Kadampa Meditation Center Arizona

About the Event:

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Who is Buddha Shakyamuni?

Buddha Shakyamuni is the founder of Buddhism in this world. In general, Buddha means "Awakened One," someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and sees things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions and has become a compassionate refuge and protector for all living beings.

Buddha Shakyamuni was born as a royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini (now part of Nepal). He showed the manner of accomplishing enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in India in 589 BC. Buddha gave eighty-four thousand teachings, and from these precious teachings Buddhism developed in this world.

Though his human body passed away, Buddha Shakyamuni's enlightened mind remains with us, emanating as spiritual guides and other beneficial things and constantly bestowing blessings on all living beings.

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“Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha, someone who has completely purified his or her mind of all faults and limitations and has brought all good qualities to perfection. Our mind is like a cloudy sky, in essence clear and pure but overcast by the clouds of delusions.

“Just as the thickest clouds eventually disperse, so too even the heaviest delusions can be removed from our mind. Delusions such as hatred, greed, and ignorance are not intrinsic parts of the mind. If we apply the appropriate methods they can be completely eliminated, and we shall experience the supreme happiness of full enlightenment.”

Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, The New Eight Steps to Happiness.

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What is an Empowerment:

An Empowerment is a blissful guided meditation through which we make a special, heart-felt connection with a particular Buddha and receive their inspiration. The enlightened mind is said to be like a boundless deep ocean, every drop of which has the power to bring inner peace to living beings. Receiving an Empowerment is a means of connecting with this expansive potential inside our own mind, giving us the energy and wisdom to begin to realise our own Buddha nature.

Everyone is welcome!