Join us as we explore the rich repository of Buddhist Sutras, both Pali Canon and Tibetan Kangyur every first Sunday of the month after the Sunday Service. Sūtra (Pali. sutta) means ‘something that was heard from someone else’ and usually connotes ‘a discourse’. In The All the Defilements Sutta, the Buddha lists seven approaches for eliminating the āsavas: deep-seated defilements that “flow out” of the mind and prevent liberation.
Facilitators: Lama Matthew Rice (Lobpön Palden Gocha) and Daniel Scharpenburg
Text: Sabbāsavasutta – All the Defilement Sutta
Join us as we explore the rich repository of Buddhist Sutras, both Pali Canon and Tibetan Kangyur every first Sunday of the month after the Sunday Service. Sūtra (Pali. sutta) means ‘something that was heard from someone else’ and usually connotes ‘a discourse’. Said to be the Buddha’s very first sermon, or discourse, after this awakening. According to other suttas in the Pali Canon, the Buddha had doubts about whether to even try teaching what he had realized, figuring no one would be able to comprehend or master it. However, the god Brahma assured him there would be at least a few people “with little dust in their eyes,” and begged the Buddha to teach.
Facilitators: Lama Matthew Rice (Lobpön Palden Gocha) and Daniel Scharpenburg
Text: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion Sutta
Join us as we explore the rich repository of Buddhist Sutras, both Pali Canon and Tibetan Kangyur every first Sunday of the month after the Sunday Service. Sūtra (Pali. sutta) means ‘something that was heard from someone else’ and usually connotes ‘a discourse’. In The Sūtra “Declaring What Is Supreme”, the Buddha, while spending the rainy season at the Bamboo Grove in Rājagṛha, teaches his saṅgha of śrāvakas that the Buddha is supreme among all beings, the Dharma of being free of attachment is supreme among all dharmas, and the Saṅgha is supreme among all communities and groups.
Facilitators: Lama Matthew Rice (Lobpön Palden Gocha) and Daniel Scharpenburg
Text: The Sūtra “Declaring What Is Supreme”
This challenge will be practice intensive for those who want to apply their understanding of Bodhicitta with daily practice. We welcome new students who are looking to learn about the Bodhisattva Mind Training and how to apply it to their Buddhist path, as well as experienced students who have insights to share. This event will be in-person with an online option available.
“The Tibetan word lojong literally means ‘mind training’ but the practice really has more to do with training our attitude, training us out of the habitual ways that we respond to situation that happen to us, especially adverse circumstances.” – Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
The main book that will be used for the challenge will be The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo. The Heroic Heart Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo illuminates the heart of Mahayana Buddhism—bodhicitta—describing it as “the selfless expression of boundless compassion.” Jetsunma uses as a touchstone the famous Tibetan Buddhist text The Thirty-Seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva. Here, she reveals how to become such a compassionate hero, the bodhisattva in training, and helps us to face the uncertain tides of the world, however joyful or dangerous, with a deep wish to find meaning and uncover the ultimate heart of wisdom and compassion.
Register today!
Kick off party for the 108 Day Bodhisattva Challenge is Sunday December 31, 2023 at 10:30am and will be during the Sunday Service.
Sunday Dharma Talks beginning December 31st
Each week kicks off a new topic with a Sunday Dharma talk given by Lama Matt and the other Dharma Facilitators. Dharma Talks will be uploaded to the Rime Center’s Podcast each Monday. Participants are then encouraged to read the topic from the book.
Wednesday Online Discussions beginning January 3rd
Participants will meet either in-person or online Wednesdays at 7:45 pm to discuss the week’s topic. There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion about the practice that will include actions that can be applied to daily life/practice.
For the followers of the Buddha and his teachings, there is a need for great emphasis on the practice of meditation. One must see the straight forward logic that mind is the cause of confusion and that by transcending confusion one attains the enlightened state. This can only take place through the practice of meditation. The Buddha himself experienced this, by working on his own mind, and what he learned has been handed down to us. The four foundations of mindfulness are regarded as fundamental and lays a strong foundation for practice.
