Upcoming – Forest Alchemy™

Green Tara Blessing with Ahbay Rinpoche in Homage to the 21 Taras interactive, immersive mandala
Forest Alchemy, Sunday May 6, 75 Laurel Ave, Woodacre, 3pm- please RSVP with number of guests

Park on Laurel Ave or Redwood Ave and walk through the gate, which is mid-way down Laurel and will be clearly marked. Bring a blanket or yoga mat to sit on, and no dogs please.

We ask that attendees offer a small donation to Rinpoche, in support of his work and monastery; 100% of all donations go directly to Rinpoche. Please give according to your comfort level, “Generosity is the bodhisattva awakening.”

Introduction to Lama Ahbay Tulku Jigme Thupten Tendar Rinpoche:
Ahbay Rinpoche is a recognized High Lama and re-incarnate in the lineage of the Dalai Lama. He is considered to be 3rd in line to the Dalai Lama Himself. When Rinpoche was nine years old he was fully initiated into monkhood and the tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When he was twelve, His Holiness the Dalai Lama identified him as the reincarnation of the hermit Lama Lobsang Tenzin.

Rinpoche has been commissioned by the Dalai Lama to spread compassion and peace throughout the world. He travels the globe teaching, giving blessings and spreading love, gratitude, understanding and mindfulness. Rinpoche embodies loving kindness. He is incredibly warm, friendly and radiant, filled with joy, laughter, exuberance and great character. His smile alone will melt your heart! Rinpoche performs special blessings and pujas, or prayer rituals, for individuals and/or families, as part of his service and commitment to cultivate compassion and happiness.

On a practical exchange level, part of his responsibility is to educate, feed, house and support young monks in his care in India, as well as operate a health clinic serving his local community. Donations (even very small by our standards) are how we appreciate his offering in return. He is very good at staying in regular communication with people who sponsor young monks on a monthly basis, or contribute to the project of rebuilding his Monastery.

From Ahbay Rinpoche: “I will give teachings and blessings, I will be very happy to help people in the world and especially people from USA. I will continue to give teachings and blessing as much as I can help and pray for you all for more peaceful life, healthy life, successful life.”

Green Tara; Interactive, Immersive Mandala in progress

About Green Tara:
Tara, the “Mother of all Buddhas,” is a Bodhisattva or Buddha of compassion and action, a protector who comes to our aid to relieve physical, emotional and spiritual suffering. Tara has 21 major forms, each of which has a different color and spiritual attribute. Of these 21 forms, Green Tara is associated with enlightened activity and abundance.

In Tibetan Buddhism, om tare tuttare ture soha is an ancient and powerful mantra that manifests profound benefits. When we chant the Green Tara mantra, we not only ask for Tara’s blessings and assistance, we also ask for liberation from mental delusions and negative emotions. By calling on Tara’s protection with sincere motivation, we gain true freedom and can achieve the same enlightened body, speech and mind that Tara represents, not only for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all sentient beings.

“The concept of a Great Feminine principle is common to many cultural and religious traditions as the generator and caretaker of life. The images of the Great Feminine vary from tradition to tradition, but the values and qualities of these images are surprisingly consistent. This principle is often referred to as the Great Mother and is considered a protector and guardian of life. In spiritual traditions in the Himalaya, the female deity Tara has many aspects- each considered to be an embodiment of different aspects of compassionate assistance.”
Isa Gucciardi, Sacred Stream

For more information on Green Tara, https://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-buddhism/green-tara-mantra.html

Our story:
We had the good fortune of meeting Ahbay Rinpoche in Spring 2015. We had a private blessing and puja with Rinpoche that was very powerful. The next afternoon, Rinpoche visited our home and project space, Forest Alchemy, and we bonded over a love of Tara and trees. We spent the afternoon walking in the forest, hanging out in the treehouse Lady of the Sky, doing a Green Tara Blessing, singing the Tara mantra, drinking tea and eating cookies, watching women’s soccer and sharing a vegetarian dinner. It was a delightful and meaningful experience that changed our lives. We became pen pals with Rinpoche and spoke on the telephone over the next couple years. Rinpoche’s words echo in our hearts and minds every day and wearing his blessing necklace serves as a constant reminder of compassionate action and practice. This year our schedules aligned and we have the great honor to host Rinpoche in the beautiful San Geronimo Valley. We feel extremely grateful and blessed to share this golden opportunity with you, to soak in Rinpoche’s love, light and generosity of spirit.

To view our past Tara projects:
Homage to the 21 Taras, at SFMOMA and CounterPULSE, 2005 and 2006.

Beyond Movement Moving Beyond, at Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009.

Rainbow Tara, National March for Marriage Equality, Washington DC and Capitol lawn, 2010.

More information on LAMA AHBAY RINPOCHE, from Tibet House US

Lama Ahbay Tulku Jigme Thupten Tendar Rinpoche was born in Darjeeling, India in 1973. In the Tibetan calendar the day of his birth is known as “The Auspicious Day with Ten Good Omens.” His father, Sonam Dorjee, and his mother, Lobsang Tseten, have two more children, his elder brother, Dondhup Paljor, and his younger sister, Tsering Tsomo. In 1979, Khabche Zong Rinpoche visited the hill station of Darjeeling and gave profound instructions bringing happiness to everybody. His father prostrated to the feet of this great master with the wish to have the possibility for one of his sons to become a monk. Zong Rinpoche saw that it would be better to choose the younger of the two brothers to enter the monastery. In the same year the abbot of Gaden Jangtse Monastery in South India gave him the name Jigme Phuntsok and he received the robes of a monk.

The venerable Geshe Khenrab Choedak of Hardong Khamtsen became his religious master and he began to learn to write and read Tibetan and to study Buddhist metaphysics according to the tradition. Geshe Sonam Choephel, Geshe Tenzin Dhakpa and Geshe Lobsang Choenyi were ordained as his additional masters. When he was nine years old he was fully initiated into monkhood and the tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khabche Ling Rinpoche gave him the name Thupten Tendar. When he was twelve, His Holiness the Dalai Lama identified him as the reincarnation of the hermit Lama Lobsang Tenzin. One year later he was enthroned as Tulku in Gaden J angtse Monastery. There, at the age of seventeen, he was admitted to the congregational debate on the first chapter of Abhisamaya (Perfection of Wisdom), and six years later, to the congregational debate on Madhyamika (Middle Way). He studied Pharchen (Perfection of Wisdom) for six years, Uma (Middle Way) for three years.
https://tibethouse.us/event/deal-anger-hatred-will-make-peaceful-mind-abhay-rinpoche-7-9pm/2018-05-09/