Lobsang Garden 洛桑园

THE ART OF HAPPINESS

Talk by Venerable Geshe Lhakdor

Dates: Friday 24 July 2009
       7.30pm to 9.30pm
       Saturday 25 July 2009
       2.00pm to 5.00pm

Venue: The Buddhist Library
No.2, Lorong 24A Geylang,
Singapore 398 526

Organiser: Tara Buddhist Centre

Venue Sponsor: The Buddhist Library

Admission: Free (All are Welcome)

Patron of Tara Buddhist Centre: His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama




Content:

There are many facets to leading a happy life. It begins by
understanding the true and legitimate sources of happiness.

The Art of Happiness is based on a few basic premises:

1. The purpose of life is happiness;

2. Once a person’s basic needs are met, happiness is
determined more by the state of one’s mind than by one’s
external conditions, circumstances or events;

3. Happiness can be achieved through the systematic
training of our hearts and minds, through reshaping our
attitudes and outlook.

4. The key to happiness is in our own hands.
Drawing upon 2500 years of Buddhist wisdom and the latest
findings of modern science, this remarkable perspective offers a
practical approach to human happiness—a rational approach that
can be practised by individuals from any background, tradition or
religion.





BIOGRAPHY:

Venerable Geshe Lhakdor is the Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and
Archives in Dharamsala, India. A distinguished Buddhist scholar, he was the
English translator for His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, from 1989 to 2005. He has
co-translated and co-produced the following books by His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

1. The Way to Freedom
2. The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace
3. Awakening the Mind and Lightening the Heart
4. Stages of Meditation
5. His Holiness’ commentary on Nagarjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom (Tibetan).
6. Kindness, Clarity and Insight (Tibetan).

From 1976 to 1986, Venerable Geshe Lhakdor studied specialised Buddhist
philosophy in the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, Dharamsala and received the
Master of Prajnaparamita in 1982.

He also received the Master of Madhyamika in 1989 and the Master of
Philosophy (MPhil) from the University of Delhi.

Since 2002, Venerable Geshe Lhakdor has been an Honorary Professor in the
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

In 2008, he was also conferred
Honorary Professorship by the University of Delhi, Department of Psychology.



Special Teaching Sessions by Venerable Geshe Lhakdor at Tara Buddhist Centre:
Participants may register by email or sms

Topics: The Three Principal Aspects of the Path
            Six Preparatory Practices
Dates: July 20, 21, 22, 23
Time: 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Registration: Pls call or sms 97578333 to register

Patron of Tara Buddhist Centre: His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama

Organiser: Tara Buddhist Centre
            443A Macpherson Road Singapore 368154  (Next to Windsor Hotel)

Website : www.tarabc.org
Email : tarabc@singnet.com.sg

For more details, please contact mobile no.: 97578333

Also, please be informed that this year 100 Million Mani Recitation retreat, which will be held at Suntec City from 29 Dec ’08 to 31 Dec ’08, is now opened to part-time participants. Details can be found at www.maniretreat.org.

May you be well and happy always and may you experience swift spiritual progress, 

Below is an extract from Garchen Institute with a very Special Advice from our dear guru, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche on Long Life Practice on Dec 22 and how to protect guru's life:

Rinpoche requests the worldwide sangha to  recite long-life mantras on December 22 as much as our personal circumstance permits. In 2008 in the northern hemisphere, December 21 is the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight, and Rinpoche says that the next day, "when daylight and warmth begin to increase again," is a most powerful time for reciting long-life mantras.

He said we may recite the mantras of any of the three long-life deities, who are the same for all the Buddhist lineages—White Tara, Amitayus, and Namgyalma—but that it is sufficient to recite White Tara's mantra. He said that Namgyalma and Tara are basically the same deity, and that Namgyalma is especially powerful. He said she protects us from the eight great fears and from rebirth in the lower realms and that the benefit of practicing her mantra is immense, since she protects us in this and future lifetimes. She abides at the crown protuberance ("ushnisha" in Sanskrit) of the Buddha, and thus her Sanskrit name: Ushnishavijaya ("victorious crown protuberance").

In addition to praying for the long life of all, it is most auspicious that this gift of practice provides an extra and powerful opportunity to pray for Rinpoche's long life in anticipation of his long-life celebration on Losar. Rinpoche has told us that it is our sincere prayers that prolong his life, and he also gave the following precious teachings on the life span of the lama:

"Life span depends on love. So whether the life span of the lama will be long depends on whether his or her disciples have love and keep their samayas (vows). The basic samaya is the Bodhisattva vow, which the lama has given to his disciples. His disciples therefore all share a samaya of bodhichitta with each other and with the lama. If disciples quarrel and cause disharmony among the sangha, this will decrease the lama's life span. There are many stories of a great Tulku whose life was cut short because of disharmonious conduct by his disciples. If, however, we keep our samaya of bodhichitta toward our lama and all our sibling-disciples, it will increase the lama's life span. If we constantly quarrel and are miserable, this will decrease his life span as a result of our breached samaya."

Rinpoche's love for all mother sentient beings is immeasurable and unceasing, and may we constantly express our gratitude through loving kindness and harmonious relations with all.

Yours in dharma,

Dri Thubten Dargye Ling

* Please feel free to participate only the first session if u cannot attend all 4 sessions, please remember to take pure vegetarian from 6am 06 July before the puja and wear light colour outfit for the occassion.

 

Tara Buddhist Centre (Singapore)

443A Macpherson Road Singapore 368154 +65 63823446 +65 63823589

 

TEACHING BY H.E SANGYE NYENPA RINPOCHE

庆祝十七世大宝法王乌金听列多杰二十三岁诞辰

及

桑桀年巴仁波切弘法节目