Thoughtfully Ringing in the Year of the Wood Rooster, 2132
Meditation-Thon February 1-8 Followed by Losar, the Tibetan New Year Celebration, February 9
by Marva Bohen
While most westerners celebrate the New Year on January 1, Tibetan Buddhists celebrate a lunar New Year called Losar (lo means year and sar means new). Because it is a lunar holiday the actual date depends on moon cycles. This year the Losar begins Wednesday, February 9, the first day after the new moon. Preparation for the New Year begins before the actual date. For Tibetans, a whole month is spent in the preparation such as special practices, retreats and cleaning everything from top to bottom. At KTC Minneapolis, most of us aren’t able to stop our lives for a full month so we begin the preparation for Losar with the Meditation-Thon. The Meditation-Thon does two things. It allows us to help finance the Center, but even more importantly it sets the energy and tone for the New Year. By opening our Losar celebration with meditation that involves all of the sangha (community), we honor the very reason for our existence, meditation practice that is designed to benefit all living beings. The Meditation-Thon begins February 1 at 8:00 a.m. and finishes on February 8 at 8:00 a.m. We still need people to sign up for meditation slots so that we will have someone meditating 24 hours every day for seven days. Please consider signing up, or if you are unable to sit with us, consider sponsoring a participant.
To print a mail in or Fax donation form for individuals, click here. If you would like to be a business sponsor please Contact: karma@ktcminneapolis.org .
The second part of our preparation for Losar is to clean and prepare the monastery. Again this is work that the Sangha does together, and is a way of demonstrating our respect for the teachings and the opportunity we have to share the wonderful space where we learn and do the practices. This practice of cleaning is a form of Yoga, called Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga for Losar will be done from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on February 8. After Karma Yoga, Center Director, Stu Webb and Sangha member, Ralph Bauer, will provide an orientation to the White Tara Sadhana, a Tibetan Buddhist Practice which will be celebrated on Losar. Anyone wishing to participate in the actual practice is welcome to come to the orientation. White Tara practice is done primarily to ward off untimely death.
The actual Losar celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m. on February 9 with a half hour of sitting meditation. At 11:00 a.m. the White Tara Sadhana will begin. The puja (practice) will be followed by a tsok (feast). Food offerings for the tsok table are welcome. We will also prepare plates for people who are home bound or living alone. If you would like to deliver food to someone you know, please contact the center by February 8 by calling 952-926-5048. The entire celebration is expected to last until about 3:00 p.m.
Anyone is welcome to attend the Losar celebration, but please let us know in advance that you plan to attend by calling 952-926-5048 or email Contact: karma@ktcminneapolis.org .
Special Offerings:
We will remember those affected by the Tsunami with a butterlamp, which you can support for $1.00 per day. Click here: Butterlamps to sponsor a butterlamp.
The White Tara Puja will also be dedicated to their healing and relief from suffering. If you wish to do a personal butter lamp for the duration of the Meditation-Thon and Losar please reserve them in advance. Click here: Butterlamps to sponsor a butterlamp.