at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre, UK Part of the International Temples Project

Transcription

1 K a d a m pa T e m p l e f o r W o r l d P e a c e at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre, UK Part of the International Temples Project

2 A modern Buddhist Temple Everyone is welcome to the Kadampa Temple for World Peace at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre The Temple is a modern Buddhist Temple designed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, a world-renowned Buddhist meditation Master who has pioneered the introduction of modern Buddhism into contemporary society. Modern Buddhism brings the ancient wisdom of Buddha into the modern world and shows how to integrate Buddhist meditation and other Buddhist practices into our busy lives, whatever our nationality, gender or age. Today we can see many different forms of Buddhism, such as Zen and Theravada Buddhism. All these different aspects are practices of Buddha s teachings, and all are equally precious; they are just different presentations. This centre practises Buddhism according to the Kadampa tradition, which is the tradition followed by our Founder and principal Teacher, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Through these practices we can discover a deep inner peace, overcome problems and difficulties with a happy mind and realize the full potential of our human life. Dedicated to World Peace The Temple was built by Kadampa Buddhist students of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso as an offering to future generations. It was completed in 1997 when it was dedicated to world peace at a special ceremony. The building of the Temple heralded the beginning of the International Temples Project, a worldwide charity that supports the development of Temples and other Buddhist institutions such as meditation centres, retreat centres and schools throughout the world (see back cover). The Temple s unique design represents all the stages of the spiritual path. Just seeing it reminds us that we have the potential to improve our human nature and qualities through developing the capacity of our mind. By following a qualified spiritual path eventually we can achieve the profound inner peace of liberation and enlightenment. by creating Only peace within our own mind and helping others do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world. Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso 2 Scenes from NKT-IKBU International Festivals at Manjushri KMC, Ulverston, England 3

3 Approaching the Temple A walk around the Temple Buddha s teachings are called Dharma, which means protection, 1 2 As you walk, notice the eight sets of eight symbols set into the stone walls above the veranda. These are the Eight Auspicious Symbols that symbolize the spiritual path. because by practising them living beings are permanently protected from suffering. 3 4 Each symbol has a specific meaning: 1. The Precious Umbrella Come under the great umbrella of Buddhism 2. The Precious Fish Maintain harmony and joy all the time The Precious Vase Take the precious jewels of wisdom and compassion from the treasure vase of Kadam Dharma The Precious Lotus Enjoy the purity of your mind and actions As you approach the Temple you will see that the lower level is square with a doorway on each side. These symbolize the four ways to enter the path to liberation and remind us that to attain permanent liberation from suffering we need to enter a spiritual path. Above each doorway is a male and female deer either side of a Dharma Wheel, symbolizing the final stages of the spiritual path to enlightenment. The next level up is octagonal in shape, with five windows on each wall. Above this is the lantern tower with an ornate roof topped by a golden fivepronged vajra. This symbolizes the five wisdoms of an enlightened being the highest spiritual attainment and the completion of the spiritual path. There are also vajras on the two lower levels of the Temple, symbolizing the indestructible qualities of an enlightened mind. The Temple adornments are gold-leafed and the roof of the lantern tower and the windows above the doorways are made of special glass impregnated with gold. The use of precious materials such as gold reflects the richness of Buddha s teachings and the preciousness of the inner realizations we gain from putting them into practice. Take a few minutes to walk round the outside of the Temple. Buddhists believe that walking around a Temple that houses a statue of Buddha brings great good fortune. This is called circumambulating and is usually done in a clockwise direction. 5. The Precious Conch Listen to the precious sound of the conch of Dharma and contemplate and meditate on its meaning 6. The Precious Indestructible Knot Apply great effort to attaining enlightenment 7. The Precious Victory Banner Be victorious over the enemy of your delusions 8. The Precious Wheel Benefit others by turning the Wheel of Dharma 4 5

