Fall Festival 2024 ~ Day 4
Oct 29, 2024
Day 4 ~ Je Tsongkhapa Day
Who is Je Tsongkhapa?
A video based on the explanation in The Mirror of Dharma
by venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche
A day of celebration
Today is Je Tsongkhapa Day, a special day in the Kadampa Buddhist calendar when we remember the great kindness of Je Tsongkhapa and celebrate the union of Je Tsongkhapa and our Spiritual Guide. And we reflect deeply on our great good fortune at having met such a precious Teacher and received the blessings of this unsurpassed tradition. Take a few minutes to watch the video above to learn more about this holy being.
Today, Gen-la will give two more teachings following on from yesterday's and in the evening we will gather for an international Offering to the Spiritual Guide puja, which will include a special dedication from Kadampa students around the world for the holy Spiritual Guide.
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Introducing three Tara practices
a precious jewel in our lineage
Yesterday, Gen-la began the commentary to the sublime Tara practice, The Path to Heaven, a precious jewel of a practice in the Kadampa tradition.
Building on the opening teaching on Friday night, and following the blissful empowerment from the day before, Gen-la skilfully guided us step by step through the practice.
As always with Gen-la's teachings, she closely followed the commentary given by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, so closely that it was as if we were receiving the teaching from Venerable Gehse-la himself.
At the end of the day, we were all wide eyed with astonishment at the clarity, profundity and sheer practicality of her teaching.
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The four kadampa guru deities
feature video
HIDDEN KINDNESS
center video
Tara IKRC
global community
the international kadampa family online
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Claudia, Argentina
Esta Iniciación es un banquete de bendiciones, bellamente presentado, repleto de deliciosas enseñanzas.
Esta es una de las que ha llegado más profundo:
"Sin apego podemos disfrutar alegremente de nosotros mismos"
Heinrich & Kathrin, germany
Liebes Kadampa-Festival-Team,
wir erfreuen uns zutiefst an diesem wunderschönen Festival, welches im Herzen aller Kadampa Schüler weltweit "gemeinsam" praktiziert werden kann, dank des Livestreams.
Von ganzem Herzen ein liebevolles DANKESCHÖN für all die unermüdliche Arbeit rund um dieses kostbare Festival. Danke an alle Mitwirkenden.
Mit den liebsten Wünschen für eine gesegnete Zeit.
Gema & Olga, Spain
Estamos en el KMC Málaga disfrutando de un día extraordinario en compañía de la preciosa Sangha.
Está siendo maravilloso vivir el Festival en compañía de nuestros amigos espirituales, recibiendo bendiciones e incrementando nuestra fuerza interior todos juntos.
Muchas gracias Gueshela por hacer esto posible!
Gen Repa, Germany
We are so fortunate to have this special bond with Ven. Arya Tara, if we can remember her at our heart we will be free from all fears, and delusions and we will be guided quickly on the Path to Heaven.
Thank you Ven. Geshe-la, thank you Gen-la
Mariana, mexico
I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy time with the Sangha, listening to Dharma teachings with precious teachers and connecting and communicating with enlightened beings.
I hope and pray we can all be here together next year at the opening of the temple at KMC Spain.
May we all be close to Arya Tara, may we all become Buddhas for the benefit of all all.
Thank you Geshe-la for your immeasurable kindness, may you always be with us, and may we become a pure vehicle of your pure wishes.
María, Argentina
To me, a Festival is a strong boost of joy and energy to continue deepening our spiritual path both individually and as a community.
How fortunate we are!!!
to spain and back in an instant
The few people able to attend this Festival in-person are mostly from the UK and so do not need translation. The exception is a few Spanish speaking volunteers in the Art Studio.
But with no facilities for translators in the Temple, how do they receive translation? Simple! The recording of the Teacher is broadcast to the hub in Spain, where it is translated live for Spanish speakers in Europe and broadcast over ZOOM. This translation is received by a tablet in the Temple and then transmitted over WIFI to the translation device held by the student listening!
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CONNECTING WITH LIVING JE TSONGKHAPA
While we connect with Living Je Tsongkhapa in our hearts every day, be that during puja or on the fly, it’s wonderful to have the special occasion of Je Tsongkhapa Day every year, to pause and marvel at the accomplishments of the founding father of the New Kadampa Lineage and the beauty and the importance of his doctrine.
Of course, every Kadampa has their own favorite aspects of his qualities, teachings and deeds; and here are some points that I found particularly inspiring when I started practicing many years ago and that still move me deeply today.
- If it hadn’t been for Je Tsongkhapa, the correct view of emptiness and correct Tantric practice may very well have disappeared from this world – and with it the door to liberation and enlightenment. As predicted by Buddha himself, he appeared at a time when there was great confusion about both these topics and he was able to clarify them and reestablish correct understanding and practice.
- The clarity of his teachings and pragmatic approach to practice make it easy to understand and practice : No unnecessary frills, just substance for maximum impact.
- And adding from today’s perspective - the power of his blessings arising from his unceasing dedication to leading us all to the Union of Heruka.
Thank you, my kind Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka.
MIRI, GERMANY
TIME TO REMEMBER, APPRECIATE, THANK AND REJOICE
Today, thousands of Kadampas around the world will be in their centres and homes celebrating a very precious day in their year – Je Tsongkhapa Day.
It is a time to remember, appreciate, thank and rejoice in the immense kindness of this remarkable Guru.
Je Tsongkhapa is our spiritual forefather who has bequeathed to us the most special and complete lineage: the union of Sutra and Tantra; and the union of Lamrim, Lojong and Mahamudra; the union of the three kinds of moral discipline and the union of scholarship, meditation and practical application – all perfectly clarified and without contradiction. How fortunate we are to be part of this living, unequalled lineage!
As Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche has said, Je Tsongkhapa’s appearance in this world was predicted by Buddha himself. Manjushri would appear in the aspect of an ordinary practitioner at the time he was needed most to benefit living beings:
“Although Je Tsongkhapa had the highest realisations of Highest Yoga Tantra he never physically showed that he was a Tantric yogi. He lived like an ordinary pure practitioner, emphasising by his outward appearance the pure practice of moral discipline. However, his daily life was that of a Bodhisattva, and his inner realisation of experiencing the union of great bliss and emptiness day and night was the very essence of Highest Yoga Tantra”
Despite his ordinary appearance, his deeds were so extraordinary and powerful that many centuries later we are still able to enjoy and benefit from his wisdom, compassion and the fruits of his dedication.
So today is not just a remembrance of the past. It is also a celebration of a future in which generations, like those of Je Tsongkhapa and our own, can look forward to the flourishing of Kadam Dharma in the modern world.
This pure lineage is alive and vibrant, fortified and invigorated by the virtuous deeds of Venerable Geshe-la, the modern day embodiment of the wisdom, compassion and spiritual power of Je Tsongkhapa. Let us enjoy this wonderful day and let the aspiration and dedication of Je Tsongkhapa touch and remain always in our hearts.
JEFF, UK
