The Heart Sutra Explained – Geshe Sherab (Online)

Get a deeper understanding of “The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra” when Geshe Sherab explains this fundamental Mahayana sutra in details. WHEN: Wednesdays, October 5, 12, 19, 7.00 - 9.00 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome as well! Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82561889757?pwd=eHBGcWFsWHRSc1lGVDVjZDNwekNSdz09 Meeting ID: 825 6188 9757 Passcode: 314389 During the first three Wednesdays in October, Geshe-la will give us a detailed introduction to the Heart Sutra and help us understand how to implement the text into our daily practice. Please notice that the event starts at 7 pm CET with preliminaries, led by a Lhagsam facilitator, and Geshe-la ticks in at 7.30. We’ll chant the Heart Sutra in English and meditate on emptiness, so we can be prepared for Geshe-la to arrive. The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (the Heart Sutra) is perhaps the most widely known sutra of the Mahayana tradition and is often recited daily by practitioners all over the world, particularly before receiving Dharma teachings. Part of the Prajnaparamita Sutras, the Heart Sutra is a condensed presentation of the wisdom of emptiness as revealed by Avalokiteshvara (known as Chenrezig in Tibetan) on Vulture’s Peak in Rajgir, India, to Shariputra, one of the Buddha’s main disciples, based on the Buddha’s own power. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained that the only thing that can directly cut ignorance, which is the root of suffering and samsara, is wisdom realizing emptiness. There are many teachings on emptiness, but all these teachings are found condensed in the Heart Sutra. Download the Heart Sutra here Just hearing the Heart Sutra, or reading it, leaves a positive imprint to be free of samsara and to actualize the path, achieving enlightenment to free numberless sentient beings from oceans...

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Wednesday Community Meditation

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Let’s meet at our center and be part of a guided meditation. WHEN: Wednesday November 9, 7.00-8.30 pm CET WHERE: Onsite, the Lhagsam Gompa LEVEL: Beginner, everyone is welcome! LANGUAGE: English Let’s meet at our center and be part of a guided meditation, get an understanding of how to develop valuable realizations on the vastness of the mind: We will analyze and learn how to experience our world, and how we can change this, to have a better understanding and more acceptance of ourselves and for the whole world. We will work on gaining experiential knowledge, a calmer mind, and an open heart full of love and compassion towards ourselves and all sentient beings. Once the meditation has ended, we invite you to stay and enjoy being part of our vibrant community and chat with the other participants. We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God. Rather, just as we are responsible for our own suffering, so are we solely responsible for our own cure. We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release. Therefore, as suffering permeates our life, we have to do something in addition to our regular daily routine. This something is spiritual practice or, in other words, meditation. ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0 – 20 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: All are welcome

Discovering Buddhism: Introduction to Tantra

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

EXTRA SESSION Due to request, this event serves as a follow-up on Lhagsam's recently finished Discovering Buddhism course, but anyone can join! WHEN:  Thursday November 10, 7.00 - 9.00 pm CET  WHERE: Online and Onsite LEVEL: Beginner to Advanced You can join the event here on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85664885415?pwd=dHR6SU84cTZVdUFaK1lDeVpoY1BQdz09 Meeting ID: 856 6488 5415 Passcode: 293072 The most advanced level of practice is taught in the Vajrayana system of Mahayana Buddhism, the expertise of all great Tibetan masters. These techniques are said to hasten immeasurably the goal of buddhahood. What drives the bodhisattva to enter into the practice of tantra is their immense compassion for the suffering of all beings. Students get a broad overview of the four classes of tantra and learn to practice simple Kriya tantric methods. They learn to integrate tantra with lam-rim meditation for optimal results. Discovering Buddhism is an FPMT study program aimed at giving Buddhist and non-Buddhist students a solid footing in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. The program is not meant to be an academic study of Buddhism, it is meant to change our daily lives through experiential training in meditation and thought transformation. About the Teacher Ven. Robina Courtin, Australian-born, has a powerhouse personality and has been a Buddhist nun for nearly 40 years. Well known for her work with people in prisons, Ven. Robina’s life and work is the subject of the award-winning documentary ‘Chasing Buddha‘. She teaches full time around the world at the centers of her teachers’ organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Read more PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0 – 30 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint...

