Announcements | Amitabha Foundation

Amitabha Tsok and Liberation Prayer Offerings

March 20, 2023 by Becky

H.E. Chöje Ayang Rinpoche Teaching at Opak Kyilkhor Ling

Ayang Rinpoche is currently giving his Phowa Course at the Opak Kyilkhor Ling Amitabha Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, to hundreds of Himilayans and people from all over the world. On the concluding day, March 22, they will hold an Amitabha Tsok Offering puja together with a Liberation Ceremony for the deceased.

Rinpoche says the Ceremony to Liberate Dead Beings is the best time to dedicate prayers for the departed beings. Anyone who would like to make offerings and dedicate prayers to family members, friends, loved ones or pets who have passed, please make your offering and send in names of the deceased by Tuesday, March 21st at 5 pm (Pacific time) to be included in the prayer list for the Liberation Ceremony. Offerings are appreciated at any time.

To make offerings, please use the link below or send a check made out to Amitabha Foundation to P.O. Box 2572, Aptos, California 95001. If you send a check, please email the names of the deceased for whom you are sponsoring to info@amitabhafoundation.us. Donations sent through the Amitabha Foundation US are tax deductible in the US.

Those interested can offer online at one of the suggested levels below. You are welcome to make offerings for tsok without adding names for liberation prayers.

Rinpoche Teaching Phowa in Nepal

H.E. Palchen Galo Rinpoche’s Bell and Dorje

Mandala Offering

Opak Kyilkhor Choling Shrine

Young Monks Living at Opak Kyilkhor Ling

Filed Under: AF News, Amitabha Retreat Center in Nepal, Announcements, Monastery Pujas Tagged With: Amitabha, Liberation, Tsok

Peaceful and Wrathful Deities Puja and Liberation Ceremony

March 1, 2023 by Becky

100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deities Mandala 2021

100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deities (Shitro) Puja 2021

100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deities Shrine 2021

Ayang Rinpoche’s monastery in Bylakuppe, South India is now holding the annual Shitro (100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deities) Puja to celebrate the beginning of the lunar new year. The puja began on March 1 and will conclude on the Great Wheel Full Moon day of Chotrul Duchen, March 7th. March 6th is the Anniversary of Milarepa and March 7th is the Anniversary of Marpa. There will be special offering prayers the both day and lightening of the temple to celebrate these two important commemorations in the Kagyu lineage.

The hundred deities are the attributes and activities of the five families of male and female Buddhas, and are manifestations of the true nature of our minds. By relying on the practice of the hundred deities, or even just by hearing the mantra and seeing the mandala and pictures of the hundred deities, one may either instantly or gradually realize that the nature of one’s mind is inseparable from the perfect wisdom of the hundred deities.

The monastery dedicates the One Hundred Deities prayers during this week especially for the deceased, as well as for all the sponsors who have supported the monastery. This is the perfect time for people who had lost loved ones, friends and family members to sponsor shrine expenses, special meals, tea and offering to sangha and dedicate the merit to their loved ones.

Ayang Rinpoche will perform a Liberation Ceremony for the deceased on the 7th day. Rinpoche says the Ceremony to Liberate Dead Beings is the best time to dedicate prayers for the departed beings. Anyone who would like to make offerings and dedicate prayers to family members, friends, loved ones or pets who have passed, please make your offering and send in names of the deceased by Sunday, March 5th at 10 pm (Pacific time) to be included in the prayer list for the Liberation Ceremony.

To make offerings, use the link below or send a check made out to Amitabha Foundation to P.O. Box 2572, Aptos, California 95001. If you send a check, please email the names of the deceased for whom you are sponsoring to info@amitabhafoundation.us, or to your local Amitabha Foundation. Donations sent through the Amitabha Foundation US are tax deductible in the US.

Those interested, can offer at one of the suggested levels below.

You may also send your donation directly to the monastery’s bank account (this will not be tax-deductible).

Click here to see a list of all the annual pujas at Ayang Rinpoche’s monastery, with the lunar calendar dates. The Western calendar dates will be posted as soon as they are announced.

Shitro Puja 2021

Shitro Mandala 2021

Shitro Main Deity Tormas 2021

Shitro Shrine 2021

Peaceful and Wrathful Deities Tormas 2021

Shitro Mandala 2021

Filed Under: AF News, Announcements, Monastery Pujas Tagged With: Liberation Ceremony, Peaceful and Wrathful Deities, Shitro, Zhitro

Phowa Course and Introduction to True Nature of Mind in Nepal

January 19, 2023 by Becky

Opak Kyilkhor Chöling

Amitabha Foundation Retreat Center, Nepal

Phowa Course (March 16-22) and Introduction to True Nature of Mind (March 26)

DETAILS HERE

His Eminence Choje Ayang Rinpoche has been conducting Phowa courses all over the world for over four decades. Rinpoche had plans to teach Phowa in Nepal too when the Amitabha Temple was completed. Unfortunately, it could not happen as planned, due to the Nepal earthquake in 2015 that damaged the newly constructed Amitabha Temple in Kopan. When the renovation of the temple was complete, the Covid-19 pandemic followed soon thereafter. This affected the whole world and travel and public gatherings were restricted.

