2013 - Workshops and Events

Discovering Dharma 4begins Oct 19

GESHE JAMPA

We are happy to offer a special opportunity to receive teachings on Discovering Dharma 4 from Geshe Jampa. Discovering Dharma 4 will consist of a series of 8 classes of 1-1/2 hours each. This is a great opportunity to study in the traditional style, in a personal setting with a learned Geshe.

Discovering Dharma 4 is not a sequel to Discovering Dharma 1- 3. In this course all the topics are new and everyone is welcome.

We encourage registration for the entire series, but if you are unable to attend all the classes, you are welcome to attend the classes you can. The suggested donation for a single session is $15.

REGISTER BELOW

The four main topics of the Buddhist teaching covered in the Discovering Dharma teaching series are:

  1. Dhammapada (Path of Dharma) chapters 7- 10
  2. Perfection of Patience
  3. Mind and Mental Factors (Lorig )
  4. The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva

DHAMMAPADA

The Dhammapada contains the most essential teachings of the Buddha. "Dhamma" means teaching and "pada" means path, so it is the path or way of the teaching. It is not all one lengthy discourse, but a compilation of what are said to be the Buddha's utterances over many years brought together by his disciples to give the true nature of his unique understanding. Three chapters will be covered in this course.

PERFECTION OF PATIENCE

All the world's major religions emphasize the importance of the practice of love, compassion, and tolerance. This is particularly true in the Buddhist traditions, which unanimously state that compassion and love are the foundation of all paths of practice. To cultivate the potential for compassion and love inherent within us, it is crucial to counteract their opposing forces of anger and hatred. It is said there are three dimensions to Patience: the ability to endure personal hardship; patience with others; and acceptance of truth.

The teaching on this topic will be based on the sixth chapter Patience from the text "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" by Indian Buddhist Master Shantideva.

MIND AND MENTAL FACTORS (LORIG)

In this topic we will study the consciousness of mind and fifty-one mental factors.. Understanding mind is essential to understanding Buddhism in both its theoretical and practical aspects, for the process of achieving enlightenment is one of systematically purifying and enhancing the mind. The analysis of mind in Buddhism is both multifaceted and sophisticated. As a spiritual practice, Buddhism contains numerous descriptions of the nature and function of the mind and instructions on how to search for, abide with, and refine it.

THE THIRTY-SEVEN PRACTICES OF A BODHISATTVA

Gyalse Thogmed Zangmo's The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva is one of Tibetan Buddhist's most popular texts, incorporated in the Mind Training text and also able to be explained according to the Lam Rim tradition. His succinct and simple verses of advice summarize the quintessence of the Mahayana path to perfection. This text is elucidated precisely and in accessible language for the modern reader and shows how we can transform our actions, feelings, and ways of thinking to become Bodhisattvas ourselves. Its advice is timeless and its relevance is universal.

SCHEDULE

Saturday October 19, 11:30am -1:00pm
Saturday November 2, 11:30am- 1:00pm
Saturday November 9, 11:00am - 12:30pm, 1:30pm- 3:00pm
(one hour lunch break) Potluck
Saturday November 23, 11:00am- 12:30pm, 1:30pm- 3:00pm
(one hour lunch break) Light lunch offer
Saturday December 7, 11:30am- 1:00pm
Saturday December 14, 11:30am- 1:00pm

REGISTER

The suggested donation for the full 8 classes is $ 100. The suggested donation for a single session is $15.
No one is ever turned away for lack of funding.
Space is limited. Please register early.

We ask that you please register and pay in advance with the PayPal button below, or send a check to the Emaho Foundation address: 4111 E Phelps Rd Phoenix, AZ 85032, or pay at the Center in person. The proceeds will support Emaho Center. No one is turned away for lack of funding.

Geshe Jampa will offer a certificate of Attendance or certificate of Completion to the students attending all sessions at the last session of the teaching.

For more information about the series, please call 480-704-4169 or email Emaho at mail@emahofoundation.org

AHIMSA December 7

Saturday December 7
4:30 - 9:00 pm

In honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 11, 1989, please join your friends at Emaho for our annual celebration of Ahimsa.

Every year we come together as a sangha to honor the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Together we share our commitment to live a peaceful life, taking universal responsibility to bring the spirit of Ahimsa, or non-harming, to all our thoughts and activities.

We especially extend our appreciation to the many Emaho volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scene to make Emaho a successful, pleasant place to call our spiritual home.

4:30 pm - Community Meeting
5:00 pm - Peace Performance by Emaho's children's group
5:45 pm - Potluck Dinner and Dessert Bar
6:30 pm - Movie: Vajra Sky

Please contact donna@emahofoundation.org and let her know what dish you'll be bringing.

