BLESSING EMPOWERMENT Saturday June 14th

Resident Teacher JoAnn Lawrence will grant the blessing empowerment of Je Tsongkhapa and give commentary on the practice of Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka. Je Tsongkhapa is the supreme Spiritual Guide - he is at once an embodiment of the compassion, wisdom and spiritual power of all the Buddhas. If we rely upon him with strong faith, he will bestow these same extraordinary qualities upon us. These spiritual gifts will directly protect us from all fear and problems, fulfill our deepest wish for lasting happiness, and give us the ability to help all living beings in the same way. Where is there kindness greater than this?

Mahamudra Tantra

This empowerment gives us the ability to practice the profound meditations of Mahamudra Tantra, the very heart of Buddha's teachings. Mahamudra is the union of great bliss and emptiness - the very subtle mind that experiences great bliss and realizes ultimate truth. By enabling us to go within to uncover the deepest level of our mind and then to use the very subtle mind to meditate on ultimate truth, Mahamudra practice destroys all our delusions at their very root and thus propels us quickly to the state of full enlightenment.

Four courses will be given after this empowerment with teachings and guided practice of Mahamudra Tantra. Through putting these instructions into practice, we can swiftly develop our wisdom and compassion as well as gain the profound Mahamudra realization of the union of great bliss and emptiness.

The Teacher

JoAnn Lawrence is the Resident Teacher of Samudrabadra Buddhist Center in Fort Myers. She has been a disciple of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for ten years, and has been teaching in Naples and Fort Myers for the last fives years. JoAnn is well loved for her warmth and humor, as well as her practical and joyful approach to integrating Buddha's teaching into daily life. JoAnn is known for making complex practices easy to understand and simple to begin.