International Kadampa Summer Festival - Day 14 Today is the first of two retreat days on Powa. As Gen-la Dekyong described during her commentary, the Festival is divided into 3 programmes, the teaching, meditation,and retreat programmes. Having completed the first two with the daily teachings and meditations, it is now time for the third. During this time we have the opportunity to deepen our familiarity with the practice and to gain actual experience. There will be five sessions of Powa practice each day. It is amazing to see the Temple full of more than a 1000 people training in transferring the consciousnesses of the recently deceased to the pure land over and over again. The direct benefit of this will be that Kadampa practitioners at our Centers throughout the world will have great confidence in guiding people at the time of death. As Gen-la Dekyong emphasized, helping someone at the time of death and doing Powa for them not only helps that person immeasurably, but is deeply appreciated by their family and friends. Gen-la Khyenrab is leading the retreat, skillfully guiding a meditation on a different aspect of the practice in each session. For example in the second session he has us bring to mind the natural affection we have for friends and family, and then gradually expand that feeling to encompass all living beings, resulting in a mind of wishing love wishing to lead all living beings to the lasting peace of enlightenment. With this motivation we then engage in the Powa Ceremony. In between sessions, festivalgoers enjoy the sunny weather and the Dharma conversations. There is an awareness that the Festival is soon ending, so everyone is making the most of their time together, enjoying the company of Sangha friends (and sometimes enjoying a delicious crepe at the Canadian creperie, and/or a late evening burger at Burger bar!) kadampafestivals.org/summer #KadampaSummer2014
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:31:16 +0000
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