Donate a toy!
Bring a new toy for us to deliver to the Phoenix fire department for their annual toy drive.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in his speech while accepting the Nobel peace prize:

Let me end with a personal note of thanks to all of you and our friends who are not here today. The concern and support which you have expressed for the plight of the Tibetans have touched us all greatly, and continue to give us courage to struggle for freedom and justice: not through the use of arms, but with the powerful weapons of truth and determination. I know that I speak on behalf of all the people of Tibet when I thank you and ask you not to forget Tibet at this critical time in our country's history. We too hope to contribute to the development of a more peaceful, more humane and more beautiful world. A future free Tibet will seek to help those in need throughout the world, to protect nature, and to promote peace. I believe that our Tibetan ability to combine spiritual qualities with a realistic and practical attitude enables us to make a special contribution, in however modest a way. This is my hope and prayer.

In conclusion, let me share with you a short prayer which gives me great inspiration and determination:

For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

Dalai Lama

Please plan to join us.

 

Night of the Naga Sept 28

Silent Auction/Fundraising Event
Saturday September 28
6:00 - 10:30 pm

Emaho's second annual Silent Auction/Fundraising Event at the beautiful Royal Arcadia Hacienda in Phoenix.

WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS!

Purses for a Purpose

If you can, please donate a designer or designer inspired handbag for Emaho's "Purses for a Purpose." The event will be held during our annual silent auction fundraiser, Night of the Naga, September 28.

The number of raffle tickets sold for this event will equal the number of purses donated. Each ticket holder is insured a purse. Selection of each purse will be called by the random pick of tickets. In one of the purses is the Smithsonian Institute's official copy of the engagement bracelet, The Message of Love, given to Jackie Kennedy from John. Your purse can be dropped off at Emaho center. We'll be accepting purses through Wednesday September 25.

Other Silent Auction Donations

All other donations are welcome! Email us at mail@emahofoundation.org and tell us what you'd like to donate to the Silent Auction.

A NIGHT TO SUPPORT EMAHO

The evening has been designed for fun, bringing good food and good company together for our good cause. This is a perfect evening to enjoy friends and meet new ones while relaxing in the company of ZaChoeje Rinpoche and the sangha.
Naga Night brings us together as a community to support Emaho, our place of peace in a stressful world, our center to learn useful tools to help us cope in this complicated and busy world. It is the combined efforts of all of us that keeps Emaho vibrant and growing.

We're having a nacho bar dinner starting at 6:30pm, followed later by a dessert bar and Tibetan sweet tea. We're showing an outdoor slide show of Tehor Tibet with new photos of the auspicious building progress being made of the new temple and nunnery.

People have asked if it's possible to have a one on one photo taken with Rinpoche. Rinpoche is kindly making time for this. Please bring your camera. We'll have raffles, our Silent Auction and a number of fun ways to gather donations under the spectacular special effect lighting of Jeff Jordan of Phoenix Light Lab.

Be a part of Night of the Naga: We are looking for volunteers to help! Please send an e-mail to mail@emahofoundation.org if you are available to help out.

Attire is denim and bling, classy casual. The event is geared for our adult community to relax and enjoy. Tickets are $25.00 at the door.

Address:

Royal Arcadia Hacienda
4203 E Hazelwood St.
Phoenix, AZ 85018

We're accepting auction items through Wednesday, September 25. The more items, the more fun.

We thank you for your help and donations.

 

Opening the Wisdom Eyes of Consciousness Sept 7-8

ZaChoeje Rinpoche
Saturday/Sunday
September 7/8
10 am - 4 pm both days

"When we become enlightened, we become the whole, onenness. Your identity grows and expands. You lose your small ego and find a huge self. This huge self is the wholeness, being one with all, no me-you anymore: it is dissolved, like water dissolves into water."
ZaChoeje Rinpoche

ZaChoeje Rinpoche will lead this workshop on Buddhist methods of
awakening the Buddha Nature that is an innate quality within all of
us. Rinpoche will teach this profound lesson based on Maitreya's
Uttara Tantra Shastra Book.

Suggested Donation: $80. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.
All are welcome.

 

Summer Blast August 17


Please mark your calendar and join us
for our first annual Summer Blast:
August 17, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm.

The Summer Blast is being held in the Royal Arcadia Hacienda. This beautiful location is located in Phoenix at 4203 East Hazelwood. The spacious Spanish adobe estate has beautiful courtyards, patios and a pool -- the perfect place to spend a wonderful day.

We have designed the day to be fun with some needed fundraising,a book fair, a belated birthday for our beloved teacher, food, games and swimming.

