Ekoji Buddhist Sangha
Welcome to Kagyu Shenpen Tharchin,
a Tibetan Buddhist Community
Welcome to Kagyu Shenpen Tharchin,
a Tibetan Buddhist Community
Welcome to Kagyu Shenpen Tharchin,
a Tibetan Buddhist Community
Welcome to Kagyu Shenpen Tharchin,
a Tibetan Buddhist Community
Welcome to Kagyu Shenpen Tharchin
Tibetan Buddhist practice and study group
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Please feel free to join us!
We meet every Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha
3411 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA
directions
For more information, please call
Bruce or Jean at (804) 272-4625
or e-mail: kst [at] ekojirichmond [dot] org
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Our meditation master,
Lama Norlha Rinpoche
"Norlha" means treasure.
Rinpoche's own master
described him as being
endowed with the
seven kinds of spiritual wealth:
faith, self-discipline, modesty,
integrity, instruction,
renunciation, and
complete knowledge.
(For more about him, scroll down.)
This is the room at Ekoji where we
do our weekly practice.
We have floor cushions
as well as chairs to sit on.
We are a small, friendly group of people aiming to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Our teacher, Lama Norlha Rinpoche, is abbot of Kagyu Thubten Choling, New York, and we keep in close contact with him.
A few of us have been on the path for over 20 years; others have just begun. Regardless of our backgrounds or other attributes, we practice together as equals.
Our practice is authentic and traditional, but we try to make it "user-friendly" by explaining the basic points and providing texts to everyone attending.
Weekly practice
Every Thursday, 7:30 p.m. · The practice is divided into three parts. It's fine to leave after any one of the parts, or you can stay for all three. (Time frame given below is approximate.)
- 7:30 to 8:30 · Chenrezi: the Lord of Compassion · (Avalokitesvara) We chant and meditate in order to realize our inborn great compassion. Includes a period of silent meditation. The liturgy is translated as well as written phonetically. You can chant along, or silently read the translation.
- 8:30 to 9:00 · Dharma study · We read a little, then discuss our questions and insights. Also, we answer questions that people may have about the practice or about Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhsim.
- 9:00 to 9:30 · Protectors · Meditative chanting to dispel obstacles to spiritual practice. No translation is provided, but people new to the practice can enjoy meditating to the sound of the chanting and the traditional musical instruments used for the cadences.
What do you need to know before attending? · A respectful and open mind and the willingness to ask questions are the best preparations. Don't worry if you're new to Buddhism. As the Tibetan proverb says, "Dharma is good at the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end." Dress comfortably, and with respect to the temple setting.
Special Events
In addition to our weekly practices, we enjoy visits from our teacher Lama Norlha Rinpoche, and from monks and nuns of his monastery. Please click Events (below) to see if any visits are forthcoming. If you would like to receive announcements of events, please send a request to the e-mail address given above.
Our Teacher
Lama Norlha Rinpoche is the abbot of Kagyu Thubten Chöling Monastery and director of Kyabje Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche’s Dharma centers in the eastern United States.
He was born in 1938, in the Nangchen District of Kham, eastern Tibet. He entered Korche Monastery at the age of five, receiving monastic ordination at fourteen. By the age of twenty-one, Lama Norlha had completed two three-year retreats. After the communist takeover of Tibet, he escaped on foot to India where he met Kyabje Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche and became his close disciple, and a retreat master.
At Kalu Rinpoche's request, he went to America in 1976. His first dharma center here was Kagyu Dzamling Kunchab, New York City. Among his many other activities, he has led six three-year retreats to completion at Kagyu Thubten Choling, NY. Besides his activities in the US, Rinpoche has opened schools and clinics in rural Tibet and founded the first ever women's monastic college in Tibet.
Lama Rinpoche holds the Dagpo Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu lineages. He is an accomplished meditation master, and the kindest of teachers.
For more on Lama Norlha Rinpoche and his dharma centers and monastery, check out www.kagyu.com
What does the name mean?
Kagyu means “transmission of the teachings” and refers to our lineage: Karma Kagyu. The head of our lineage is His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Shenpen Tharchin means "the complete accomplishment of benefiting others."
Kagyu Shenpen Tharchin first met on January 19, 1993. We are able to meet at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha through the kindness and vast generosity of Ekoji's founder, K.T. Tsuji, Sensei.
“Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, regardless of your particular situation in this life, if you have faith, confidence, and diligence, if you have compassion and wisdom, you can become enlightened.” —Kyabje Dorje Chang Kalu Rinpoche
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