with Ven. Robina Courtin

Saturday, November 21, 2020
10:00am – 3:30pm PST (Pacific Standard Time)

Sunday, November 22
10:00am – 12:00pm PST

see detailed schedule below

Driven by the wish to develop our marvelous potential for buddhahood, our first formal step is to take refuge in, rely upon, the Buddha, his teachings, and the community of fellow practitioners: the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.
With this we commit to doing some practice every day, being kind to sentient beings, making offerings to the Three Jewels, etc.

We strengthen this with the next step by taking some or all of the five vows of individual liberation.

As Lama Zopa Rinpoche points out, “just being good is not enough.” Vows are so powerful that simply by keeping them, we are sowing virtuous karmic seeds in our mind and hugely purifying negative tendencies every second, twenty-four hours a day.

Join us on Saturday for teachings by Ven. Robina Courtin on Refuge and the Five Lay Vows, as well as on how we create karma and how to purify it. On Sunday there will be the actual ceremony for those who wish to take Refuge and the Lay Vows. It’s also the opportunity for those who wish to renew their vows.

Since ordaining as a nun in 1978 Ven. Robina has worked full time for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and their Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.

Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as an internationally touring teacher of Buddhism.

Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom.