The birds have vanished down the sky;
Now the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and me;
Until only the mountain remains.
Li Po

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Giving to the Buddhist Community at MIT

The Buddhist Community at MIT is a non-sectarian and non-denominational organization fostering the practice and study of Buddha's teachings. We greatly appreciate your generous support and donation that help us fund public lectures and events. We are also looking for some donation of ritual articles and books on Buddhist philosophy.

To make a contribution please contact Ven. Tenzin Legphel Priyadarshi at (617)324-6030.

With Palms Together
In Dharma

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Past Events

Community Dinner at the Royal East Venue: Royal East (792 Main St., Cambridge) Wednesday, December 10, 2008 (6:30pm) Please RSVP to Laura Montijo, lmontijo at prajnopaya dot org ASAP. _____________________________________________ One Day Retreat: Listening to the Sound of Silence With Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi Venue: Twenty Chimneys, MIT Student Center, 3rd floor (W20-306) Saturday, December 13, 2008 (10:30am - 4pm) Cost: Free A day of silence with sitting and walking meditation.  Instructions will be given at the beginning.  All are welcome! _____________________________________________ Candlelight Vigil Against the Mumbai Terror Attacks Venue: MIT Killian Court Tuesday, December 2, 2008 (5:30pm - 7pm) (more information here) _____________________________________________ Special Events for Family Weekend Expanding Love Towards Self And Others With Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi Saturday, October 18, 2008 (10:30am - 4:00pm) Venue: MIT Student Center, Room: PDR 1 & 2 Calmness, Clarity, & Insight: An Introduction to Meditation With Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi Saturday, October 18, 2008 (3:00pm - 4:00pm) Venue: MIT Student Center, Room: PDR 1 & 2 _____________________________________________ Please NOTE the CHANGES in VENUE Advancing the Legacy of William James: The Radically Empirical Study of the Mind Speaker: B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D. Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 7:00pm Venue: MIT Building 4, 4-270 (Open to the General Public) (Click here for more information and to register) Contemplative Science, Mind, & Physics: Discussions with B. Alan Wallace Moderator: Professor Christopher Moore, Dept. of Brain & Cognitive Sciences Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 10:30am Venue: The McGovern Institute, 46-3189 (Open to the MIT community only) (Click here for more information and to register) In the late nineteenth century, scientists turned their attention for the first time to the investigation of the mind, and this presented them with an unprecedented challenge. Philosophers had long speculated upon the nature of subjective mental events without coming to any significant consensus. In contrast, for three centuries scientists had meticulously examined and analyzed objective physical phenomena and had made enormous progress in discovering their natures and the regularities in their causal interactions. The challenge that faced the pioneers of the mind sciences, such as William James and Wilhelm Wundt, was to apply the scientific spirit of empiricism to the study of mental phenomena, which cannot be objectively measured by any of the instruments of technology. But by the early decades of the twentieth century, the initial emphasis on the first-person investigation of mental phenomena themselves was eclipsed by the study of the behavioral and neurological correlates of mental phenomena. In this lecture, Alan Wallace will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this objective approach to the study of phenomena that are inescapably subjective in nature, and he will propose ways in which sophisticated first-person and third-person methodologies may complement each other. Dynamic lecturer, progressive scholar, and one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D., continually seeks innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science to advance the study of the mind. Dr. Wallace, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation throughout Europe and America since 1976. Having devoted fourteen years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford. With his unique background, Alan brings deep experience and applied skills to the challenge of integrating traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with the modern world. _____________________________________________ A Thalamic Gateway toward Selfless Insight: Kensho and the Loss of Self Conversations with Dr. James