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Retreat Day (Onsite Only)

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Please note the changed times for Saturday November 20th: 12.30 -16h WHEN: Sunday November 20th, 12.30 - 16.00 WHERE: Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation LEVEL: All levels, beginners welcome If you would like to join, please send an email to info@lhagsam.ch "Meditation gives us breathing space in the mind; it gives us the space to experience. Normally our lives are so cluttered that we don't even have breathing space. But meditation gives us the breathing spaceso that things can arise, so that understanding anc experience can come up. Normally we are so busythat they can't surace, because there is no room...meditation is about coming back to our silent inner spaciuousness" ~Tenzin Palmo How about giving yourself the gift of withdrawing from this busy world for half a day?  Turn off your phone, be in silence, settle your mind and look inwardly instead of following your senses to the external world.   Schedule - 12:30 - 14:00 Setting Motivation, Shamatha Meditation - 14:00 - 14:15 Tea break - 14:15 - 16:00  Meditation, Dedication PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 0-30CHF for the full day.  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate upon arrival or online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: No prior knowledge required Registration: We will meet at our location in Zurich. If you would like to join, please send an email to info@lhagsam.ch

Mindfulness in Daily Life

ONSITE & ONLINE Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, 8002, Switzerland

Get to know some fundamental principles of secular mindfulness meditation when our center is visited onsite by Lea Boesch and Manuel Oswald, who are both students of acclaimed meditation teachers Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. The teachers will offer simple mindfulness practices to help navigate our busy lives with more presence, ease, and wisdom. WHEN: Sunday December 11, 10.00 am – 1.00 pm CET WHERE: Onsite and Online LEVEL: Open for everyone. This introduction is suitable for anyone interested in a secular approach to meditation and mindfulness. LANGUAGE: English Join the Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82874557044?pwd=bXpoeFNXUDFpVHR2NFY0d0VjOHE0QT09 Meeting ID: 828 7455 7044 Passcode: 081188 Learn how to cultivate an embodied and compassionate presence and a relaxed attention in your meditation practice. The guided meditations will be accompanied by informative explanations and time for questions and discussions, including for those attending with Zoom. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0 – 30 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: Open for everyone. This is meant as a basic introduction.

Wednesday Community Meditation

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Topic for Dec 14, 2022: Mindfulness of the body WHEN: Monthly on Wednesday  7.00-8.30 pm CET WHERE: Onsite, the Lhagsam Gompa LEVEL: Beginner, everyone is welcome! LANGUAGE: English Let’s meet at our center and be part of a guided meditation, get an understanding of how to develop valuable realizations on the vastness of the mind: We will analyze and learn how to experience our world, and how we can change this, to have a better understanding and more acceptance of ourselves and for the whole world. We will work on gaining experiential knowledge, a calmer mind, and an open heart full of love and compassion towards ourselves and all sentient beings. Once the meditation has ended, we invite you to stay and enjoy being part of our vibrant community and chat with the other participants. We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God. Rather, just as we are responsible for our own suffering, so are we solely responsible for our own cure. We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release. Therefore, as suffering permeates our life, we have to do something in addition to our regular daily routine. This something is spiritual practice or, in other words, meditation. ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0 – 20 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English Level: All are welcome

Was ist Buddhistische Meditation?

