Rinzin and Geshe la will be doing a sand mandala at the The Jones Center for Families in Springdale, Arkansas.  The opening ceremony was held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 31, and the closing ceremony will be two weeks later on November 14 at 7:00 p.m.  We will have an offering table, and you are welcome to stop by and visit during the day.  Rinzin will always be there Monday through Friday in the mornings from 9-11, and in the afternoons from 2-4, as well as other times too.  We will also have a smaller public mandala, and Geshe la will be instructing all ages on how to practice this ancient art form.  Bring your children and their friends, and stop by and try your hand!  Again, since Geshe la will be teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the University, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are your best bet to find him at the public mandala.

Weekend Schedule November 3-4
On Saturday, November 3, Rinzin will be working from 8-12 a.m., and on Sunday, November 4, from 1-5 p.m.  Please visit, bring your friends, and any kind of offering you might want to leave for him (fruit, flowers, monetary donations, anything to show him our appreciation for his wonderful work on our behalf.)  Next weekend’s schedule will depend on the progress made during the coming week, but we will post updates here.  Although you’d never know it from watching Rinzin work, the process of making a mandala is a grueling one, mentally and physically, and as the weeks progress, the strain on the body and the mind grows exponentially.  So keep Rinzin in your thoughts over the next couple of weeks, and pay him a visit if you can.  Hope to see you at The Jones Center!

The Jones Center for Families is easy to find.  It’s located at 922 E Emma Avenue in Springdale.

Ven. Geshe Thupten Dorjee, Ven. Rinzin Dorjee, and Ven. Pasang Gelek will present a public Dharma talk, with chanting and meditation, on Tuesday, August 21, at 7:00 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville.

TOPIC: Buddhist Perspectives on Love and Compassion
DATE: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
TIME: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
LOCATION: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville
901 W. Cleveland Street, Fayetteville

The three Tibetan Buddhist monks trained at Drepung Loseling monastery in South India. Geshe Dorjee and Rinzin Dorjee currently reside in Fayetteville, and are founders of the Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas. Pasang Gelek recently arrived in Fayetteville for an extended stay from his previous home in San Antonio, Texas.

The talk, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship, is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted. A selection of Tibetan prayer flags, malas (rosary beads), calendars, and other items will be available for purchase following the talk.

Geshe Thupten Dorjee, of the Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas, will lead a tsog offering for the benefit of the Tibetan people on Sunday, August 5 from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. The ceremony is open to the public and will be held at Dramis Hardwood Floors; 2275 S School Avenue in Fayetteville.

Tsog offering pujas are ceremonies that involve making offerings of food and drink to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in conjunction with prayers, chanting, and meditation. They are an excellent method for accumulating merit, purifying negativity, and receiving and giving blessings. Participants are encouraged to bring an offering of fruit, drink, or flowers to the ceremony.

This summer will witness the largest demonstration of solidarity with the cause of Tibetan freedom in the history of Tibet. On July 8, 14 Tibetans began an indefinite hunger strike in Delhi, India in an attempt to force the People’s Republic of China to meet certain demands related to religious and human rights within Tibet. On August 8, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans in India will begin a mass demonstration based on the principles of nonviolence and Gandhi’s tradition of satyagraha, meaning “insistence on truth”. For more information on the hunger strike and upcoming demonstration, visit the web site of the Tibetan Youth Congress at www.tibetanyouthcongress.org.

Tibetan Buddhist monks Ven. Geshe Thupten Dorjee, Ven. Rinzin Dorjee, and Ven. Pema Rinchen will present an evening of Tibetan Healing Chants on Tuesday, July 10 at 7:00 pm. The performance is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship, and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 901 West Cleveland Street in Fayetteville.

DATE: Tuesday, July 10, 2007
TIME: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
LOCATION: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 901 W. Cleveland St., Fayetteville

The sacred healing chants of Tibetan Buddhism involve sound, meditation, and visualizations designed to transform suffering and reveal our inherent “Buddha Nature” of peace, compassion, and wisdom.

Geshe Thupten Dorjee and Rinzin Dorjee were born in Tibet and trained at the Drepung Loseling Monastery in South India. Currently living in Fayetteville, Geshe Dorjee teaches at the University of Arkansas and is the founder of the Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas. Pema Rinchin is the resident chant master at Drepung Loseling Monastery.

Admission is free and open to the public. Donations will be gratefully accepted. A selection of prayer flags, malas (Buddhist rosary beads), and other Tibetan-crafted items will be available for purchase after the performance.

Geshe Thupten Dorjee will lead a candlelight vigil, on behalf of the University of Arkansas and Fulbright College communities,as an expression of sympathy and compassion for the victims of yesterday’s tragedy at Virginia Tech.

DATE: Tuesday, April 17, 2007
TIME: 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Peace Fountain in front of Old Main on the University of Arkansas campus

Attendees are encouraged bring a candle and cushions or blankets for sitting. There will also be an opportunity to sign an expression of sympathy, which will be forwarded to the appropriate department at Virginia Tech University.