The Friends of Himalayan Buddhism will host guest speaker, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, throughout Friday, March 8, and Sunday, March 10, at the Co-Op College Lodge.
Considered one of the greatest living Tibetan masters today, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche will visit Indiana to present a series of lectures on techniques from Tibetan Buddhism that can be used in generating peace and compassion.
The weekend events are as following:
- Friday, March 8- Vegetarian Potluck at 5:00 p.m., followed by a Public Talk at 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, March 9- Teaching Session 1 at 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Teaching Session 2 at 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
- Sunday, March 10- Teaching Session 3 at 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Refuge Vow/Chenrezig Empowerment Ceremonies at 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
All events will take place at the Co-op College Lodge located 239 College Lodge Road, Indiana PA 15701. The Friday potluck is free and open to the public. If you wish to attend the potluck, bring a vegetarian dish to share and RSVP here. Tickets for all other events will be sold at the door.
Registration fees for events are:
- Friday Public Talk - $15 general admission or $10 for I-card holders and seniors
- Teaching Sessions on Saturday and Sunday - General admission $15/session or $40 for all sessions or $10/session or $25 for all sessions for I-card holders and seniors
- Refuge Vow and Chenrezig Empowerment Ceremonies - $15 admission
Refuge is a prerequisite for the empowerment on Sunday afternoon. Refuge is a first step on the Buddhist path to enlightenment. The ceremony of the Chenrezig empowerment is given as a blessing and invokes Chenrezig who is the embodiment of limitless compassion.
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche is currently the abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachackra, one of the main Tibetan monasteries in the U.S. Ordained as a monk at the age of twelve at Thrangu Monastery in eastern Tibet, he is one of the few Tibetan scholars that have received the highest levels of training in Tibetan Buddhism. Due to the political situation in Tibet in the late 1950’s, he fled his homeland in 1959 through the Himalayas to Bhutan and eventually India. In the following years, he resided at monasteries in Bhutan and India where he provided teachings and support for Tibetan refugee communities. In 1975 His Holiness the 16th Karmapa acknowledged Rinpoche’s attainment with the title Choje Lama (Superior Dharma Master). At the request of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Khenpo Rinpoche immigrated to the U.S. in 1976 to establish and guide the development of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra located near Woodstock, NY. After more than forty years of teaching on Tibetan Buddhist topics, Khenpo Rinpoche has a prolific body of work published in Chinese and English, as well as dozens of teachings that have been published in Densal magazine and transcripts by KTD’s Namse Bagdzo Bookstore. At age 89, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche still maintains a rigorous international teaching schedule.
Sponsored by Karma Thegsum Choling of Indiana and IUP student organization Friends of Himalayan Buddhism, and supported by the IUP Mindfulness Meditation Living and Learning Community.
For more information contact registration@indianacountyktc.org or call (724)349-9426.
