for children, seniors and students); 612-874-0400 or www.childrenstheatre.org.

May 31 and June 1: 7 p.m., Jeanne D'Arc Auditorium, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul; tickets $20; 651-690-6000 or www.ticketworks.org.

Schedule provided by an article in the Star Tribune.

 

New class starting this Wednesday with Khen Rinpoche

Essential Dharma - Key Principles of the Buddhist Path

Wedneday evenings, Feb. 21st to March 28th, 7:15 - 9pm

In these teachings, Khen Rinpoche will present the most important principles of the Buddhist path. The series will begin with a teaching on the stages of meditation practice in the Tibetan tradition, before moving on to other core concepts, such as devotion and the guru principle, the twelve links of interdependent origination, visualization and mantra, the six perfections, and the two truths. The topics discussed in these lectures are all considered "essential" principles to understand for spiritual study and practice. All are invited to attend; drop-ins welcome.

Suggested donation:    $20 per class or $90 for the 6 class series

Location:                     Khen Rinpoche's residence
                                    2414 Taylor St. NE
                                    Minneapolis, MN 55418

Khen Rinpoche is currently in the Twin Cities through the support and generoisity of the Rime Foundation.  You can find further information as well as Rinpoche's biography and teaching schedule at www.rimefoundation.org

Tibetan Ledaer Calls on Speaker Pelosi

Click here for the ICT article on the meeting between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Chairman of the Tibetan Cabinet.  Speaker Pelosi has been a long time friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and supporter of Tibetan issues in the Congress.

HHDL in Chicago - tickets go on sale March 9th!

The website for the Dalai Lama's visit to Chicago has been launched and tickets will go on sale March 9th.  Click here for details.

If you are flying from the Minneapolis area, flights are on sale as low as $88-99 roundtrip.  Check with Airtan Airways or Northwest Airlines or, better yet, contact me! 

How to Be a Bodhisattva

Dharma talk posted on the Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center website-

February 4, 9:45
Dharma Talk: “How to Be a Bodhisattva”
by Roger Jackson

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a future buddha, or enlightened being. In
the Mahayana Buddhism that predomintes in East Asian and Tibetan
Buddhism, any of us can aspire to buddhahood–and become a bodhisattva,
intent on achieving enlightenment for the sake of all beings. The talk
will focus on a classic manual for would-be bodhisattvas, “The Way of
the Bodhisattva,” by the eighth-century Indian Buddhist monk,
Shantideva. Shantideva’s text is full of poetry, paradox, psychological
insight, and philosophical wisdom, and he leaves us inspired to believe
that the bodhisattva’s task, difficult as it may be, is one that each
of us can undertake.

Roger Jackson is the Stephen R. Lewis, Jr. Professor of Religion and
the Liberal Arts at Carleton College, where he teaches the religions of
South Asia. He is the author of many works on Buddhist topics, and is a
long-time practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches regularly at
Gyuto Wheel of Dharma Monastery in Minneapolis, and is a founding
member of the Northfield Buddhist Meditation Group.

HHDL in Madison, WI

May 3 & 4: His Holiness will give teachings on tokchod donlekma and lamrim dudon and also confer the Green Tara Empowerment (doljang jenang) in Madison, Wisconsin at the request of Geshe Lhundup Sopa of Deer Park Center. Contact Website: http://deerparkcenter.org

His Hliness will also scheduled to give a public talk on Friday night at the UW-Madison campus. 

Click here for more details.

Great new Google search engine for Shambhala searches

A fellow sangha member created a Shambhala Google Custom Search Engine for all things Shambhalian. 

It searches over the following sites:

www.thebuddhadharma.com
www.shambhalasun.com
www.shambhala.org.uk/*
www.shambhalashop.com
www.dorjedenmaling.com
shambhala.pl
la.shambhala.org
ny.shambhala.org
www.karmecholing.org
mipham.com
http://www.shambhala.org/*
www.dechencholing.org/*
shambhala-europe.org/
gampoabbey.org/*
www.shambhalamountain.org/*
www.shambhala.com/html/learn/features/ctr/email-quotes.cfm
www.chogyamtrungpa.com/*
vienna.shambhala-europe.org/*
www.shambhala.org/*
shambhala.si/*

Check it out!!

The Cup

From my friend Edwin comes this opportunity to see Khyentse Norbu's The Cup:

The Minneapolis Spiritual Film School is expanding the themes of Spiritual Film School to include characters who spiritually transform through choices, events, and experiences in their lives.

Please join us on January 20th at 7pm to view, " The Cup", a film about  Buddhist students at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India.   These students are determined to watch the "World Cup" Soccer game. The go through many trials and lessons  in order to try to  make this happen. Their teachers watch and guide the process debating how or if this will this help their student's spiritual development.

This is a simple film about determination. obedience, and faith.

Location:
Center of Light
3200 Humboldt Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55408

For more details, see the full listing:

When: Saturday, January 20, 2007 at 7:00 PM

If you plan to attend, please take a moment to RSVP. (You can RSVP 'No' or 'Maybe' as well as 'Yes'.)
If you don’t want to “join” the Minneapolis Spiritual Film School, but would like to come, just call Rev. Joan at 612-986-5575.

The Minneapolis Spiritual Film School website

Buddhist Talk at MIA

The Asian Art Curatorial Council presents

The Face of Enlightenment: Buddhist Portraiture

A lecture by Matthew Welch, Curator of Japanese and Korean Art

The historic sage, Sakyamuni, is revered as both a transcendent being
and an archetypal teacher whose personal struggle provided inspiration
to countless followers. Buddhist art is dominated by images of cosmic
deities, but portraits of notable priests, devoted laymen, and religious
eccentrics are also plentiful. This lecture will explore the great
variety of Buddhist portraiture, ranging from images that convey the
intense dedication of Buddhist masters to those that suggest something
of the Buddha-nature itself through playful, even irreverent depictions.

This lecture is presented in memory of Elaine Dennett, longtime museum
and Asian Art Council member, Art Adventure Guide, volunteer, and
friend. A reception will follow in the Fountain Court.

Thursday, January 18, 2007, 6:30 P.M.
Pillsbury Auditorium; The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Free to everyone, but tickets required. For reservations call (612)
870-6323

Another good blog....

Check out The Seagull Has Landed for a travellers perspective on China & Tibet...