Marpa Gompa Meditation Society
Calgary, Alberta Canada
Marpa Gompa Meditation Society (Tibetan: Marpa Gompa Changchub Ling ) is a nonprofit society dedicated to the promotion, practice, and study of Tibetan Buddhist Meditation. The society operates under the spiritual guidance of Vajra Acharya Lama Karma Thinley Rinpoche, living in Toronto, and resident dharma teacher Jetsün Rigdzin Khandro. Our centre is located in Calgary, Alberta.
Marpa Gompa Meditation Society is registered with Revenue Canada as a charitable organization.
Lama Karma Thinley Rinpoche
Karma Thinley Rinpoche is the President and spiritual leader of Marpa Gompa. He supervises Dharma centres in Toronto, England, and Nepal, as well as here in Calgary.
Teachings available on our site written by Lama Karma Thinley Rinpoche:
The Life of Buddha and The Sadhana of the Lord Buddha "Cloudbanks of Merit" (also available in Tibetan language)
Jetsün Rigdzin Khandro
When I am happy, may my merit flow to others;
May its blessings fill the sky.
When I am unhappy, may the sorrows of all beings be mine;
May the ocean of suffering run dry.
We live in an amazing, fast moving and fast changing world. Great progress in science, medicine and technology is raising our living standard to ever new heights. But alongside this positive development, attachment to materialism also has grown very strong. When we give in to this attachment we become rigid, competitive and irritable. Even though we wish only to be happy and loving, we can see in our own experience how quickly our mind, when challenged, reacts with anger, jealousy and other negative emotions.
To heal this situation, Lama Karma Thinley Rinpoche teaches Lojong practice through which many problems and much mental suffering disperse. When self-interest is changed into concern for others, our main trouble-maker, clinging to the self as a real thing (which is the root of all delusion, conflict and suffering) dissolves, and the gate of the heart of our buddha nature opens: bodhichitta encompasses all of space like a great sun, and our wish-prayers, like the sun's rays, touch all sentient beings effortlessly, limitlessly. The Mahayana teaching says when complete realization of the union of compassion and shunyata is achieved, then ordinary consciousness is gone, and duality and emotional states, too, are gone; there is limitless freedom, peace and wisdom, like the sun rising free from darkness and clouds. At that time universal space and the palm of the hand are not different in size: there is only Buddha Mind. And so, making Lojong practice the basis of our conduct and practice, we can embrace the whole world in compassion and love.
Bodhichitta is like the flower:
wherever it grows, it is beautiful;
whoever sees it wants to make a garland;
whoever touches it feels its gentleness and healing.
Bodhichitta is like the elephant:
very powerful, fearless and energetic.
Bodhichitta is like the lion:
his fearless demeanour subdues all animals.
Bodhichitta is like the sun:
unchanging, always shining,
creating beautiful things upon the earth.
Writings and Reflections of Sangha
This link will take you to a collection of thought-provoking stories and
essays contributed by members of our group.
Our Name
Marpa signifies the family name of the holy saint, Marpa the Translator, who brought the Vajrayana teachings from India and established them in Tibet.
Gompa literally means "tranquility place". Particularly, because Marpa Gompa is situated in the city, it is a place of tranquility: when people from the city come to practice at this place, they forget all external problems and just concentrate on meditation.
Changchub (byang-chub) means "full enlightenment through the practice of ultimate truth".
"Chang" involves two trainings:
Relative mind - pure freshness of love and compassion; and absolute mind - training in primordial wisdom.
"Chub" - absolute point mind, or "beings' natural purity mind"
Ling (gling) means "place" - so it is the "Place of Training for Enlightenment".
Our legal name, as registered with the relevant government agencies, is "Marpa Gompa Meditation Society".
Meetings
Please Note: As a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marpa Gompa is not currently holding meetings. We will update this website when that situation changes.
How to contact Marpa Gompa
Note: We cannot provide instructions in meditation technique over the Internet. To learn meditation, we recommend you find a teacher in your local area. The Kagyu centres directory may be of some help in locating one.
You are welcome to contact us for more information about the Society and its activities. If you will be in the Calgary area, you are welcome to contact us to arrange a visit.
For more information, contact us at: info@marpagompa.org
tel.: (587) 620-3221
Visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/MarpaGompa
Links
The pages linked below are provided by other organizations.
We hope you find them helpful.
Kampo Gangra
Dechen
Kagyu centres worldwide
Introduction to Buddhism
Last Updated January 25, 2021