Austin, MD Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 11:30am Venue: 46-3002, The McGovern Institute (Open to all) (Click here for more information and to register) Zen and the Brain Speaker: Dr. James Austin MD Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 7:00pm Venue: MIT Building 3, 3-270 (Open to the General Public) (Click here for more information and to register) Dr. James Austin has spent most of his years as an academic neurologist, first at the University of Oregon Medical School and later at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He is currently Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Health Sciences Center. Included in Dr. Austin's cultural background was his first sabbatical spent in New Delhi, India; and the second spent in Kyoto, Japan, where he began Zen meditation training with an English-speaking Zen master, Kobori-Roshi, in 1974. He maintains a keen interest in the experimental designs and findings of investigators who study meditation, insight, and related states of consciousness. His early research background includes publications in the areas of clinical neurology, neuropathology, neurochemistry, and neuropharmacology. Dr. Austin is the author or co-author of more than 140 professional publications, including three MIT Press publications: Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness (1998); Chase, Chance, and Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty (2003); and Zen-Brain Reflections: Reviewing Recent Development in Meditation and States of Consciousness (2006). His next book is entitled, Zen Brain, Selfless Insight: The Meditative Transformations of Consciousness (MIT Press, 2008). _____________________________________________ Reason, Experience and Search for Happiness Speaker: Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 7:00pm Venue: MIT Building 3, 3-270 (Open to the general public) (Click here for more information and to register) Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete, a close friend of Pope John Paul II, is a physicist by training. He holds the degree in Space Science and Applied Physics as well as a Master's Degree in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome. He is co-founder and has been a professor at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, DC. He has taught at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY, and from 1996 to 1997 served as President of the Catholic University of Portorico in Ponce. He has been Advisor on Hispanic Affairs to the US National Council of Catholic Bishops. He is a columnist for the Italian weekly Tempi, has written for The New Yorker, and has appeared or has been interviewed on CNN, The Charlie Rose Show, PBS, EWTN, Slate, The New Republic, and Godspy. Msgr. Albacete is the author of God at the Ritz: Attraction to Infinity. A Priest-Physicist Talks About Science, Sex, Politics and Religion. As Hendrik Hertzberg (The New Yorker) has noted: "Lorenzo Albacete is one of a kind, and so is God at the Ritz. The book, like the monsignor, crackles with humor, warmth, and intellectual excitement. Reading it is like having a stay-up-all-night, jump-out-of-your-chair, have-another-double-espresso marathon conversation with one of the world's most swashbuckling talkers. Conversation, hell-this is a Papal bull session!" Theodore Cardinal McCarrick of Washington wrote of the book: "Monsignor Albacete has a keen insight into the mystery of God and a wonderful sense of humor even when he is speaking about very heavy subjects. Perhaps it is precisely this sense of humor-and wonder-that brings people of all faiths to Msgr. Albacete's writings to find there a source of goodness and strength." Sponsors: MIT Prajnopaya, MIT Center for Ethics & Transformative Values, Office of Religious Life Co-sponsors: Simmons Hall, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, Technology & Culture Forum, Tech Catholic Community _____________________________________________ Bodhi Day Celebration Wednesday, December 12 at 7PM Meet at MIT-W11 (Open only to MIT Community Members) Celebration of Buddha's Enlightenment Day followed by Community Dinner. _____________________________________________ Contemplative Life Initiative @ MIT Living in Awe: Buddhist Methods of Stillness and Wonderment Unleash the power of your creativity and inner wisdom Saturday, December 15, 2007 (10AM- 5PM) Venue: Twenty Chimneys, Stratton Student Center, MIT (across 77 Massachusetts Avenue) Cost: Free by donation for MIT/ $60 others (Click here for more information and to register) For a child, the world and everything in it is a source of wonderment, filled with endless possibilities worth exploring. In discovering the world, a child unleashes amazing creative energy envisioning its possibilities. As we age, we gain the knowledge to work in the world and push our own limits.But, along with the feeling of self-assurance that comes with knowledge, our views and opinions harden, so that we no longer see all the possibilities and opportunities around us.  