Register Online
Instructor: Lama Matthew Palden Gocha, Nora Swami Kuvirananda and Luis Dakpa Gelek
Dates: Four sessions beginning Wednesday September 20, 2023
Times: 7:45 – 9:00 pm
Class Fee: $30
Text: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English – Get it on Amazon
These classes are available to EVERYONE. We have “Suggested Fees,” however pay whatever you can afford for the class. Everyone is welcome! It is our hope that some will pay more to cover those who can’t afford the usual fee. We simply want everyone to have access to these wonderful classes.
Use coupon R1M3CL@55 if you are unable to afford to class fee.
The Mahayana is a major school of Buddhism that emphasizes the bodhisattva path of compassion and wisdom. If you are interested in learning more about the Mahayana path, we will be studying “Letter to a Friend” by Nāgārjuna. Nāgārjuna’s advice provides a succinct and comprehensive introduction to the entire path and practice of Mahayana Buddhism. It guides both laypeople and ordained individuals on the path to liberation and enlightenment. The instructions are particularly relevant to those who want to engage in spiritual activity while continuing to live and work in society. Nāgārjuna’s advice is meant to convey the whole meaning of the Dharma to the average person in a language and style that is simple to understand.
This class will be in-person with an online option.
Register Online
Facilitator: Lama Matthew Palden Gocha & Daniel Scharpenburg
Date: 6 sessions beginning on November 22, 2023
Time: 7:45 – 9:00 pm
Class Fee: $30
Text: Nāgārjuna’s Letter to a Friend – Get it on Amazon or at the Rime Center gift shop.
These classes are available to EVERYONE. We have “Suggested Fees,” however pay whatever you can afford for the class. Everyone is welcome! It is our hope that some will pay more to cover those who can’t afford the usual fee. We simply want everyone to have access to these wonderful classes.
Use coupon R1M3CL@55 if you are unable to afford to class fee.
This class is for anyone who is contemplating on taking the refuge vows. Taking the refuge vows is generally considered to be the doorway to the learning and incorporating the Buddhist tenets into one’s life. The aim of this class is to provide the student with the understanding the what, why and how before making the commitment to take the refuge vows. Refuge Vows will be given on September 17th during the Sunday Service.
This class will be in-person only. If you are interested in taking the Refuge vows, please fill out this form and click submit.
Join us as we explore the rich repository of Buddhist Sutras, both Pali Canon and Tibetan Kangyur every first Sunday of the month after the Sunday Service. Sūtra (Pali. sutta) means ‘something that was heard from someone else’ and usually connotes ‘a discourse’. In this famous scripture, known popularly as The Heart Sūtra, the Buddha Śākyamuni inspires his senior monk Śāriputra to request instructions from the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara on the way to practice the perfection of wisdom. Avalokiteśvara then describes how an aspiring practitioner of the perfection of wisdom must first understand how all phenomena lack an intrinsic nature, which amounts to the realization of emptiness. Next, Avalokiteśvara reveals a brief mantra that the practitioner can recite as a method for engendering this understanding experientially. Following Avalokiteśvara’s teaching, the Buddha offers his endorsement and confirms that this is the foremost way to practice the perfection of wisdom.
Facilitators: Lama Matthew Rice (Lobpön Palden Gocha) and Daniel Scharpenburg
Text: The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Blessed Mother
Join us as we explore the rich repository of Buddhist Sutras, both Pali Canon and Tibetan Kangyur every first Sunday of the month after the Sunday Service. Sūtra (Pali. sutta) means ‘something that was heard from someone else’ and usually connotes ‘a discourse’. The Karaniya Metta Sutta is a Buddhist scripture that teaches the practice of loving-kindness (metta). It is one of the most well-known and widely practiced suttas in Buddhism. The sutta begins with the Buddha describing the benefits of metta and then goes on to describe how to practice metta.
We will also be having a potluck, so please bring a vegetarian dish to share.
Facilitators: Lama Matthew Rice (Lobpön Palden Gocha) and Daniel Scharpenburg
Text: Karaniya Metta Sutta