We are asking $15.00 per person, children under 12 are free (register with PayPal below to help us estimate how many pancake breakfasts we will need!). Join us for any time you have available or come spend the whole day. This is a great event to bring your family for a day of fun. Think to bring lotion, swimming suits, towels, and things you'll need for sitting by the poolside.

Special note to parents: PLEASE WATCH YOUR CHILDREN AT ALL TIMES!

Our schedule will be:

8:00 AM gates open
8:30-10:30 AM Pancake and egg breakfast
10:00-noon book fair, games, activities, photo booth. Please bring your iPhone, iPad or camera.
12:00 we'll recite Rinpoche's long life prayer followed by Happy Birthday, cake and ice cream.
Please stay and enjoy the afternoon. The event closes at 2 PM.

Those of who have participated in Work A Day for Rinpoche(see below) are invited as guests.

Don't miss this auspicious day to come and enjoy time with our teacher, friends and family.

Please consider posting this event on your social media.

Call for volunteers:

We are looking for volunteers to help with the event. Please consider lending a hand with the various functions that are needed to support the day. We need help with set-up, registration, the book fair, the honey table and clean up and pack up. The more help we have the quicker these tasks can be accomplished. Please e-mail us at mail@emahofoundation.org if you can help. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Work A Day for Rinpoche

To commemorate ZaChoeje's birthday we are supporting Work A Day for Rinpoche. We are asking those who would like to participate to donate the equivalent of one day's pay to Emaho in Rinpoche's honor. The funds collected will allow Emaho to continue to help Rinpoche bring meaningful and beneficial traditional teachings worldwide.

Imagine dedicating one day of your work to the Dharma. Wherever your work takes you for that one day, you will bring the intention of developing Bodhicitta to all your actions.

On a day of your choosing, as you Work A Day for Rinpoche, you can aspire to move through the day with thoughts of Bodhisattva intention and gratitude for finding an auspicious lineage master from whom to receive the Dharma.

You can choose the amount you wish to donate by using the PayPal button below, or you can mail your donation directly to Emaho Foundation at PO Box 1563, Litchfield Park AZ 85340-1563. Those who participate are kindly invited as guests to the Summer Blast.

 

The Four Immeasurable Thoughts July 27


The Four Immeasurable Thoughts
Geshe Jampa
Saturday July 27, 11 am - 1 pm

Geshe Jampa will offer teachings on the Four Immeasurable Thoughts (Tibetan: Tse-Me Shi ).

All life is interdependent. Therefore the happiness of one individual depends upon that of others. The Buddha taught the Four Immeasurables - loving-kindness (Sanskrit: Maitri ), compassion (Karuna), appreciative joy (mudita) and equanimity (upeksha) - in order to remove (1) anger, (2) cruelty, (3 )jealousy, (4) clinging and aversion. The four are called "immeasurable" because they are thoughts directed at an immeasurable number of beings, and because one gains immeasurable merit from thinking about them.

One of the practices of bodhisattvas, beings who seek awakening for themselves and all beings, is the Four Immeasurable Minds or thoughts.

The first mind is the loving-kindness, which is offering happiness to others. The second is the mind of compassion, which is the intention and wish to relieve the suffering of others. Third is joy, which is felt when beings experience happiness. And fourth is equanimity: being neither averse to nor attached to anything.
In meditation, the Four Immeasurables are extended to all sentient beings. Through cultivating the Four Immeasurables, people can achieve happiness now and in the future.

Suggested Donation: $20. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.
All are welcome.

 

The Four Buddhist Schools July 13

The Philosophical views of the four Indian Buddhist schools
Geshe Jampa
Saturday July 13, 11 am - 1 pm

Geshe Jampa will offer teachings on the Philosophical views of the four Indian Buddhist schools (tenet systems) .
In the Indian Mahayana Buddhist monasteries, such as Nalanda, monks studied four systems of Buddhist tenets. The four Indian Buddhist Schools are: Vaibashika, Sautrantika, Mind only school and Madhyamaka (middle way school).

Regardless of interpretation of the features of each tenet system, the Tibetan masters have taught the Indian systems as graded steps in meditation, which are then to be applied to daily life.

Therefore, it is important to try to understand each set of tenet systems one at a time and to try to see reality through each of their views.

After all, Buddha gave the general principles for each of them and the great Indian masters elaborated their details. Thus, they each have valid sources and were all intended for helping people to overcome suffering.

The Indian Buddhist tenet systems present graded levels of understanding not only of how things exist like an illusion, but also of how cognition works and of many other important aspects of life. They provide essential material for meditation to gain ever-deeper understandings. The purpose for gaining these understandings is not for acquiring intellectual knowledge. It is for applying them to everyday life in order to overcome our individual problems and to enable us to help others most effectively by bringing us enlightenment.

