Losar Celebration:
Guru Puja with Chai, Momos, and Storytelling
with Venerable Robina Courtin

Fri Feb 28, 6:30-8:30pm EST

IN-PERSON & ONLINE

Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is a deeply significant celebration that also marks the beginning of the Fifteen Days of Miracles. This period commemorates the time when the Buddha, in an uncharacteristic display of power, performed a series of miracles to inspire and win over disciples. For the FPMT, Losar holds additional significance as it commemorates the anniversary of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe’s parinirvana in 1984.

Let’s join in community for a little Losar celebration! First, Venerable Robina will lead us in a brief Guru Puja practice with tsog, which brings about the greatest purification of negative karma and collects the most incredible merit, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Then, she will share personal stories about Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche – helping us learn more about these remarkable beings and connect more deeply with their enduring influence in our lives. If you join us in person, enjoy these stories over hot chai and vegetarian momos offered by the center.

All fifteen days starting with Losar are merit multiplying days, during which the karmic results of our actions are multiplied by 100 million. This sacred period offers a powerful opportunity to deepen one’s practice and commitment to spiritual study. By aligning with the energy of this auspicious time, we can harness its transformative potential to accelerate our journey toward enlightenment.

We hope you will join us on Losar in-person or online for this meaningful and joyous event.

Important Note

This is an in-person and online event. Please review our latest Covid-19 policy if you are attending in person. For online, the events will be administered using Zoom*.

After registering, the system automatically sends a confirmation and/or a receipt email that contains the Zoom meeting link and/or other instructions. If you don’t immediately receive the system email(s) or you have any other questions, please contact us at registration@shantidevanyc.org.

*Zoom is an interactive video-conferencing tool that allows participants to see one another and ask questions. You will need a computer, a tablet or a smartphone with the Zoom application to attend. If you are using Zoom for the first time, please login earlier to allow any necessary installations on your device.

Registration

Open donation: free, $5, $10, $21, $35, $50, $108

Your generosity makes it possible for us to share the Dharma and continue working together for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Shantideva Center may publish recorded sessions in the public domain (e.g., on YouTube). By registering for this event, you are agreeing to give your consent to this process. To protect your privacy, we recommend being conscious about any personal information you share during the sessions. To further enhance anonymity, you may want to consider turning off video or naming yourself using abbreviations.

Register

Time zone: US Eastern Standard Time (GMT/UTC-5)

For questions regarding registration, please email registration@shantidevanyc.org for assistance.

Prayer Requests

You are welcome to request a dedication. Please email by February 27 to prayers@shantidevanyc.org and indicate “Losar Prayers” in the subject line. 

Today, just like any other day, is a perfect opportunity to engage more earnestly in one’s practice. May the Buddha Dharma flourish and spread forth to all sentient beings in the 10 directions!

Sponsorship

You are welcome to sponsor all or part of this event. Great merit is created by your contribution of any amount, especially on this karmic multiplying occasion of Losar. Sponsorship is processed through registering above, even if you will not be attending the puja. Please make sure to email prayers@shantidevanyc.org with your prayer request. We are grateful for your generosity!

“If someone offers a small flower or rice to a Buddha statue, a stupa or scripture then the benefit extends from then up to Enlightenment. Amazing, amazing. It is said in the sutra Piled Flowers, on top of that benefit, you achieve ultimate happiness – liberation from the causes of delusion and karma and on top of that full Enlightenment – all the realizations and omniscient mind.” —Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Additional Materials

Recording

Will be available soon.

Dana for the Teacher

Shantideva Center makes offerings to our teachers and facilitators using the funds collected through registration. You can give additional support to the teacher or facilitator and create a stronger karmic connection by offering dana. Please make sure to select the teacher’s or facilitator’s name in the dropdown menu. Dana offered is passed entirely to them, but please note that it is not tax-deductible.

About the Teacher

Venerable Robina Courtin has worked full-time for Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, since her ordination in the late 1970s. Over the years she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom. Venerable Robina is known for her straightforward and energetic teaching style, helping people discover the potential of their own minds with clear explanations about Tibetan Buddhism and how to apply it to their lives.

Visit her website at https://www.robinacourtin.com.