SCHEDULE
Saturday, 2 November
9:30am-12:00pm Opening ceremony and prayer session
2:00pm-3:30pm Dharma talk and Q&A on The Three Principal Aspects of the Path by Za Choeje Rinpoche
4:00pm-5:00pm Guided meditation on the
stages of the path to
awakening based on The Foundation of All Good Qualities
Sunday, 3 November
10:00am-12:00pm Prayer session
2:00pm-3:30pm Prayer session
4:00pm-5:00pm Maitreya procession and
closing dedications
This schedule is subject to change, please check back for the latest updates
The Festival is honoured to have Ven. Za Choeje Rinpoche from Trashi Ganden Choepel Ling in Auckland and Ven. Lhagon Rinpoche from the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre in Dunedin lead the prayers and offer spiritual guidance. The main aspiration prayers to be recited during the Festival are Samantabhadra’s Aspiration to Good Actions, popularly known as the king of prayers, the Prayer Made by Noble Maitreya, and the dedication chapter of A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. These three vast and profound prayers will be recited both in the morning and afternoon session, for the sake of benefitting all sentient beings and to create the causes for the flourishing of the Buddha's teachings.
Za Choeje Rinpoche will be giving a talk on The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, a letter written by Lama Tsongkhapa for his disciple Ngawang Drakpa. The letter summarises the three key realisations on the path to awakening. The first is the firm determination to be free from cyclic existence, the second is the awakening mind of seeking Buddhahood in order to benefit all beings, and the third is right view that understands reality as it is.
Za Choeje Rinpoche will also guide a meditation session, leading a glance meditation based on Lama Tsongkhapa's The Foundation of All Good Qualities. This text is a brief summary of all the stages on the path to awakening.
The morning prayer sessions will feature: The Sutra Recollecting the Three Jewels, Ganden Lhagyema, The Foundation of All Good Qualities, Praise of the Buddha's 12 Deeds, Heart Sutra, The Secret Biography of Je Rinpoche, Praise of the 17 Nalanda Masters, Praise to the 21 Taras, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama's long life prayer, Bodhisattva's Confession of Downfalls, Prayer for the Beginning, Middle, and End, Prayer to be Born in the Land of Bliss, Until Buddhahood, and Spontaneous Bliss.
The afternoon session will feature: Praise of Dependent Origination, Praise of the Three Times, Three Principle Aspects of the Path, the bath offering, Praise of Tara, Prayer for the Beginning, Middle, and End, Prayer for the Non-Sectarian Flourishing of the Buddha's Teachings, Prayer for the Blazing of Lama Tsongkhapa's Teachings, and the Prayer for the Flourishing of the Doctrine.
The Maitreya Procession is a chance to create a connection with Maitreya, the next Buddha of this world system who will appear and teach once Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings disappear. Lama Tsongkhapa had a strong connection to Maitreya. One of his four great deeds was the restoration of the Maitreya Buddha statue at Dzingji monastery. He named his own monastery Ganden, the Tibetan translation for Tushita, a heavenly realm where Maitreya waits to take birth in our world. Lama Tsongkhapa himself is said to reside in Tushita as a disciple of Maitreya after passing away.