Dear Dharma Friends,
Summer, with its hot days and cool Möhra nights, has arrived. With this July issue, we would like to offer a brief look back as well as a preview of the program highlights awaiting us in the coming month.
Review
When there is a buzz of activity and laughter, when throngs of people in blue shirts roam the grounds and music drifts across the meadows, you know the time has come for the Family Days in Möhra. In June, under the theme “Rain of Wisdom,” parents, children, and teenagers gathered once again at the Möhra Dharma Center. They took part in morning meditation sessions—the heart of the Family Days—and joined a wide variety of workshops, including dyeing, woodworking, herbal studies, and text & music. The fruits of these various workshops were showcased on the final day during the “Wisdom Dinner.” Amidst glorious weather and high spirits, 108 guests—the same number as beads on a mala!—took their seats at a long table adorned with flowers. Lavender sachets and herbal salt awaited each guest as a gift, while handcrafted wooden holders displayed name cards written in Tibetan script—each one penned by the guests themselves. Meditation and creativity work up an appetite, so everyone delighted in the delicious food. And that wasn’t all: the gathering was framed by five performances from participants in the text and music workshop.
Lama Jampa also led a Lojong training session in June. With a view to a planned future workshop on filling statues, Lama Jampa provided us with a comprehensive and detailed insight into the statue-filling process and all the associated ritual procedures. A wonderful opportunity for this arose because a Guru Rinpoche statue—donated to the Möhra Dharma Center by Thule and Gunhild Jug—arrived at the center at the same time. Barbara Walter, a goldsmith and specialist in statue restoration and gilding, accompanied the statue. Under Lama Jampa’s guidance, the statue’s interior was cleaned and restored, and instructions were given for the subsequent restoration of the exterior. This detailed overview also included explanations regarding which mantra rolls we should prepare for the large statue as well as for the many smaller Buddhas. To this end, we are launching a mantra-rolling workshop this summer, led by Eric and Sandra (details to follow).
During his visit, Lama Jampa conducted a Sang Puja with us all—a practice that serves inner purification, the accumulation of merit, and the cultivation of generosity.
As you can see, these were days of profound and intensive practice for all of us.
Young Sangha Pilgrimage 2027
In addition, during the summer camp, we plan to finalize the itinerary for the 2027 Young Sangha pilgrimage together with Lama Yeshe, Acharya Ngawang Tharchin, and Acharya Gonpo Tashi. Updates on this will follow in a special “Young Sangha Pilgrimage” newsletter.
A further note for anyone interested in the study course “The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”
Retreat participants and house guests often take the opportunity to join the study course on short notice or for a limited time.
We would therefore like to point out once again that it is possible to join the course at any stage, as individual chapters are relevant in their own right. You are warmly invited to take advantage of this opportunity.