How can we tap back into our childhood amazement and curiosity without giving up all our worldly experience? Buddhist methods of stillness allow us to recognize the difference between what we think and who we are, and thus recognize which habits of the mind block our creative energy. This awareness through stillness is the pick that can break the ice surrounding our wonderment. Come explore these techniques through a day of practice and instructions. _____________________________________________ Peace Vigil for Myanmar (Burma) MIT Prajnopaya and Amnesty International invites you to a Peace Vigil in solidarity with those persecuted in the recent violence in Myanmar (Burma). Now, more than ever, we are called to extend and demonstrate our sense of care, compassion, and freedom for all. Silent Meditation & Prayers for Peace Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 8PM Massachusetts Institute of Technology Steps of the Main Building (77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA) ________________________________________ Social Intelligence A Public Talk by Daniel Goleman September 12 , 2007 at 6:00PM Venue: MIT Simmons Hall (229 Vassar St.) ________________________________________ Meditation & Discussion Click here to order book Shunryu Suzki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" Wednesdays at 7PM Guided Meditation every other Wednesday. Venue: MIT-W11 (Open only to MIT Community Members) ____________________ Teachings on Stages of Meditation of Acarya Kamalshila Selected Mondays at 6:30PM (Click here to check schedule) Venue: MIT Chapel (Open to All) ____________________ Photographs from the Tsa Tsa Workshop, January 2004 Buddhist Community Dinner March 10, 2005 at 8:00pm Main Dining Room (W11), MIT. Come and join us for an evening of Indian and Tibetan cuisine. Feel free to bring some dessert or drinks to share. Relax, meet some new people and just have\ a wonderful time! Gender, Race, and Spirituality in the Present Moment Talk and Discussion by Hilda Ryumon Gutiérrez Baldoquín Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 4:30pm - 6pm MIT, Room 14E-304 Introduction to Chenrezig A Talk by Bardor Tulku Rinpoche Friday, April 22, 2005 at 7:00 - 8:30pm Room 4-237, MIT Listening to the Sound of Silence A Day of Silent Meditation Led by The Venerable Tenzin LS Priyadarshi Saturday, January 29, 2005 10:30 am - 4:30 pm MIT Chapel (Where is this place?) Suggested Donation: $50 (non-MIT); Free for MIT Students (Scholarships available for other High School and College Students)   For Registration Contact Bill Seaver (billseaver at earthlink dot net) Parking information to follow after you register! MIT affiliates RSVP to Ven. Tenzin Priyadarshi What is the nature of the mind when it is not actively engaged in thinking? During this retreat we will alternately practice sitting meditation, walking meditation, and chanting as means to get a glimpse into serenity. Your lab, the object of your experimentation, and the subject of your focus is none other than your own mind - are you ready to work on it? It is a day when you can teach your mind to "hibernate" - to actualize the power of silence and the dynamism of stillness! Chinese Brush Painting A workshop with Ming-chien Liang Saturday, January 29, 2005 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Room 4-149 at MIT (77 Massachusetts Ave.) Cost: $10 (MIT Students); $15 (non-MIT)   Signup by: 25-Dec-2004 Limited to 20 participants. Single session event Chinese ink painting is simple in form, rich in meaning and an aesthetic experience, and at once realistic and abstract. In its attempt to capture the essence of the subject, Chinese ink painting explores beyond the external appearance. It aims at lifting us to a transcending realm where the self is forgotten and worldly concerns distilled. Thus it is imbued with tranquility and even spiritual intensity. With the pliant brush and highly sensitive paper, this high art form demands union of the technique to master the brushstrokes derived from calligraphy, the artistic sensitivity and imagination, and the cultivation of ethical purity, intellectual and transcendental insight. Contact: Tenzin LS Priyadarshi tenzin@mit.edu   Non-violence in Education (The Tibetan School Project) www.tibet-school.org Tuesday, February 1, 2005 7:00 pm in Room 2-105 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 Soenam Jamyangling is Chairman and Founder of the Tibetan School Project and the Swedish Tibetan Society for School & Culture. Hear his dynamic approach to building