CANCELLED THIS MONTH Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga / Mahamudra

CANCELLED JUNE 9, 2023 WHEN: Monthly, alternating between the 2nd and 4th Fridays.  7.00 – 9.00 pm CETWHERE: OnlineLEVEL: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome! LANGUAGE: English. According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche it is good to base your LamRim meditation on a Guru Yoga practice, such as Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga (the Hundred Deities of Tushita - Ganden Lha Gyama). Find the sadhana here: Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga Mahamudra, a Sanskrit word meaning “great seal,” refers to an advanced and sophisticated system of meditation on the nature of the mind, and the realizations gained through it. Having a focus shifting from the content to the experience of the experience, the ultimate goal is to achieve a non-dual awareness by observing emptiness (Sanskrit: Shunyata) like “a mindful fish not even stirring the water while swimming”. Recommended reading: Click here   PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting us with a donation. Suggested donation is 0-40 CHF for a session. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate online (via Paypal, Twint or E-Banking). Language: English. Level: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome as well!

The 8 verses of mind-training – Geshe Sherab (Online and Onsite)

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

Get a deeper understanding of “8 Verses of Mind-Training” when Geshe Sherab visits our center and explains this fundamental lojong text in details. WHEN: Monday January 16, 6.30 pm – 9.00 pm CET WHERE: Online and Onsite LEVEL: Intermediate. Some basic understanding of Mahayana Buddhism is of benefit. Beginners are welcome as well! LANGUAGE: English. Please register if you wish to join, onsite or online, because we will be sharing texts and information with you: REGISTER HERE You can join the event here on zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84684683062?pwd=K1JKbGdza1dUaVVGa0doN0NZN25Wdz09 Meeting ID: 846 8468 3062 Passcode: 519261 Join us, in our center or on Zoom, when Geshe-la will give us a detailed introduction to Geshe Langri Thangpa’s “8 Verses of Mind-Traning” and help us understand how to implement the text into our daily practice and life. This mind training root text was composed by Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa (1054–1123), and the verses constitute the foundation of lojong in Tibetan Buddhism. Download the “8 Verses of Mind-Training” here and here   About the Teacher Geshe Thubten Sherab was born in 1967 in a small village in the province of Manang, the western part of Nepal, to a Kagyu-Nyingma family. He entered Kopan Monastery at the age of nine and completed his geshe studies at Sera Jey monastery in South India, followed by a year at Gyumed Tantric College. He then completed retreat and teaching assignments in the United States and Asia. Since then, Geshe Sherab served the Foundation for Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) in several roles. For the last few years, Geshe-la has been traveling and teaching at FPMT centers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia, and Europe, while also serving as resident teacher at Thubten Norbu Ling in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Read more   PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: You would make us very happy by supporting...

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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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Avalokiteshvara Guru Yoga Practice (Online) 8.15 – 9.15pm

Join our monthly Avalokiteshvara Guru Yoga Practice! WHEN:  Friday January 20, 08.15 - 9.15 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: One considers oneself as a Buddhist (has taken refuge). If you considered yourself as a beginner, but interested in such practice, please contact us.  Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82730709882?pwd=SEZCWkRUREJoaWpzc0FYTHJuNEk2UT09 Meeting ID: 827 3070 9882 Passcode: 245214 Avalokiteshvara, also known as Chenrezig, embodies the great infinite compassion aspect of all the Buddhas. The great compassion comes from not only wishing all sentient beings be free from suffering but actually put it to action to alleviate sufferings. The seed of compassion will grow if you plant it in fertile soil, a consciousness moistened with love. When you have watered your mind with love, you can begin to meditate upon compassion. Compassion, here, is simply the wish that all sentient beings be free of suffering. ~ An Open Heart, The Dalai Lama In this group practice, we will get together following the sadhana written by His Holiness Dalai Lama called “The Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara”. The practice will be facilitated by a member of Lhagsam. It will be slow and in English so we will have time to meditate on the meanings of words and cultivate an open heart which extends to our external world. We will also include the mediation on the four immeasurables and tonglen. Dedication: In our monthly Avelokiteshvara Guru Yoga Practice we will make dedications to all the beings who need help and support at the time. If you would like for us to make a special dedication to yourself, friend or family member, please fill out the Request Dedication Form. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 0 - 20 CHF. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. You can donate upon arrival or...

