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The Singapore Buddha Sasana Society ( Tenphel Ling) 新加坡佛学研究会（释迦寺） STL Program Activities (November 2015) His Eminence Luding Khen ’s Visit Dear Members and Friends Introduction In past years Sakya Tenphel Ling had consistently conducted pujas, empowerments and teachings to the benefit of all in the community. Owing to the continuous blessings of such activities through the teachers and high , an aura of auspiciousness prevail. In November 2015 we will hold The Medicine Buddha Rituals, Mantra Retreat Workshop, The Long Mahakala Protector Puja and various empowerments (Vajrayogini Chin Lab, Medicine Buddha Empowerment, White Cakrasamvara Empowerment and White Caturmurhka Jehnang). We are indeed very fortunate to able to invite His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche with an Entoutage of 8 monks to grace the occasion, assisted by 2 translators (Jay Golberg in English, and Kunga in Chinese).

With this very rare occasion, when His Eminence can personally conduct the Medicine Buddha Puja with the holy Sand , our Centre will for the 1st time offer 2 very special items to all devotees who can bring them home after the 5 day Puja: they are 1) the holy Medicine Buddha Sutra as expounded by the Lord Shakyamuni Buddha 2,500 years ago, to all sponsors of the Puja, and 2) The Arura Fruit, held by Medicine Buddha in His right hand, a symbol of overcoming all diseases of the sentient world. Furthermore, special Blue Lotus Candles sponsored by the Medicine Buddha Group, will be made available to any participant who wish to make light offering to the Medicine Buddha throughout the 5-day Puja. As all these are specially prepared items, they are limited in number; so do register early to avoid disappointment.

A) Main Event 4: The Medicine Buddha with 52-deity Mandala Ritual We welcome all to this year very special Medicine Buddha Ritual week from 7 November to 14 November 2015 at our Centre’s Main Hall. His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche will start the Medicine Buddha program with Medicine Buddha Empowerment on 7 November 8pm. All are welcome to attend. It will be followed by 2 days of set up by the lamas from the Entourage. A beautiful multi-coloured sand mandala of the Medicine Buddha with the 52 deities will be created before the Puja begins, and can be viewed throughout the 5- day ritual (from 10 to 14 November). It will be the most auspicious occasion to make circumambulation of the sand mandala especially on Medicine Buddha Day, 11 November 5 Pasir Ris Drive 4, Singapore 519455 ● Tel: 6581 3902 ● Fax:6581 3903 ● www.sakyatenpelling.org 2

2015. On this holy day, our centre will organize Lamp Offering for all to participate at a minimum fee of $10 per offerer. Our Centre also organize “ Release of Life” session on the 4th day (13 November 2015) of the ritual. These 2 combined activities provide a great day for the purification of illnesses and prolonging of lives for all beings through the expression of our sincere compassion towards them.

In summary, for the benefits of all members, friends and visitors, and their families, they can participate in the Medicine Buddha Ritual activities in the following ways:

1. Puja Registration: You can participate in the Puja by registering at the office as an individual, family or sponsor so that o your name as an individual, family or sponsor can be specifically dedicated by the lamas during the Puja. o if you are unable to attend the event personally, and/or o you may wish to make a contribution to support our Centre’s Major Event activities, so that everyone benefit and thus enhanced the auspiciousness of the event. Rejoice!

2. This year we will have a sponsorship set-up of the very Holy Medicine Buddha Sutra and the 8 Offerings. This sponsorship set-up will be blessed by the 5 day Ritual activities conducted by His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche. At the end of the Medicine Buddha Event, sponsors will be able to bring back the Holy Scripture text and Offerings for propitiation and reverence, and with great devotion to this Buddha, will able to ward-off any diseases through His blessings. This Sponsorships set-up are limited to the 1st 21 participants only. Please don’t miss this rare occasion indeed!

3. The Golden Arura Medicinal fruit set: Another special item available to devotees for offering to The Medicine Buddha 52 deity Sand Mandala are the 49 Arura Medicinal fruit sets. Please register early for the Arura fruit set ($50 per set) at the Office and offer them personally on the 1st day of the Puja, and bring them home after 5 days of continuously blessing from the Puja.

4. Special Blue Lotus candles are made available specifically for the 5-day Medicine Buddha Event. Participants can make light offering, at $100 dollars each, to the Medicine Buddha which will burn continuously throughout the 5 day of Puja.( Note only limited number of blue lotus candles are available)

5. Our Centre is organizing Lamp Offering on Medicine Buddha Day 11 November 2015. This is another way of offering to the Medicine Buddha and His entourage of Buddhas, and to receive their blessings.

6. A “Release of Life” session will be performed on the 4th day (13 November 2015) You can donate any amount at the “Release of Life” donation box for the occasion.

7. Witness the dissolution of the Mandala on the final day (14 November 2015), and those who need to possess a packet of the blessed sand can obtain it from the office later. And finally...

8. We invite all to join us in propitiating to the Medicine Buddha, Bhaiṣajyaguru anytime during the 5- day Puja , May all be showered with His Blessings. ALL ARE FREE TO ATTEND THE PUJA . Please also invite your friends and acquaintances

5 Pasir Ris Drive 4, Singapore 519455 ● Tel: 6581 3902 ● Fax:6581 3903 ● www.sakyatenpelling.org 3

especially those who are in need of this blessing for overcoming diseases and living a healthy lifestyle.

B) The 9-day Vajrayogini Mantra Retreat Workshop(15 – 23 November)

Conducted by His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche English Translator: Jay Goldberg (Ngawang Samten) Chinese Translator: Kunga Lama Main objective of this Event: To familiarize all Vajrayogini practitioners on a proper Vajrayogini Mantra Retreat Session so as to encourage them to carry on the path of such retreat in future without encountering any big obstacles.

Introduction: This series of Vajrayogini Teachings, Empowerments and Chin labs with His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche started in 2007/8 Dec/ Jan. with His Eminence drawing up the Program. During the Monlam in December 2009, our EXCO sought His Eminence confirmation of His Visit in 2010 March for the 2nd session of the full Vajrayogini Program. After this session, His Eminence said that he would not repeat the Teaching again having given twice before, when we planned out His Eminence 2013 Visit. However this time we request His Eminence to introduce other Teaching of Vajrayogini instead of the Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk’s commentary. His Eminence readily mention another 7-day Teaching commentary by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. In preparation for the 2013 Oct Vajrayogini Teaching cum General teaching on Retreat, His Eminence instructed that the very short uncommon Vajrayogini Sadhana by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo translated by Cyrus Stern and incorporated into the 2013 program. A private group from STL sponsored this translation.

The Teaching Commentary of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo is very long and untranslated. His Eminence then decided to modified the 7 day Teaching by combining both the commentaries of Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. This Teaching was successfully completed in October 2013; and the coming 2015 program suppose to be the followed-up with a month long Retreat schedule in October. However due to the Celebration of the senior HE Luding Khenchen Rinpoche 85th year birthday on 26 October in Manduwala, it was postponed to November. The month of November is our yearly Medicine Buddha Main Event. Finally, we decide to do a 9 day Vajrayogini mantra retreat workshop instead so that practitioners can carry on the mantra recitation retreat in future in accordance to the instruction given during this workshop. This year Event may be the ending series of His Eminence Teaching on Vajrayogini in STL. All practitioners who have been following this series should move on to the next phase of preparing oneself for retreat, and should be able to seek advice from His Eminence.

To encourage more practitioners to join in this very rare and special session with His Eminence, we decide to organize this retreat workshop on a non-residential basis( ie no stay-in) so that more qualified personnel can attend. To be able to benefit fully from His Eminence Teaching, it is mandatory that all participants must attend the full 9 day retreat program. On 6 November (25th Day of the Tibetan Lunar month) His Eminence will give the Vajrayogini Chin Lab to all practitioners before the workshop starts on the 15th of November.

Kindly note that all participating practitioners need to paid a fee of $100 for registration to the 9- day retreat workshop; and any excess collected, after deducting expenses, will be offered to His Eminence as an appreciation for His continual support all these years of this Vajrayogini Event. Looking forward to see the gathering of all *Vajrayogini Practitioner in this Event. (*Pre-requisite: Must have taken the 7 day Vajrayogini Teaching previously)

C) The Long Mahakala Puja (24 – 26 November)

Mahakala Puja generally called Kangso is the daily practice of all Sakya Monasteries,which propitiates and performs numerous offerings to the family of Mahakala and its entourage of Dharmapala and protectors . This Black Mahakala deity, being the wrathful manifestation of Shri 5 Pasir Ris Drive 4, Singapore 519455 ● Tel: 6581 3902 ● Fax:6581 3903 ● www.sakyatenpelling.org 4

Hevajra protects the Monastery, dharma and the practitioners from external and internal negative forces that can corrupt and degenerate the Teachings. Attending the Puja with full devotion and reverence to the Teacher and deity will free us from impure thoughts and actions and overcome our delusion and deception generated from our defilements within. Our mental continuum being interdependently related will able to thwart and transform defiled propensities into the positive state, overcoming our obstacles and inhibitions in life. This benefit generally will apply to all beings through the power of dedications, prayers and the of the deity.

Our foremost living Patriarch of Ngor, His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche had in past years led the whole Ngor Entourage to a pilgrimage in Bodgaya during the month. In 2014 the whole Ngor Entourage built a huge tent at the foot of the hill near Bodgaya and where the very holy Mahakala Cave situated, and performed the Mahakala Puja. The chanting of the Puja and the resounding of the drum by His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche penetrated our obscure minds and purified and transformed our mental continuum. The lasting imprint of the puja had brought enormous blessings to everyone presented then. This demonstrated the power of influence of such pujas when all conditions are ideally met.

Although Kangso is done daily especially in the evenings at all Tibetan Monasteries, all monks from Sakya Monasteries will gather together to perform four times in a month. They are the 8th , 14th , 23rd and 29th day of the Tibetan calendar when the gathering of all types of protectors take place in Kangso ritual. The 1st day of our Mahakala Puja on the 24th of November is the 14th day of the Tibetan Calendar when all protectors gather, and thus is an auspicious starting day of the Puja. We encourage all to attend this Puja .

Conclusion: We end our Event auspiciously on 27 November with 2 initiations which are rarely bestowed. They are the White Caturmukha and the White Cakrasamvara Jehnang. A Thanksgiving Ten Sum will be performed by the EXCO to His Eminence and entourage at the end of the session, and everyone will join in to make Khatag Offerings. We invite all to be present in this happy moment.

May the blessing of all the Sakya Gurus be with us now and always.

Yours in the Dharma

43rd EXCO

Special Announcement to all Ordinary Members only Dear Ordinary Members, Furtherance to the last AGM in March, the final amended copy of the financial report for 2014 is available in office. You can request for a copy to be sent to you by email or postal mail. Sending via email will help our center save printing & postage cost. Thanks you.

Message from Treasury

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