schools on the roof of the world. The Tibetan School Project is a nonprofit venture of Tibetan exiles and Westerners to build 108 schools inside Tibet. This event is Co-Sponsored by: MIT-Prajnopaya, The Buddhist Community at Massachusetts Institute of Technology US Tibet Society for School & Culture (Re)generating the Altruistic Mind (A Retreat Based on the Avalokitseshvara/ Cenrezig Sadhana) Led by The Venerable(s) Tenzin LS Priyadarshi and Lama Sonam Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:00 am - 4:30 pm MIT Chapel (Where is this place?) Suggested Donation: $80 (Scholarships available for High School and College Students) MIT affiliates RSVP to Ven. Tenzin Priyadarshi (Proceeds to benefit the activities of The Prajnopaya Foundation) This holiday season give yourself the wonderful gift of Bodhicitta (Enlightened Altruistic Mind) and deepen your understanding of the gift you already have, a precious human life. Words cannot adequately describe the wonderful qualities of these two - we invite you to come get a taste of them. This one day retreat will give you the opportunity to reflect on the year that just passed, and to contemplate on the time that is coming - how to make the best use of this time, this body, and this life. The great teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche once exclaimed, "I ask myself why we do not practice, just for those few moments of time in which death has lent us our body." This retreat will focus on the practice associated with the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, and will shed light on how to develop the qualities that this figure evinces. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has often said that there are no absolutes in Buddhism - but if there were one, it would be "compassion." During this retreat we will open our hearts and deepen our minds to the profundity of this refined sense of Compassion, as it is understood in the Buddhist tradition. The participants of this retreat will receive an oral transmission of the Six Syllable Mantra of Avalokiteshvara. The Venerable Lama Konchok Sonam began his Buddhist training at Katsel Monastery in Tibet. He studied with HE Chuntzang Rinpoche and HE Thristsab Rinpoche and served as a disciplinarian at Jangchhub Ling, Seat of the Drikung Kagyu School in India. He is currently the resident teacher of the Drikung Kagyu Sangha in Boston. For a full bio please visit http://drikungboston.org/lamasonam.shtml The Venerable Tenzin LS Priyadarshi began his training in Rajgir near the ancient Nalanda Monastic University in India. He studied under the guidance of HH the Dalai Lama who is also his preceptor and with other eminent teachers such as HH Sakya Trizin and HE Kushok Bakula. He is currently a Visiting scholar and Buddhist Chaplain at MIT and teaches at the Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, the North American Seat of HH the Dalai Lama. For a full bio please visit http://www.prajnopaya.org/director.htm   The Harvard-MIT Celebration of Lhabab Duechen Thursday, November 4 at 7 p.m. MIT Chapel Chanting and Worship Ceremony Brief Dharma Talk by Lama Migmar Tseten, Director of the Sakya Center, Cambridge, MA.   Followed by a catered Tibetan Dinner The Buddhist Community at MIT is pleased to host the celebration of Lhabab Duechen. There are four events in the life of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni which occupy a significant place in the Tibetan Buddhist Calendar: 1. The Display of Miracles 2. Enlightenment 3. Turning the Wheel of Dharma 4. Return/Descent of the Buddha from the Heavenly Realm Lhabab Duechen celebrates the last of these events when the Buddha Shakyamuni returned from the Realm of Thirty Three Heavens after preaching to his mother Mayadevi. Buddha ascended to the Heavens to teach Dharma to his mother as an act of repaying the debts, filial piety. Legend has it that on this day Buddha came back to the City of Kashi/ Varansasi to continue teaching Dharma to the people of this world. A Stupa was erected in Varanasi commemorating this event after Buddha's parinirvana. Purification and Rejuvenation Retreat (A Retreat Based on the Vajrasattva Practice) Led by The Venerable Tenzin LS Priyadarshi Saturday, November 6, 2004 10:00 am -5 :00 pm Sunday, November 7, 2004 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Retreat Venue and Directions will be given to you when you RSVP. Suggested Donation: $120 (Scholarships are available for students!) (All proceeds to benefit the charitable activities of The Prajnopaya Foundation Seldom do we "plan" on committing misdeeds or non-virtuous actions (at least this is the way it appears to us when we try to reflect back on the nature of a particular non-virtuous action that arose "spontaneously" due to preceding