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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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Book Club

Join us reading and discussing! WHEN: Friday, March 24, 7.00 - 9.00 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: The book club is open to anyone who is interested to meet and discuss the books we read Please note that registration is required. Register here Join our relaxed and easy-going book club! You find more information here. About the book in March: Book Title: Becoming Bodhisattvas: A Guidebook for Compassionate Action Author: Pema Chödrön Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön presents a friendly and encouraging guide to spiritual practice for all those who want to take up the path of the bodhisattva, one who aspires to live life with courage, generosity, patience, fearlessness, and compassion. The Way of the Bodhisattva, composed by Buddhist scholar Shantideva in the eighth century, has long been treasured as an indispensable guide to enlightened living, offering a window into the greatest potential within us all. It presents a comprehensive view of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition’s highest ideal—to commit oneself to the life of a bodhisattva warrior, a person who is wholeheartedly dedicated to the freedom and common good of all beings. Pema Chödrön here invites you to journey more deeply into this liberating way of life, presenting Shantideva’s text verse-by-verse and offering both illuminating stories and practical exercises to enrich the text and bring its timeless teachings to life in our world today. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: free Language: English Level: open for everyone Registration: Register here

Wednesday Community Meditation

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Topic for Feb 1st:  The Nine Cemetery Contemplations (Satipatthana Sutta) 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

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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Event Series Medicine Buddha Practice

Medicine Buddha Practice

Join our monthly Medicine Buddha practice! WHEN:  Monthly on Fridays, 7.00 - 8.30 pm CET WHERE: Online LEVEL: Intermediate - Advanced (beginners are welcome) Join us via Zoom under the following link and login:Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/910346209?pwd=ajRQQlk5NTM1aHJlZ2Z0UGtnUy9BQT09 Meeting ID: 867 1617 3585 Password: 637172 REQUEST DEDICATION A Medicine Buddha Practice consists of meditations, visualizations, reciting mantras, and prayers, including taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, the seven limb practice, mandala offering, followed by the request prayers. The session is concluded with dedications. The Seven Medicine Buddhas made special prayers to benefit beings of degenerate ages, hence in the sutric tradition this is considered one of the most powerful practices, which possesses the greatest and quickest blessings. This practice purifies and heals on all levels – physical, mental, spiritual and environmental. In our monthly Medicine Buddha Practice we will make dedications to all the beings who need help and support at the time. If you would like for us to make a special dedication to yourself, friend or family member, please fill out the Request Dedication Form. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Cost: Suggested donation is 0 - 20 CHF. 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: Intermediate - Advanced. Previous knowledge in buddhist practices is helpful. Beginners are still welcome. We will happily give you a small introduction!

Open Center Café

Lhagsam Tibetan Meditation Gablerstrasse 51, Zurich, Switzerland

Whether you are a Buddhist practitioner, a follower of another spiritual tradition, or none at all, you are welcome to join. WHEN: Friday February 10, 6.30 – 8.30 pm CET WHERE: Onsite, Gablerstrasse 51 LEVEL: Everybody is welcome! REGISTRATION: Registration is required, please REGISTER HERE Nourishing on Togetherness is written on a plate in the dining hall at Land of Joy, a retreat center in the UK. At the “open center café”, we come together to drink tea, eat snacks, exchange ideas, and create connections. There is no agenda or predefined themes. The most important goal is to create a joyful and respectful space where everyone feels welcome and supported.  Whether you are a Buddhist practitioner, a follower of another spiritual tradition, or none at all, you are welcome to join, exchange, and nourish our interconnectedness. If you are interested in activities at Lhagsam, but are not sure whether it is for you, this is also a good opportunity to just come by and see. Our Gompa is open for private practice during these hours, but you will overhear people chatting in the upstairs Tara lounge. PRACTICAL INFORMATION Level: Everybody is welcome! Language: We speak German and English. Registration: Registration is required, please REGISTER HERE Cost: Free (donations welcome)