Nagarjuna’s  "A Letter to a Friend"
Teachings with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

During the 27th Kagyu Monlam Chenmo, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, will be teaching from the great Indian master Acharya Nagarjuna’s famous text, “A Letter to a Friend”.  It is a text widely studied and revered by all Buddhists, layperson or monastic. In this letter to his friend King Gautamiputra, Acharya Nagarjuna gives a concise presentation of the Buddha's teachings for practitioners to use in their daily life.

Location
The teaching will take place at Pal Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India.

Dates and Times

Day 1: Sunday, December 20^th, 2009

     Morning Session: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM; Afternoon Session: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Day 2: Monday, December 21^th, 2009

     Morning Session: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM; Afternoon Session: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Day 3: Tuesday, December 22^nd, 2009

     Morning Session: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Single session only)

Registration

The teaching is open to all.  Pre-registration is offered only via e-mail and has the deadline of 12/14/2009. On-site Registration for all is available until 12/19/2009.  After 12/19 registration is open only to pre-registered attendees. 

Translations

His Holiness will teach in Tibetan and the teachings will be translated into English for all. There will also be live translation in eight different languages (Mandarin, Korean, German, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Polish, and Russian) on FM radio.  

Seating

Seating for registered attendees is available inside the Pal Tergar Monastery Shrine Room. Please arrive at the front gate of Pal Tergar Monastery by 7:30 AM for morning sessions and 1:30 PM for afternoon sessions. After completing the registration process you should have been assigned to a group designated by the color of the Five Wisdom Buddha: White, Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green; after arrival please proceed to line up behind the personnel holding your group sign.  Order of entry into the Shrine Room is listed below:

12/20/09 Morning Session:         White Group, Blue Group, Red Group, Yellow Group, Green Group

12/20/09 Afternoon Session:      Blue Group, Red Group, Yellow Group, Green Group, White Group

12/21/09 Morning Session:         Red Group, Yellow Group, Green Group, White Group, Blue Group

12/21/09 Afternoon Session:      Yellow Group, Green Group, White Group, Blue Group, Red Group

12/22/09 Morning Session:         Green Group, White Group, Blue Group, Red Group, Yellow Group

Please note that due to the design of the entry order there is no need to arrive any earlier than the time prescribed above. Everyone will be ensured a chance to secure the best seats for one session.

Security

Everyone will be searched by security personnel before entering the Shrine Room area.  Only a small bag is permitted inside so please keep your possessions to a minimal.  There will be no camera or recording devices allow inside. You may bring a small FM radio if you need to listen to translations in one of the available languages.

Offering:
There is no fee for the teachings, and attendees will have an opportunity to give offerings to His Holiness person.

For more information, please e-mail：monlamteachings@gmail.com or stop by the Kagyu Monlam Office.

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Nagarjuna's “A Letter to a Friend” Teaching

December 20 - 22, 2009

On-site Registration Information

 

Location
The Registration Booth is located at the back of Pal Tergar Monastery.

Dates and Hours of Operation

12/17/2009 to 12/19/2009:  8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Registration Procedure

◎  If you or your group have already pre-registered:

1.      Please come to the Registration Booth and register if you’ve pre-registered just for yourself. If you’re part of a group, please note that only the group representative needs to visit the booth, as he or she can register for the entire group. Group representative should bring all passports of your members and show them to the registration staff.

2.      Bring your passport and a printout of the confirmation e-mail. If you cannot print it out, simply write your name and the ID number on a piece of paper.

3.      At the Registration Booth, please find the right window for your ID number. There will be signs of five colors to help you identify the right line.

4.      The registration staff will ask for your name and the printout confirmation letter or ID number.  For security reason, we have to check your passport, this policy is recently requested by the Security Department.  We apologize for the sudden change regarding this part of checking your passport.

◎  If you or your group have not yet pre-registered:

1.      If you’re attending the teaching by yourself, come to the booth with your passport for on-site registration to complete your registration.  If you belong to a group, please select one representative to register for the group, please bring all passports of your members.

2.      At the Registration Booth, please go to the windows of Green and Yellow for new registrants and show your passports to the registration staff.

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Please note that you cannot gain entrance into the Teaching without completing the registration process.

Please do NOT register if you belong to a group and you’re not the representative.  Your group representative should register for you as part of the group.