Suggested Donation: $20. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

All are welcome.

Birthday Celebration for His Holiness July 6

July 6
5:00 pm

Please join us on July 6 to celebrate the 78th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the supreme spiritual leader of Tibet. On this joyous occasion, all the Tibetans and Tibetan support groups make obeisance to His Holiness and wish him many happy returns of the day. We implore him to continue to live as the sole protector and guidance of all sentient beings until the end of this Samsaric world.

Led by Geshe Jampa, we will be chanting the Long Life prayer (long version) and the Mandala offering in order to bring long life to the His Holiness and fulfillment of his three main commitments: (1) the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance and self-discipline, (2) the promotion of religious harmony and (3) the intentiion to preserve Tibet's Buddhist culture, a culture of peace and non-violence.

We are going to donate 1,000 bottles of water to Andrea House, a homeless shelter, and to the Desert Mission Food Bank of Phoenix. Through these merits may this bring a healthy and long life for His Holiness and world peace. It is greatly helpful to offer water bottles to these organizations in the summer time in Phoenix.
We are going to watch the Movie "Dalai Lama: Renaissance," a story of a discussion between His Holiness and forty innovative, world-renowned thinkers on how to solve the world's problems. This documentary, filmed in India with exotic scenery and a view of Tibetan culture, received 12 international awards.

Schedule

5:00pm -5:30pm chanting of the Long Life prayer and Mandala offering
5:30-6:20pm Light dinner and Birthday Cake
6:30-8:00pm Movie: Dalai Lama Renaissance (80 minutes)

If you would like to bring a small amount of food, including fruits, please contact Donna Tash, donna@emahofoundation.org

All are welcome.

One-Day Family Retreat June 23

ZaChoeje Rinpoche
Sunday June 23, 9:00 am

Emaho is pleased to announce that ZaChoeje Rinpoche is offering a one-day White Manjushri retreat for Emaho kids and their families.

This is a rare opportunity to receive from a true lineage White Manjushri's blessings, which are said to be like light that dispels darkness.

The retreat will be held at the Royal Arcadia Hacienda in Phoenix. This sprawling Hacienda is the perfect location for families and kids to spend the day with Rinpoche and participate in Dharma blessings, games, swimming, and a vegetarian hot dog lunch.

9:00 am - Arrival
9:30 -10:00 - White Manjushri blessing, ZaChoeje Rinpoche
10:15 - 10:30 - Om Mani Padme Hum chanting and group photo
10:30 - 11:30 - Craft project
11:30 - 12:00 - Lunch
12:00 - 1:00 pm - Games
1:00 - 2:00 pm? - Swimming

Suggested donation $25 a family
Please RVSP to allow us to plan: mail@emahofoundation.org

About the location: 4203 Hazelwood, Phoenix 85018
Built in 1928, The Royal Arcadia Hacienda Estate was at the center of a 220-acre date palm plantation. Rumor has it that 2 presidents stayed at the property with the original owner (a wealthy businessman from Philly).

Comprehensive Wisdom Workshop with Rinpoche June 7-9

The Courage of the Bodhisattva

Rinpoche will be offering a three-day comprehensive workshop on the profound and often complex subject of Wisdom.

Rinpoche's series on the Courage of the Bodhisattva continues with the Perfection of Wisdom, Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life, Chapter 9. With his precise explanations, knowledge and humor, Rinpoche will guide us in understanding the difficult subject of the Perfection of Wisdom.

Schedule:

Friday June 7, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Saturday June 8, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday June 9, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Courage of the Bodhisattva comes from learning and recognizing the illusion-like nature of suffering by overcoming attachment and aversion. Becoming familiar with our true potential we can more effectively cherish beings as the source of all happiness and work solely for the benefit of all.

This workshop will help us learn ways to tame our minds and recognize our true potential, letting go of hindering disturbing emotions and negative afflictions.

Rinpoche will give us required homework assignments designed to help us grasp the essence of the Perfection of Wisdom Workshop.

Register:

The suggested donation is $ 90. We ask that you please register and pay in advance with the PayPal button below, or send a check to the Emaho Foundation address: 4111 E Phelps Rd Phoenix, AZ 85032, or pay at the Center in person. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

 

Reading:

It is recommended to read a text on the Middle Way before the teaching, eg by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Tsong Kapa, or Chandrakirti.

 

Movie Night June 14

Unmistaken Child
7:00 pm

In 2001 world-renowned Tibetan master Geshe Lama Konchog passed away. His Holiness the Dalai Lama put Tensin Zopa, a devoted student of Lama Konchog to find the reincarnation of his spiritual teacher. Plagued by doubt, Tenzin knows his discovery is awaited by thousands of followers. UNMISTAKEN CHILD is the story of Tensin Zopa's four-year search.