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Was bedeutet Meditation im Buddhismus? Wie funktioniert Meditation? Erfahre mehr vom Buddhistischen Mönch Ven. Tenzin Michael. Wann: Samstag 7. Januar Wo: Vor Ort bei Lhagsam Level: Alle sind herzlich willkommen! Sprache: Deutsch oder Schweizerdeutsch, je nach Teilnehmenden Dieser Kurs ist für alle, die gerne mit Meditation anfangen möchten, bereits praktizieren und mehr erfahren wollen oder einfach einen Tag in Gemeinschaft sich der Meditation widmen möchten. Ven. Tenzin Michael hat mehr als 20 Jahre Erfahrung im Meditieren und teilt gerne sein Wissen mit uns. Du wirst praktische Anleitungen erhalten, wie zum Beispiel zur Sitzhaltung und zur Strukturierung einer Meditationssitzung zu Hause. Weiter erfährst du, welche Meditationstechniken im Buddhismus praktiziert werden und was Konzentrations- und analytische Meditation sind. Der Kurs wird mit mehreren geführten Meditationen begleitet, damit du praktische Erfahrungen sammeln und diese zu Hause anwenden kannst. Über den Lehrer: Mit 24 Jahren ist Ven. Tenzin Michael zum ersten mal nach Asien aufgebrochen und in den Klostern des Himalaya hat er den Buddhismus in lebendiger Weise kennengelernt. In folgenden, jahrelangen Reisen und Asienaufenthalten ist sein Interesse stetig gewachsen. Inspiriert durch den Kontakt mit Meistern wie S.H. Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Geshe Ngawang Jangchup, Tich Nath Hanh und weiteren Lehrern hat er beschlossen, sein Leben ganz dem Dharma zu widmen.Seit 2004 ist Ven. Tenzin Michael als buddhistischer Mönch ordiniert. Zur Zeit studiert er Buddhismus im Kloster Nalanda in Südfrankreich. Mehr Informationen   PRAKTISCHE INFORMATIONEN Level: Alle sind herzlich willkommen! Sprache: Deutsch oder Schweizerdeutsch, je nach Teilnehmenden Kosten: Vorgeschlagene Spende ist 0 – 80 CHF. Niemand wird aus finaziellen Gründen ausgeschlossen. Du kannst vor Ort oder online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking) spenden. Mittagessen: In der Mittagspause bist du herzlich eingeladen bei uns im Zentrum zu essen. Du kannst gerne etwas vegetarisches zum Teilen mitbringen. Tee, Kaffee und Snacks sind vorhanden.

Event Series Death & Dying

Death & Dying

How to Help Your Loved Ones Enjoy Death and Go Happily to Their Next Rebirth. Join us on five consecutive Thursdays when Venerable Robina Courtin will grant us live teachings on the process of death and dying, as seen from a Buddhist perspective and explained thoroughly in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’ book “How to Help Your Loved Ones Enjoy Death and Go Happily to Their Next Rebirth”. WHEN: Thursdays, January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 7:00 – 8.30 pm CET WHERE: Online Only LEVEL: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome as well! Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81839377063?pwd=b1ZSMlQ4MVJWYnp3L1drMUF2bVROQT09 Meeting ID: 818 3937 7063 Passcode: 609932 In this handbook Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives a huge amount of advice about how to help our loved ones before, during, and after death. This 400 page book, compiled and edited by Ven. Robina Courtin, takes much of the material in FPMT’s How to Face Death without Fear  and Heart Advice for Death and Dying, but radically restructures and reorganizes it into an easy-to-use manual. The book is available for free from here, but please consider a donation if you decide to download it: https://fpmt.org/projects/make-a-donation/   For a Buddhist, the ideal way to die is to die gradually, contrary to an often-stated view that it’s best to die in our sleep so that we don’t know about it. And the reason is clear: given that most of us live in denial of this natural event, our loved ones need time to get ready for death, at peace and unafraid, so that they can, indeed, go happily to their next rebirth, either a precious human rebirth in which they can continue to practice their spiritual path or rebirth in a pure land, such as Buddha Amitabha’s, in which they can easily become a buddha and thus...

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