How to Have a (Truly) Happy New Year

A Virtual Public Talk

with Khenpo Karten Rinpoche

Friday, January 15th, 2021

6:00 – 8:00 PM Pacific Time

Online via Zoom (details emailed to participants)

Free & Open to the Public

About the Talk

Are you hoping to find purpose and meaning in the events of the past year, while living with greater peace and authenticity in the year to come? Spend an evening with Tibetan monk, scholar, and meditation master, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, who has distilled centuries of Buddhist wisdom to its essence in original poetic verse. With warmth and clarity, Rinpoche will draw on his decades of personal study and meditation practice to explain a selection of verses on the nature of happiness and methods to cultivate it. Time will be made for Rinpoche to answer your questions. The talk will be in Tibetan with consecutive interpretation into English. Attendees are also invited to register for our virtual annual retreat (Jan 16-18, 2021), where Rinpoche will teach on a text called The Instructions of Gampopa: A Precious Garland of the Supreme Path.

About the Teacher

Khenpo Karten Rinpoche is an accomplished teacher and practitioner of the Karma Kagyu Lineage and is also trained in the Nyingma Lineage of Buddhism. He was born in the beautiful mountains of the Himalayas of Tibet. At the age of twelve, he was ordained at Ja-pa monastery, where he began his formal education of reading, writing and ritual practice. At the age of fifteen having completed the basic studies, he furthered his studies in the Sutra and Tantric texts under the accomplished master Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche and Pema Tsewang Rinpoche for eight years. Subsequently Khenpo Karten Rinpoche went to the hermitage of anther accomplished teacher, Sangye Tenzin Rinpoche and completed five years of retreat under the great master. In the retreat he completed the practices of the Naropa’s six yoga, Mahamudra and many others. In recognition of his achievements, Sangye Tenzin Ringpoche bestowed upon him the title, Khenpo Karma Lekshe Tharchin in 1994.

In 1996, he left Tibet and traveled to Dharamsala, India to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Upon

His Holiness’ advice, he spent another two years doing retreat. H.H Dalai Lama also recognizing his achievement, bestowed upon him the title Khenpo Rinpoche. After his retreat, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche was requested by H.E Tai Situ Rinpoche to go to the monastery of Venerable Tsoknyi Rinpoche, to teach the young monks there.

Khenpo Karten arrived in the United States in 2008, and taught in the Monterey Bay area for the first time in September of that year. After meeting a group of prospective students and seeing the hills of Big Sur which remind him of Tibet, he returned in 2009 to make the Monterey Bay his permanent home. Since then, Rinpoche has established the Manjushri Dharma Center (MDC) in Pacific Grove, California, which has become his main teaching location and his home residence. With unflinching faith in the precious Buddha Dharma, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, now a U.S. citizen, bestows sacred teachings to thousands of people all over the world, with weekly teachings and events.

Questions and More Info

For more information: please visit the Manjushri Dharma Center website. You may also subscribe to our weekly newsletter for updates on events and written teachings delivered to your email in-box each Monday.

For questions: please contact Aaron Joseph, Manjushri Dharma Center Board President, 805-618-8822 or jwlinthelotus@yahoo.com.

Photo credit: the beautiful image of Big Sur shown above is by Miles McBreen.