The film follows Tenzin on his search through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way, he listens to stories about young children with special characteristics and performs rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation. He eventually presents the child he believes to be his reincarnated master to the Dalai Lama - who will ultimately make the final decision.

 

White Manjushri Retreat May 17-19, 2013

White Manjushri Empowerment and Retreat with ZaChoeje Rinpoche
May 17 - 19
Registration is now closed

Emaho Foundation is pleased to announce that ZaChoeje Rinpoche is kindly bestowing the White Manjushri Empowerment and leading the retreat May 17 - 19, 2013 on the beautiful Mogollon Rim, outside of Payson, Arizona, near the village of Christopher Creek. Note that the driving time to the retreat location, Sharp Creek campsite, is similar to last year's location, about 2-1/2 hours from Phoenix.

This is a rare opportunity to receive from a true lineage master Manjushriʼs blessings, which are said to be like light that dispels all darkness within the mind. White Manjushri is the enlightened emanation of the Wisdom realizing the ultimate nature of reality. By identifying with the Wisdom nature we are able to create beneficial results that allow us to bring happiness into our lives and the lives of others. Engaging in the White Manjushri practice will help us generate Bodhichitta, right views and help alleviate ignorance and suffering. We will be given new tools and new techniques to better deal with ignorance, and bring courage to see things in new ways.

For those who do not wish to take the Empowerment, the initiation can be taken as a blessing. For everyone involved, regardless of level of participation, White Manjushri serves as a universal tool for wisdom that overcomes ignorance.

This year will have the retreat in the Mogollon Rim area, 22 miles East of Payson, Arizona, at an elevation of 5,900 feet. The retreat will take place in an authentic Tibetan tent on the Sharp Creek Group Campground that Emaho reserved for the retreat.

On the group campground, there is plenty of space to pitch your tent. If you would like a more private setting, you may reserve a private campsite within Sharp Creek Campground. Please contact www.reserveamerica.com or 877-444-6777 if you wish to reserve your individual camp site. For those who prefer to rent a cabin, there are simple cabins available in the tiny village of Christopher Creek, 3-4 miles from the campground. Emaho has not seen the cabins and therefore is not able to recommend them. You can find information about them if you Google “cabins in Christopher Creek.” Payson has many hotels at different prices.

Schedule:
- Check-in is Friday May 17 starting at 4:00 PM. We recommend that you arrive before dark, as it is easier to find the campground and pitch your tent.
- Dessert social Friday 6:15-6:45 PM
- The retreat will begin Friday at 7:00 PM with Rinpoche giving us an overview of the White Manjushri practice.
- Saturday morning, after yoga and breakfast, Rinpoche will give the Empowerment at 10:00 AM.

Registration will be limited and is payable through Paypal (see below).
Please note, for us to be able to adequately plan, registration will close May 3 for both the full retreat and the empowerment.

Children's Retreat.
Update, May 1: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a children's retreat this year. We apologize to families for the late notice.

Retreat Fee:
Full retreat $175
Empowerment only $108

Meals: There will be a dessert social on Friday evening from 6:15-6:45. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided (see FAQ below). More information will be sent upon registration. People with special diets need to bring their own food.

FAQ:
- Dogs are allowed but must be at all times on a leash no longer than 6 feet
- At check-in you will be given a volunteer job opportunity
- Transportation: we encourage car pooling
- A detailed map will be sent to you with other information.
- Breakfast, light lunch and vegetarian dinner will be prepared by the Sangha
- Hotels are numerous in Payson, 22 miles west and cabins in the village of Christopher Creek
- Average temperatures for May 17 - 19 are a high of 81 and low of 45.

Before You Register:
Please download and read the liability waiver. By registering and paying your fee, you agree to the terms of the liability waiver.

Registration: Closed

A few weeks before the retreat, specific information will be sent to those who registered. This information will include a list of suggested things to bring, schedule, the weather forecast, information on the areaʼs wild and plant life, how and what to store to avoid bear curiosity, and general safety considerations.

Movie Night April 19

My Reincarnation
7:00 pm

A story of love, transformation and destiny.

The epic story of the high Tibetan Buddhist Master Chogya Namkhai Norbu and his western born son Yeshi. The film follows Namkhai Norbu's rise to greatness as a Buddhist teacher in the West, while Yeshi recognized as the reincarnation of a famous spiritual master, breaks away from his father's tradition to embrace the modern world.

Will Yeshi accept the expectation of his destiny?

