Four Generosity Teaching Series 

 The Four Generosities Practice

Series of 8 Teaching Events

  Interactive Live Stream or in Person

                  Beginning March 13^th   Ending  September 10, 2020

 

We are so excited to have Geshe Tenzin Gelek to be teaching the Four Generosity here at Yeru Bön Center with a serious of teachings for students who would like to truly have a deep knowledge of this important practice.   This teaching will be a very interactive course.   Students will be able to make their own tormas, learn the musical instruments and most important learn this practice with such detail and positive response.

 

 

The Four Generosities

Practice

 Series of 8 Teaching Events

The Four Generosities Practice (Jin pa cha zhi) is a powerful practice for cleansing, awakening your inner spirituality, and releasing attachments.           

Through these practices, we connect with the Protectors, Yiddams, Khadros and Lamas.  Doing these practice on a regulary basis gives a deep connection with four classes of sentient beings, including beings that are circling in this karmic world, through making offerings and releasing attachments. These practices are especially powerful if done while you are in a  personal retreat.  

The  Jinpa Cha Zhi - Four Generosities include:

Sang (Smoke Offering). This practice is done early in the morning. It cleanses negative karma, opens blockages of internal energy and uplifts life force Chi.

Chutor (Water Offering). This practice is done in the mid-morning. This practice removes karmic impurities, and releases and speeds healing from physical and mental illness that may have been caused by karma.

Sur Chod (Burnt food Offering). This practice is done in the evening.  We dedicate this practice to all sentient beings, to pay off karmic debts, to free us from the suffering, and emotional obscuration, and to awaken our  inner awareness.

Chod (Personal Offering).  This practice is done at night . We imagine offering our own bodies to those to whom we owe karmic debts, providing benefit for ourselves as well as others.   This practice helps us overcome our emotional attachements. 

Geshe Tenzin Gelek will be teaching the Four Generosities Practice in a series of classes at Yeru Bön Center.   This is a very detailed course. It will include a deep learning of: 

• Prayers and Zab or Nyenpas (mantras} in detail, with correct pronunciation and rhythm;
• Learning about each of the deities involved;
• Learning the different tormas – peaceful or wrathful and when to use which torma offering. 
• Making the needed  tormas for the practices;
• Learning to use the required ceremonial instruments the Silnye (a unique Bönpo bell), Choed Dar ( choed drum), and the Rollmo (Tibetan cymbal); and
• Learning the Sidpe Gyalmo masked dance.

This course will bring a wealth of knowledge to all Bön practitioners. It is especially suited for students who want to take their practice to a higher level, to learn how to properly recite prayers and Zab or Nyenpas (mantras) and correctly carry out their own practices at their own altar.

There will be four different parts of the course. The course will begin with the Sang Offering The course for Sang Offering is in three parts.  The course will be offered via live stream or if you are able to join in person at Yeru Bön Center in Minnetonka, Minnesota.  Final culminating event will be held at Yeru Retreat Center in Emily, Minnesota.

The course sessions will be live streamed for students who are not able to attend in person.  It is highly recommended, (but not required),  students attend the final retreat in person, where all of the teachings will come together.

 

March 13-15^th, 2020

Yeru Bön Center  Minnetonka, MN

            First Generosity:  Sang Chöd ~  Smoke Offering – Offering of Fumigation: Part I    

You will learn the theory and why the Sang Chod is important for your practice and part of the four generosities.   The correct way to recite the prayers and mantras.   Learn how to present the offerings for the Sang practice. 

You will learn which torma is required for the Sang offering and how to make the proper torma.

You will have time with GesheLa to ask questions and then, you will be asked to practice the prayers and mantras for the next live stream.

You will be given the ingredients list for a torma, so you can prepare one for the next series teaching on March 27^th – 29^th. 

 

March 27^th – 29^th, 2020

Yeru Bön Center   ~   Minnetonka  MN

Sang Chöd – Review and Part II (with musical instruments)

This weekend is about reviewing what you learned on March 13^th – 15^th.     You will be asked to make a torma and to prepare for a Tsog.   GesheLa will teach the students how to use the musical instruments needed for the Sang Ceremony.  

It would be a good idea to have one or all of the musical instruments available to you:  The Silnye (a unique Bönpo bell), Choed Dar ( choed drum), and the Rollmo (Tibetan cymbal);

 

April 3-5, 2020 

Yeru Bön Center    Minnetonka, MN

Sang Chöd: Review and Part III

By this third session:  Geshela will review what was learned on the previous two teachings.    Help the students with the prayers and mantras, the musical instruments.  

You will know and understand the Sang Ceremony, how to make the offering, play the musical instruments and how to perform the Sang Ceremony.