4 A walk around the Temple Entering the Temple Every year the annual NKT-IKBU Spring and Summer Festivals are held in the Temple, when as many as four thousand people are accommodated. The glass doors along three sides of the Temple are designed to fold away to allow extensions to be fitted to accommodate these large events. Find out about NKT-IKBU International Festivals at kadampafestivals.org The Temple is built from local stone so that it is compatible with the surrounding environment. Many local businesses were involved in the construction of the Temple. As you pass round the back of the Temple you will see the utility rooms: the preparation room where offerings are prepared for the shrines, the boiler room that powers the underfloor heating system, and the storage room. Along the north side of the Temple you will see the old greenhouse, which was part of the original estate. It was restored when the Temple was built. The Temple is built on the site of the old kitchen garden. These days, with around a hundred full time residents and thousands of people visiting each year to attend courses, it is not possible to provide for so many people with such a modest garden. Instead, the space is now used to cultivate the inner crops of peace and happiness. 6 As a sign of respect, Buddhists usually remove their shoes when entering the Temple, but if you prefer not to you can use the shoe covers provided. As you enter, pause for a while to experience the peace and tranquillity that pervades the Temple. Buddhist Temples are representations of a Pure Land of an enlightened being an enlightened heaven. Whoever sees them immediately experiences peace of mind, or inner peace. When we experience inner peace we are happy, so Temples function to give happiness to everyone, whether Buddhist or not. 7

5 Inside the Temple The Buddha Statue Walk to the centre of the Temple and look up at the inside of the lantern tower. The vast wheel contains precious scriptures symbolizing the teachings of Buddha spreading throughout the world. Buddha s teachings are said to be like a precious wheel because wherever they spread people have the opportunity to control their minds by putting them into practice. Along the front wall of the Temple stands the main shrine, at the centre of which is a large statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. He showed the manner of accomplishing the ultimate goal of living beings, the attainment of enlightenment, at Bodh Gaya in India in 589 BC. For Buddhists, faith in Buddha is their spiritual life; it is the root of all Dharma realizations. Designed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and constructed under his supervision, this statue is the largest bronze statue of Buddha ever cast in the West. Around the inside of the lantern tower are eight double vajras symbolizing protection from obstacles of the four directions. On the walls of the octagonal section are eight sets of five plaques. These symbolize the five aspects of a completely purified body and mind and the five wisdoms that we attain The walls of the lower, square section are adorned with three sets of knowledge goddesses. Their playful manner signifies the completely pure happiness and joy experienced by those who free themselves from delusions such as anger, uncontrolled desire, jealousy To Buddha s right is Bodhisattva Maitreya and to his left Bodhisattva Manjushri, both appearing in the aspect of Buddha s disciples. Maitreya is the embodiment of the loving kindness of the enlightened mind and Manjushri is the embodiment of enlightened wisdom. and ignorance by training on the spiritual path. when we become enlightened. Bodhisattva Maitreya Bodhisattva Manjushri 8 9

6 We should know that although we want to be happy all the time we do not know how to do this, and we are always destroying our own happiness by developing anger, negative views and negative intentions. We are always trying to escape from problems, even in our dreams, but we do not know how to free ourself from suffering and problems. Because we do not understand the real nature of things, we are always creating our own suffering and problems by developing and maintaining anger, uncontrolled desire, jealousy and ignorance. We need to practise Buddha s teachings because there is no other real method to solve our problems of anger, uncontrolled desire, jealousy and ignorance. I am encouraging everyone, including children, to learn some important practical teachings of Buddha so that people can experience happiness all the time and solve their daily human problems. Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso 10 11

