Saturday, February 5th, 2022
10:00am – 12:00pm PST
**Presented via Zoom. Registration required. Please keep an eye out for an automated email with your Zoom Meeting Link soon after you register. Please also check in your Spam/Promotions Folders**
“First Saturdays” with Geshe Ngawang Dakpa will normally be scheduled monthly on the first Saturday of the month. (Due to the timing of the New Year, the first class of 2022 was scheduled for the second Saturday!) This February class and monthly classes thereafter, will take place on the first Saturday.
Join us in collaboration with Tse Chen Ling, as their longtime resident teacher, Geshe Ngawang Dakpa, gives a concise introductory explanation of three of the principal prayers and supplications to Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). Padmasambhava is invoked and supplicated by Tibetan Buddhists of all four traditions. These prayers are recited daily to bring blessings, to clear obstacles on the spiritual path and for world peace. At various times and for various situations, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other teachers have advised that students recite these three prayers to bring benefit and relief. Geshe Dakpa will be giving explanations on the following supplications:
1) 
Accomplishing the Lama through the Seven-Line Prayer (ཚིག་བདུན་གསོལ་འདེབས།) – From the terma revelation of Guru Chöwang. The original revelation of the Seven-Line Prayer (tshig bdun gsol ‘debs), is the most famous and widely chanted of all invocations of Guru Padmasambhava.
2) The Prayer in Six Vajra Lines, also called Prayer to Guru Rinpoche to Clear Away Obstacles on the Path (དུས་གསུམ་སངས་རྒྱས་གུ་རུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ༔) – Popularly known as Dü Sum Sangye (Dus gsum sangs rgyas), this short prayer to Guru Padmasambhava was discovered as a treasure (gter ma) by Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa. As indicated in the colophon, it was—and still is—regarded as especially pertinent for the current time.
3) The Prayer that Swiftly Fulfills All Wishes (Sampa Nyur Drupma) (།གུ་རུའི་གསོལ་འདེབས་བསམ་པ་མྱུར་འགྲུབ་བཞུགས།) – This prayer to Guru Padmasambhava for the swift fulfillment of all wishes begins with a verse from ‘The Infinite Cloud Banks of Profound Meaning’ (zab don rgya mtsho’i sprin phung), which is part of Longchen Rabjam’s Khandro Yangtik (mkha’ ‘gro yang tig), and concludes with several verses written by Jigme Lingpa. It is said to be particularly beneficial for Tibet, as it has the power to pacify illness, prevent famine and border invasions, and contribute to the welfare of the teachings and beings.
In addition to explanations, Geshe Dakpa will be giving the oral transmission of these three prayers during the session.
Ven. Stephen Carlier will provide English interpretation of Geshe Dakpa’s teaching, and the class will be hosted by Stephen Butler. This class is a collaboration between Land of Medicine Buddha and our sister center, Tse Chen Ling.
Please note, the descriptions of the prayers were formulated by Lotsawa House.
ABOUT GESHE NGAWANG DAKPA
Geshe Ngawang Dakpa served as a resident teacher at Tse Chen Ling. He was born in Nakchu, northeast of Lhasa, Tibet and became a monk at the age of ten. At the local monastery of Othok he studied both Dharma and secular subjects extensively before entering Sera Je Monastery eleven years later. He fled Tibet in 1959. Upon his arrival in India, Geshe-la not only continued his monastic studies, but also spent three years at the Sanskrit University in Varanasi, earning an MA with honors. Invited by the Queen of Sikkim, he taught at the University of Sikkim for nearly 20 years before returning to Sera monastery in South India and obtaining his Geshe degree. Additionally, Geshe-la taught in Taiwan before arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1999.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR – VEN. STEVEN CARLIER
Venerable Steve Carlier resides at Land of Medicine Buddha, teaching the Basic Program. He has been studying Buddhism since 1977 and was ordained as a Buddhist monk by Lama Zopa in 1979, then receiving full ordination from Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche the following year. He studied for eleven years at Nalanda Monastery in France, and from 1993 to 2004 was one of only a handful of Westerners who have followed the Nalanda (India) tradition of studies at Sera Monastery in India. He has interpreted for several of the great masters of Tibetan Buddhism.
WE ARE ABLE TO KEEP OUR GOMPA DOORS OPEN DUE TO THE KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY OF FOLKS LIKE YOU. DONATIONS RECEIVED FOR REGISTRATION OF THIS CLASS GO TOWARDS THE UP-KEEP, FUNCTIONING AND RUNNING OF LAND OF MEDICINE BUDDHA.
ALL ORDAINED MONASTICS ARE OFFERED THESE TEACHINGS FREE OF CHARGE. NO ONE IS TURNED AWAY FROM RECEIVING A DHARMA TEACHING DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS. TO INQUIRE ABOUT ACCESS TO THE TEACHINGS FREE OF CHARGE, PLEASE CONTACT:
| Date(s): | Saturday Feb 5th, 10am - 12noon PST |
| Times: | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
| Instructor/Leader: | Geshe Ngawang Dakpa, Ven. Steve Carlier |
| Type of event: | |
| Number of sessions: | 1 class (more "First Saturdays" to be announced soon) |
| Level: | All are welcome |
| Participation: | All are welcome |
| Location: | Online Via Zoom |
| iCal Link: | iCal |
| Add to Google Calendar: |  |
Registration and Donations for Explanation & Oral Transmission of Prayers to Padmasambhava, with Geshe Ngawang Dakpa
Online registration is now closed for this event.