To fulfill the longtime requests and the fervent wish of many local devotees of Vajrayana followers, Rinpoche has now decided to bestow both the Nyingma and Drikung Lineage Phowa teachings at the Amitabha Foundation Retreat Center, Kopan, Buddanilkantha Nagarpalika Ward-11, Kathmandu Nepal.

For a description, download the flyer in English, Tibetan and Nepali. To register and find information about accommodations, meals, local transportation and other details please visit this website. At this time, translation will be available in Nepali, Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese. Rinpoche often teaches in English, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. Please bring an AM/FM portable radio with a headset.

Please note that there are commitments to taking the Phowa course. If you take the Phowa course for the first time, Rinpoche asks that you attend all sessions. According to Rinpoche’s instructions, those who have completed the Ngondro (Preliminary Practices with 100,000 accumulations) can attend the course without taking a commitment in order to receive the teachings. For other interested people (including those who are currently doing the Ngondro) you can either promise to finish the Ngondro within 3 years, or accumulate 150,000 recitations of the Vajrasattva long (100 Syllable) mantra with visualization and 150,000 recitations of the Buddha Amitabha mantra (OM AMI DEWA HRI) with visualization within 3 years. Both Vajrasattva and Buddha Amitabha practices as required for these commitments are taught during the Phowa course. Most students can complete their commitments easily with approximately one hour a day of practice over the 3 years.

Students must commit to do the Phowa practice daily for 10 days after the course, and to purchase or make either a Buddha Amitabha statue or a Buddha Amitabha Pure Land thangka, as a support for their practice. Rinpoche strongly advises everyone to do the complete practice (approximately 2 hours) at least twice a month after the course, preferably on the full moon and new moon, for the rest of their lives.

If Rinpoche offers the Introduction to the True Nature of the Mind, this will probably be after not before the Phowa course. However this has not been confirmed.

Filed Under: AF News, Amitabha Retreat Center in Nepal, Announcements, Rinpoche's Schedule, Teaching schedule

2022 Year-End Appeal

December 23, 2022 by Becky

Ayang Rinpoche Making A Summoning Mudra

(Photo courtesy of Amitabha Foundation Hong Kong)

As you enjoy Holiday gift giving and time with family and friends, take a moment to remember how much you appreciate our most kind lama and how he embodies the loving kindness, compassion and wisdom you have come to treasure as a result of being introduced to the Buddha dharma. H.E. Chöje Ayang Rinpoche has brought the undeceiving truth of Dharma to thousands of fortunate practitioners, primarily through the practice of Phowa, the transference of consciousness to the enlightened state at the time of death.

Ayang Rinpoche has abandoned all selfish and personal aims to devote his life only to benefit others. Today, Rinpoche is responsible for nearly 400 monks, several monasteries in Tibet and India, the Amitabha Retreat Center in Nepal, a safe-childbirth program and clinic in Tibet, and ongoing projects to build temples and retreat centers in India.

All of these projects require considerable funding. Rinpoche has not been able to travel around the world for nearly three years–a time when he would ordinarily have received donations from his grateful students for bringing them precious Dharma teachings. By assisting a great Bodhisattva achieve his or her aims, we ourselves acquire great merit: a storehouse of goodness that will bless us in this and future lives.

We urge you at this time to do all you can to help Rinpoche complete the visionary Amitabha Temple Project in Bodhgaya. This temple is designed for one purpose alone: to provide a range of practical benefits, deep solace and powerful inspiration to all people – regardless of religious faith – who visit or see it. This is the best time for all his students to show their appreciation for Rinpoche’s extraordinary kindness and to support his vision for this Temple Project.

Read About the Amitabha Temple Project in Bodhgaya

We encourage you to make a Year-End donation now so Rinpoche will have the funds he needs to complete this project.

With your Year-End donation, you may send in names for dedication. Names of donors and loved ones will be sent to the monastery to be included on a prayer list for the first 2023 puja in Bylakuppe.

You may send your contribution through the Amitabha Foundation in your own country, directly to the monastery’s account, or by donating online.

The Amitabha Foundation USA must receive offerings (online or by check to P.O. Box 2572, Aptos, California 95001) by December 31 at midnight (Pacific Time) to count as a tax-deductible donation in 2022. Donations are welcome any time.

Filed Under: AF News, Amitabha Meditation Center in Bodhgaya, Announcements