Welcome to Garchen Mila Meditation Center
a home for meditation, compassion and community
We are a place for respite and refuge. A place to relax and return to yourself. A place to open the heart and mind to bigger possibilities.
We offer teachings about what causes suffering and how to eliminate suffering. Our center is under the direction of His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche and other esteemed lamas in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.
Fall 2021 – WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Individual Meditation Instruction
in person at the Dharma Center
with Khenpo Thupsang
translator & assistant: Ellen Marie
Sangha members are welcome to sign up for personal meditation instruction. Khenpo and Ellen Marie will offer personal instruction in Calm-Abiding, Vipassana, and mantra-based meditation. Instruction sessions will be about 30-45 minutes. Please note: Individuals must be fully vaccinated in order to get in-person instruction. Contact us and we will work with your schedule.
HOW TO sign up
email us at admin@milarepaiowa.org
Personal Meditation Time
in person at the Dharma Center
Sangha members are welcome to sign up to use our shrine room for personal meditation. You are welcome to sign up for a half hour, an hour or two hours. Any type of meditation is fine. In order to maintain social distancing, we will be limiting the registration to 1-2 people per hour. This is a wonderful opportunity to use our lovely space for your personal practice. Please note: Individuals must be fully vaccinated in order to come to the center in-person. Contact us and we will work with your schedule.
HOW TO sign up
email us at admin@milarepaiowa.org
TUESDAYS:
Mindfulness Meditation
with Instruction
NEW TIME: Tuesdays 7:00-8:00pm
with two 5 min breaks in the middle – join us for any portion of the hour
Khenpo Thupsang will provide a brief introduction to meditation at the beginning of the session. Resting mind, calm-abiding, mindfulness –all these are names for the same type of meditation. This meditation provides relief from the daily pressures and anxieties of our busy lives. This meditation is great for beginners!
This session is offered on Zoom.
HOW TO ATTEND ON ZOOM
**Please note – zoom info has changed:
Zoom information:
Topic: Milarepa Buddhist Center Classes & Meditation
To join this zoom meeting click here
Meeting ID: 843 7803 3565
Passcode: Hung21!
WEDNESDAYS:
COMING UP – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Taming the Mind with Meditation
a class taught by Tim Mullaney
8 weeks – September 29 – November 17
7:00-8:30pm
This Fall Tim will offer his wonderful introduction to meditation class once again. This class provides an excellent foundation for all types of meditation. Everyone is welcome to attend – including those who have already attended this class!
Registration: This class will be held on Zoom. The sliding scale for this class is an offering anywhere between $15–$50 for the entire 8-week class. REGISTER HERE
Weekly Handouts will be available here for download:
HOW TO ATTEND ON ZOOM
Zoom information:
Topic: Milarepa Buddhist Center Classes & Meditation
To join this zoom meeting click here
Meeting ID: 843 7803 3565
Passcode: Hung21!
THURSDAYS:
COMING UP – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Teachings on
Jewel Ornament of Liberation
taught by Khenpo Thupsang
translator: Shire Brown
8 weeks: September 30–November 18
7:00-8:15pm
This Fall Khenpo will begin teaching from the masterwork of Tibetan Buddhism, Jewel Ornament of Liberation. This text provides a complete foundation for study and practice—from beginning to Buddhahood. It includes teachings on Buddha-nature, finding the spiritual master, impermanence, karma, cultivation of bodhicitta, development of the six perfections, the ten bodhisattva bhumis, Buddhahood, and the activities of the Buddha. This class is great for beginners.
Registration: This class will be held on Zoom. The sliding scale for this class is an offering anywhere between $15–$50 for the entire 8-week class. REGISTER HERE
Download opening and closing prayers:
Short Opening and Closing Prayers
THE TEXT IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE at several locations: Amazon | Shambala Publications
ZOOM information
Zoom information:
Topic: Milarepa Buddhist Center Classes & Meditation
To join this zoom meeting click here
Meeting ID: 843 7803 3565
Passcode: Hung21!
FRIDAYS:
Drop-in Meditation at Chauncy Swan Park
Friday, Oct 1 noon-1:00 pm
SATURDAYS:
A Walk in the Park
Saturday Afternoons 4:00-5:00ish pm
Join Khenpo Thupsang and other sangha members for a walk in local parks. We will meet each Saturday afternoon (unless rained out) for the rest of September and October. Nothing formal – this is a way to be together! We will meet at different places in and around Iowa City. Children welcome. Feel free to join us even if you have never attended at the center in person.
This week September 18th – we will meet at the Waterworks Prairie Park. The park is located at 2875 N. Dubuque Street. We will meet in the parking lot.
SUNDAYS:
Sunday Session I
Green Tara Meditation
8:00-9:00am
We practice Green Tara meditation in order to cultivate loving kindness, compassion and mindfulness. This practice is great for beginners and more experienced practitioners alike.
This session is offered on Zoom. Check this websites for updates – we will meet again in person as soon as Covid subsides.
