LOSAR - Tibetan New Year - Thursday February 7

PLEASE JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE OUR PRECIOUS FOUNDER, LAMA THUBTEN YESHE

Some twenty minutes before dawn on the first day of the Tibetan New Year March 3, 1984 the heart of Lama Thubten Yeshe stopped beating. He was forty-nine years old. Please join us on this day as we remember and pay tribute to this great yogi and teacher, an extraordinary man who moved the hearts of thousands during his brief life.

Lama Yeshe had a great vision for the FPMT, of which Buddha House is a part:

{xtypo_quote}Why have we established the FPMT? Why are we establishing these facilities all over the world? I think we are clean clear as to our aim - we want to lead sentient beings to higher education. We are an organization that gives people the chance to receive higher education. We offer people what we have: the combined knowledge of Buddha's teachings and the modern way of life. Our purpose is to share our experiences of this.

We know that people are dissatisfied with worldly life, with the education system and everything else; it is in the nature of our dualistic minds to be dissatisfied. So what we are trying to do is to help people discover their own totality and thus perfect satisfaction.{/xtypo_quote}

This is part of a talk Lama Yeshe gave at Instituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy on January 1983.

Lama Yeshe was a man of the world, with a very modern way of thinking far beyond any cultural or conceptual limitations. Besides preserving the tradition of Lama Tsong Khapa he wanted to make Buddhism accessible for all. This is what he said:

{xtypo_quote}In Buddhism we have an incredible arrangement: universal education from beginning at birth up until death, as an old person. I feel these things could be put into a universal language. Give up religion, give up Buddhism. Go beyond the Buddhism. Essential aspect of the philosophy put into the scientific language. This I feel is my aim.

Reality changes, if you change your vision of reality. Knowing yourself - your psychology, your physical condition - this is universal education. In my opinion, we can communicate these things in a common, universal language. Every nation, culture, religion, and philosophy already has a heritage of wisdom. We can use this wisdom to create a universal education.{/xtypo_quote}

Buddha House, as a Centre for Advanced Buddhist Studies, will try to live up to Lama Yeshe's vision, by creating a program that represents Lama's ideas.

With Losar we celebrate the start of a new program year. During the day the centre will be open from 9.30 am -  5 pm, where displays and information will be available for those who would like to know more about this incredible teacher Lama Yeshe, about Buddha House and the worldwide organisation that we are part of (FPMT). Students who knew Lama Yeshe will share their amazing and inspiring stories, and a video of Lama Yeshe will be shown at 10 am & 2 pm in the gompa.

We finish the day in Lama Yeshe's style - he liked parties - with a Guru Puja at 6 pm, an elaborate celebration with lots of offerings that help us to create to the causes to meet teachers like Lama Yeshe in the future.

• 9.30 am -  5 pm Center Open for Losar
• 10 am & 2 pm Lama Yeshe Videos
• 6 pm  Guru Puja
• Chai (on tap) available all day!