events or circumstances). To counter such attitude of "spontaneous" non-virtuous deeds it perhaps becomes an obligation on our part as practitioners of Buddha Dharma to reside in a state of mind from which more "spontaneous" virtuous deeds arise. Such is the objective of this Spontaneous Retreat on Vajrasattva, the Clear Light manifestation of the Buddha that cuts through all negative thoughts and actions. The tradition tells us of the great Indian Acarya Dipankara Srijnana, popularly known as Atisha (author of A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhipathpradipam)), who engaged in a purification practice even after committing minor negative deeds (those that we tend to make disappear in the blink of an eye wishing and at times believing that it never happened only to find out in the future that our consciousness had registered it!) whether he was traveling on foot or riding on a horse back. This is to display the quality of an "attentive mind." The practice of Vajrasattva is not a practice of confession as understood in popular contexts. Neither it is designed as "guilt trip" for individuals. It is a practice to firstly assess where one's mind stands; then to purify/ cut through the obstacles; and finally mental and spiritual rejuvenation that accompanies the results of this practice. The participants of this retreat will receive an oral transmission of the Vajrasattva Mantra (the Hundred Syllable Mantra) and then engage in reflection/ recitation of it. This retreat will be a balance of discussion and practice.   Glimpses of Ch'an: Listening to the Sound of Silence Meditation and Talk by Dharma Master Hsin Tao Founder, Museum of World Religions and Wu-sheng Monastery Thursday, February 26, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. The Wong Auditorium Tang Center, MIT (70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA) Meditation and Discussion on Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Sanskrit. Bodhipathpradipam; Tibetan. Jangchub lamgyi dronma) Every Thursday, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm in the MIT Chapel A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment is an essential work in Buddhist philosophy written about a thousand years ago by the great Indian pandit and yogi Dipamkara Shrijnana Atisha. Atisha trained in the Vikramshila Monastic University and was responsible for the establishment and reformation of Buddhism in Tibet.We will be reading this text with the help of a commentary on the text by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The text will be provided by the Buddhist Community. PS: Meditation and Chanting will begin at 6:30 p.m. for those who are interested in it. Those who are interested in Shantideva's A Guide to Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Sanskrit. Bodhicaryavatara) may talk to Venerable Tenzin to set up a time. His Holiness The Dalai Lama of Tibet Investigating the Mind: Exchanges between Buddhism and the Biobehavioral Science on How the Mind Works September 13-14, 2003 Kresge Auditorium, MIT Buddhist Relics Pray for World Peace A rare opportunity to see and venerate the relics of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and other great Buddhist masters. September 10-14, 2003 The Stratton Student Center, MIT (adjacent to Kresge Auditorium), Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 84 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 Wednesday, September 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, September 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Prayer for Remembrance and Peace 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday, September 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Sunday, September 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All are Welcome. There is no admission fee. Donations are appreciated. Proceeds subsidize the tour and benefit the non- profit Maitreya Project. Handicap accessible. Poster of the Event. Event Time Place Vesakh: Celebration of Buddha's Birthday May 6, 2003 West Lounge The Movie Himalaya Jan 9, 7 p.m. Room 1-135 Mind Like the Sky: Introduction to Basic Meditation by Ven. Lama Migmar Tseten Jan 16, 7 p.m. Room 5-231 Tonglen: A Filter for Suffering by Ven. Tenzin L. Priyadarshi Jan 21, 7 p.m. Room 5-231 The movie The Cup Jan 23, 7 p.m. Room 1-135 Vegetarian Dinner Jan 30, 6 p.m. Religious Activities Center Meditation and study of Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life by Ven. Tenzin L. Priyadarshi Thursdays (starting Feb 27; except 4/17, 5/18 and 5/29) MIT Chapel A four-part series sponsored by the Harvard Hillel and the Harvard Buddhist Community focusing on Jewish and Tibetan experiences of exile from February 13 through March 6, 2003. Feb 13 through Mar 6 See poster