7 The Lineage The Founder of modern Buddhism Modern Buddhism teaches us how to apply the ancient wisdom of Buddha to our modern lives to solve our problems, find deep inner peace and help others to do the same. This is possible only because the teachings of Buddha have been kept alive over the centuries by pure practitioners who have taken them to heart and practised them exactly as Buddha taught them. These practitioners are the lineage Teachers of modern Buddhism. In front of Je Tsongkhapa is the statue of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso who, like Je Tsongkhapa, introduced a new presentation of Buddha s teachings suited to the modern age, which is known as modern Kadampa Buddhism or simply modern Buddhism. Avalokiteshvara Over the years, various lineage Teachers adapted the presentation of Buddha s teachings to suit the particular needs of their time, while leaving the essential meaning unchanged. One such Teacher was Je Tsongkhapa, whose statue is in the left section of the shrine together with his two principal disciples. Je Tsongkhapa was a great 14th century Buddhist Master who clarified all Buddha s teachings and presented them in a way that was easy for people at that time to practise in daily life. His teachings became known as the new Kadampa tradition. All the teachings given at the Kadampa Buddhist Temple and Kadampa centres worldwide are based on Je Tsongkhapa s commentaries as presented by the contemporary Kadampa Buddhist Master, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Venerable Geshe Kelsang is the Founder of the New Kadampa Tradition International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU), through which he has established hundreds of meditation centres throughout the world and trained modern Buddhist teachers to teach at them. He is the author of twenty-one authoritative books on Buddhism and meditation and founder of the International Temples Project, a worldwide fund dedicated to public benefit. He is also the founder of the International Kadampa Schools Project. Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso lived and taught at Manjushri KMC for many years. His teaching throne bearing his portrait painted by a local artist stands in front of the main shrine. Surrounding the statues of Je Tsongkhapa and Venerable Geshe Kelsang are statues of other Buddhas, each one embodying a special quality of the enlightened mind such as wisdom, compassion and spiritual power. Arya Tara 12 13

8 The The Wisdom Protector mandala, the celestial mansion Buddha taught that our world, our self, our enjoyments and our activities are simply projections of our mind and have no existence outside our mind. This means that when our mind is impure they are impure, but when our mind becomes pure through purification practice they too become pure. We can completely purify our mind through the practice of Tantra taught by Buddha. When we do so, our world, our self, our enjoyments and our activities will also become completely pure. This is the state of enlightenment. The right side of the main shrine houses the five lineages of Dorje Shugden, the Wisdom Protector. A Dharma Protector is an emanation of a Buddha or Bodhisattva whose main functions are to avert inner and outer obstacles that prevent practitioners from gaining spiritual realizations and to arrange all the necessary conditions for their practice. Dharma Protectors are sometimes depicted in a wrathful aspect to symbolize the power of wisdom to eliminate the inner enemies of delusions such as anger, uncontrolled desire, jealousy and ignorance, which destroy our inner peace and prevent us from experiencing pure, lasting happiness. 14 This part of the shrine also contains a complete collection of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso s books and a golden stupa. In a shrine, the statues represent Buddha s body, the texts represent Buddha s speech, and the stupa represents Buddha s mind. Around the walls of the Temple on either side of the main shrine are paintings of holy beings. Many of these as well as many of the statues and Temple adornments were created by Kadampa Buddhist students of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. This state of complete purity is represented by the mandala, or celestial mansion, of Buddha Heruka in the cabinet to the left of the main shrine. Buddha Heruka is the supreme Buddha of compassion and every detail of his mandala represents an aspect of the completely pure world, self, enjoyments and activities of an enlightened being. The mandala serves as an aid to meditation and a source of blessings and inspiration for practitioners. The design of the Temple is based on this celestial mansion, and as such the Temple itself is a representation of an enlightened being s Pure Land - an enlightened heaven. 15

