Date/Time
Saturday 2 November 10.30am – 12pm
Venue
Kalpa Bhadra Buddhist Centre, 24 Rugby St, Merivale, Christchurch
There is plenty of parking on the street but please do not park on the neighbours driveways.
Timetable
10.30am Free guided meditation
11.00am Morning tea – provided
11.30 International Temple Projects video
No booking required, just drop in. Everyone welcome!
About the Open Day
On the first Saturday in November Kadampa centres worldwide celebrate the International Temples Project. Special events are held at various centres throughout the world to support the project.
The following extract from a talk by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains the importance of temples and how they benefit all living beings in this and future generations:
‘According to Buddhist view, especially Mahayana Buddhist view, a Temple is a representation of Buddha’s Pure Land. Statues or images of Buddha are representations of Buddha’s body, stupas are representations of Buddha’s mind, and Dharma books are representations of Buddha’s speech. These are holy, precious objects.
For these reasons I recommend building Temples as one of the best ways of benefiting other living beings.
The main function of a Temple is that those who see it or develop faith in it will receive special blessings.
Whoever sees a Temple or an image of Buddha will receive the blessings of Buddha. There is no difference with regard to Buddhists and non-Buddhists – anyone, whenever they see an image of Buddha, or a Temple, will receive blessings.
Therefore I can say that from my side, or from our side, this is the best public benefit or public service.