 

April 24-25, 2020

Yeru Bön Center   Minntonka, MN

Second Generosity ~ Chutor       Water Offering

Chutor (Water Offering). This practice is done in the mid-morning. This practice removes karmic impurities, and releases and speeds healing from physical and mental illness that may have been caused by karma.

GesheLa will introduce us to the practice of the Chutor - We will learn the prayers and mantras with proper pronunciations.   

He will teach us how to prepare for the Chutor and what we will need for our Chutor practices.  

You will be asked to study the prayers and mantras and to prepare to perform the Chutor on the next series teaching May 1-3^rd.

 

May 1-3, 2020

Yeru Bön Center  ~  Minntonka, MN

                                                         Part 2    Chutor ~  Water Offering

GesheLa will review what we learned on April 24^th-25^th.  Answer questions and discuss more on the practice of the Chutor Ceremony.  

We will have a better understanding on how this practice releases and speeds our healing from physical and mental illnesses that may have been caused by karma.

You will be asked to prepare for a Chutor in your space, if you are joining live stream, or to bring your Chutor instruments if you are participating at the center.

 

July 10^th -12^th, 2020

Yeru Retreat Center ~  Emily, MN

Third Generosity ~ Sur Chöd: Burnt Food Offerings

This practice is done in the evening.  We dedicate this practice to all sentient beings, to pay off karmic debts, to free us from the suffering, and emotional obscuration, and to awaken our  inner awareness.

GesheLa will introduce us to the practice of the Chutor - We will learn the prayers and mantras with proper pronunciations.    GesheLa will show us how to remove karmic debts and to remove emotional obscurations and how we can awaken our inner awareness through this practice of the Sur Chöd. 

 

August  4^th – 8^th, 2020

Yeru Retreat Center  ~  Emily, MN

Chod Teaching and additional Prayers

Chod (Personal Offering).  This practice is done at night . We imagine offering our own bodies to those to whom we owe karmic debts, providing benefit for ourselves as well as others.   This practice helps us overcome our emotional attachements. 

GesheLa will teach us the correct way to use the Chod drum.   He will discuss and teach us why the Chod practice is important in helping us to remove our karmic debts, and providing benefit for ourselves as well a others.    This practice is powerful in helping us to cut from our emotional attachements. 

Housing is available at the Yeru Retreat Center 

 

 

 

September 1 – 10^th, 2020

Yeru Retreat Center ~ Emily, MN

The Four Generosity Practice ~ Review and completion of teaching

Putting it all together.   This retreat will culminate what we have learned, the Sang, Chutor, Sur and the Chod.   Putting them together, learning more from GesheLa about the prayers, mantras and the invocations of the deities.    There will be guided meditations, and hands on review with Geshe Ten Gelek.   By the end of this series you will be strong proficient in the prayers, mantras, deities, musical instruments and each of the Four Generosity practices.   

During this retreat, GesheLa will also be teaching the attending students how to perform the sacred Sidpe Gyalmo Dance.  

By the end of this Four Generosity series, we will understand the importance of self- transformation through the removal of karmic debts, obscurations and more.   

You will feel the healing of this practice and will be able to use many of what was taught with other practices of Bön.   

Each of the Four Generosity practices contains prayers, invocations of the deities, and self-transformation. The retreat session will focus on the specific practices but will also be a culmination of the Four Generosity teaching.

Many students have practiced parts of these practices for years. This is the opportunity to receive the teachings of the full practice from a superbly qualified teacher.

This teaching is a serious teaching. It is not to be taken lightly. It will be taught in the style of sMenri tradition. Students will be expected to study, practice and take examinations on what they have learned.

We will have a link for students to purchase the musical instruments, if you so wish to purchase them.  

Each teaching will be recorded, and students will have access to the recordings to help them review and to study for the next teaching in this series. 

Geshe Ten Gelek would like to encourage all students to participate live, if possible, at the 10-day retreat.  

Housing is available at the Yeru Retreat Center  -  Contact Yeru Bon Center at 952-300-6111 or yerubon@yeruboncenter.org   for housing fees and availability. 

If you choose to come to the weekend teachings in Minnetonka and need a place to stay, there is limited housing available at the house, please contact deborah@yeruBöncenter.org for housing options.

 

About Geshe Tenzin Gelek

Geshe Tenzin Gelek received his Geshe degree at sMenri Monastery  in Dolanji, India in 1996. He served as Umzed for sMenri Monastery for three years. He is well suited to teach students the authentic sMenri Order.   He currently lives in Chicago.

This Four Generosity teaching is a series of teachings, some being held at the Yeru Bon Center in Minnetonka, others at the Yeru Retreat Center. All teachings will be live stream and recorded, so if you are not able to participate, you will have a recording of the teachings. Students will have a list of ingredients for the Tormas

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