Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Losar—Celebration of the Tibetan New Year 

Please join us to celebrate the Tibetan New Year, the Year of the Wood Snake.

During this celebration we will perform a Mandala Offering and offer Khatas to the Shrine.

We will recite the Treasury of Blessings Sadhana, a simple and beautiful meditation on Sakyamuni Buddha that anyone can practise. By reflecting upon the qualities of the Buddha and resting the mind in the recitation of mantras, we can pacify destructive emotions and sow the seeds for enlightenment.

Traditional yellow rice and butter tea will be offered to all.

We will conclude our celebration with a Lamp Offering, with the aspiration that the light of loving kindness, compassion and understanding will overcome all personal and global obstacles. May happiness, love and compassion spread throughout the world and benefit all beings and the planet.

Suggested donation for Lamp Offering: $5 per person/$15 per family.

Sundays, March 2 and 23, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Sunday, March 30, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Shamatha (calm abiding meditation)

Shamatha meditation is a fundamental Buddhist contemplative practice that develops the mind’s ability to reach a state of tranquility and lucidity.

By donation

Sundays, March 2, 9, 16, and 23, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Chair Yoga 

Course Objectives:

This Chair Yoga course is designed to improve flexibility, strength, and balance through gentle, seated yoga exercises. Participants will learn simple, accessible techniques to enhance mobility, stability and promote overall well-being, all while remaining safely seated in/or with the support of a chair. The course aims to foster a sense of calm and physical vitality, helping to incorporate mindful movement into one’s daily routines.

The Instructor: Meet Huong Nguyen, a seasoned yoga instructor originally from Vietnam with over 20 years of dedicated practice. With a deep passion for holistic health and well-being, Huong specializes in a gentle, mindful approach to yoga, focusing on movements that promote relaxation, strength, and flexibility. Her teaching style is patient, nurturing, and inclusive, making yoga accessible to all, including seniors.

New participants are welcome.  $12 per class/$10 for members.

Note:  The classes are taught in English.

Mondays, March 3, 10, 17, and 31, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Beginners’ Tibetan Language Class

Taught by Miriam Paknys under the direction of Acharya Chöying Gyurmey

Registration is complete.

Wednesdays, March 5 and 19, 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. and Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Chenrezik and Amitabha Sadhanas

Love, compassion, joy, and wisdom—together known as bodhicitta—are the indivisible nature of the Buddha’s enlightened mind. Chenrezik (Skt. Avalokiteshvara), the Buddha of Infinite Compassion, embodies these virtuous qualities. 

Through the practice of Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light, beings, especially those with faith, are guided to rebirth in Dewachen (Skt. Sukhavati), the pure realm of immaculate happiness, joy, and bliss. 

By donation

Thursdays, March 6, 13, and 20, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Intermediate Tibetan Language Class

Registration is complete.

Friday, March 7, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Medicine Buddha Day
Medicine Buddha Sadhana

Medicine Buddha is the practice of physical, psychological, and spiritual healing. This Healing Buddha practice reveals the true cause of any affliction.

By donation

Sunday, March 9, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Guru Rinpoche Day
Kunchok Chidu Sadhana and Tsok offering 

Prayers to Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, are considered increasingly powerful in these difficult times. He is often invoked for protection and to remove obstacles.

By donation

Wednesday, March 12, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Guru Yoga of the Third Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and Calling the Guru from Afar

In the Vajrayana tradition, devotion to the guru is extremely important. It’s a fundamental practice. To cultivate this devotion, we recite these heartfelt supplications to the guru, asking for their blessings to realize all the stages of the path to enlightenment. With a heart filled with disillusionment and renunciation, we humbly ask the guru to bestow their blessings upon us. We chant the prayer melodiously, confident in the knowledge that our guru is none other than the Awakened One.

By donation

Friday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Full Moon Day
Chotrul Düchen  (Buddha Miracle Day) 

Chotrul Düchen is on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Tibetan calendar during the full moon. The first fifteen days of the year celebrate the fifteen days during which the Buddha displayed miracles for his disciples to increase their devotion. During Chotrul Düchen (“Great Day of Miraculous Manifestations”), it is believed that the effects of both positive and negative actions are multiplied.

We will be chanting the Treasury of Blessings Sadhana and the Heart Sutra and doing a Lamp Offering.

The Treasury of Blessings Sadhana is a simple and beautiful meditation on Sakyamuni Buddha that anyone can practise.

The Heart Sutra encapsulates the topic of the Prajnaparamita (Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom) Sutra on the unerring paths of methods taught in all Sutras. 

Through the Lamp Offering, we offer light with the aspiration that obstacles to personal and global peace be overcome, and that happiness, love, and compassion spread throughout the world and benefit all beings.

In addition, there will be a Refuge Ceremony during which Acharya will bestow the Refuge Vow on those who request it.  (The refuge vow marks the moment that a person decides to follow the Buddhist path by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha to guide his or her life). Please submit your request to receive this vow by writing to centre@rigpedorjemontreal.com

Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tonglen meditation and the King of Aspiration Prayer

Tonglen (a Tibetan word meaning “sending and receiving”) is a meditative practice of mind training (lojong) to develop the inner qualities of loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta.

The recitation of the Aspiration Prayer (Mönlam) is made to spread the seeds of loving kindness and pure motivation, to activate their power, and hence bring about genuine peace, love, happiness, and well-being in the world. ~ 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

By donation

Sunday, March 16, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Tea meditation 

Led by Acharya Chöying Gyurmey and Tea Master Vivian Li

A tea meditation involves being mindful and present during all aspects of the tea ritual, including making the tea, drinking the tea, and being aware of the environment and the effects on your mind and body. Tea meditation is an example of how to apply meditation to daily life.

Please join us for a potluck lunch after the meditation. (Bring vegetarian food to share.)

By donation

Monday, March 24, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Dakini Day
Green Tara sadhana

Green Tara is a fully enlightened female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She represents both wisdom and compassion. Through her practice, which includes mantra recitation, visualization, and meditation, we receive protection, guidance, and achieve spiritual growth. Her mantra, “Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha,” awakens one’s inherent Buddha-nature, promoting inner peace, compassion, wisdom, and enlightenment.

By donation