Never before has a high Tibetan Master allowed such complete access to his private life.

The Four Seals of the Dharma March 23

Geshe Jampa
Saturday March 23, 11 am - 1 pm

 

Geshe Jampa will offer teachings on the Four Seals of the Dharma. The Four Seals of the Dharma are:

  • All that is conditioned is impermanent,
  • All that is tainted is suffering,
  • All phenomena are empty and devoid of self.
  • Nirvana is peace.

 

 

The defining features of Buddhism are the four seals of the dharma - four statements about the world which form the basis of all Buddhist teachings.

  1. Since functioning phenomena are composite, and exist dependently upon changing causes and changeable structural relationships, they are necessarily impermanent.
  2. All emotions based on the three mental poisons of attachment, aversion and ignorance are ultimately painful. The root cause of dukkha is grasping for inherent existence. The mind regards phenomena and persons as being permanently and inherently pleasant or unpleasant, and develops aversion and attachment towards the things or persons "in themselves."
  3. All functioning phenomena and persons are composite and ultimately 'empty' or "unfindable" upon analysis. They lack "inherent existence" and their existence in fact depends upon three factors external to themselves:
    (i) causes
    (ii) structural relationships with other phenomena, and
    (iii) mental labeling
  4. A mind that has fully realized the lack of inherent existence of all phenomena will be totally free from suffering. The sky-like clarity of the mind is obscured by the thunder clouds of anger, attachment and ignorance. The true nature of the mind is Nirvana - which is NOT nothingness, but the non-conceptual peace "which passeth all understanding."

Suggested Donation: $20. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

All are welcome.

Movie Club March 8

The Yogis of Tibet
7:00 pm

Download poster

Since the invasion of Tibet over 50 years ago, China has systematically destroyed Tibetan culture. One of the most profound losses is the tradition of the great master yogis. The entire system which supported these fascinating masters is being inexorably eliminated.

In order to record these mystical practitioners for posterity, the filmmakers were given permission to film heretofore secret demonstrations and to conduct interviews on subject matter rarely discussed. Interviewees include the Dalai Lama, many Rinpoches, and the American professor, Robert Thurman.

This profound historical, spiritual, and educational film may someday be the last remnant of these amazing practitioners.

Heart Sutra Intensive with Rinpoche March 1-3

Please join ZaChoeje Rinpoche this weekend for his three-day workshop on the Heart Sutra.

Schedule:

Friday March 1, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Saturday March 2, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday March 3, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The workshop consists of five sessions (one on Friday and two on Saturday and Sunday, separated by a lunch break). If you register but cannot attend each session you can request an audio copy of the teachings on CD.

The suggested donation is $108. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

Workshop Description:

The Heart Sutra is one of the most precise, direct teachings given by Buddha Shakyamuni. It is about the heart of being, the true nature of being, the heart of reality, the true nature of reality.

The Heart Sutra is a subtle and profound teaching. If we get a glimpse of its truth and understand its implications, it will impact our lives as the beating of our hearts impacts our existence.

The Heart Sutra is the pillar of the Perfection of Wisdom. Its truth is free from dogma, free from conviction, free from religion itself. The Heart Sutra illustrates the truth to those of us perpetually fooled by our flawed thinking of our external and internal worlds. Our wrong understanding of self, things and events is at the heart of our inability to find and sustain the lasting happiness we are desperate to experience.

With his precise explanations, knowledge and humor, Rinpoche will share with us how we can gain freedom from ignorance, which is the source of our suffering.

 

Lam Rim Workshop with Rinpoche February 24

Rinpoche's first full day workshop of 2013

February 24
10 am - 4 pm

From November 30 to December 13, 2012, at Gaden Monastery and Drepung Monastery, in Mundgod, Karnataka, south India, Rinpoche attended the 28-session teaching given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the 18 Treatises on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment - Jangchup Lamrim.

During our February 24th workshop Rinpoche will share with us insights from these precious teachings: 18 Great Stages of the Path (Lam Rim) Commentaries, including Atisha's "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (jangchup lamdron);" Tsongkhapa's "Great, Middling, and Concise Treatises on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (lamrim chenmo, lamrim dringpo and lamrim dudon);" and 14 other classic Lam Rim texts.

Please mark your calendar to attend Rinpoche's first 2013 teaching.

Lam Rim Intensive Begins January 12, 2013

The Path to Enlightenment
Geshe Jampa

We are happy to offer a special opportunity to receive a series of teachings from Geshe Jampa on the Lam Rim. The Lam Rim Intensive (The Path to Enlightenment) will consist of 8 sessions of 1-1/2 hours each, to be held once a week. The series will begin after the holidays. Registration is open now! Register below.

