We are so honored and overjoyed to announce that the Monks of Gaden Shartse Phukhang Monastery will be in residence at The Great Mahakala from April 15 to April 25.
The main purpose of the monks’ U.S. tour is to share with all people the monks’ culture, as well as practices of meditation and paths to inner peace and compassion. The second purpose of tour is construction of a new Khangtsen or dormitory. In our Khangtsen, we had only 120 rooms to accommodate 450 monks, with the monks facing the difficulty of sharing one room with three monks. Because of the recurring problems related to the limited rooms encountered by our monks, we have jointly come to the decision to build 60 new rooms to accommodate those elder Geshe (senior lamas) for better living standard.
MONKS SCHEDULE IN MIAMI
Sunday, April 14 from 6 - 7:30pm The Four Noble Truths; The Teaching of the Buddha at Miami Life Center. The lecture will be given by Geshe Lharampa Tsering Dawa who is fluent in English. (A "Geshe" degree/title is extremely rigorous and is similar to a PhD in western education.)
Tuesday, April 16 from 7-9pm Medicine Buddha (Menla) Empowerment at The Great Mahakala, Menla is the embodiment of the power of healing of all the Buddhas. As it has been confirmed by both Western and Eastern scientific research, the strength of the mind and will has a major role in the process of healing. For millennia, our ancestors have been aware of the effect of spiritual practice upon healing and have used it as a necessary supplement to medication. The Medicine Buddha Empowerment is meant to establish a special connection between the participant and the deity. Once this relationship has been developed and strengthened through the empowerment, the participant will become more open to receiving the benefits of the healing powers of all the Buddhas. SPACE LIMITED. Please rsvp to info@greatmahakala.,org.
April 17 - 21 Construction of Sacred Sand Mandala at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami, FL. FREE and open to the public 10am - 5pm Daily
Opening Ceremony - Wednesday, April 17 at 10am
Closing Ceremony - Sunday, April 21 at 2pm
APRIL 22 - 25 Construction of Sacred Sand Mandala at FAENA Hotel, 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL FREE and open to the public 10am - 5pm Daily.
Opening Ceremony - Monday, April 22 at 10am
Closing Ceremony - Thursday, April 25 at 5pm
ABOUT THE TIBETAN SAND MANDALA Mandala means "that which extracts the essence”. There are many different types of mandalas used by Tibetan Buddhists. They can be created in either two or three dimensions The ones on the monks 'tour will be two-dimensional sand mandalas. These are without doubt the most creative, labor-intensive, concentration-intensive of all mandalas created. The ones provided on the tour will require between 75 and 125 hours of effort, completed by several monks at a time. Each sand mandala represents the architectural layout of the entire palace of a specific deity. The Menla mandala, represents the dwelling of the Medicine Buddha, who embodies the perfection of the physical and mental health of all beings. There are mufti-layered symbolic images throughout the “palace,” where iconography, placement, and color all have significance. Additionally, to the learned Tibetan monk, the mandala represents his vision of the entire universe. The mandala is normally used during the initiation of a monk as a high form of meditation. This sacred initiation is referred to as an empowerment ceremony. After the initiation, it requires years or possibly an entire lifetime of intense study and meditation under an experienced Lama to expose the depth and intricacy of the universe. In the past, sand mandalas were made with the powder from the grinding of precious stones, such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, powdered gold and silver. Today, this is only done on very special and/or auspicious occasions. More commonly, the colors are made of powdered and dyed sand, flowers, and charcoal. The colors are chosen to match the color of one of the Buddhas of the five Buddha families. The sand is applied very precisely by the gentle tapping of a sand-filled metal cone. The Master must be the first to initiate the mandala, and does so by being the first to pour the sand. The outline of the mandala is defined by the sacred blueprints. Upon completion of the mandala, the monks will purposely dissolve the magnificent work of art. The Buddha's last words were "All things are impermanent, work out your salvation with diligence." In up holding the principle that life is transient, the monks sweep up the mandala and place the sand in a river, lake, or ocean as an offering to purify the surrounding environment. All sand mandala takes 4-6 days to complete. Under certain circumstances a shorter version may be offered
If you might be interested in;
Hosting a Lecture or Empowerment (Healing Ritual)
Business Blessings
Personal Blessings
Ground Blessings
Astrology Readings
Please contact The Great Mahakala at 305-203-9985.
This is a precious opportunity to come close to ancient Tibetan wisdom and practices which can remove obstacles to create peace and prosperity for oneself, others and the whole environment.
ABOUT GADEN MONASTERY Gaden Monastery was founded in Tibet by the great preacher, saint and indigenous Tibetan Buddhist scholar, Tsongkhapa (1357 – 1419) in the year 1409. Tsongkhapa’s school of thought came to be known as Gelug school and his followers are called Gelugpa.
Phukhang Khangtsen is one of the largest khangtsen among the 11 khangtsen of the Gaden Shartse Monastery. As of now, we have 450 monks in our khangtsen, including 100 Geshes. Phukhang Khangtsen is blessed with the presence of His Eminence Zong Rinpoche, Khari Rinpoche, Khensur Lati Rinpoche , Khensur Jampa Yeshi, Khensur Kunchok Tsering, Khensur Dakpa Tenzin , Khensur Jangchup Choeden.