HOW TO ATTEND ON ZOOM
Zoom information:
Topic: Milarepa Buddhist Center Classes & Meditation
To join this zoom meeting click here
Meeting ID: 843 7803 3565
Passcode: Hung21!
Sunday Session II
Om Ah Hung Meditation
9:30-10:30am
This practice will introduce you to a Tibetan Buddhist guided meditation – using the mantra Om Ah Hung – that can be used by anyone to achieve compassion and lovingkindness. This practice is great for beginners and more experienced practitioners alike. At the end of the Om Ah Hung meditation we rest in peaceful abiding.
This session is offered on Zoom. Check this websites for updates- we will meet again in person as soon as Covid subsides.
HOW TO ATTEND ON ZOOM
Zoom information:
Topic: Milarepa Buddhist Center Classes & Meditation
To join this zoom meeting click here
Meeting ID: 843 7803 3565
Passcode: Hung21!
Sunday Session III
Book Discussion
10:45–11:30am
To begin October 3rd.
Jewel Ornament of Liberation
On Sunday mornings we will have a book discussion. This will be a chance for us to focus or thoughts, engage in debate or questions and kick around our understanding of the Dharma. If you have a book you would really like to discuss, please contact me at admin@milarepaiowa.org The discussion will be held on Zoom.
HOW TO ATTEND ON ZOOM
Zoom information:
Topic: Milarepa Buddhist Center Classes & Meditation
To join this zoom meeting click here
Meeting ID: 843 7803 3565
Passcode: Hung21!
SPECIAL EVENT
Vajrakilaya Practice with Khenpo Thupsang -in person & on zoom
October 2nd, 9am-noon
Garchen Rinpoche has asked our sangha to perform Vajrakilaya practice on a regular basis. In order to attend you must first have the Vajrakilaya empowerment. If you do not already have the Vajrakilaya empowerment you can take it online with Garchen Rinpoche. Please let us know if you are thinking of coming or if you have questions about the practice or the empowerment. Please RSVP by Oct 1: admin@milarepaiowa.org
The empowerment is offered in two sessions:
VajraKilaya 2019 EMPOWERMENT// Nov 17, 1of 2// H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
VajraKilaya 2019 EMPOWERMENT// Nov 17, 2 of 2// H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
SANGHA NEWS
September, 2021 COVID PROTOCOL UPDATE
Our first priority in 2021 is doing everything we can to hold our community events in a way that is as safe as possible for everyone.
Now, with the Delta variant of Covid-19 on the rise we have revisited our Covid safety protocols. We want you to know how we are making decisions as the next several months unfold.
On July 27 we consulted with Jennifer Miller, Disease Prevention Specialist with Johnson County Public Health. Jennifer directed us to a rating system created by the CDC to easily look up the transmission status of our county. This map tells us if a county currently has high, substantial, moderate or low levels of Covid. We will be using this map to determine our actions at Garchen Mila Meditation Center in 2021.
Each week – around Thursday – we will update our website and announce in our weekly email – which protocol is in place as follows.
Thank you,
The Board of Milarepa Buddhist Center
CDC DATA TRACKER LEVELS FOR JOHNSON COUNTY:
Low: Please come to the Dharma Center only if you are fully vaccinated. Mask wearing is optional.
Moderate: Please come to the Dharma Center only if you are fully vaccinated. Mask wearing is optional.
Substantial: Please come to the Dharma Center only if you are fully vaccinated. Mask wearing is mandatory inside the shrine room.
High: All events will be held on Zoom until the numbers go down.
CDC data tracker level for Johnson County: HIGH
The Dharma Center is open for individual use due to Covid-19 levels. All other activities are on Zoom.
For the Fall Session we are going to a hybrid model. There are a few activities which will be in person on a sign up basis – namely individual meditation instruction and personal meditation. Most of our actvities on Zoom.
Your support is needed!
In order to offer our activities, we need to have active involvement by all those who value having a Tibetan Buddhist Center in Iowa City. In order to meet our monthly expenses of about $1600 per month, we ask that you either make regular donations, or become a member of the Center.
WE OFFER OUR MEDITATION IN THE TRADITION OF GENEROSITY…
Garchen Mila Meditation Center continues the 2600-year-old Buddhist tradition of providing the teachings freely to all who are interested. We have no paid staff and the center is run entirely by volunteers. All financial support comes from the generosity of people who value what we do. Donations support all expenses, including programs, visiting teachers, publications, and the website. Our teachers are volunteers.
We are able to offer meditation without charge to the public due to the generosity of our members. If you begin coming to the center regularly, please become a member to support our programs. If you come once in a while please consider making a small donation for that day.
Our entire sangha is very grateful for all the support we receive, and are inspired by how beautifully Dharma practice develops when it does so in a field of generosity and gratitude!
To send membership by mail please send checks to:
Milarepa Buddhist Center of Iowa
1907 G Street
Iowa City, IA 52240