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, meditation retreats, and related events.
To make a contribution please contact Ven. Tenzin Priyadarshi through the Office of Religious Life at MIT. Online contributions can be made through the MIT Giving Site (look for account #2737293).
With Palms Together
Past Events 2006-2010
Introduction to Zazen
Rev. Ichigaku Nagira
Thursday, September 2, 6pm-7pm
Venue: MIT Chapel
A one time opportunity to learn about Zen Meditation from one of the bests. Rev. Ichigaku Nagira is the disciplinarian monk of Myoshinji Temple (Headquarters for Rinzai Zen) in Kyoto, Japan. He oversees the training of novices at Myoshinji and Hanazono (affiliated university).
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Buddhist Community at MIT, Graduate Student Council, Prajnopaya @ MIT
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Finding Peace and Happiness Within
A Talk by His Holiness Chhetsang Rinpoche
Friday, September 3 at 7PM
Venue: MIT Building 10, Room 250 (10-250)
Suggested donation of $20. All proceedings go to Drikung Boston.
Prajnopaya is pleased to present one of its Spiritual Patrons, His Holiness Chhetsang Rinpoche the 37th Drikung Kyabgon, the co-head of the Drikung Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. He resides at JangChub Ling in Dehra Dun, Northern India. In 1985 Drikung Kyabgon founded the Drikung Kagyu Institute, an education center, which emphasizes both traditional monastic education and contemporary training. The Institute has started a research project collecting all the Drikung Kagyu texts and the latest project is a Computer Library, where documentation materials on the ways of living, philosophy and religious thought of the peoples of the Himalayas are to be centrally registered. There is also a meditation retreat center nearby.
His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche was born in 1947 in Lhasa. In 1969, he was a student in Chinese schools and later worked in communes in Central Tibet. The latter became an invaluable experience for learning about the Tibetan spiritual and temporal condition in a changed society.
Co-sponsored by Prajnopaya at MIT and Drikung Boston
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One Day Retreat: Introduction to Mantra and Visualization Practices
With Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi
Saturday, August 28, 2010, 10:30am-4pm
Venue: MIT Building 4, Room 303 (4-303)
Cost: $40 (Free for MIT Students).
Register online at http://prajnopaya.gigshowcase.com or call 413.24UPAYA
In this one-day retreat, Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will present the benefits of mantra and visualizations practices as taught in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions. We will also explore how such exercises are helpful in changing over-bearing habitual patterns and mental attitudes.
This retreat is ideal for those interested in learning more about Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. The day's activities will include teachings, discussion and meditation sessions.
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Sand Mandala Workshop
Friday, May 7, 2010, 4:30pm-7pm
Venue: W79, Simmons Dining Hall
MIT Community Only
Cost: Free
Mandala @ MIT invites the MIT community to join us for some fun and food. Bring out the artist in you- create new designs and play with colors. Watch Werner Herzog's "Wheel of Time" to inspire you. People will be encouraged to work in teams.
Indian food will be served following the workshop.
Co-sponsored by the MIT Large Event Fund (LEF) and the Residential Scholars Program @ Simmons Hall
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Retreat: The Foundation of All Good Qualities
with Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi
Saturday, April 17, 2010, 10:30am-4pm
Venue: MIT Student Center, Room 491 (W20-491)
Cost: $40 (Free for MIT Students). Register online at http://prajnopaya.gigshowcase.com or call 413.24UPAYA
In this one-day retreat, Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will present the short-text ''Foundation of All Good Qualities'' by Tsongkhapa. These instructions describe the bodhisattva's basic attitude and path of cultivation.
This retreat is ideal for those interested in learning more about Mahayana Buddhism. The day's activities will include teachings, discussion and meditation sessions.
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From Me to We: A New Look at Resilience and Well-Being
A Talk by Daniel Siegel
Friday, March 19, 7:30pm-9pm
Venue: Changed! University Hall, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $35. Register online by following the link from here.