9 Buddhist Time scriptures for some reflection The cabinet to the right of the main shrine houses the complete collection of scriptures containing Buddha s teachings and subsequent commentaries to them by great Buddhist Masters. Why not take a few moments to enjoy the special atmosphere of the Temple? You are welcome to sit in any of the chairs or on any of the cushions without red cloths on them (these are reserved for ordained nuns and monks). In the centre is a statue of Buddha Amitayus, the Buddha of long life. Above to the left is a precious text by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso called Joyful Path of Good Fortune, which explains the entire path to enlightenment, and to its right is a golden stupa. These three holy objects represent respectively the body, speech and mind of Buddha. Sitting in such a blessed place gives us an opportunity to let go of all our troubles and develop a peaceful and happy mind. If you would like to try a simple meditation while you are here or later at home, you will find guidelines for a breathing meditation on page 19 of this brochure. Classes and Courses Regular weekly classes are held in the Temple at which a Teacher introduces an aspect of modern Buddhism and shows how we can apply it to our daily lives. Offerings In front of all the shrines are offerings that are made daily to the holy beings. We can offer anything we find beautiful or welcoming. Traditionally we offer seven substances based on offerings made to revered guests: water for drinking, water for bathing, flowers, incense, light, perfume and food. There is also an eighth offering, music, which is not represented by a physical 16 substance but is offered when we chant prayers. On most days, these offerings are represented by bowls of pure water, but on special prayer days the actual substances are set out. There are also day courses, weekend courses, retreats and international festivals. For more information on these, visit or call Books on Buddhism and Meditation Books on modern Buddhism and meditation as well as CDs of guided meditations are available from the centre shop or online from 17

10 Visiting the Temple Guidelines for a simple breathing meditation The Temple is open to the public on most days of the year, except when a major event is being hosted. You are welcome to look around or just sit and enjoy the peace and tranquillity. While you are here, be sure to visit the shop and café in the main building, and enjoy a walk through the 70 acres of woodland to the shores of Morecambe Bay. For opening times please check or call Sitting comfortably, check that your back is straight, your eyes are partially closed, and your hands are resting gently in your lap. If you wish you can place your right hand in the palm of your left hand with the thumbs raised and gently touching. Now mentally relax and stop thinking about anything. Gently and naturally inhale and exhale through the nostrils, not through the mouth, and become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is your object of meditation. Try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else. If any thoughts arise, resist the temptation to follow them and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. If you discover that your mind has wandered and is following your thoughts, immediately return it to the sensation of the breath and focus on it single-pointedly. Repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath. Group and educational visits Pre-booked group and educational visits can be arranged Monday to Friday. Please your preferred dates to visits@manjushri.org or call +44 (0) As your distracting thoughts subside you will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Your mind will feel lucid and spacious and you will feel refreshed. Stay with this state of mental calm for a while. Make the determination to try to keep this experience of inner peace and carry it into your daily life. When you feel ready, relax your concentration and arise from meditation. You should apply effort to remaining continually peaceful day and night. In this way you can make yourself as well as your friends and family happy all the time. Sunday morning meditation everyone welcome Prayers for World Peace is held in the Temple on most Sundays am. The session includes a guided meditation, a short teaching and prayers for world peace. This is a free class open to everyone, Buddhist or non-buddhist. See manjushri.org/prayers-for-world-peace for dates

11 The International Temples Project The Temple at Manjushri KMC is part of the International Temples Project (ITP), a worldwide fund dedicated to public benefit. The ITP was founded by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso with the aim to introduce the Buddhist faith and practice of the New Kadampa Tradition publicly, and to exemplify contemporary Buddhist practice through public service. It achieves this through building traditional and nontraditional Temples, meditation centres and retreat centres, and through the activities of Kadampa Schools, World Peace Cafés, Kadampa Hotels and Tharpa Publications. Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso at the Temple for World Peace, KMC Brazil You are invited to discover the peace and inspiration of the International Temples Project. For more information on the International Temples Project, visit kadampa.org/temples or call +44 (0) Published by Tharpa Publications, 2013 New Kadampa Tradition International Kadampa Buddhist Union 2008 Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre Conishead Priory, Ulverston, UK, LA12 9QQ Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) info@manjushri.org Kadampa Art Studio at Manjushri KMC Children meditating at Kadampa Primary School Derbyshire, England REF: KTG UK