This is a great opportunity to study in the traditional style, in a personal setting with a learned Geshe.

The Lam Rim, known as the gradual path to enlightenment, contains the essence of the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha. When one studies the Lam Rim, one studies the three principal aspects of the path, leading one ultimately to a full realization of the aspects of renunciation, bodhicitta, and emptiness. The skillful teachings of the gradual path are meant for all practitioners, whether of small, medium, or great scope.


In the early eleventh century, the Indian Buddhist master Atisha condensed the essential points of the Buddha's teachings into the text Lamp of the Path. These teachings were then expanded in the fourteenth century by the Great master Lama Tsong-Kha-pa, the founder of the Gelug Lineage into the text The Great Exposition on the Gradual Path to Enlightenment (Lam Rim Chenmo). These texts form the basis of our contemporary understanding of the Buddha's teachings.

REGISTRATION

The suggested donation for the full 8 classes will be $ 100.

We ask that you please register and pay in advance with the PayPal Registration button below, or send a check to the Emaho Foundation mailing address: 4111 E Phelps Rd Phoenix, AZ 85032, or pay at the Center in person before Jan 11. We offer discounts for students. Please contact us for details. The proceeds will support Emaho Center.

Geshe Jampa will offer a certificate of Attendance or certificate of Completion to the students attending all sessions at the last session of the teaching.


For more information about the series or to pre-register, please call 480-704-4169 or email Emaho at mail@emahofoundation.org


"Of the many works of the Tibetan master Tsong-kha-pa, none compare in terms of popularity and breadth of influence with The Great treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lam rim chen mo ), which has been treasured by practitioners and scholars alike for centuries. What distinguishes it as one of the principal texts of Mahayana Buddhism is its scope and clarity." The various stages of the path are presented so clearly and systematically that they can be easily understood and are inspiring to put into practice. " --- H.H The Dalai Lama


The Lam Rim covers all the major teachings of the Buddha, including the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, Karma-The Law of Causality, Refuge of the Three Jewels, Relying upon a Spiritual Guide, the Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination, Impermanent and Death, Bodhicitta, Emptiness and so on.
Join your Emaho friends in this profound study of one of Buddhism's great texts.

Session 1,2,3 - Four Noble Truths
Sessions 4,5 - Twelve links of Interdependent Origination and Wheel of Life
Sessions 6,7 - Single Pointed Meditation and Special Insight Meditation
Session 8 - Summary of Lamrim

Recommended reading:
- The Path to Bliss by H. H. the Dalai Lama
- The Path to Enlightenment by H. H. the Dalai Lama

 

Losar Celebration February 11

Losar Celebration
with Palden Lhamo Prayers
Monday February 11, 6:00 am - 7:30 am

ZaChoeje Rinpoche and Geshe invite you to join them the for traditional Losar Morning Puja and prayers.

Tibetans celebrate Losar on the first day of the Tibetan New Year. This year Losar, Year of the Water Snake, is Monday, February 11th. Losar is celebrated with wishes that all are successful, fortunate and happy. Rinpoche will begin New Year with a ceremony making offerings to Palden Lhamo, protector whose attributes help dispel obstacles. Palden Lhamo Puja is traditionally given before the sun rises on the first day of the New Year.

You are cordially invited to come and go as your schedule permits from 6:00-7:30 Monday morning. You may join in meditation while Rinpoche and Geshe chant, celebrating the start of what we hope is an auspicious year for peace, prosperity and happiness.

At the conclusion of the ceremony smalll ceremonial food will be offered to everyone. Traditionally Tibetans start the new year wearing one new piece of clothing, anything from socks to sweaters. It is not necessary to do so, but feel free to join in this tradition that has been practiced for centuries. There is no donation requested for this event. We look forward to wishing peace and progress to all.

Dorje Namjom February 9

Dorje Namjom Purification Ceremony
with ZaChoeje Rinpoche

February 9
2:30 pm

Please join ZaChoeje Rinpoche on February 9 at 2:30pm at Emaho Center. Rinpoche is offering to us the Tibetan Cleansing and Blessing Ceremony; Dorje Namjom.

This is an opportunity for us to welcome Rinpoche home as well as an opportunity for us to receive the benefits of the ceremony. During this ceremony Rinpoche will bring to us the essence of purification which can help us overcome obstacles of body, speech and mind.

After the ceremony Rinpoche invites everyone to stay for Toupa Soup, the traditional Tibetan light dinner served after this special occasion. Please mark your calendar.