Dan Siegel received his medical degree from Harvard University and
completed his postgraduate medical education at UCLA with training in
pediatrics and child, adolescent and adult psychiatry. He served as a
National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellow at UCLA, studying
family interactions with an emphasis on how attachment experiences
influence emotions, behavior, autobiographical memory and narrative. An
award-winning educator, Dan Siegel is currently a clinical professor of
psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine where he is a Co-Investigator at
the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development (cbd.ucla.edu) and is
Co-Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center (marc.ucla.edu).
Co-sponsored by The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values
at MIT and Lesley University
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Retreat: Foundations of Buddhism
with Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi
Saturday, February 27, 2010, 10:30am-4pm
Venue: MIT Student Center, Twenty Chimneys (room W20-306)
Cost: $40 (Free for MIT Students). Register online at http://prajnopaya.gigshowcase.com or call 413.24UPAYA
In this one-day retreat, Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will present the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. These practical teachings are considered to be the foundation of Buddhist practice. These were the first teachings of the Buddha which he continued to teach throughout his life.
This retreat is ideal for those considering adopting the Path of Buddhism, but is also beneficial for advanced practitioners. The retreat will consist of teachings, discussion and meditation sessions.
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IAP Activity: Roll Your Own Sushi/Movie Night
Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 7pm-10pm
Venue: Sidney-Pacific, 3rd Floor Kitchen
Cost: None, no advance sign up required
Join the Buddhist community in rolling, munching, and viewing. Staple
sushi making ingredients will be provided, but feel free to bring your
own favorite items. Once dinner is underway, we will watch acclaimed
Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and
Spring." Described as "a visually stunning and contemplative piece of
work" on review site rottentomatoes.com, this film spans the lives of
a Buddhist monk and his disciple who live on a lake in a floating
temple.
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IAP Activity: Grooving with the Dharma
Friday, January 22, 2010, 1pm-3pm
Venue: W20-407
Cost: None, no advance sign up required
This workshop will engage the moving body as a vehicle for contemplative
practice. Structures will include seated and walking meditations as well
as hip-hop warm ups, creative movement exercises, free-form dance scores,
and small group choreography. These embodied experiences will be informed
by traditional Buddhist teachings and concepts. No dance or Buddhism
experience needed.
Harrison Blum, M.Ed., is a Boston-based dancer-educator focused on
kinesthetic learning and embodied spirituality. Over the past two years,
much of his work has been wedding Buddhist practice with improvisational
dance (movingdharma.org). His workshops are tailored especially toward encouraging comfort and enjoyment for less experienced movers. Harrison is
a Master of Divinity student focused on Buddhist ministry at Harvard and
currently an intern at MIT Prajnopaya.
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Retreat: Parting from the Four Attachments, written by Drakpa Gyaltsen
with Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi
Saturday, January 23, 2010, 10:30am-4pm
Venue: MIT Student Center, Twenty Chimneys (room W20-306)
Cost: $40 (Free for MIT Students). Register online at
http://prajnopaya.gigshowcase.com or call 413.24UPAYA
In this retreat, Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will present "Parting
from the Four Attachments," a teaching universally regarded as one of
the jewels of Tibetan Buddhism. According to tradition, Drakpa
Gyaltsen (1167-1216) received the teaching as a direct transmission
from Manjushri.
These practical teachings are considered to be essential to anyone wanting
to genuinely enter the practice of Dharma. Freeing oneself from the four
attachments allows the sincere practitioner to recognize and avoid the
typical pitfalls encountered on the spiritual path.
It is believed that this teaching has the power to instill realizations on
all who receive it with proper intention. Understanding the true nature of
mind, that it is the source of all problems and solutions, allows one to
alleviate the personal suffering that is caused by ignorance and confusion.
The retreat will consist of teachings, discussion and meditation sessions.
Text will be provided.
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Pizza/Movie Night
Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 5pm-8pm
Venue: Sidney-Pacific, Seminar Room
Cost: None
Relax with some slices and German dramatic comedy "Enlightenment
Guaranteed," the story of two brothers' unexpected adventures en route
to and during a stay in a Japanese Zen monastery.
