Midwest Dharma

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

Teachings by Khen Rinpoche in Minneapolis

SATURDAY MORNING CLASSES
10:15 to 12:00  Location: Khenpo's Residence

    * The Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhist Meditation - the Practice of Ngöndro
      Saturday mornings, January 20th to March 10th

      The preliminary practices of Ngöndro are common to all sects and lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. These practices contain an outer phase, in which one contemplates topics such as impermanence and karma, and an inner phase. In this series of teachings, Khen Rinpoche will introduce the inner preliminary practices. These profound meditations are comprised of five steps that lead the practitioner to increasingly pure and subtle experiences of the awakened mind. These teachings are open to all. Drop-ins welcome.

      Suggested donation: $20/class or $120 for the entire series (8 classes)

      The classes in this series are as follows:

• January 20th - Entering the spiritual path and the practice of taking refuge
• January 27th - Cultivating compassion and the Bodhicitta prayer
• February 3th & 10th - Creating the right conditions for spiritual practice through the mandala offering
• February 17th & 24th - Purifying obstacles and negativity with the visualization and mantra of Vajrasattva
• March 3rd & 10th - Connecting directly with the enlightened state and the practice of guru yoga

Details available at the Rime website.

Teachings by Khen Rinpoche in Minneapolis

WEDNESDAY EVENING CLASSES
7:15 to 9:00 – Location: Shambhala Center

    * Peace of Mind - The Fundamental Practice of Tranquility Meditation
      – Wednesday evenings, Jan. 17th to Feb. 7th

      The practice of shamatha, or tranquility meditation, is designed to still the mind and bring about a profound state of peace and relaxation. Once this state is achieved, the practitioner will be well-equipped to begin more advanced forms of practice that aim to cultivate wisdom and connect directly with the nature of mind. In this series of teachings, Khen Rinpoche will explain the subtleties of this practice, bringing his own extensive experience as a meditator to bear on the topic. All are invited to attend. Drop-ins welcome.

      Suggested donation: $20 per class or $60 for the 4 class series

Details available at the Rime website.

NOTE: Check it out...I went to the first class - Rinpoche is a very accessible and knowledgeable teacher.  The translating is top-notch and Rinpoche's good grasp of English makes the students feel very "understood." - Debe 

Cultivating Compassion and Awakening the Heart

Khen Rinpoche Sherab Sangpo will present a series of meditations designed to awaken the heart, drawing on the Buddhist teachings of bodhicitta and the four immeasurables: love, compassion, joy and equanimity.  Spiritual practitioners of all levels are welcome to attend. 

Location: Shambhala Meditation Center of Minneapolis
                    2391 Grand Street NE
                    Minneapolis, MN 55418
                    612-331-7737

Suggested donation: $20 per class or $60 for the series

Download bodhicitta_class_flyer_2006.pdf

Visiting Tibetan Rinpoche offers teachings at Shambhala

The dharma is alive and well and flourishing in the Midwest! This blog is dedicated to the wide variety of thriving dharma centers located in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Although I am a regular member of the Shambhala Meditation Center of Minneapolis, I visit and blog on all manner of dharma centers. Since I travel a lot, I get to check out centers outside the Twin Cites as well. Please see my bio for more info about me...here's the scoop on local dharma-

Shambhala Meditation Center of Minneapolis is kicking into high gear for the fall. We are offering 2 Shambhala School of Buddhist Studies Classes in the fall (Life of the Buddha and Sadhana Mahamudra) as well as Shambhala Training Level 2 in October. October is also the month that we welcome Shambhala President Richard Reoch on his (ambitious) mandala wide meet & greet. For those of use who completed Leve 5 (whew!), we will embark on the Sacred Path with Great Eastern Sun in November.

Rime Foundation is hosting a Tibetan teacher - Khen Rinpoche Sherab Sangpo. Rinpoche will be teaching at the Shambhala Center of Minneapolis every Wednesday night through September. Rinpoche starts a 6 week class on August 23rd entitled Mipham's Wheel of Analytic Meditation. Details are available on the Shambhala website or you can email me for a flyer.

The newly named Windhorse Retreat Center is offering a great variety of programs this fall. Their website is updated through the end of the year. I attended a weekend retreat in June featuring talks and practice with Ashe Acharya John Rockwell. It's a great space and it sits on beautiful property. It's located north of Milwaukee, just east of Sheboygan, about 5-6 hours from Minneapolis. Defintely worth the drive....they have beds! and good food! Those of you that have gone on retreat can appreciate that...

The Twin-Cities is home to many Tibetan Americans and offers great shopping - Tibet Store on Hennepin in Minneapolis and Tibet Art on Grand in St. Paul - as well as great restaurants - Tibet's Corner on Hennepin in Minneapolis and Everest on Grand (actually Nepali cuisine.)

In addition, there is a Tibetan American Foundation in St. Paul that supports the local community. Minneapolis recently hosted the Maitreya Project Relic Tour for the second year. His Holiness Dalia Lama visited area Tibetans in the spring while he was in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic for a check up.

If you are in the area, be sure to stop in and sit down at any of the centers on the list at left to enjoy a bit of Midwest dharma....Stay tuned for more postings about upcoming programs and events at local dharma centers...