Movie Club January 25

Travellers and Magicians
7:00 pm

"In the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, two men seek to escape their mundane lives. Dondup, an educated university graduate decides that he will be better off picking grapes in the US than working as a government officer in a remote rural village. Tashi, a restless farm youth studying magic, cannot bear the thought of a life consigned to his village. Through a trick of his brother, he is delivered into a dream world of seduction and intrigue. The two men embark on parallel, if separate, journeys. Their yearning is a common one - for a better and different life."

This is the first feature film to be made in the pristine beauty of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. It comes from award-winning filmmaker Khyentse Norbu (aka Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, who also did "The Cup") and is the first feature film to be made in his homeland.

Geshe Jampa will give brief introduction to the film, there will be popcorn for people. Everyone is welcome.

Mantrathon January 20

Emaho Mantrathon
for the sake of all

January 20
8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Emaho is heralding 2013 with a day of mantra recitation. Our Mantrathon is being held with wishes for a peaceful year, a year of mutually beneficial resolution to world problems, a year of health and happiness.

Worldwide Mantra Recitation

The 2013 Mantrathon is a worldwide community event where practitioners from Tashi Gaden Chopeling monastery in Tibet, Drepung Loseling in India, Rinpoche's students in New Zealand and Asia as well as students here in the West join together. We'll do four sessions of Chenrezig mantra, beginning at 8:30am and ending at 5:00pm, Mountain Time, United States.

Emaho's January Mantrathon is also a popular event/fundraiser as we come together to welcome the new year with love and compassion.

The day focuses on sending a stream of of Avalokiteshvara's mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, to surround us and the world in loving mantra. Avalokiteshvara, or Chenrezig, is the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas.

Much like a walkathon, the event encourages us to collect donations through sponsor pledges. By collecting pledges, we engage the sponsors in our efforts.

Those of us collecting mantra ask friends, family, or coworkers to pledge a donation to support our accumulation of mantras. At the end of our day we dedicate the collection of mantras to all those who supported our Mantrathon endeavor.

We ask you to join us for one session or the entire day, at the center or at home. We would like for each of us to collect at least $108 in pledges. If you are collecting pledges you can use our form (see pledge form below), or you can make your own. Please bring or send your donations to Emaho Foundation.

Suggested donations in pledges $108.00. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Download Form and Flyers

Pledge Form

Flyer

Flyer with Schedule

Gathering donations is secondary to our commitment to collect mantra. ZaChoeje Rinpoche asks us to practice Chenrizeg to help bring more compassion into our lives and the lives of others all through 2013. The power of our mantras infiltrates and surrounds all sentient beings. Starting 2013 with an accumulation of love and compassion will help change the extent of violence and negative afflictions that confront the coming year.

As a by-product the Mantrathon also helps Emaho raise funds to help support Emaho's teachers, Dharma and activities.

Mantrathon Schedule

7:45-8:30 - Bagels, coffee. tea, juice, fruit

8:30-10:00 - First session. Group practice of Chenrizeg Sadana and mantra accumulations.

10:00-10:30 - Break.

10:30-12:00pm - Second session. Group practice of Chenrizeg Sadana and mantra accumulations.

12:00-1:00 - Vegetarian soup and light lunch provided. If possible, please maintain a vegetarian diet.

1:00-2:30 - Third session. Group practice of Chenrizeg Sadana and mantra accumulations.

2:30-3:00 - Break.

3:00- 4:30 - Fourth session. Group practice of Chenrizeg Sadana and mantra accumulations, concluding with dedication for the participants, sponsors and all sentient beings.

If you can't come to the center join with us wherever you are. At the conclusion of the day please email your mantra number to us at mail@emahofoundation.org.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Meaning of the Mantra:

It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast... The first, Om symbolizes the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; it also symbolizes the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.
The path is indicated by the next four syllables. Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method: (the) altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love.
The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom.
Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility.
Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

Please join us for a community day of mantra and sangha friendship with our dharma brothers and sisters.

The Footsteps of the Buddha February 2013

Pilgrimage with ZaChoeje Rinpoche

Note: Change of Date
The trip will begin Saturday February 16, 2013, flying to Kathmandu, Nepal
And will conclude March 3, 2013, flying Kathmandu to home

Contact info: louann@emahofoundation.org

We will be closing registration on September 30th, earlier if we receive 20 registrants. Registration is first come, first serve.

ZaChoeje Rinpoche invites you to travel with him, following in the steps of the Buddha.

"There are four places Ananda, which the believing man should visit with feelings of reverence and awe. What are the four? The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, Here the Tathagata was born. The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, Here the Tathagata attained the supreme and perfect insight. The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, Here was the kingdom of righteousness set on foot by the Tathagata. The place, Ananda, at which the believing man can say, Here the Tathagata passed finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever to remain behind."
Mahaparinitryana Sutra