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Awakening Enlightened Mind
One-Day Retreat
Saturday, May 30, 2009, 10:30am-4:30pm
Location: Simmons Hall MPR
The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi will lead us into Awakening Enlightened Mind during this one day retreat. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about and experience the compassion and surpassing intention of bodhichitta as expounded upon and embodied by Buddhists down through the ages.
Our retreat will include teachings, discussion, and practice.
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Retreat: Introduction to the Mind-Only School
Saturday, February 21, 2009 (10:30am-4pm)
Venue: 60 Hartwell Rd., Carlisle, MA
See the calendar for details.
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Meditations on Dependent Origination
October 3, 2009, 10:30am - 4:30pm
Venue: MIT Student Center, Twenty Chimneys (room W20-306)
This central concept of Buddhist thought is concerned with the inter-
connectedness of all things and the effects of consciousness on what
happens to us daily both inwardly and outwardly. The realization of
Dependent Origination (or Interdependence) gives one a wonderful insight
into the intricacies of how we operate within the domain of cyclical
existence.
This retreat, open to all, will include teachings, meditations, and
discussion. Please join us!
Click here to register.
Open to: the general public
Cost: $40 (Free for MIT students)
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The Attention Revolution
A multimethod inquiry into meditation, cognition, emotion, and motivation
Speakers: Cilfford Saron and B. Alan Wallace
September 11, 2009 at 6PM
Venue: Simmons Hall MPR (229 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139)
Clifford Saron, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Research Scientist at the
Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California at Davis
(http://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu), and faculty member of the UC Davis
M.I.N.D. Institute.
Alan Wallace, Ph.D. 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.
Co-sponsor: Brain & Cognitive Science at MIT; The Dalai Lama Center for
Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT
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Cultivating Emotional Balance
A two-day workshop with Alan Wallace
Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2009 (10AM-5PM)
Location: MIT (room W20-407)
Registration Fee: $150 (free for MIT students)
Registration Required. Register at http://thecenter.gigshowcase.com or call 413-24-UPAYA
In this workshop Dr. Alan Wallace will present methods drawn from the
Buddhist contemplative tradition and modern psychology for cultivating
emotional balance. Such practices are based on the distinction between
hedonic pleasure, which is aroused by pleasant stimuli, and genuine
happiness, which stems from what we bring to the world rather than what we
get from it. In Buddhist practice, mental balance is cultivated on the
basis of an ethical way of life, and it is developed within the broader
context of conative, attentional, and cognitive balance. Central to such
mental training is the development of attentional and metacognitive skills,
which are indispensable for cultivating emotional balance.
Biosketch of B. Alan Wallace:
B. Alan Wallace began his studies of Tibetan Buddhism in 1970 in
Germany and was ordained as a Buddhist monk by H. H. the Dalai Lama in
1975. He has taught Buddhist meditation and philosophy worldwide since
1976 and has served as interpreter for numerous Tibetan scholars and
contemplatives, including the Dalai Lama. After earning his
undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at from
Amherst College in 1987, he went on to earn his Ph.D. in religious
studies at Stanford University. He is now the founder and president of
the Santa Barbara Institute for
Consciousness Studies.
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Buddhist Community Welcome Dinner
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 6:30PM
Venue: MIT W11-155
Come meet members of the Buddhist Community. Learn more about what we do.
Bring a friend.
Feel free to bring a dish, dessert, or a drink.
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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.
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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!
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Candlelight Vigil Against the Mumbai Terror Attacks
Venue: MIT
Killian Court
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 (5:30pm - 7pm)
(more
information here)
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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
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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)
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)
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.
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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)
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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)
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
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Bodhi Day Celebration
Wednesday, December 12 at 7PM
Meet at MIT-W11
(Open only to MIT Community Members)
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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.
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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)
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Social Intelligence
A Public Talk by Daniel Goleman
September 12 , 2007 at 6:00PM
Venue: MIT Simmons Hall (229 Vassar St.)
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