Fall Festival 2024 ~ Day 8
Nov 2, 2024
Day 2 ~ Meeting Mother Tara
A Banquet of Delight
How wonderful! Last night almost 3,500 people around the world came together virtually to listen to Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong's opening teaching of the 2021 Fall Festival.
Gen-la explained that she was going to teach a very rare practice based on the commentary given by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche in 1997. Teachings she described as a 'banquet of delight.'
Today, there will be two morning meditations and then, in the afternoon, Gen-la will grant the empowerment of Buddha Green Tara. How fortunate we are!
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Creating our own path to liberation
the path to liberation
Gen-la opened the Festival with an extraordinary teaching on the basis of the path to liberation, explaining that liberation is the complete cessation of suffering and its causes, our delusions.
Following Venerable Geshe-la's teachings she explained that there are six bases for accomplishing the path to liberation, introducing the first three in the opening teaching:
- Understanding forms - especially how to overcome our uncontrolled desire towards objects of the senses
- Understanding the primary mind - especially how understanding the clarity that is the nature of the mind leads to an understanding of past and future lives
- Understanding mental factors - especially how the mind imputes everything
The explanation of the third one, she said, will continue into the empowerment today. Can't wait!
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Permanent liberation from suffering can be found
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There is no man and no woman
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Steven, US
After losing my mother earlier this year, I have spent a lot of time relying on my spiritual mother, Araya Tara. The power of Tara's blessings and the comfort I feel being in her presence has helped me cope and deal with the loss. I am looking forward to receiving Tara's empowerment and receiving teachings on Tara Powa so that when it's my time to go, I can make sure it's to the pure land of Potala
Laura, colombia
We may not believe that we or our friends might die today. But Gueshe-la kindly teaches us to hold in our heart the possibility that we might. This world is not our home so it is such a delight to have the unprecedented opportunity to train in The Path to Heaven at this Festival.
Monika, Germany
I am so happy to receive the empowerment from Arya Tara. In these impure times really everybody should receive it.
Laura, germany
I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to attend the Fall Festival 2021, and to receive the empowerment of Green Tara, the Swift One. I sense that this is a very special practice that we will discover during this Festival, to maximise our chances to go to a Pure Land.
Marx, Brasil
Nectar, nectar, nectar! Thank you Venerable Geshe-la. May all living beings have the same opportunity as I have.
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Tharpaland KMC prepares for the empowerment
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THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
Day by day, we hear stories of people who face death and we incorrectly think that this is something that will not happen to us in the near future. Moreover, when one of our friends or family goes through death, we might not know how to navigate the loss and train our mind in acceptance, resilience and specially wisdom.
We may not believe that we or our friends or relatives may die today. But Gueshe-la kindly teaches us to hold in our heart the possibility that we may. Therefore this world is not our home.
With this in mind, it is such a delight to have the unprecedented opportunity to train in The Path to Heaven, the transference of consciousness (powa) practice of Arya Tara during this Festival.
While training in this special practice, we will be able to help ourselves and others at the time of death by connecting with the heart of Guru Arya Tara. Throughout this practice we will develop the capacity to gather the best conditions to ripen our virtuous seeds at the time of our death and connect with our true potential, which is pure and extraordinary.
LAURA, COLOMBIA
I AM LIBERATING MYSELF!
The path to heaven begins when we recognise ourself as a traveller. When we understand that our home is not here, because there is no real home outside our mind. When we begin to abide in the Pure Land of Lamrim. In our busy lives, we have so much distractions that make us to forget this pure view, the pure view that living Buddha compassionately teaches us again and again.
But when we joint to NKT International Festival, it is as if we actually were abiding in a Pure Land – the Pure Land of Lamrim. We remember again that we really are: fortunate Ones who, through the blessings of the Guru, can remember correct views – the very cause of our suffering are our delusions, not our external conditions, our body is form and, due this, it ceases, but our mind it is not form and, due this, it never ceases.
On that basis, we can follow the truth: future lives exist, and they are coming!
And then, certain magic happens. I feel that during the teaching I am listening to the precious words of Venerable Geshe-la´s Dharma through Gen-la Dekyong “[living] Buddha is actually liberating us”, as Venerable himself says in Modern Buddhism. I can feel that sensation of a certain level of liberation – I am liberating myself, I am liberating myself! It's so inspiring, that feeling, because it is already the inner path that leads us to real liberation.
I feel that as the ropes that bind my boat-like human form at this impure world were being released, and then I can cross this great ocean of impure life to the Pure Land in the heart of Mother Tara.
And all this began because I joined to this 2021 NKT International Fall Festival and through it taste like I am listening to Venerable Geshe-la´s holy words, and abide in the Pure Land of Lamrim.
KADAM ANTONIO, PORTUGAL
