Garage Sale 2004Garage Sale Success!by Beth Rutter The third annual garage sale was a resounding success. Not only did the garage sale raise more than $1,600.00 for KTC Monastery - it provided a unique opportunity to bring our sangha together. It was truly teamwork in action that made the sale so successful. Every person's contribution lead to the success of our sale - from picking up donated items, sorting books & CD's, pricing items and putting out sale signs - everyone helped. The sale provided a time for community -- working together for the greater good and enjoying time with our neighbors. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of sweating through those 90 degree sorting and pricing days, some dashing to cover tables due to sudden rain showers, the joy in watching shoppers devour the bargains on sale days, and the nice lady who said "Finally! A garage sale with good stuff and prices like they should be at a garage sale." Thank you to everyone for donating sale items, volunteering time and energy for sorting, pricing, set up and sale days, and clean up after it was all over. It was well worth it. Our lives are enriched, our relationships with each other are deepened and strengthened, our living spaces lighter, and our cupboards and closets a bit more spacious - Photo Snapshots:Picture This: See Beth, our garage sale aficionado, and a happy customer who did not buy the Sombrero.Garage Sale 2005Donations to our 2005 garage sale that are small enough to store inside gratefully accepted at the Center Tues - Fri, noon -5pm, thru Tues July 20th. Starting in May 2005 we will be able to take large items that need to be stored in the garage. Your donations are our treasures!!Email us to arrange for a pick up or a special time to drop off. We had a very successful July, 2004 garage sale. In addition to lots and lots of good things to sell, several items were donated that were on our wish list. We're hoping for a repeat performance in 2005! Please.... Only clean, useable items that do not need repair and no office furniture or exercise equipment.Donations are tax deductible and go directly to benefit the Center. Butterlamps Butterlamps and prayers are offered daily in all Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, including KTC Minneapolis. Rather than a specific request, the prayer should be for the best results in a given situation. Lamps and prayers may be offered for many requests, such as:
Butterlamps make a difference. Top Life Release EventIn celebration of His Holiness Karmapa's birthday, an anonymous donor offered resources to each KTC and KKSG for sponsorship of life release efforts at each of the local centers this summer. KTC Minneapolis has indicated that it will participate in this program. Resources for this event will be sourced from the donor offering, as well as, the individual support of Sangha members and others who participate in this event. The donor's intentions are to:
His Holiness's instructions suggested that we release lives in the most "critical situations needing help" in order to clear away obstacles to the flourishing of the Dharma and activities of the Noble Sangha. As a result Dharma centers throughout the world are joining in a global life-saving effort to dispel obstacles and create the supporting conditions for the flourishing of Buddha activity! KTC is sponsoring ongoing Life Release Activities right now, culminating in a group Live Release Event at 9 am on September 26th at Jidanna Park. Those who wish will be gathering for an informal breakfast at the Marsh afterwards. (Click here for directions.) We will be releasing sentient beings that are native to the area, able to survive in the wild, facing imminent death, and that will not disturb the present habitat, and we invite anyone who would like to, to come and participate and/or be present to show your support. It is important that anything released meet the above criteria (i.e. ecologically safe and, therefore, not prohibited by local regulation). We would be happy to hear all suggestions and ideas of viable species for life release. E-mail karma@ktcminneapolis.org with your suggestions and ideas. KTC invites all individual or groups to begin the practice of life release activity immediately. Your activity should meet the aforementioned criteria. Please report back the number of lives released as well as the dollar amount spent on lives released. FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON LIVES RELEASED AND THEN REPORTED TO US, THE KTC MINNEAPOLIS TREASURY WILL MATCH YOUR AMOUNT, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR (UP TO $250.00 IN TOTAL), AND USE THE MONEY TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LIVES RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 26TH. So be sure to report your success so your dollars will be matched. It is also important to us to report the details of our activity back to the donor so s/he sees that the intent of the sponsorship has come to fruition. Below is the life release practice: Prayers for Releasing Lives (Simple Method) Refuge and Bodhicitta: Please note: In the August 2004 Thar Lam there is an article on page 63 by Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche titled, The Merit From Releasing Live Animals, in which he succinctly lays out the virtuous benefits of a live release of animals. In particular Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche notes the reasons for the power of saving animal lives, as follows: So because of this, of the ten virtues, saving lives or protecting lives, we can either save the lives of humans or we can save the lives of animals. My teacher in Kham, Khenpo Gangshak, taught me that among these two, saving the lives of animals or of humans, if you save humans it is not as powerful and the reason for this is that humans can speak, they can help themselves, they can ask for help and they can do things to improve their situation - they have ways to help themselves. But animals, on the other hand, are really bereft of means to seek or help themselves, they cannot say anything to anyone and they cannot protect themselves from being eaten and tormented, therefore saving the many different animals is really quite important...... Contact: karma@ktcminneapolis.org if you want to participate at the KTC Minneapolis event on September 26(Deadline: 9/24/04). Once again, we welcome any and all suggestions for life releasing activity and don't forget to report back on the numbers saved and spent before the September 26th event! "May this life-saving effort be a powerful cause to the clearing away of obstacles to the flourishing of the activities of His Holiness Karmapa and all the enlightened masters."
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