Losar Tashi Delek!
Please see the schedule summary at the end of this post.
Happy Tibetan new year to all our dear friends:
Losar Celebration
Event Prep, Sunday
On Sunday, February 23, at 1:00 p.m., our sangha will gather after the Sunday service to practice the Barchad Lamsel together to dispel obstacles before the beginning of the New Year. You are invited to this practice.
Main Event, Monday: You Are Invited
This Monday, February 24, at 7:00 PM, we will celebrate Losar, the arrival of the new Year of the Iron Mouse, the year 2147 of the Tibetan calendar! The Zanabazar Dharma Center sangha will join with Lion’s Roar Dharma Center sangha at Do Nga Dargey Temple for our annual Losar Celebration.
Lama Yeshe Jinpa and Geshe Damchoe Gurjav will lead us in the practice of a Windhorse meditation. Windhorse is a method that removes and dispels obstacles for ourselves and for all beings everywhere.
While we celebrate Losar, we will also celebrate the return of our beloved teacher Geshe Damchoe. Geshe la has spent the past few months with our Heart Lineage Teacher, Jhado Rinpoche. in India.
Geshe la will introduce us to our new, large, golden Buddha Statue. Geshe la found our precious statue in Nepal and organized it’s delivery. The statue was placed on our altar and immediately had transformative effect as it radiated love, compassion, and wisdom,
Geshela will teach us about the power and meaning of mantras and instruct us in the writing of mantras that will fill the statue as part of its consecration and blessing. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Please bring a healthful snack to share within the Temple itself as part of our practice.
Additional Practice Days
The Fifteen Days of Miracles—from the first day of the Tibetan new year (Losar, February 24) until the fifteenth day of the Tibetan calendar (March 9)—commemorate the time when Shakyamuni Buddha showed miraculous powers in order inspire faith in his followers.
Losar is traditionally celebrated for three days, during which Tibetans spend time with friends and family, eat, play games, and relax. The Fifteen Days of Miracles are also a time for pilgrimage and intensive Dharma practice. During this period, many Tibetan monasteries, including Kopan Monastery in Nepal, hold a Great Prayer Festival—Monlam Chenmo—for several days or even weeks during which the Sangha recite prayers from morning until evening.
In continuation of the Losar celebration, we will continue to observe additional Losar practices following Lama Yeshe Jinpa’s teaching on Sunday, March 1.
Additionally, all are invited to participate in a six-session practice of Barchad Lamsel in the Do Nga Dargey temple on Saturday, March 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On March 9, the final, full moon day of the 15 Days of Losar, the Festival of Butterlamps (Chötrul Düchen) is celebrated in Tibet. At Do Nga Dargey temple, Lama Yeshe Jinpa will teach about studying the Buddha Dharma from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Vajrayana Practice on the Phases of the Moon will seal the Losar period with Vajrasattva practice from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Losar Schedule Summary
| Date/Time | Event |
| Sunday, February 23 at 1:00 p.m. | Barchad Lamsel practice to dispel obstacles in the coming New Year |
| Monday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. | Lama Jinpa and Geshe Damchoe Losar celebration and teachings |
| Sunday, March 1 at 11:00 a.m. | Lama Jinpa teaching with additional Losar Practice following |
| Saturday, March 7 at 10:00 a.m. | Barchad Lamsel practice for dispelling obstacles |
| Monday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. | Lama Yeshe Jinpa teaches Buddha Dharma Study |
| Monday, March 9 at 9:00 p.m. | Vajrayana Practice on the Phases of the Moon seals Losar with Vajrasattva practice. |