Fall Festival 2019

Day 5

The Compassion of Avalokiteshvara

"May everyone everywhere, have the opportunity to turn to the loving care and guidance of the Buddha of compassion, living Avalokiteshvara, living Heruka."

Meditation

Feature

There have been many magical moments in this Festival so far, but one that will linger in the memory for a long time is the sublime sound of three thousand people quietly reciting the mantra OM MANI PEME HUM during the empowerment today. The sacred murmur of wisdom air filling the Temple!

Gen-la Dekyong bestowed the blessing empowerment of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion, this morning, establishing a strong connection in our minds with Avalokiteshvara and nurturing our potential to attain the enlightened state for the sake of all living beings.

During both the empowerment and the subsequent commentary to the practice in the afternoon, Gen-la transmitted the blessing of the chapter on Essential Insights into the Avalokiteshvara sadhana from The Mirror of Dharma with Additions by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche.

My First Festival

Alex

Colorado, USA

“I didn't expect the festival to be this big and with so many people from all over the world. The longer I’m here the more I love it! I met Kadam Dharma in June and followed my heart and signed up for this festival only a few weeks ago. I’m so happy I chose to be here and excited to keep doing this!”

In a deeply moving and extremely profound teaching in the afternoon, Gen-la gave a brief commentary to the sadhana and then explained how to engage in the subsequent practice of Avalokiteshvara, referring extensively to the unpublished oral instructions she received directly from Venerable Geshe-la. This blessed instruction is at once supremely practical and extremely profound.

It includes an extraordinary explanation of the union of appearance and emptiness according to the uncommon presentation of our tradition.

This was Gen-la's last teaching of this Festival. Tomorrow, Gen-la Khyenrab begins three days of teachings on The Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment and the section on training in meditation, which will include more explanation of the union of appearance and emptiness transmitted directly by Venerable Geshe-la. How wonderful! How extraordinary!

We have to keep pinching ourselves to remind us this is really happening!

5 Minutes of wisdom

Who is Avalokiteshvara?

What people are saying

Trinidar

US/Mexico

“Receiving this empowerment is a big responsibility because we need to be thinking more about others and less about ourselves. Gen-la Dekyong gave us very practical advice - that when we are about to get angry or unhappy we should remember Avalokiteshvara at our heart and take refuge. I will be putting this into practice when I get home.”

Peng Lin

China

“I brought my son here for his first Kadampa empowerment. He loves the Temple. I enjoyed the empowerment and the people are very kind. It feels very good.”

Daniella

Brazil

“This empowerment is going to change my life forever! We were all there together reciting Avalokiteshvara’s mantra - it felt like we were all of one mind.”